Composting is a simple way to help keep food waste out of landfills while creating a practical (and economical) fertilizer to use in your yard and garden. A sprinkle of compost helps soil with water retention, which can often decrease how much water can be held by the soil and cause more evaporation. A dash in containers feeds the summer annuals as well. Spreading a thin layer of compost on lawns will reach the microorganisms within to help keep thatching, or drying, at bay and keep your lawn happy.
Here’s a couple ways of how you can start one!
1. Start a yard debris pile: You can buy a bin, start with a hoop of fencing, or drill air holes in a garbage can. Or you can get a 3 foot by 3 foot pile of debris together and the center will compost. It may take a few months, but eventually you can sift it out and use it.
2. Get a worm bin: Sharing your home (yes, indoors) with thousands of worms seems counterintuitive, however worm bins are clean, odorless, and come in chic designs these days. Just scrape your food waste into one layer of the bin as one pound of worms can eat a pound of food scraps every day. The fertilizer, or worm castings, make one of the best fertilizers out there.
3. A tumbler: A compost tumbler is an option for homeowners with no on-the-ground options. Add your scraps, turn them over, and eventually, it’s compost! However, regular compost bins are faster and are able to “borrow” worms and microorganisms from the ground to help make compost quickly.
4. Dryer lint, cardboard, & more: all kinds of things can go in your outdoor compost pile or worm bin: dryer lint, cardboard, shredded paper, paper egg cartons, pet hair and corn cobs.
5. Get a bucket that sits on your counter for collecting scraps. There are specific collection containers on the market with odor proof lids, or you can just empty a small bucket or bowl frequently.
The best part about composting is that you can do it many different ways and still get the same effective results!
