Composting to improve your outdoor Life

I first learned about it via the internet through a great site called Smell Like Dirt. There are some great YouTube videos posted there, but there are tons of local resources too.I recommend watching these videos to learn the how to or attend a class- They broadcast from Charlotte. I found a link about taking a composting class, my husband and I took the class and the rest is history – we got hooked!

Composting reduces the amount of matter that goes into a landfill,according to the EPAComposting what’s the big deal right, especially if you are already recycling. Well, composting can be a huge deal for all of us.Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 26 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.Composting at home allows it to decompose on the surface where it can be of most use! It saves the community money and energy because it isn’t having to be hauled to the landfill. Not to mention that it isn’t taking up space in a landfill. I use way less garbage bags one 20 count box lasts 2 months or more at my house. Anything that can be put into the compost goes there.
Personally it benefits you by improving the soil quality and helping to protect against drought, because it allows your soil to keep more water. This is great for you, because you pay to put the plant life in your yard. It may be that you have a garden, or just expensive landscape.
Do you have a lawn guy in your family? Did you know that compost is the best defense for your lawn too. Adding compost to your lawn in addition to grass cycling helps the lawns root system to be able to penetrate further, making it more drought tolerant. There are obvious fertilization benefits as well, because compost is nutrient rich.
It’s expensive though, right? NO! This is one of the cheapest things you can do to help you and the environment! Most everything you will need is available FREE to you and the rest can be purchased for less than fifty dollars in most cases. It costs about $5 to produce 10 cubic feet of compost vs the $25 it would cost to buy it! You don’t need to buy anything though. The basic ingredients to a good compost already exist in your yard – you just need to put them together.
I don’t have that kind of time. The beginning process of setting up the compost site takes about forty-five minutes,after that you just have to add your scraps and turn it once a month. You can turn it more often – this will speed up the process. You will have usable compost in about 6 months!
It’s fun…. Yeah I know you are thinking… messing with used foods and dirt doesn’t sound fun. It can be especially for a family. Building a bin together to maintaining it all can give an opportunity for your family to spend time together and do something that will produce benefits within a growing season, especially if you plant a small garden using your compost. I have several coffee canisters that I add my compostable to when I am cleaning the kitchen. I take it out when I take the recycling out, and add it to the compost.
Give it a try – if it isn’t for you –well at least you attempted it!Get the basics! I believe though that once you get started and find out how simple it is you too will be hooked!!