The Dirt about Composting

With plenty of time on my hands, I find myself spending more time in my little garden. At least an hour or two in the morning and another hour in the afternoon when the sun is less cruel. There is something that draw me to getting down and dirty with nature. It has an uplifting and cleansing effect-- if you know what I mean. I welcome the perspiration that drips off my brow when the tugging at weeds becomes a challenge. Then there are no words to describe the beauty of seeing tiny flowers peeking out of a cluster of pepper foliage heavy with red and green fruits. And the thrills I get when confronted with a wiggly earthworm or a startled frog-- yikks!

My son says that my sojourn into the world of gardening is a sure sign of aging. But I beg to disagree--somewhat. You see with every new shoot the pops out of the ground and with every butterfly that wings itself through the flowers, I feel recharged! Isn't that strange? You have to grow older to appreciate what it is to be young and new and full of wonder.

Do you want to give it a try? You do not need a large plot of land to start your garden. You can go slow and maybe buy an easy-to-care-for plant at your local nursery as a starter. When you are comfortable about the idea about getting soil between your fingernails (actually, there's no rule that says you can't wear gloves), then you can move on to bigger things.

One of these "bigger" endeavors could be composting. The garbage crisis has made many of us sit up and seriously think about our environment. Our landfills are quickly turning into mountains; the air is fouling up; and, there is no end to the diseases that plague us. How does composting come into the picture? Well, "compost returns organic matter to the soil in a usable form. Organic matter in the soil improves plant growth by: stimulating the growth of beneficial microorganisms, loosening heavy clay soils to allow better root penetration; improving the capacity to hold water and nutrients particularly in sandy soils; and adding essential nutrients to any soil. Improving your soil is the first step toward improving plant health. Healthy plants help clean air, conserve soil, and beautify landscapes."

I do not want to impose on you or want to bore you with the technicalities of composting. That would be too presumptuous of me. Instead, I hope that the seed I have planted will bear fruit in your interest to cultivate a green thumb and help the environment as well.

Now, what follows is a different sort of recipe--

Food for the Garden: A garden version of "Food for the Gods"

Ingredients:
two large containers-- 1 empty and 1 filled with soil
kitchen vegetable scraps
some water
a ladle

• Line the bottom of your empty container with 1-inch of soil. Layer your kitchen scrap right on top of the soil. Brown (leaves, shredded paper) and green (grass clippings, vegetable scraps, etc.) and white (eggshells). No meats or grease, please. You don't want to invite mickey mouse.



• Cover with a 1-inch layer of soil.



• Continue your layering.



Finish off with a nice topping of soil.



• Moisten by sprinkling top with water.



• Keep the contents moist but not wet. Cover and set aside.



• Take on another large pot and repeat the process.

• To keep the bacteria active, turn or aerate the contents in your pot from time to time.

• To quicken the "cooking" process, you may add a little nitrogen-- plant fertilizer, coffee grounds, even urine if you dare ( yuck! but it works)

• The compost is ready for use in the garden once it is dark brown, crumbly and earthy-smelling-- about three week to a month.

If you don't have the time to do the above process, do your decomposing the easy way by burying organic material right in the garden or potted plants. During the weekend, collect your kitchen scraps in a covered container, and then take it with you on your stroll through your garden. (Pretend that you're the Easter Bunny with a basket of eggs.) Tuck cut-up mango peels, wilted lettuce leaves, and other scraps in small dug-up holes near your plants and cover with a few inches of soil. If you have weeds and clippings to compost, lay them under shrubs and cover with garden soil. Let worms and microorganisms do the dirty work -- the decomposing, conditioning of soil, and distributing of nutrients -- while you hardly lift a finger.