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Cathy Cromell
Cathy Cromell is a writer and editor who's written extensively about gardening and landscaping. She is a certified master gardener, master composter, and master entomologist.
Articles & Books From Cathy Cromell
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-01-2022
By composting food scraps, yard waste, and other ingredients, you create nutrient-rich compost to add to your garden and landscape, and you minimize the waste sent to landfills. Home composting is a great way to be greener and do something good for the environment while seeing major benefits right at home.The benefits of adding compost to your gardenComposting provides you with rich organic matter that does wonders to improve the quality of your garden soil.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Greens provide bodybuilding proteins for the microorganisms crunching through your organic matter. Nitrogen-rich materials are called greens because most of them are greenish in color. The following are good sources of nitrogen for your compost pile:
Kitchen scraps: Leftovers from the kitchen are excellent additions to the compost pile.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Composting provides you with rich organic matter that does wonders to improve the quality of your garden soil. Whether you sprinkle compost on the surface of the soil or work it in, your garden plants and landscape will grow healthier and stronger thanks to the addition. Your garden benefits from compost in t
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Organic matter high in carbon — what composters commonly call browns — provides energy for decomposer organisms as they consume and break down the contents of your compost pile. Organic matter high in nitrogen — called greens — supplies the decomposers with protein. Maintain well-fed composting organisms with these varied ingredients.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
A great thing about composting is that it can take as much or as little time as you want or need it to. If your time is limited and you want to speed up the process to get compost fast, follow these tips:
Increase the surface area of your ingredients. Before adding it to your compost, chop, shred, crack, whack, and smack organic matter into small pieces.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Your compost pile isn’t a trash can. Some materials definitely don’t qualify as compost ingredients because they contain pathogens, attract pests, or cause other problems. You must take care to add only the right organic ingredients to feed the decomposition process. Leave out the following items:
Ashes from charcoal barbecues: Dispose of this residue in the trash, not your compost pile or bin.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
You need very little equipment to start composting. Before you buy, visit garden centers or home improvement and hardware stores and try out some hand tools. Their length and weight should be comfortable for you to wield over extended periods of turning or shoveling organic matter. The basic tools to get you started composting are
Compost fork or pitchfork: Long, thin tines allow you to hoist and toss large loads of organic matter efficiently.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Because there are so many types of composters on the market, finding the right one for you can be tricky. Compost containers (despite some of the marketing materials that accompany them) aren't magical devices whereby you drop in straw, wave your wand-like compost thermometer, and presto — out spills black gold!
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Different types of compost bins are available, including tumblers, bins, and kitchen composters. There are numerous options to suit different situations. Choosing the right bin for your composting needs can be confusing. But if you want to start container composting, here's a run-down of the available container types.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
All the tools you really need to start composting are a long-handled fork, a spade or shovel, and something with which to chop up larger stems and prunings. But like most jobs in the garden, having the right tools for the task makes it a whole lot easier. Here's a list of the best tools for basic composting tasks:
Mixing things up with a pitchfork or compost fork: Pitchforks and compost forks have four or five long, thin, tapered, and upward-curving tines designed to efficiently glide into a pile of organic material, allowing you to hoist and pitch it to a new location.