Often my subject matter for Garden Chat comes from a reader, and this week I had a request for compost information. Since I just finished giving a talk on Organic gardening, I thought this would be perfect timing to share some information on this subject.

Composting is one of the best things you can do for both the environment and your garden.

Soil microorganisms such as nematodes, protozoa, fungi, bacteria are natures perfect system for recycling organic matter and maintaining healthy soils, converting plant material into humus.

Managing your soils to keep this living system thriving can be the difference between gardening success and failure.

Adding compost & organic matter to your soil is one of the best things you can do to keep this system thriving along with eliminating the use of chemicals and synthetic fertilizers.

Studies in Europe, Canada and the U.S. now show that plants grown in an organic garden can be more resistant to pests and disease and studies are also showing more diverse nutrient levels, increased vitamins and other compounds along with potentially longer shelf life of produce.

Compost is a great way to add organic matter to your soil & it acts as a slow release soil enhancer rather than shocking the soil with a burst of chemical energy that chemical fertilizers tend to do.

It Helps crops resist droughts and disease Supports healthy soils organisms, Builds soil tilth & structure…

I could go on and on about this subject, but before I run out of room lets get down to the do’s & don’ts of composting.

Here are a few things that are good to put into your compost pile: Kitchen vegetable scrap, Leaves, Egg shells, Coffee grounds, Tea bags, Grass clippings, Straw, Manure from plant eating animals, Shredded cardboard or newspaper, Spent garden plants, Fresh water pond algae.

These are some things to avoid putting in your compost: Chemically, treated grass clippings or plant materials, Kitty litter or any meat eating animal feces, Oils, Meat products, Dairy products

Diseased plant material, Dryer lint, Glossy or colored newspaper inserts.

For every pail of green or wet material you put on the pile, add 3 pails of dry or brown matter to the pile to keep it heating, decomposing & not causing odors.

Watch for more information on healthier ways to tend our soils in future articles & subscribe to our Newsletter on our website. And remember……

“To forget how to dig the earth & tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” 
-Gandhi