It's a composting container that the city of Seattle sells to residents. There are four parts: a basket that gets placed in a hole in the ground; an inner black cone that holds the burgeoning levels of kitchen scraps as they rise above the height of the basket; an outer green cone that gives it an attractive, camouflaging look; and a green lid that keeps the smells in and the pests out. We got two (as the city recommends) with directions that you fill one 2/3 full and then let it rest and compost as you fill the second one. Once the second one is 2/3 full, the first container should be done composting. So you empty the "beautiful, rich, dark brown compost" (their words, not mine...although I have high hopes!) from the first container, spread it on your garden, and continue the rotation. Here's the first cone in place:
Note that the rocks around it are ones I dug up while shoveling dirt out of the hole. You can't see the huge rock Theis pulled out of the ground for me, but it was definitely beyond my strength to get it out easily. I think we're going to wait on placing the second one to make sure that we like the location, and to give the local bumblebees a chance to raise their baby bumblebees and fly away. The former owners had a wood/scrap pile here, so a small colony of bees (five bees!) have made a little home under some tufts of dried grass.
Can you see the hole in the grass where they fly in and out? You may need to click on it to see a larger view. I'm not willing to let them be killed, and Theis is not interested in getting stung trying to prod them to move, so they may be here for a little while. :)
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