If you’ve been try to become more green and figure out ways to better care for environment then you’ve probably heard of compost. But if you’re asking yourself, what is compost? Then read one because you may be about to take a step in a more environmentally friendly direction that your vegetable and flower garden will love you for.

Compost is created when yard & food waste decomposes. Micro organisms & invertebrates (also known as little buggers) feed on the waste, live their brief lives, reproduce, die and then they become waste too. This repeating cycle is how the soil gets it’s nutrients replenished. Like Mufasa said, “We all have our place in the circle of life.” When it comes to compost, it ‘s just a very small circle.

Compost will happen on it’s own without any help from man. Look down at the ground in a dense forest. The leaves fall from the trees and decompose. This creates a rich soil that in turn feeds the trees. Compost just happens naturally and has been since the dawn of time. But man has figured out how to speed up the process. By mixing the right ratio of greens (grass clippings, coffee grinds, food waste, etc) with the right ratio of browns (leaves, hay, shredded newspapers, etc) and keeping the pile moist and well aerated you will create compost much quicker than nature.

It may be hard to believe but compost is a lot better for plants that synthetic fertilizers. Nature got it right and man got a little sidetracked by making money. Some fertilizers will actually harm your soil in the long run by breaking down and leaving salts.

From an environmental point of view using compost in the garden is a great alternative to fertilizers. The process of making fertilizers on an industrial scale uses a lot of energy and creates a lot of waste. Composting is free and all you need is the stuff that you were probably going to throw away anyway.

If homeowners across the United States were to stop bagging their leaves and grass clippings, not only would there be 30% more room in the land fills, but they’d also have a great supply of free compost for their gardens. Everyone is switching their light bulbs to try and become more green, what they should be doing is building a compost pile in their yard.

Building a compost bin is a great way to create your own supply of compost in your very own backyard. Why not let your garden waste decay and break down into it’s more useful form and enjoy some of the benefits of compost.