Composting is the best way to dispose of your yard and garden wastes. Plus, it can be used to improve the growing conditions in your garden!
Compost is decomposed plant material. When fully composted, the final product resembles soil, and while it can provide small amounts of nutrients, its most important function is to increase the organic matter content of the soil. Adding compost to garden soil improves soil structure by making it more granular. Building up organic matter in soil increases both its water-holding capacity and its productive ability. Plants growing in such soil can better withstand drought conditions. Composting is very sustainable, allowing you to reduce the amount of waste that must be hauled off-site. By keeping and using organic wastes on-site, there is no need to spend time, energy, or resources to haul waste or soil amendments back and forth from your garden.
Compost is sometimes referred to as "black gold" because of how valuable it is in your garden. Thankfully, unlike gold, it doesn't cost a lot to create or use.
Below are resources and frequently asked questions on composting.
Composting Resources
Composting FAQs
What Can Be Put in a Compost Pile
Additional Resources
- Making and Using Compost from the University of Missouri
- Composting at Home from the Ohio State University
- Composting in Home Gardens from the University of Minnesota
- How to Make Compost at Home from the University of Maryland
- Composting for the Home Gardener from the University of New Hampshire (pdf)
- Backyard Composting of Yard, Garden, and Food Discards from North Carolina State University