How to Get Started With Composting | Gardener's Path

Gardeners, if you have not learned to compost for fertilization, fall is a perfect time to start. Why? To take advantage of all those fallen leaves, of course!

Composting is an economical and environmentally-sound way to fertilize your soil. It makes for the richest growing soil available, as it is high in potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen.

You are basically duplicating Mother Nature’s plan for the lushest forests and natural gardens.

A gardener who composts is greatly helping the environment by reusing what is otherwise treated as “garbage” and merely rotting away in dumps and landfills.

It’s estimated that such waste material takes up about a third of the space in our community landfills. Why not put this material to good use and use it to grow our lawns and gardens?

A shredder will come in handy for your projects. This will make your material smaller for easier storage as you go along, and there are inexpensive gas or electric shredders available, especially if you shop online.

If you do decide to get a machine, I’d recommend spending a little more on a product with a little more power than you think you will need (trust me – you will use it) and purchase something that will last a while such as this Earthquake Chipper/Shredder.

It’s the one I use and I can vouch for it’s performance and construction.

Earthquake 9060300 Chipper Shredder with 205cc 4-Cycle Briggs and Stratton Engine

Then make sure you have lots of bags and bins to store your composted material. You will probably want a large pail in the kitchen specifically for organic waste. Make sure the pail has a tight lid to keep out animals and bugs.

You can also find great bargains on bins online. There are