Intro to Compost

Composting is the decomposition of plants and other organic materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is full of nutrients.  It is a natural soil amendment that is excellent for adding to houseplants, enriching garden soil and planting beds. It is the way nature is designed to recycle. 

In the natural world, composting is what happens as leaves pile up on the forest floor and begin to decay. Eventually, the rotting leaves are returned to the soil, where living roots can finish the recycling process by reclaiming the nutrients from the decomposed leaves. If you’ve ever taken a stroll in the woods and smelled the ‘woodsy’ scent, that is compost!

Compost added to gardens improves soil structure, texture, aeration, and water retention. When mixed with compost, clay soils are lightened, and sandy soils retain water better. Mixing compost with soil also contributes to erosion control, soil fertility, proper pH balance, and healthy root development in plants.

 Composting is a great way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal. Approximately 30% of  our landfills are yard and kitchen waste.  Yard waste which is landfilled breaks down very slowly due to the lack of oxygen. As it decomposes, it produces methane gas and acidic leachate, which are both environmental problems.

Composting is a quick, easy solution.  Today, the use of composting to turn organic wastes into a valuable resource is expanding rapidly in the United States and in other countries, as landfill space becomes scarce and expensive, and as people become more aware of the impacts they have on the environment. It is my hope that soon, composting will be as commonplace as recycling aluminum cans and newspaper is today.

With the help of The Compost Queen, you can learn how to Compost, even better than nature does.