What Is Composting
If you’ve been try to become more green and figure out ways to better care for environment then you’ve probably heard of compost. But if you’re asking yourself, what is compost? Then read one because you may be about to take a step in a more environmentally friendly direction that your vegetable and flower garden will love you for.
Compost is created when yard & food waste decomposes. Micro organisms & invertebrates (also known as little buggers) feed on the waste, live their brief lives, reproduce, die and then they become waste too. This repeating cycle is how the soil gets it’s nutrients replenished. Like Mufasa said, “We all have our place in the circle of life.” When it comes to compost, it ‘s just a very small circle.
Creating compost is a slow process that will usually take a few months. The correct ratio of browns to green, diligently turning a compost pile to keep it aerated and watching the moisture content will reward with fresh earthy compost much faster. The more attention you pay your compost pile, the quicker your garden scraps will become compost. And even if ignore your pile, you’ll still get compost eventually. Just look at the soil next time you go into the woods. There’s no one out there tending to the forest and yet the ground will probably be made up of dark, rich soil.
It may be hard to believe but compost is a lot better for plants that synthetic fertilizers. Nature got it right and man got a little sidetracked by making money. Some fertilizers will actually harm your soil in the long run by breaking down and leaving salts.
From an environmental point of view using compost in the garden is a great alternative to fertilizers. The process of making fertilizers on an industrial scale uses a lot of energy and creates a lot of waste. Composting is free and all you need is the stuff that you were probably going to throw away anyway.
If homeowners across the United States were to stop bagging their leaves and grass clippings, not only would there be 30% more room in the land fills, but they’d also have a great supply of free compost for their gardens. Everyone is switching their light bulbs to try and become more green, what they should be doing is building a compost pile in their yard.
Compost is a great way to have a strong, healthy garden. It not only feeds the plants but also helps the soil. And healthy soil is the best way to have a great vegetable garden.
