Composting

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Landfill waste is becoming a problem in our country. Compost can make your gardens bloom, just by composting your trash.

• Compost the food scraps, clippings, and leaves that you normally put into the trash can. They will become nutrients for your garden.
• Why not reduce the amount of trash headed to the landfill; it can fertilize your garden for free.
• Landfills are the largest source of methane emissions in the United States. Methane gas is actually worse for our atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
• Garbage collection is getting more expensive as gas prices rise. Some cities are charging by the can and some are even refusing to collect yard clippings and leaves. Composting takes care of that the garbage, and saves you money by reducing the amount that you put out on the curb.
• According to the U.S. EPA, about a quarter of all the trash in the U.S. are materials that could be composted instead of thrown away. Most of the trash from your kitchen and yard, as well as other parts of the home, can go into the compost.
• Compost also provides food for microorganisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. Composting turns trash into a useful, free garden supplies. It improves the soil structure, texture, and aeration.
• In our neighborhood, we have clay soil and compost is the only thing that can make clay soil friable and it helps sandy soils retain water. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus will be produced naturally by the microorganisms, so you can stop using fertilizers and other garden additives.

Composting will save money and is better for the environment, since fertilizers are a major cause of water pollution and algae blooms. Fertilizers kill fish and other aquatic species.

Over the past few years there has been a problem with deformed frogs or frogs just dying off. Check with your local county extension office for composting tips.