By Darbie M. Granberry
University of Georgia
Volume XXVIII
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Home composting is an excellent way to recycle many
organic
materials commonly
found around the home. By composting, we convert what’s often
called waste into
a valuable, useful product.
With a little time and effort, thousands of conservation-
minded people are
making compost from coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable
trimmings, leaves, grass
clippings and brush trimmings.
They can then apply this compost to the landscape or garden.
This improves
the soil’s structure, enhances its fertility and provides
nutrients that help
plants grow better and produce more.
So many benefits
Home composting is a win-win proposition for homeowners,
landscape and garden
plants and the environment.
The amount of compost a vegetable garden needs depends mainly
on the soil type
and how you garden. But usually, it’s best to add 20 to 30
pounds of compost
per 100 square feet of garden area each year.
These amounts don’t cause a problem for people with small
gardens. However,
many gardeners with larger gardens find they can’t produce
enough compost from
their kitchen and yard waste.
Need more?
If you’re not making enough compost, what can you do?
First, keep on composting. And keep on applying the compost
to your garden,
even if you can’t apply the full recommended rate. When it
comes to compost
in the garden, a good rule-of-thumb is that some is much
better than none.
Neighbors
If your neighbors aren’t composting, they may be happy to
donate their kitchen
and yard waste to your composting project. With that extra
organic matter, you
might be able to double or triple the amount of compost you
can make. This may
be all the compost you need.
If you still don’t have enough, it’s probably time to
consider supplementing
your homemade compost with some made by someone else.
Other resources
One possible source is a local municipality. Many cities and
counties now compost
organic materials collected locally and make the compost
available at little
or no cost to local citizens.
Since they don’t usually deliver the compost, you’ll need a
pickup truck or
trailer to transport it. You can find out whether local
municipal compost is
available by contacting the county or city government or your
University of
Georgia Extension Service county office.
Another possible source is a commercial composter. And there
may be one near
you. With the proper training and equipment, a professional
composter can provide
excellent compost at a reasonable price.
As an added benefit, some of them will deliver compost to
you. If you’re interested
in getting commercial compost and don’t know a local source,
your Georgia Extension
Service county office may be able to help.
(Darbie Granberry is an extension horticulturist with the
University of
Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
