Natural Gardening | Why Composting Works

Want the best looking garden on the block? Creating a healthy eco-friendly garden can be much easier than you think. Plus, it's extremely affordable. With a little time and practice, making your garden stand out from the rest can be done by using the age old method of composting.

Natural Gardening - The Beginning

Composting has been around since the beginning of time, literally. The earth naturally composts what it produces. For instance, if you were to walk in a wooded area and start to digging under fallen leaves you would see the natural composting process occurring.When dead leaves, twigs, and other nature artifacts decay into the ground, they begin to compost. And inside a compost is some of the most nutrient-rich matter you will find out there. These nutrients make gardens bright and vibrant. Composting is a natural fertilizer that does not contain any hazardous chemicals either. It is one of the most natural ways to produce a luscious lawn and garden.

What Composts?

The great news about composting is that it is extremely simple. Any work you do in your lawn, from mowing to pruning, even to pulling weeds can be composted. And most food, aside from dairy products and meat, can be sent to the compost pile, too. The best food items include:

• Banana peels
• Rotted fruit
• Veggie scraps
• Potato skins
• Tea bags

How to Compost

The first step in composting is to designate a small spot of your yard for the compost pile. Usually a corner area that is not extremely noticeable is best. As a Kansas City Landscaper, I know that most people think that compost piles are an eye-sore to their yard. But, there are now reasonably priced and nice looking compost bins out there that help create a cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing area for composting. Finding a bin or just creating a space for your compost is a big decision in the composting process.

Outdoor Materials

After a spot is chosen it is now time to gather all of your dead leaves, grass clippings and pruned plants and place them in your composting spot. If you have large twigs, be sure to break them down so that they compost faster.

Indoor Materials

For food items, set up a container with a lid in your garage where you can throw your compostable foods. To avoid making multiple trips to the compost pile in a day, designate one time a day or one time every other day to dump your food container into your compost pile.

Up Keep for a Compost Pile

To keep your pile composting correctly and in a timely manner, be sure to mix the pile often. A simple way to mix your pile is to use a shovel and scoop the bottom contents to the top a few times. Also, make sure your compost pile is damp and not dry. A moist compost pile will allow the contents to decompose quicker. You can also buy worms to help in the composting process, but eventually worms from your yard will naturally make their way to your pile.When your pile has a soil-like texture to it that contains small particles of leaves or food, you know that your pile is ready to use. Compost material can be used anywhere on your lawn. It will help plants in your garden grow and can also be used as a great fertilizer around your lawn.When it is all said and done, not only are you making your lawn as luscious as it can be, which adds curb appeal, you are also saying thanks to Mother Earth by not sending more waste to the landfill.