4 Ways Composting Saves Money

The Financial Benefits of Composting

Why do you compost? For many people, composting is all about reducing waste. Compost diverts organic material away from the landfills and into our yard where it can be used to fertilize our flower and vegetable beds. From a practical standpoint, compost also saves us money. Here are four ways that composting saves me hundreds of dollars a year.

Lower trash pickup costs

Yard waste can fill up a trash can in a hurry and if your city is like mine, the more garbage we put out, the higher the cost of collection. Composting our yard waste and vegetable scraps means saving money on trash pickup.

Free soil amenity for vegetable garden

Commercially prepared compost runs between $75-100 for a cubic yard, even more if you buy it in bags. The compost bins in my yard produce nearly 3 cubic yards of composted material a year which I use to improve the soil in the vegetable beds. Improving the beds with homemade compost means you can get by with less water and less fertilizer than beds without compost.

No need for a garbage disposal

I don't have a garbage disposal and never felt the need to own one because all my vegetable scraps go straight to the compost bins instead of down the drain. Garbage disposals are expensive, use electricity, and take a lot of care to keep them functioning properly. Composting diverts your kitchen scraps away from the drain and back into your yard where it will benefit your plants.

Free mulch

If you have chickens and rabbits like we do, the animal waste and soiled bedding can pile up in a hurry. I use my composter to convert their waste products into nutrition rich mulch which I scatter around my rose bushes and privacy hedge. Mulch made from chicken manure and bedding acts as a slow release fertilizer while also keeping down the weeds and preserving ground moisture.

Dont know where to start ? Here is an detailed about starting a compost pile

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Planning and Preparing Your Organic Garden

Organic Gardening for Beginners

Tools That You Will Need:

There are a few basic tools that everyone needs to have in order to keep a healthy garden. These include a pointed shovel, fork, garden rake, cultivator, garden hoe, trowel, and a pair of shears or garden snips. (The fork is not absolutely necessary and can be replaced with the shovel or the rake in most cases.) Good tools can be purchased at a local hardware store for around five to ten dollars apiece. Expect to spend anywhere from twenty five to thirty dollars for a complete set of necessary tools. Some optional tools include a wheelbarrow, push mower, flathead shovel or spade, flower pots, and a compost tumbler. For organic gardening, you will need a compost pile or composter. 

Caring for Your Garden Tools:

Unless they are cared for properly, tools will not last through even one season. Tool care is simple and easy to follow. First, and most importantly, NEVER leave tools outside after using them. Sun and moisture will cause the wood to warp, crack, and loosen. When the wood dries out too much and becomes loose, the head of the tool will not stay on and the tool becomes useless and will have to be thrown away. Keep all tools inside a shed or garage to protect them from the elements. Secondly, keep your tools clean and dry when you are not using them. Dirt and water will cause them to rust. If you have tools that require sharpening, buy a sharpener and keep it in storage where you keep your tools.

When to Begin:

Gardens are usually begun in spring, but some gardens can be begun in the fall. Begin planning your garden during the winter. Seeds should be started indoors around six weeks before the last spring frost. Find a warm place to start your seeds where they can get plenty of sunlight after germination. In our home, we have a small atrium attached to the house. A garden shed with windows that is protected from freezing will also work. If you do not have an area that is warm with plenty of light, you can grow them in a garage with a grow light which can be purchased at a local hardware store. Seed packets should state when you need to begin your seeds and how you should go about doing so.

Will You Need a Greenhouse?

Greenhouses are useful, but not necessary. Also called hothouses, these structures help keep plants warm out-of-doors before the planting season begins. Sunlight comes into the greenhouse through the walls and ceiling and remains inside the greenhouse as heat. You can build your own greenhouse with a few simple tools and supplies. Instructions for building a large passive greenhouse can be built here. For a simpler greenhouse, purchase some heavy chicken wire and plastic sheeting. Bend the wire over your plants in a a half-circle over your plants so that it creates a dome. You can then lay the plastic sheeting over your wire for protection. tie the plastic to the wire with string and bring it around and down to close off the ends. Secure the greenhouse to the ground with stakes. You can pull the stakes up and lift the cover for watering, or you can run a soaker hose through the covered garden and turn it off and on when watering is needed.

Choosing Your Crops:

The most important thing about choosing which crops you will grow is location. Obviously, if you live in Alaska, you won't be able to have a full harvest of watermelons. First, decide all of the plants you would like to grow and make a list. When choosing your seeds, make a note of the weather conditions each plant prefers. If it does not coincide with your region, you will have to cross it off of your list. Some plants have different varieties that grow in different types of weather, so check out each type before you choose. Some plants need lots of water and should not be grown in dry areas. Other plants require cool weather and should not be grown where the summers are too hot for them to grow. As you look up the climatic conditions for each variety, make a note to the side of each strain you can grow in your garden.

If this is your first garden, you should be careful not to grow any plants which require too much care and are not good for beginners. Asparagus is one such plant. Asparagus takes three years to mature and become established. This is an example of a plant that is best left to the experienced gardener. Some good plants for the first-time gardener include pumpkins, watermelon, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, potatoes, okra, beans, peas, corn, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, squash, turnips, beets, and radishes. There are also a variety of other plants that are suitable for a first-time garden. Herbs are almost always easy to grow and are very good for first-time gardeners.

Where to Plant?

Location is one of the most important factors in having a successful garden. You must choose a place that gets full sun at least 2/3 of the day and has good drainage. For anyone not familiar with gardening, good drainage means that it is on a hill or on flat level ground. Don't plant in a ditch or at the bottom of a hill or anywhere water drains or will collect. Too much water can drown a plant. If you are planting next to a house, you will need to plant away from the edge of the roof or install a rain gutter over the area where the roof slants down over the garden. Rainwater pouring off of a roof will damage plants and cause excessive runoff which will wash away your topsoil, exposing roots and killing your garden plants (and I can say this from personal experience).

Try to grow your garden as far from any trees as possible. Trees will compete with garden plants for water and can sometimes create too much shade, not to mention covering the garden in leaves in autumn. Plant the garden near the house so that it will be accessible to water and easy to take care of. Gardening should not mean taking a trip out across the pasture. Think about crucial elements when planting. Is it too near the composter? Insects that feed on compost would also love to feed on your garden plants. Is it near the garage? That might make it easier when toting tools and supplies back and forth.

Planning the Garden:

The beginning gardener should know how much room a garden takes up. While planning the size of the garden, you will need to assume that you can plant about 1 1/2 plants per square foot. Carrots and smaller root crops can be planted three per square foot. Spreading plants such as squash, watermelon, pumpkin, and cucumber need an extra square foot or two for growth. If you plan on growing climbing plants such as beans or peas, you will need a wall to grow them against. A trellis can be built if there is no wall. An eight by eight foot garden can grow anywhere from sixty to seventy plants which is quite a lot. While planting, be careful not to plant plants too far apart or too close together. Taller plants should be planted in the back where they will not block sunlight from the rest of the garden. Medium plants go in the middle and short plants in the front, etc.

Heirloom Seeds:

It is important to purchase heirloom quality seeds when buying seeds for your garden. Heirloom quality means that the seeds are not hybrids, have not been chemically treated, and have not been genetically engineered in any way. Heirloom seeds are seeds from plants that have been grown for hundreds of years and are chosen because they are healthy, grow best, and taste the best. Unlike manufactured seeds, heirloom seeds are not produced to make more fruits than the plant can sustain without chemical fertilizers, and have not been irradiated to make them sterile so you can't grow the seeds that will be produced by the plants you will be growing. Heirloom seeds produce healthy plants that provide lots of vitamins and minerals and are the best tasting. Always opt for heirloom quality seeds when purchasing or you may have to buy new seeds every season.

Info on Companion Planting:

Companion planting means planting different varieties of plants together in order to protect them from pests. There are different ways you can use companion planting. First, it is important to mix the crops together in the garden. Try not to plant more than four or five of one type together. Plants that are grown all together spread disease and pests easily. Many inflictions tend to favor a particular plant and will have a hard time spreading to the other plants if there are other types of vegetation between them. In nature, plants are mixed together, making it more difficult for insects to find the plants they prefer. Another type of companion planting uses plants to deter insects. Marigolds, garlic, and mints are perfect for keeping plants out of the garden. Plant these plants around the perimeter and throughout the garden. I plant lots of them around plants that are particularly prone to insects. Marigolds are the best and are very easy to grow. Wormwood keeps away pests well, but is very poisonous and should not be grown around children or household pets.

A third type of companion planting is done by planting together plants which complement each other. Complementing plants deter insects from each other and also add nutrients to the soil that the other needs. 

Below is a list of companion plants:

Cabbage - Plant mint and nastrium to keep away cabbage moth and improve soil.

Corn - Lamb's Quarters.

Fruit Trees - Plant Nastrium to keep away pests.

Radish - Plant Nastrium.

Raspberries - Plant Garlic to keep it in good health and keep away pests.

Roses - Plant Garlic to keep it in good health and keep away pests.

Tomato - Plant Basil, Mint, and Dill to keep away various pests.

The fourth type of companion planting is using plants as a trap. The bait plant is planted near other plants to lure insects. These plants can be pulled up and the insects destroyed. Lamb's Quarters and Nastrium are good plants to use as lure plants as they attracts aphids.

Digging Up Your Garden:

By now you should already have chosen where you want to plant your garden. To get the soil started, you will need a shovel. Mark off the boundaries of the garden with a garden hose or with stakes with string tied between them. Using the shovel, dig down as deep as it will go and then pull the shovel handle back to pull the soil up. Move the shovel over and dig another spot. Keep doing this until all of the soil in the garden has been dug up. It should be a bit clumpy. Don't worry about removing any grass.

Next, you will need the rake or the cultivator. I rake up the soil the best I can so that it is broken up into smaller pieces. If you have a tiller, this will work even better. I prefer to do all of the work by hand. Remove any rocks you find. Rocks will ruin the growth of your root crops such as carrots, onions, potatoes, leeks, and radishes. If you have lots of very large rocks, they can be used to line the edges of the garden. If you are having trouble tilling because the soil is too hard, use a shovel to break up the large pieces at first. Areas with clay soil, like where we live, tend to be harder to till. You may want to try digging two to three days after it rains as the soil will be softer. Do not dig up muddy soil. This prevents the soil from aerating and is bad for both plants and earthworms.

Preparing the Soil:

Garden soil must be rich in nutrients. You will need compost and manure when treating your garden. I buy about 4 bags of compost and two bags of cow manure for every 64 square feet (8x8 feet) of garden. Bags of compost and manure cost between one and two dollars each at the garden store. If you make your own compost, you will not need to buy compost. If you keep animals, chicken, goat, and horse manure can be used instead of cow manure. Chicken manure can burn plants, so only use about four cups of chicken manure for each 64 square feet. Do not use manure from meat-eating animals such as cats, dogs, and humans. If you have very sandy soil, you may need an extra bag or two of compost. Spread these out evenly over the soil and rake them in with your garden rake and your hoe. A tiller can also be used. Do not water the garden until you have planted your seedlings.

The garden will need some kind of edging to keep the outside plants from creeping over the borders. Edging will save you a lot of time in the long run, so it is best to get it put in early. You can make a fancy border out of logs, bricks or stone. If you need a cheap alternative, however, garden stores and hardware stores sell metal edging for about a dollar per twenty feet.

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How to Start Your Own Composting System

Compost is a dark, earthy-like material made up of decomposing organic matter. With the help of microorganisms and other small animals such as snails and earthworms, this organic material turns into a mulch that is loaded with nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Compost improves the physical nature of soil, which sometimes can be either too sandy or filled with clay. Adding compost to your flower and vegetable beds helps break up that poor soil and allows it to hold moisture. The nutrients also stimulate root growth. Compost is nature's more perfect soil additive and best of all, it can be made free of charge.

The first step is choosing a compost system that works best for you.

The 5 basic composting systems

Many people use a black soil saver compost bin which is about the size of a dishwasher. These bins are about 30 inches high with a self locking lid, and water holes directly in the lid to keep compost moist. These tuck nicely in the corner of the yard and are quite easy to use. Most units retail around $90.

Another popular composter type is the tumbler. The tumblers comes in a number of different styles, but the basic idea is that you can manually tumble the compost instead of turning it with a pitchfork. These can start at $100 and go as high as $300.

For the thrifty minded, a wire bin composter made of chicken wire will work. For this, all you need is enough chicken wire to shape a cylinder that measures about 3 feet across.

Gardeners who do a lot of composting use a three section cedar bin, which allows for the transfer of compost as it passes through the various stages of decomposition. The advantage of the bin system is that the compost is much easier to rotate with a pitchfork or shovel.

For the totally budget minded (and my preference), there's open pit composting. All that's required is a corner of the yard and a shallow hole to hold the compost.

I've tried all 5 of these systems. If you have a small yard and limited organic material, a standard bin or tumbler works best. Those with larger yards and lots of leaves, grass clippings, and prunings, will need either a 3 part bin system or compost pit. When I first started with composting, I used home made wire bins which were cheap to build but awkward to use. They do tend to tip over easily when stirring the material.

Once you've decided on a compost system, the next step is to find a place to set it. It should be placed in an area with good drainage, is out of the way, and has plenty of air space.

What do I place in my composter?

Properly done, composting happens quickly. The secret to rapid composting is to layer the organic material, keep it moist, and rotate the material once a week with a pitchfork.

The material you can add to your composter falls in one of two categories. They can be either "greens" which are rich in nitrogen or "browns" which contain carbon. "Greens" are such things as green leaves and plants, grass clippings, fruit & vegetable scraps from the kitchen, egg shells, coffee grounds, nut shells, and prunings. "Browns" might include such things as dried leaves, straw, sawdust, newspaper, wood chips, ash, or dried vines.

To begin, drop an inch of soil in the bottom of the composter, spreading it around with a shovel to bring it level. Next, layer the organic material by putting in a couple of inches of mixed "greens," followed with a few inches of mixed "browns." If there isn't enough brown material on hand to add to the compost, throw in some shredded newspaper instead, then top it with a sprinkling of soil. After the layering is complete, sprinkle the top and sides with some water, to help keep things moist during the composting process. You can even add a handful of worms to act as decomposers.

After about a week, turn the pile over with a pitchfork to aerate the composting materials. If you continue to turn the pile once a week, the compost should be ready in 1-2 months. Left untouched, composting could take up to a year.

With a standard composter, the finished compost drops to the bottom of the bin where it can be shoveled out through a small door located at the base. This finished compost is very dark and crumbly, and has a sweet, earthy smell.

Isn't there an easier way to compost?

Some of you might not want to deal with the hassle of rotating the compost on a weekly basis. There are other ways of composting that don't take a lot of work.

Remember those chicken wire bins I described earlier? Set several of the cages in the corner of your yard, and use these to "hold 'em and forget 'em." What works best is to layer the organic matter with a good mixture of "greens" and "browns", and an occasional layer of soil. Give the bin a good watering and then leave it alone until next spring. You'll discover that the material on the top and exposed edges might not have completely broken down, but the rest of the bin will have turned into compost.

One of the easiest ways to compost is by using black heavy duty garbage bags. I prefer heavy duty (3 ml) contractor bags. Fill the garbage bag with a mix of greens and browns, toss in a shovelful of soil, and give it a good soaking. Tie up the bag, punch in some air holes and set it in the corner of the yard. Periodically, turn the bags over to rotate the material. Within a few months, you'll have bags of compost. The garbage approach to composting works particularly well with autumn leaves. Just make sure that you add grass clippings or there won't be enough nitrogen to get the process going.

If you have a large yard, pit composting is a great alternative. I have a 25 x 15 compost pit in my yard, and the principles are much the same as composting in a bin. The secret is to layering the organic matter, sprinkling soil on the top, and keeping the pile moist. Twice a year, I'll take a pitchfork to the entire pile and rotate the material. When vegetable and fruit scraps can be tossed onto the pile, I prefer burying them within the pit to prevent possible smell and from attracting animals. To access the finished compost, merely rake aside the material that hasn't begun to decompose. Underneath, you'll find the compost which is easily removed with a shovel. In the hole that's left behind, rake in what's left of the pile, and the process can begin again.

Is there anything I can't add to a composter?

Not everything that's organic should be added to a composter or compost pile. Don't ever include dog or cat droppings, kitty litter, dairy products, meats, bones, mixed table scraps, or diseased plants. Farm animal manure is OK however.

Composting just isn't that difficult and you'll soon find a system that works best for you. You'll discover that your garden soil will be easier to turn in the spring, and that your plants and shrubs will look healthier. Best of all, you'll be diverting valuable organic material away from the landfill, while reducing your own carbon footprint on the planet. For more information on how to get started, contact your local county extension office or visit your public library.

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How to Compost Grass Clippings

I don't mean to boast, but every year our tomatoes are the envy of the neighborhood. Not only do they grow fast, they produce the vegetable (or is that fruit?) in record time. The vines must be contained by large five foot wire cages, and the quantity of tomatoes is tremendous. But what's this got to do with composting grass clippings?

My husband would say it's almost everything. Other than planting the tomatoes in a raised bed, he swears that the de-composit-ion of organic matter is the magic formula. Organic matter includes leaves, grass clippings, straw (which we use to cover the gardens in the winter), and plant trimmings. You can also compost branches but they should be no greater than ½ inch in diameter or longer than 8 inches when added to the waste.

Although our grass clippings go to the garden and areas of the yard, many others compost their clippings in various ways. If people are not "grasscycling" (the act of allowing clippings to decay naturally on the lawn), then they are catching them in the mower's bag and taking them to the garden (as we do), bagging them for pick up (which costs all taxpayers), or composting them.

If you're interested in composting, the following are some important things to keep in mind:

Create Your Own Piles in the Back Yard

If you have room in your yard and it is not too unsightly looking, you can place compost matter in several piles. The first layer on every pile should be a "brown" layer, meaning that you should use wood chips, sticks, and leaves. These materials will prevent the clippings from clumping (which they tend to do as they contain water) and help with odor control.

Additionally, shredded cardboard and paper (in small amounts) is considered brown matter.

Grass clippings can be placed on top of this brown layer. Stirring up the matter in order for it to get oxygen is important to keep it dry, especially as you add more grass clippings. (One suggestion is to let grass clippings dry out before adding them to a pile or bin.)

Purchase Your Compost Bin

Most people use compost bins which can be purchased at garden centers or stores such as Home Depot. You can purchase a spinning composter for $179.00 from Home Depot on-line, an Exacto Trading Company Earthmaker 124 gallon composter for $279.00, or an Exacto Trading Company Thermoquick 110 Composter for $99.98 (all prices include shipping).

Check out www.cleanairgardening.com/compost-bin-buyers-guide.html for their bins, including both stationary and tumbling composters. While stationary compost bins typically hold a larger amount of matter (anywhere from 100-800 gallons), the tumbling composters are easier to use and often compost matter quicker than the stationary models.

Make Your Own Bin

You can also shop for material at Lowes to build your own bin. Go to www.lowes.com and type in compost bin in the search bar. This will take you to their Creative Ideas for the Home and Garden Page. Click under the tab called 'Ideas Library' and you can view actual plans for building a two bin system out of wood.

If you're not willing or able to commit that much time or energy, you can build bins out of wire fencing held together with chain snaps or even a three-chambered bin which works similar to an assembly line (see www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/3296-02.html for instructions.

Some Tips

If you apply anything such any chemicals to your lawn, be sure not to use those in your compost pile unless a good rain has rinsed them clean.

You can also put grass clippings on top of newspaper to help control weeds.

As grass clippings work as a FREE fertilizer and mulch (and help to grow the best tomatoes in the neighborhood), my husband and I use them in the garden as much as possible. We also put grass clippings around one side of the garage to keep weeds down. In between lawn cuttings, the grass clippings have enough time to dry out so we're never left with a slimy mess or foul odor.

Additionally, you can add lime to your compost in order to increase the speed of decomposition and prevent bad odors.

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How to Best Build Up Your Compost Pile

Layering Materials for Quicker and More Complete Decomposition

Obtaining composted soil for use in the garden requires a little patience and forethought, but the rewards are manifold if we take the time. Humus, the end result of decomposed organic materials, can single-handedly sustain flower and vegetable gardens, making fertilizers and other soil enhancers unnecessary. The process of decomposition can be sped up with a properly built compost pile; including the right ingredients can also ensure that the composted soil we end up with will be rich with all the nutrients that plants need.

You can begin work on your own pile by setting aside three good-sized buckets and labelling them for different materials: one for carbon-rich "brown" matter like leaves (preferably shredded), dry manure, shredded alfalfa hay, dry vegetation, and shredded newspaper; one for "green" vegetation like broccoli, cauliflower, beans, peas, kale, weeds, grass clippings, vegetable peelings, and even tea leaves, coffee grounds and crushed eggshells; and a final one for roughage like brush and corn stalks. Nearly anything organic can decompose in a compost pile, but for sanitary reasons you should avoid dog and cat waste and diseased or poisonous plants.

Keep collecting material until you have at least enough to make, from each bucket, a layer some 3 or 4 inches thick and four feet in diameter. Lay down the layer of roughage first. This will allow more air to circulate from the bottom of the pile upwards. The roughage should then be covered with an equally thick layer of "brown" materials. Moisten this before adding the green layer (to equivalent thickness); then moisten that as well. Finally, cover the small pile with a layer of garden soil about two inches thick. This contains the microorganisms that will actually accomplish the work of decomposition (earthworms, if you're lucky enough to find them, can expedite the process, too). Using a stick, pitchfork, broom handle, or similar object, poke air holes in the top of your pile (about eight inches deep) to allow for ventilation and the movement of water throughout.

As you collect more material for your compost, you can follow the same steps to build it up higher, always finishing with a layer of garden soil. An optimum height is about 4 feet. This will give you a constantly-renewing supply of humus at the bottom of the heap. You may find materials along the outer edges that haven't decomposed; they can be removed when ou pile is sifted and then placed at the bottom where they will be completely broken down. Some people let a pile sit for a year before turning and sifting; others find that turning it over and moistening it every 3 or 4 months makes the materials decompose faster.

If you have difficulty gathering enough materials to make a sufficiently-large pile (especially of greens, probably the most significant ingredient), you might consider devoting one garden bed exclusively to growing compost. Otherwise, the ordinary waste that you accumulate just in the course of gardening and preparing meals in the kitchen should be sufficient to sustain your compost once it's been built to a 4-foot height.

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What to Put in a Compost Pile

Why go to a gardening store to buy top soil when you can make it with things you were going to throw in the trash? Making your own compost pile is simple, cheap, better for the environment, and better for your garden, plants, and yard.

What do I use to make compost?

Your compost pile needs to have a good mixture of the greens and the browns. The greens make up the nitrogen-rich materials for your compost. The greens are made up of such things as grass clippings and table scraps such as left over dinner, banana peels, etc. The browns are the carbon-rich materials such as wood chips, limbs, and dried leaves. Basically, anything truly organic can be used.

You will want to make sure that you are using the proper ratios to achieve the best and riches compost. These variables are different for each household as each family unit may have more greens to add to the compost than browns or vice versa. Just remember, too much carbon rich browns will cause the compost pile to decompose slower. Too much nitrogen-rich greens will cause an odor.

Table scraps, dinner leftovers, food garbage etc that can be used are the rinds from watermelon, cantaloupe, etc as well as the peelings from apples, carrots, and pears. Banana peels are fine and so are tea bags. Like I said, anything organic will probably be fine for your compost heap. I would shy away from meat products due to the fat and the likelihood of attracting animals and more bugs to your heap. When you add your kitchen refuse to the pile be sure to cover it with other materials such as already decomposing materials or broken down leaves to lessen the odors that attract animals and pests.

Dried leaves and grass clippings need to be broken down as much as possible if you want them to decompose faster. Pine needles, limbs, etc also need to be broken down. This can be achieved by mowing over what you can and then raking the mulched leaves and by putting the limbs and needles through a wood chipper. Shredded up newspapers can also be used.

Manure can also be used from herbivore type animals such as sheep, ducks, goats, and pigs. Avoid using manure from meat eating animals as their feces likely carries diseases.

As said before, most any organic material can be used to make compost. Just keep in mind that a compost pile, if not placed in a manufactured container, can be smelly and unsightly. Placing it far enough away from your house so that you don't have to smell it, but close enough so you don't forget about it, will be harder than figuring out what to put in it. Only you can make that judgment call.

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How to Start a Compost Pile

Compost piles are a great way to make your own fertilizer. The fertilizer you get from a compost pile is good to put in a garden or circle a tree or plant. Compost fertilizer is good for both flower gardens and vegetable gardens. Depending on the size of your compost pile depends on how much you can fertilize. Compost piles are great for putting all those old vegetable and other plant matter like grass clippings into. It is better to put that old plant matter into a compost pile then it is to just throw them out in the garbage.

Compost piles can be very elaborate or very simple. You can buy a composting container at stores but I prefer a home made compost pile since it is so very simple to make. The composting containers that you buy in stores is great if you live in a place that you cannot make your own compost pile. But if you have the room for a big home made compost pile then that is the way to go.

A compost pile is just a place to let plant matter break down and decompose into fertilizer. Plants will decompose if left on the ground but if it is in a compost pile then you can gather it and use it for fertilizing your plants. You can also use a compost pile to put all the grass clippings and small branches that you gather.

To start a compost pile you will need a place to confine the plant matter. A square made of some boards will do or a snow fence put in a circle will do. You can make your compost pile as big or small as you want. It is a personal choice as to how big to make it. The idea is that you will have a nice pile of plant matter to start with and as it breaks down the pile will get smaller and you can add more. If you don't have much compost you can have a small compost pile about two feet by two feet. If you have a lot of plant matter you can get just about as big as you want.

After you have filled your compost container with plant matter you should let it sit for a year. As time goes by you can add new plant matter during that year. Household scraps are good to put in a compost pile. Things like banana skins, apple, orange and potato peelings. Anything organic and of a plant matter can go into a compost pile. When you first start your compost pile you may want to pour a commercial composting bacteria on the pile to start up some good enzymes to help decompose the plant matter. Or you can just add some commercial yeast to the pile. You also may have to water the pile if is gets dry.

After you have been adding to your compost pile for year you can dig out the good dirt looking compost and leave the rest to keep decomposing. The good dirt compost that you have dug out from your compost pile can be used to fertilize your garden, trees and shrubs.

Having a compost pile is good for the earth since it puts nutrients back into the soil that growing plants take out.

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Compost, Mother Nature's Perfect Soil

Any Garden Can Be Amended with Compost for Bigger Vegetables and Better Blooms!

Many people long for smooth black dirt in their gardens, however very few of us are fortunate enough to have perfect soil conditions. Many plants will thrive in less than ideal soil, but with a little help your plants can have that nice loamy earth they deserve! Composting is a great way to achieve nice soil, as well as use and recycle common household and yard wastes. It is a very simple concept that will keep you looking for more!

Compost is a mix of air, water, carbon and nitrogen. All 4 elements must be present for the best breakdown of the material to result in compost. Air is needed for the bacteria to properly decompose the matter. The easiest way to incorporate air into you compost pile is to fluff or turn the material every week or so. This will keep the pile from becoming compacted and also stir the components together. Your pile also needs water to help composition. Water can be added as the pile dries out, easily done with a hose before stirring. Stirring will help the water to be distributed equally and help avoid areas that are soaked as well as areas that are completely dry. Carbon materials are also needed, some examples are: leaves, straw, or corn stalks. The carbon material is often referred to as the "brown" ingredients. These can be found around the yard, and generally will be brown in color. You will want to pick leaves that have fallen and are dry. Straw and corn stalks should also be dried out before thrown onto the pile. Carbon is used as the energy source for the bacteria that break down the matter. The last ingredient is Nitrogen. The matters generally used to add nitrogen to your pile are moist, green plant matter and animal manure. Grass clippings are great to incorporate nitrogen into the pile. For animal manures, you will want to use manure from plant eating animals. Horse manure is a great choice! The nitrogen ingredients are referred to as the "green" ingredients in the compost.
 

Now that you know the ingredients, we need a spot to place all that "stuff"! There are many different options for a compost pile. One very easy option is just to make a pile in a corner of your yard on the ground. You can use a pitch fork or shovel to mix the matter together and the pile will gradually build itself into compost. Another simple option is to build a "box" out of fencing materials. You can use chicken wire or any fencing material that is gridded. The "box" should be 3-4 feet across to allow for proper air flow and stirring. There are also many products sold at nurseries and home improvement stores. These are all great options; you will just need to choose the one that is best for you. The more you turn the pile the quicker it will decompose. A flat pile will take a while to decompose, anywhere from 6-24 months. Using a box or compost container will shorten the waiting time drastically. Some composting boxes take only weeks to decompose the matter. Heat, moisture, bugs, worms, and light all effect the composting time. You will know when it is ready when you cannot identify the original materials. All the matters should have decomposed and turned into a nice dark brown soil.
 

The best way to use compost is to place it into your soil at planting time and incorporate it into the garden. In established beds you can simply place it around the plants and as you water or when it rains the compost will join into the soil and begin to feed the plants.

Gardening is so much fun, and there is always something new to learn and try. I highly suggest starting a compost pile in your backyard; your plants will thank you!

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