{"id":1778874,"date":"2022-06-09T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1778874"},"modified":"2023-11-17T04:54:50","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T10:54:50","slug":"how-to-make-compost-at-home-to-enrich-your-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/how-to-make-compost-at-home-to-enrich-your-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Compost at Home to Enrich Your Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

If it feels like everyone's learning how to compost these days, it's because many are jumping on this simple act as one way to help the environment and ease their climate anxiety. Like using reusable straws<\/a> and water bottles, composting is a small step that makes a big environmental impact.<\/p>\r\n

\"When you recycle your organic materials, like coffee grounds, banana peels, yard trimmings, and compostable food-service ware, you are saving valuable resources from going to waste in a landfill,\" says Erin Levine, a certified composting professional and resource recovery manager at World Centric, a leading compostable tableware company. Minimizing the number of natural resources that can be reused and repurposed instead of tossed into landfills is important for the environment and the climate, beneficial for your plants, and good for your wallet.<\/p>\r\n

However complex it may sound, compost is really just organic materials in the process of being degraded into bioavailable nutrients for plants. And it's important for the health of your soil. \"When we harvest, trim, or clean up organic debris from the garden, we are removing nutrients that have been pulled from the soil system,\" explains Shannie McCabe, horticulturist with Baker Seeds. Making your own compost creates a closed-loop system by putting nutrients back into the soil. And as an added bonus, it'll save you money because you don't have to buy your own compost or plant food.<\/p>\r\n

If you're worried that learning how to compost is tough, don't be. It's a straightforward process, and when it's finished, you'll have organic matter to give a boost of nutrients to the soil. Composting is an important aspect of sustainable living and growing sustainable food. So if you want to be more eco-friendly and reduce the food waste<\/a> that ends up in landfills and produces greenhouse gas, pick up a compost bin<\/a> and learn how to compost.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

What is Composting?<\/h2>\r\n

Composting is the process of layering kitchen scraps and yard and plant waste to create a natural amendment to add to the soil of your garden. When it's complete, compost is rich in organic matter that is beneficial for the soil. \"[Compost] may look humble, like a pile of brown and crumbly dirt, but compost is a mix of broken-down organic materials as well as beneficial microorganisms, [and] it is very useful to the health of our plants,\" says McCabe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Why You Should Be Composting<\/h2>\r\n

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food scraps and yard waste make up more than 30 percent of what we toss in the trash. From there, they head to landfills, where they take up space and release the greenhouse gas known as methane. By composting, we keep them out of landfills and do our part to fight climate change.<\/p>\r\n

If that's not reason enough to start composting, consider this: For the sake of the Earth's future, it's imperative that we take care of such finite natural resources as water and soil. Plants take nutrients from the soil during the growing cycle, and if nutrients aren't incorporated back, the soil will eventually be depleted, making it difficult for a successful harvest the next season.<\/p>\r\n

\"If we continually take from the soil and don't give anything back in the form of nutrients, we end up with deficient soils on a macronutrient and micronutrient level,\" says McCabe. And not only is compost important for the soil, but it can also reduce water consumption. \"Compost is known to retain moisture in the soil, decreasing the need for excessive water,\" explains Levine. \"Another huge benefit is that it helps draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it in the soil, helping to combat climate change.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The Benefits of Composting<\/h2>\r\n

\"Composting is an easy and cost-effective way to reduce your carbon footprint,\" says Levine. \"It positively contributes to a closed-loop food system.\"<\/p>\r\n

You already learned that composting your food scraps and yard debris prevents food trash from heading to landfills and minimizes methane emissions and pollution. That's the benefit of composting on a global scale. But what is compost good for in your garden? For starters, it adds and maintains nutrients in the soil. \"Recycling your food scraps and making a soil that can grow more food is the ideal circular economy model. Plus, it stays local,\" says Levine.<\/p>\r\n

If you're not sure you're up to the task of learning how to compost, see if your city collects food scraps. It's another way to divert food waste from landfills. \"Everyone should consider contributing to their curbside collection program or making their own compost,\" says Levine.<\/p>\r\n

But there's one benefit most people have a hard time arguing against: It saves money on fertilizers.<\/p>\r\n\"Rd\r\n

What You Can Compost<\/h2>\r\n

By now, you're probably ready to Google \"what can and can't you compost\" so you can get started on your green-living plans. We'll save you the search; we have all the need-to-know information right here.<\/p>\r\n

A variety of foods can go into your compost pile, from rotting veggies to eggshells and coffee grounds. To create a successful compost pile, you need to have a mix of ingredients that provide carbon and nitrogen as well as water and air to help with the breakdown.<\/p>\r\n

\"Browns\" are typically dried or dead plant materials that serve as a source of carbon. \"Greens\" are fresh plant materials (and sources of nitrogen) like grass clippings and fresh kitchen scraps, such as banana and potato peels, onion skins, coffee grounds, eggshells, and tea bags, explains McCabe.<\/p>\r\n

Browns:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n