From Garbage to Fertilizer
Using compost for a healthy garden.
Composting is when you recycle organic food materials. It returns the compounds that are in the waste to the earth, where bacteria break them down and reuse them. But that’s just the official definition.
Basically, by composting, you recycle useful plant parts turning garbage into fertile dirt. That's what happens in the woods for example as foliage dies and decays. By collecting organic waste you can speed up this process and make your garden healthier. Once the waste is turned into compost, you put it in the ground around the plants.
Also, the waste you use in the compost does not get hauled off to a dump site, so, besides improving your farming method, you decrease the amount of rubbish you throw away.
My family has a big compost pile in our backyard garden. We use it to create organic fertilizer for the soil.
In our garden, we grow herbs, fruits and vegetables. We grow most of our own fruits and vegetables, so to keep them alive, healthy, and organic, we need fresh fertilizers.
Not all our compost is made of scraps from the kitchen. We also use another basic organic ingredient—horse manure. Yuck, I know, but it helps a lot!
What does your family do to live a healthy lifestyle? Send in your comments below!
PHOTO: Kid Reporter Lily Haffey works organic waste into her family's compost pile. (Photo courtesy Lily Haffey)
