Ok, so, maybe my silly idea a few weeks ago of playing an online vocabulary game and donating small amounts of rice to feed the hungry is not enough for Earth Day. Then how about this: Start a compost pile this year!
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Almost 30% of the garbage we throw out each week can go into the compost pile. Cutting domestic waste generation means a longer life for landfill sites and less trash bills for some of us. But it also makes good sense to give back some of the nourishment that is taken from the earth. Maybe your living situation does not allow you to compost outside. In that case you can try vermi-composting - using a small containing in your house or basement and let the red wigglers decompose your table scraps.
Composting is nature’s recycling system. Micro-organisms and fungi break down weeds and leaves, and various other organic wastes and turn them into a soil conditioner that is richer than anything you can buy. Black Gold is what some gardeners call it. Why throw away the raw material which generates something so valuable? Read up on it at Composting 101.
Once your compost is finished, you can use it on your lawn, garden and house plants. They will love you for it. Compost gradually releases a variety of nutrients and feeds the growing plants. Insects and diseases flounder where the soil is enriched with plenty of compost, a.k.a. organic matter. The dark compost draws the sun’s heat to warm the garden soil. Soil that is rich with compost acts like a sponge soaking up water when it rains and releasing it in dry spells. Compost improves the structure of both sand and clay soils, protecting them against drought and erosion.
To avoid critters and smelly compost, remember to turn it often and keep it moist. And remember the rule:
No Meat – No Bones – No Fats
