What is Composting? Home Composting How to Guide

Green thumbs often refer to compost as being “garden gold”, a magical substance that can breathe new life into any landscape – but what is composting all about, really, and why is it such a huge craze?

Compost is like fertilizer for your soil, a fantastic amendment that makes the dirt more attractive to the beneficial organisms and bacteria that plants rely on. It can improve your grass, garden, flowerbeds, and everything in between – all while putting household and yard waste to good use.

Composting is a foolproof concept.

Everything turns into dirt eventually! But with proper composting technique, you can control everything from the nutrient content to the time it takes for matter to decompose – trial and error is the best way to learn, of course, but the this site is a great place to start.

You Can Start Composting Today!

What is composting? At the most basic level, it involves gathering organic matter to let it decompose in one place so that the fresh compost, or humus, can be harvested.

The most common way to compost is with a simple bin (usually made from wooden pallets or chicken wire), but you can get a little fancier and invest in a tumbler or portable barrel. Of course, the lazy gardener’s method of choice is the age-old compost pile, and yes, it is exactly what it sounds like.

Once you have your container picked out and ready to go, all you need are ingredients! To maintain a balanced, pleasant compost heap you must have the correct balance between carbon and nitrogen.

Most compost-enthusiasts suggest keep a 30:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio, but you shouldn’t worry about that too much. Again, experimentation is truly the best way to learn the composting process that works in your specific climate.

Good Carbon Ingredients Include: dried leaves and grass clippings, hay/straw, office and newspaper, dried woodchips, and cardboard.

Good Nitrogen Ingredients Include: coffee grounds, clean hair, herbivore manure, fresh leaves/grass clippings, cotton dryer lint, and fruit peels.

Composting is fun, easy to learn, and a great project for the entire family. And as landfills continue to overflow with household waste, you can at least feel secure in the fact that your compostable trash isn’t part of the problem – it’s part of the solution.

After all, what is composting really about? It’s about progress, sustainability, and improving your own ultra-local environment. Oh, and don’t forget the luscious gardens!

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