Advantages of a Compost Pile

So what exactly is compost? Compost is the nutrient-rich, black soil created

by the decomposition of fruits, vegetables, and other biodegradable plant
material. When you keep this material, which is most usually comprised of
kitchen waste, in a pile, bacteria, worms, and fungi will break it down. Not
only will you contribute to less landfill waste, but you will have on-hand a
free, organic source of nutrient-rich soil. As you will see, there are many
advantages of a compost pile.

If you’re at all interested in conserving the environment, composting is one

of the best ways you can make a direct difference while benefitting yourself,
your garden, and the planet. It’s sustainable, extremely cheap (even free, for
many people), renewable, and easy. You’ll have a bottomless supply of fresh,
nutrient-rich, organic soil, and your garden and plants will thank you for it.

If you have thin soil, problem soil, chemically damaged soil, or any other kind
of soil that might make growing plants difficult, compost can help. It make
soil more fertile by adding nutrients. Compost also attracts beneficial worms
like earthworms and other good insects to feed on the material formed while
the waste matter is decomposing in your pile. Earthworms are an added
bonus to your garden, as they condition and maintain the roots of plants. The
insects and earthworms also accelerate the processing of your compost and
make it even more nutrient-rich for your plants.

That’s not all that is extremely beneficial about creating a compost pile in
your yard. Your compost pile, as it continues to mature, will create a lot of
nitrogen, which is essential to keeping soil healthy. Other elements that
compost will create through microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria are
phosphorus and potassium, both of which are extremely effective fertilizers
for your soil. While this is happening, you can get rid of your yard waste and
cuttings, as well as old newspapers and kitchen scraps, to feed the pile. You
won’t have to pay anyone to get rid of your leaves, nor will you have to bag
them anymore. The compost pile will do all of the work. As a result, there will
be less waste in this country’s already-full landfills, and your yard waste is
organic and stays separate from other wastes that might be more toxic to
the environment. Thus, your organic waste goes back into the earth, and the
toxic stuff stays out.

When you make garden compost, you want to have ideal conditions for
bacteria, fungi, and worms to eat your veggies and kitchen scraps. You can
create these conditions by keeping your compost pile the right size, keeping
a good air flow around it (this helps the microorganisms and worms in your
compost digest effectively), keeping the compost pile moist (too wet or too
dry, and the tiny ecosystem in your compost pile won’t function), and
keeping the compost pile the right temperature. All of this sounds
complicated, but once you decide to make garden compost you’ll see how
easy it really is.

I've put together a small collection of common questions about composting

and had some of my expert friends provide the answers. If you'd like a copy
of this (no charge), visit http://www.guidetocomposting.com

Some people are put off by the "messy" aspect of composting. I don't mind
that myself, but I can understand it. Well, if that's you, you'll be happy to
know there's a great alternative. It's called colloidal humus compost. Check it
out at http://snipurl.com/compost