Are You a Zen Master?

Be a Zen master of your yard. You have the gift to use nature to reduce non-point source pollution when you choose to backyard compost. More on that after this commercial break…

It’s time to forward this post to your friends and family as we are once again holding our yearly compost seminars. Quick! It’ll only take a minute. Now! J

Okay, back to reducing potential pollution through composting.

So March 22 happens to be World Water Day. I’m glad water has its own day, Earth Day just has so many issues already! This year’s theme is ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21^st century - this is where composting comes in.

When you add compost to your yard, you improve the soil’s ability to absorb and retain water. Compost is light and fluffy and acts like a sponge, compared to our typical clay-heavy, compacted soil. When we have downpours, amended soil that is rich in compost has a greater ability to absorb more of the rain leaving less run-off going into our storm sewers and streams. 

Compost enriched soil has the added benefit of providing nutrients to our plants and strengthens their root systems so they can grow deeper. Compost gives you beautiful, healthy plants with less water and fertilization. Using less fertilizer also reduces the chance runoff will have chemicals that contribute to non-point source pollution in our water ways.

Congratulations my wise, forward-thinking friends.

Guest post from compost aficionado, Jenny Lohmann

Spring Composting Tips

Are you as ready as I am to jump into spring? Warmer temperatures and more rain will make your compost pile jump into action – if you follow these tips.

1. Moisture: Watch the moisture level of your pile. All of the spring rain can add too much moisture if your pile doesn’t have good drainage. You want your pile to be as wet as a wrung out sponge. Too much water will cause the pile to go anaerobic (a.k.a. stinky).
2. Aeration: Once temperatures warm up, aerate your pile. Food scraps tend to accumulate over the long winter months since the pile is mostly dormant. When your pile unfreezes all of those food scraps will start to decompose at once. Aerating will keep that decomposition going and speed it up.
3. Additions: Add weeds and plant trimmings to your pile. I always have some old decorative grasses or sedums from last year to add. 

Spring is a fantastic time to start a new compost pile or maintain your old pile. Pretty soon you will want to harvest that finished compost to start new beds and for early summer planting. Take advantage of your ambitious spring gardening attitude to compost everything you can.

Happy composting!