This week, turn your compost.

This is WORK!

Why are we doing this again??

To revisit why we are going to all this trouble, I thought we’d take a look at some of the benefits of composting to keep our spirits up.

Composting:

  • Conditions and improves soil structure.  This means it turns imperfect soils (sandy, clay, depleted, compacted, even contaminated, to a degree) into soil plants can dig their roots into and thrive.  Full of nutrients, moisture-retentive qualities, beneficial microorganisms and allowing for air penetration, compost brings life to soil.  It makes the soil easier for the gardener to work with, to plant, to weed, to harvest. Compost-rich soil makes healthy, disease and insect-resistant plants.
  • Prevents pollution. Proper composting takes materials that would be headed for landfills where they may generate methane and leachate and turns them into compost which can reduce stormwater runoff and prevent erosion.
  • Makes economic sense. Composting reduces the need for expensive commercial fertilizers and turns a waste product into an environmentally friendly commodity.  It’s almost that something from nothing we keep looking for.  Even the exercise we get is a free side benefit (provided you do not throw your back out turning your pile).

So, turn your pile. Bend from the knees.