Great Green Idea: Green Gardening: Earth Friendly Composting Grows Healthier Food

Earth Friendly Composting Grows Healthier Food

Organic foods are cropping up in places that just a few short years ago probably would have eschewed the concept. While some food stores catered to the niche market of organic foods, others have realized that the market for such fare is growing. As more information is made public about the chemicals used in fertilizers and pest control products, as well as their affect on the environment, many are choosing to grow their own food in organic gardens.

Composting is becoming a way of life for many home gardeners as they find that not only does the compost help grow better and healthier foods, it also keeps the composted food items out of landfills. For some, composting can seem like a complicated process but in reality it is quite simple. Think about composting in colors: green and brown to make it easier.

Green would include kitchen scraps while grass clippings and dried leaves are considered brown. The green materials provide nitrogen while the brown provides carbon, two of the main ingredients in fertilizers. Egg shells can be added to provide additional nutrients and may also help keep unwanted pests out of the compost pile.

Where you establish your compost pile is not nearly as important as maintaining it. You will want to keep it at least three feet from any structure such as your house or even a fence. Since the compost will rely on worms and certain bugs to help compost the materials, you will not want them finding a way into the house. Many home growers build a small structure as a compost bin, but it is not necessary to have one. A pile on the ground will work equally as well.

As you pile on materials you expect to compost, you will need to turn it over at least every other week. As the compost ripens, it 'cooks,' creating its own heat as well as moisture. Turning it over is necessary to help distribute the heat and speed up the composting process. Turning it also helps oxygenate the materials and helps the pile compost quicker and will be more beneficial as fertilizer when it is ready.

You will notice as time goes on that your compost pile will shrink. This is due to the materials decomposing, much like the leaves in the woods do over time. When the pile turns into a fine, black soil it is ready for use. Provided you have taken care not to place anything in your compost pile that contains unwanted chemicals, you will have some great fertilizer for your garden or flowers. Not only will the plants grow better with your own composted fertilizer, your food will have none of the chemicals commonly found in commercially-available fertilizers.

Many insects are needed to help pollinate garden plants and some chemical fertilizers shoo them away or can actually kill them. Your own fertilizer from the compost pile will be free of these insect toxins to help them fulfill their role in your gardening efforts. Regardless of the size of your garden composting can help you grow healthier food while keeping the landfills from growing, helping to sustain the environment.