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Nothing beats a hot steaming cup of coffee in the morning. It stimulates the senses and wakens a tired body. It is one of the best ways to start a brand new day. Many people buy the cheap, mass produced coffee from the grocery store, but for only a few bucks more, you can get coffee that is better tasting and organically-grown.

Many of the manufacturing  and growing methods used to make non-organic coffee have been proven to damage the environment, through the use of  pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers that is used throughout the growing process.

In order for organic coffee to claim its title and be sold as “organically-certified” in grocery stores and coffee shops throughout the United States, it has to follow a set of strict guidelines established by the US Department of Agriculture that regulates organic production.

Organic coffee must not use any synthetic pesticides or herbicides and the farmers must also have crop rotation systems in place to prevent soil nutrients from depleting along with sufficient pest control.

Given the nature of the organic coffee production process, its market is steadily climbing in the United States with total sales reaching close to 90 million in 2005, a nearly 50 percent jump from 2004. In addition, organic coffee is being sold by more specialty coffee firms than ever, a testament to its growing popularity.

Organic coffee continues to remain a premium product at, sometimes, extravagant prices. Currently, a 12 oz. bag of dark roasted shade grown, fair-trade organic coffee can climb upwards of $12 at your local grocery store. Light roasted organic coffee goes for about $3 less, depending on where you’re buying it from. Adding to organic coffee’s exclusivity is the size of the world organic coffee market which remains mired at less than 1% in all of the major coffee consuming countries.

Despite its status, organic coffee continues to be diverse, offering products that include coffee sodas, decaffeinated, caffeinated, and flavored coffees. Even though you may spend a few extra bucks, organic coffee is a safe alternative to the mass produced, environmentally unconscious coffees made today.

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Source: NatureWise

With so many different sizes, styles, prices and systems available for garden compost bins how do you choose the bes one for your garden? There are a few simple things to keep in mind to ensure your new composter is right for you and your garden.

The choice of commercially available ready-made garden compost bins is endless. Plastic, wood, mesh, static, open, covered, spinning, rolling, wormery or fermenting system. How on earth do you know which garden composter to choose?

First things first, do not panic too much. If you are new to garden composting, rest assured that any bin your choose will make you great garden compost. Organic matter wants to decompose and break down. Even if you used no bin at all, and just piled it all up in the corner of the garden, you would end up with compost. The speed and efficiency at which humus is produced may vary considerably with different garden composting systems, but the end result will be the same eventually.

Price & Size

The primary considerations when choosing a garden compost bin should be price and size. Your budget will determine whether you can even consider the more flamboyant multi-chamber rotating composters, or if you will need to stick with basic static models. There is no point in dreaming of new super-fast systems if you do not have the budget for it.

Decide your price range and stick with it. The cheapest composters work, and often the more basic are the longest lasting so do not stress yourself with what you would have, just look at what you can have.

Does Size Matter?

The size of the bin is also key. There is absolutely no point in buying a huge container if you do not have huge amounts of organic debris to put in it. Be realistic. You want to be able to fill any bin within six months and ideally within three. Multiple bins are always preferable because once a container is full it will need to be left for at least a few months. So, you will need another bin to start filling.

The Speed of Composters

The speed at which you want to make compost may impact on your purchasing decision. The quickest way to produce garden compost outside is with a spinning compost barrel. Used correctly with regular mixing of the garden waste and kitchen scraps, these can make your compost within eight weeks. Speed does not really matter in the longer term, because once you start making your own garden compost you will always have some being made and some finished. But, in the early stages it is beneficial to get some made quickly for an immediate return on your investment.

How Important Are Looks?

Considering how ugly some bins are, probably the last thing people really consider are the looks of any system. If your garden is a large one, that’s fine as you can hide an ugly bin and not worry about it. But, most gardeners will find their bin is on view from some part of the garden.

For this reason what the bin looks like should be taken into account much more than seems to be the case. If you can afford a beautiful product brilliant. But, if like most gardeners you are faced with buying a cheap but effective plastic bin think about the color of it at least. Black disappears into the background, so an ugly black composter will be much less noticeable than a more stylish bright green one. Simple, but true.

Traditional Composting Systems vs. Worm Composting

Try not to be swayed too much towards worm composting or kitchen compost bins if you have the room and use for an ordinary garden composter. These should be chosen if a compost pile in the garden is not an option, or if you are looking for an additional composting system to use in conjunction with a traditional garden compost bin. Both those systems are great, because they recycle food scraps so effectively but they are much more effective when used in addition to a garden bin for the bulky waste.

I must reiterate, do not stress about the type of garden compost bin too much. They all work and the chances are you will want another one in a few years so you can try a different one then! Once you start garden composting there just never seems to be enough so most gardeners use several systems alongside each other.

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