Spring is in the air and so are plans for gardens all across the country. It’s a perfect time to think about composting to enrich the soil in your garden this year. You can use the nutrient rich compost you will be creating in your vegetable garden, on your flower beds, and around trees and shrubs.
First, check with your local authorities to be sure you can compost food scraps. Some municipalities do not allow it due to concerns over it possibly attracting rodents. If it’s allowed you can begin to compost food scraps from home.
You can begin with a small compost pail in your kitchen. A plastic bags works, too, and can be kept in the refrigerator until it is taken out to the composter. Your larger compost pail can be outside, in the garage or in a place of your choosing. You will be adding layers of peat moss, saw dust, or leaf mulch in between layers of food scraps and lining the lid with damp newspapers to keep fruit flies out of the mix.
The best foods for composting are all scraps from fruits and vegetables, breads and pasta, coffee grounds and filters, egg shells, and even expired food from the pantry. Be sure not to add meat, fish, or dairy to the compost pail. These foods will ruin the balance of the compost process and ruin your efforts very quickly.
You can learn more about setting up your own small composting system at How To Compost Food Scraps
Why throw them away when they can be of such benefit in growing healthy organic vegetables for your family? Composting is just another way of reducing our strain on the earth and re-using some of the things that would have otherwise gone into the trash.