Garden Compost

An organic gardener cannot truly garden without putting garden compost back on the soil to give the new plants energy and minerals to grow.

Nature recycles.

When a plant dies over time it decomposes and becomes part of the soil, providing nutrition and energy for new plants. The new plants then use this energy for growth.

And when this new plant is mature, it too decomposes and becomes part of the soil.

So the cycle continues.

We too should recycle spent plants and vegetables so that the soil on which we are growing becomes fertile and produces healthy,tasty produce.

Here is what Michael Pollan says about compost in his book "Second Nature"

• "Compost improves the soil's structure"
• "Compost increases the soil's water holding capacity"
• "Because it is so dark in color, compost absorbs the sun's rays and warms the soil"
• "Compost teems with micro-organisms"
• "Because it is made up of decaying vegetable matter,compost contains nearly every chemical plants need to grow"
• "Compost thus returns to the soil,a high proportion of the things agriculture takes out of it"

I keep a container in my kitchen and all the kitchen waste,except meat,fish or chicken goes into it. Once a day it is taken out to my compost pile where it is decomposed completely by the microbes working in that pile and is soon able to be spread as mulch on my garden.

Not only do kitchen wastes go into the compost pile, but leaves,garden waste,shredded newspapers,coffee grounds and filters,grass clippings,dog hair and dryer lint.

I find that a kitchen compost container made of plastic or metal with a lid and handle works best. It is easy to carry and easy to clean. This style is easy to find and comes in a variety of sizes.

My garden compost bin is wooden and large enough to handle the amount of waste produced by my garden,yard and kitchen. It has four compartments which in theory allow us to always have mature compost ready for use.

The front has boards that are added as the compost pile grows. They can also be removed to provide easy access by shovel and wheelbarrow to the garden ready compost.

Compost can decompose naturally or it can be given a little help. Turning the pile once a week and keeping it lightly watered can speed up the process.