Compost to Stay Green

Summer is nearly here, and if you're a gardener, there is something you can do for your garden and the environment--composting. Composting is the natural recycling of organic materials like food scraps and yard waste. Through the natural process where bacteria and other living organisms break down the scraps and yard waste is formed into a more basic building block of soil.

Reduce Your Waste

The end product of the process is something that you can add to the soil to give it greater nutritional value for the plants and aid in its ability to retain water. This recycling of waste is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Composting Reduces Waste. Compost piles are mostly made of food and yard waste, which studies show is up to 50% of what people throw away, so composting can significantly cut down on your overall trash. 

It Helps Your Plants. Composting enriches the soil and gives it nutrients in place of fertilizer, which contains chemicals that can be hard on the plants. Compost also helps soak up water, making it more evenly distributed to plants and helping them grow more evenly.

A Better Option Than Fertilizer

Fertilizers can cause a variety of unhealthy effects on people, most largely is the contamination of groundwater. When heavy rains come, it can wash away fertilizer and cause it to go down into the groundwater. This can make people sick, perhaps deathly so. Birth malformations, hypertension, several forms of cancer, and goitre have all been linked to groundwater contamination. 

Fertilizers have also been linked to the Blue Baby Syndrome, which is caused when a baby drinks nitrate-rich water. The nitrates are converted to nitrites, which bind themselves to the haemoglobin, prevent oxygen from moving around the body, and turns the skin blue.  

Composting is a great way to stay green and sustainable. It is cheaper and has fewer health risks than fertilizer. It will save money and the environment, making it a great practice to get in to help the lifespan of your garden, whether you are a new green thumb or a seasoned gardener. For more information about composting, feel free to stop by Little Red Hen Plant Nursery

or call at (530) 891-9100.