Compost

I've heard about composting for awhile but have just started to give it a try. From what I understand, composting is the biodegradation of organic matter, in other words, it's the cycle of life: a plant drops a leaf to the ground and microbes turn it into something that the plant can consume.

My compost heap is about a week old and so far I've contributed dried leaves and fresh green leaves from my yard, pulp from my juicer, skins and rinds of fruits and vegetables and dying flowers from bouquets. All of these would've naturally gone into my trash and instead they are becoming nutrient rich fertilizer in my back yard! There is no bin that contains the pile, just a 6" deep, 1' wide hole dug into the dirt. Instead of buying worms, I'm hoping the worms from my yard will find their way into the heap.

Here's a pic of my pile before adding dried leaves to the mix.

Some sites about composting:

http://www.howtocompost.org/

http://www.plowhearth.com/magazine/compost_how_to.asp