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 The heavy rains that came our way last week left a leafy mess in our yard and a longing for Spring. I’ve been learning the basics about starting an organic vegetable garden (most likely inspired by reading Animal Vegetable, Miracle - see my post Happy Spring! ). Well, the mantra for a successful vegetable garden seems to be, sun, soil and water. Gratefully we have the sun and the water in place, so this weekend we started on the soil. Six years ago when I saw my first compost bin I thought my mom had gone overboard with her gardening. The compost, to me looked like a pile of hot leaves, fruit peels and worms. I didn’t share her enthusiasm for the worm rich soil she had been producing in her compost bin, although, I had to admit that the vegetables grown from that soil looked and tasted amazing. I naively thought that dirt was dirt and was unaware that gardeners regard compost as “black gold” or “gardener’s gold” because of its remarkably beneficial properties. Happily there is a tremendous amount of information on the Internet about composting. I spent a few hours of reading and watching how-to guides, do’s & don’ts and “make your own compost bin in 2 minutes”. Making your own bin looked easy enough, but you need to have scrap wood or wooden pallets. We opted for Home Depot materials only to find that the materials for purchase did not match and would be more expensive then the already made heavy plastic version they had on site.
There has been a tremendous rise in the popularity of composting due to the “green” movement, since composting is a great way to recycle food and yard waste. Making your own compost lowers the amount of organic material you’re sending to the landfill. According to the EPA, 23% of the U.S. waste stream is composed of yard trimmings and food waste. Making your own compost helps extend the life of landfills by diverting organic materials to a higher use. The basics of composting are below along with links to helpful resources in case you feel inspired to make some dirt yourself: What to Compost What Not to Compost (Certain things should never be placed in your bin) The web site below is loaded with all you need to know to start composting and youtube has great videos with step by step instructions on how to build your own. Composting in 2010 at our house has brought us in touch with the environment around us, made us more aware of our consumption, and has us visualizing the healthy foods we hope to harvest later in the year. These are not bad outcomes for part of a Sunday spent in the yard. A greater connection to our food and the land around us creates a consciousness of the balance of nature and for us has motivated us to take positive steps to actively participate in this process. Compost happens!
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Ashley Marriott has been a professional in the field of fitness for more than 14 years. She is the creator of Burn ‘N Firm, a popular DVD full body cardio dance workout series. She is dedicated to using her experience and energy to educate and encourage people to reach their fitness goals. Her dedication to empower others through fitness led her to write the book, Dump Your Trainer.
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