Earth Day is just around a corner, and some of you may be wondering, “What can I do to give back to Mother Nature?” While your options are limitless, we recently received two videos created by Best Buddy participants that we thought we’d share with you. Both are focused on the topic of composting, a relatively simple and effective way to avoid wasting useful natural resources. Simply put, the process of composting involves the combination of garden and yard debris with kitchen scraps and other organic material. Once completely broken down, the result is humus – a dark, nutrient-dense material.  Gardening not your thing? Not a problem. We bet the Green Thumb Committee at Briar Chapel would love for you to donate your composted matter to the community garden!

To make the process of composting easier, www.growinganything.com has broken it down into steps:

1. Choose an outdoor spot that’s convenient to your kitchen to host your compost.
2. Purchase or build a compost bin.
3. Prepare the spot of your compost pile by turning/tilling the soil in order to allow for aeration via earthworms.
4. The bottom of your pile should consist of a three-inch layer of brown ingredients. These items are rich in carbon and include woody material such as twig cardboard and paper.
5. Dampen the brown ingredients.
6. Layer in ½ inch of healthy soil or pre-made compost.
7. As greens become available, add them in. Greens consist of kitchen food scraps and yard waste.
8. As greens are added, make sure to keep incorporating brown ingredients, as well.
9. Check the moisture level of your pile from time to time. If things seem too dry, add in some water.
10. “Turn” the pile every few months using a pitch fork or something similar.

There you have it! It’s as easy as 1, 2…10! Have any other gardening questions? Yard Sprout is going to have a booth at our Earth Day Celebration. Come out and see them! We’re sure they’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Happy composting!