Christy Olson

I would caution against maintaining even a "monitored" population of buckthorn. The problem is that birds carry the seeds far away, perpetuating the invasiveness of the plant to places that don't have the benefit of your monitoring.

I had one in my yard and got rid of it after I found out it was considered invasive. I know sometimes there are benefits to invasive species, but my conscience is clearer now and I can put my energies into species that aren't known troublemakers.

(And by the way, it was really easy to get rid of mine. I just cut it at the base and then put a bucket over the little remaining stump. I only had one, so it was super easy, but wanted to mention the ease of removal in case there was any concern about that.)

good luck!

I've been composting kitchen scraps for over 6 years now; a plastic bucket I already had did the trick for a couple years, but then I broke the lid.

If you have a little bit of floor space to dedicate to a container, and you're ok buying something new, I have to recommend a model like this:

http://www.simplehuman.com/products/trash-cans/bathroom/plastic.html Or maybe you can find something like it at a rummage sale?

It's a big enough size that I don't have to empty it daily, which is a blessing in winter. But what I really like about it (and this is what got me to register on permies for the first time to make this recommendation) is being able to use your feet to open the lid. It might sound trivial, but being able to step open the lid and use both hands to scrape food adds up to serious ease-of-use.

I've been using it for at least four years and it hasn't cracked or anything. The liner inside can be removed and washed easily.

(I'm slightly embarassed my first post here sounds like an ad!)