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Word of the Weekcomposting— a mixture of decay-ing organic matter, as from leavesand manure, used to improve soilstructure and provide nutrients

Did You Know?BENEFITS OF COMPOST

TOYOUR GARDEN• improves soil structure in all soils,and therefore:

• improves water retention in loose,sandy soils;

• improves drainage in heavy, clayeysoils;

• prevents the soil surface fromcrusting, easing the emergence ofseedlings;

• resists compaction, making it easierfor roots to penetrate the soil;

• helps balance pH, making alkalinesoils more acidic and acidic soilsmore alkaline;

• provides a good environment for themicrobes, earthworms and insectsthat break down soil constituentsinto plant nutrients;

• nourishes microbes that protectagainst some plant diseases;

• reduces the need for other soilamendments and for fertilizer;

• provides many micro-nutrients andlow levels of macronutrients;

• improves the soil's retention ofnutrients, thus increasing theamount of time they are available toplants;

• slows the leaching of nutrients, thuspreventing them from reaching andpolluting water;

• encourages healthy plants, thusreducing the need for pesticidesand fungicides.

BENEFITSTOTHE ENVIRONMENT• reduces the amount of garbage inlandfills, and therefore:

• reduces the greenhouse gasesproduced by hauling garbage;

• reduces the amount of methaneproduced by landfills;

• helps prevent runoff and soilerosion;

• helps remediate (decontaminate)polluted soils, binding somecontaminates in the soil andincreasing plant uptake by others,allowing their removal fromcontaminated sites;

• reduces the need forenvironmentally damagingpesticides and fertilizers.

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Have you ever noticedhow some people havebeautiful, vibrant flowergardens or grow large,scrumptious looking veg-etables almost with ease?They might have a greenthumb, but chances arebetter that it’s their soil. Ifyou use compost, yoursoil has a richer composi-tion that is better for yourveggies and flowers. Thishealthy and sturdy soilproduces those gorgeousflowers and mouth-water-ing vegetables we all wishwe could have in our owngardens. Guess what?Now you can have them.It just takes a little know-how about composting.Composting is not

hard. The entire family canget in on the act. If youhave a family garden,composting will be quitehelpful to you. Let’s dis-cuss the benefits of com-posting as well as how tocreate a compost pile thatcan enrich your soil natu-rally and produce thosegrowing beauties.

COMPOSTING ISHEALTHY FOR THEENVIRONMENT

Creating compostreduces the amount oftrash in the landfill. Wethrow away a lot of food,which is the majority ofour waste. Using thosefood scraps in compostgives precious nutrientsback to the soil instead of

the garbage heap.Basically, composting

is the process of usingplant matter and othermaterials to enrich thesoil. You let the itemsdecompose and blendthem in with the soil asnourishment for whateveryou are growing.You alsocan use compost asmulch in flower gardensinstead of wood chips orpine needles.GETTING STARTEDWITHYOUR OWNCOMPOST PILESo how do you begin?

First, find a place to com-post. You can buy com-post bins or make yourown.With an inconspicu-ous place in the backyard, you don’t even needa bin. Compost willdecompose in a pile all byitself.Once you’ve chosen

your location and storageunit (or none at all), it’stime to begin filling it.Composting problemsoccur when the wrongthings are added to thecompost pile. That’s whyit’s important to knowwhat you can safely andeffectively add.WHAT TO INCLUDEINYOUR COMPOST

PILEThere are two types of

compost materials that filltwo needs of the compostpile. First, there are thewood products. Those

include wood chip, strawand leaves.You also canthrow those pesky weedson the compost pile aswell. These materials addpockets of space to thecompost pile so air canreach everything thatgoes into it.Secondly, you have the

food material and grasses.Grass clippings, fruitrinds, vegetable waste,and even coffee groundsmake great compost.Compost needs to bemoist for the bacteria tosurvive and digest proper-ly. This type of material iswhat provides the mois-ture.As long as your com-

post pile has air and amoderate amount of mois-ture, the bacteria, alongwith insects and worms,

will do their job. Whenthese two things areabsent, you get the yuckyfoul smell of garbage.Constantly turn the com-post pile over with a rakeor hoe so all the materialgets air. Ever wonder whyfood sent to the garbagedoesn’t just decompose?It’s because it doesn’t getair in the garbage pile.Compost is ready when

the ingredients are notrecognizable anymore. Itusually takes on a darkbrown color once it’sready.Use your leftovers and

lawn trimmings to grow abeautiful lawn, flowers orvegetable garden by cre-ating a compost pile. Youcan start anytime.Whynot today?

Composting 101 Sponsored byMiami County SED

Backyard Composting& Gardening Workshop

A Joint Workshop with Miami County Master Gardeners& Miami County Sanitary Engineering Department

When: April 13, 20139:30am-10:00am registration & refreshments

10:00am to 12:00pm workshop

WHERE: Upper Valley Applied Technology Center8901 Looney Road, Piqua

COST: Free (minimum of 10 people, maximum of 50)Registration Deadline: April 9, 2013

Presentations On:Basic Composting (Deb Green), Soils (Dan Poast),

Sustainable Gardening (Harriett Walters) & Companion Gardening(Elaine Richards)

Door Prizes & Compost Bins for Sale

For more information & registration contact:Cindy Bach, Miami County – 937-440-3488 Ext. 8705

cbach@miamicountysed.comRegistration form for Basic Composting & Companion Gardening

Please return by April 9, 2013. Please Print.

Name: __________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________

Please send registration to:Cindy Bach, Miami County Sanitary Engineering1200 N. County Rd. 25-A, Troy, OH 45373

Fax: 937-335-4208