Today’s Forecast

🌱 Dig this

The beginner’s guide to composting in San Diego

A heap of tomatoes and vegetation in a dark brown wooden bin outside.

One person’s organic trash is another’s compost treasure. | Photo by Eva Bronzini via Pexels

Ready to begin composting? We’ve got the dirt on how to get started, plus the best compost bin for your needs.

What is composting?

Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter — like leaves, food scraps, and yard trimmings. You reap what you sow: The result is a dark, nutrient-heavy material, like soil, that you can use to enrich your lawn or garden.

How do you get started?

Organic waste composting is a law in San Diego, meaning locals must separate food scraps or yard clippings from other trash. These wastes will be collected with other trash services, unless you’re keeping your compost for your garden or yard.

Since you gotta do it, why not do it in style? Compost bins can run the gamut, but here are some we’ve bin eyeing:

For beginners | This bin is easy to clean and is perfect for collecting scraps on your counter.
For style icons | Composting, but make it cute. Just don’t mistake this odor-free bin for your cookie jar.
For the serious gardener | This 43-gallon container rotates — no more mixing compost by hand — and has two chambers so you can add fresh waste while the older batch finishes up.
For the landscaper | If you plan to compost mostly yard waste, this open-top bin is a good alternative to a pile.

Pro tip: The City of San Diego offers troubleshooting tips and resources if your compost isn’t cooperating.

Can you compost without a backyard?

If you’re an apartment-dweller or simply don’t have the backyard space — but you aspire to use your own compost — you might want to give worm composting a try. Simply purchase a special bin and some worms, and let your new squirmy pets feast on your scraps.

What can't you compost?

Events

Tuesday, April 11

Gaslamp Comedy Open Mic | Tuesday, Apr. 11 | 8 p.m. | The American Comedy Co., 818 Sixth Ave., San Diego | Free | Laughs, with a side of $5 Happy Hour deals.
SDSU Aztecs vs. UC San Diego Tritons Baseball | Tuesday, Apr. 11 | 6 p.m. | Tony Gwynn Stadium, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego | $6 | The San Diego universities showdown on the diamond.
Babyface Ray | Tuesday, Apr. 11 | 8 p.m. | House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego | $12.50-$75 | The Detroit rapper takes the mic at the “Courtesy of the Mob Tour.”

Wednesday, April 12

Miramar Landfill Bus Tours | Wednesday, Apr. 12 | 9-11 a.m. | Metro Biosolids Center, 5240 Convoy St., San Diego | Free | Available only to City of San Diego residents, this bus tour will give you a peek at what really happens when you throw something “away.”
Patchwork Presents: Macrame Shelf Craft Workshop | Wednesday, Apr. 12 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Original 40 Brewing, 3117 University Ave., San Diego | $45 | Get crafty and learn how to make a macrame wall shelf (all supplies included) while you treat yourself to a pint.

Thursday, April 13

Try To Remember, Never Forget | Thursday, Apr. 13 | 6-7:45 p.m. | San Diego History Center, 1649 El Prado, Ste. #3, San Diego | Free | Sandra Scheller, daughter of Holocaust survivors, shares her family’s story to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Grow more plans

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Civic

Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors Nora Vargas will introduce a resolution of no confidence on District 4 Supervisor Nathan Fletcher at tonight’s special meeting. This calls for his immediate resignation following a sexual assault and harassment lawsuit. If passed, the vacancy will be addressed at the May 2 meeting. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Number

$79,324. That’s how much it costs to live comfortably in the San Diego metro area, according to SmartAsset. This makes the region the second most expensive place to live out of the 25 largest metro areas in the US. (SmartAsset)

Coming Soon

Guess who’s flying into Coronado? Local coffee chain Better Buzz announced that it will open a new location at 1305 Orange Ave. early this summer. If you know someone looking for a job, the new location is hiring employees to join the hive.

The Word

“Gray-pril.” This is a nickname given to San Diego by the National Weather Service during April when persistent gray clouds cover the coastline. It has contributed to cooler weather this month, resulting in an average temperature of ~5º below normal. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Try This

Think you could turn one of our newsletters into a poem? Spread your creative wings with our poetry contest. The rules: Craft a 75-word or less poem using the words that appeared in our Wednesday, April 5, newsletter. Submit before Sunday, April 16, for a chance at an SDtoday feature.

Today Is

Today is National Pet Day. Celebrate your fur babies with our brand partner, Hannah Chloe Co. From bandanas to bows, your adorable pet will appreciate these gifts. Shop now.

Travel

Itching to take a vacation? How about exploring some of our favorite destinations on the East Coast? We’ve rounded up a list of five drool-worthy vacation spots just for you. This oceanfront suite in Bermuda is one of our favorites on the list. See the rest.

Tech

🚐 Paving a new path

San Diegans are spotting its road assessment van in action

This van does a hole lot more than you’d expect. | Photo via @CityofSanDiego

Have you seen this van on the streets? If you think it’s just filling potholes, you’re not seeing the hole picture.

This road assessment vehicle has been cruising through local streets — 3,000+ miles, to be exact — to track conditions using laser and camera technologies. This allows the city to assess street conditions and determine where repairs are most-needed. It’s especially important after this year’s storms left an increased number of potholes on San Diego’s roadways.

The van is also helping the city get back on track to report its Overall Condition Index every four years, which categorizes streets as good, fair, or poor. The city hopes this will help save money by tackling maintenance on roads in fair condition, and prevent them from turning into more costly projects.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Michael

From the editor

Good morning, San Diego. Recently, the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) rescued a litter of coyotes, thinking they were German Shepards. While I wouldn’t recommend adopting a coyote, I’m a strong supporter of adopting pets if you’re able to. SDHS has many animals looking for homes — and today is National Pets Day, after all.

Missed yesterday’s news letter? What’s up (and down) with San Diego’s home prices.

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