Compost

Home vegetable or flower gardeners are often unhappy with their soil quality. They routinely incorporate organic matter in the soil each fall, but don't see much change in their soil texture. Why aren’t they developing beautiful crumbly dark brown soil that’s easy to plant and great for vegetable root crops?

Routinely tilling garden soil each fall and spring could be the culprit.

Microbes, Humus and Soil Aggregation
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service encourages building soil health and protecting soil organisms, through

Composting is easier than you think and the finished compost is an excellent soil amendment to improve the growth and health of your garden or landscape plants. But still, sometimes things can go wrong!

Here are six quick answers to common composting questions, to help solve your composting woes. 

Compost is used as a soil amendment to improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. Over time, yearly additions of compost will improve your landscape or garden soil in many ways.

NOTE: The following information is for the home vermicomposting enthusiast. This resource is not intended to be a reference for commercial bins or bins located in businesses, schools, and/or government agencies.

While you may not think of it much, mathematics is an important part of yard and garden care. Planning for planting, fertilizing, mulching, and pest control all involve some math, yet it is often overlooked.

For example, do you know square footage (sq.ft.) of your planting beds, vegetable garden or lawn? Once these figures are known, record them so they are readily available when needed.

Compost is a mixture of dead plant material and soil. Compost can be used in the garden to improve the soil and fertilize plants. You will be helping the environment by using up things that would normally be thrown away.

Soon leaves will begin to turn red, yellow or brown and fall from our trees. Plant waste from flower beds, vegetable gardens and container plants will also accumulate. Why not take advantage of these great organic materials, instead of sweeping them into bags and hauling them off to the landfill? You can easily turn them into nutrient-rich compost.

Leaves are falling and gardeners will soon have an abundance of organic matter. Why not put these materials to good use this fall and start a home compost pile? Composting is easier than you think and the finished compost is an excellent soil amendment to improve the growth and health of your garden or landscape plants.

Here are six quick answers to common composting questions, to help you get your compost pile off to a good start.

Beginning in late summer, most gardeners have an abundance of landscape waste; whether it's dead plants from vegetable gardens or ornamental beds, foliage and branches from pruning trees and shrubs, or fallen tree leaves. Why not make use of these great organic materials, instead of piling them into bags and hauling them off to the landfill? You can easily turn them into nutrient-rich compost to use in your gardens next year.

Composting is a great way to recycle garden waste and reduce the money spent on trash disposal and store-bought fertilizer.