What are the Benefits of Composting?

What are the Benefits of Composting?

Composting is something that more and more people are getting into and it's a great DIY project to start at home. Many people buy bins and simply add their vegetable waste onto it instead of in the waste bin.

A lot of homeowners, however, are still not getting into the habit of composting because they believe their yard is too small for a compost heap or they don't have time to start one.

Some believe that setting up a compost bin is going to be too expensive for the small amount of vegetable waste they have. The truth is that while these problems are valid, they can easily be overcome.

Composting does not have to be expensive or time-consuming. There is a composting method out there that can work for you!

Any type of vegetable matter will eventually decay; composting is just a way of controlling the process. When you gather a heap of plant material and vegetable waste in one place, the result can be very satisfying, especially when you see that first crumble of dark substance form.

Here are a few benefits as to why you should start composting:

Benefits of composting #1 - Free fertilizer

As an avid gardener, how much do you spend on fertilizer per month?

By composting, you can fertilize your garden for free. It improves the texture of your soil by holding both water and air better. It also promotes healthy root developments in garden plants.

One family said that in one year their compost bin produced about 200 liters of finished compost that they can now use to fertilize their garden. This would have cost them thousands and thousands of Rands if they had to buy the same amount in the store.

Their plants are also experiencing a better quality fertilizer because it is one they have produced themselves.

Benefits of composting #2 - Reduce waste

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States released data suggesting that food scraps and waste make up about 30% of your household trash.

By putting this in a composting bin, you are not only helping the environment but you are also recycling and living organically!

The very food that we grow from the earth can now be used to help other plants grow out of the earth. And so the beautiful cycle continues and you don't waste as much!

Benefits of composting #3 - No need for harmful chemicals

This then brings us to our next point: homegrown fertilizers contain no chemicals or harmful toxins as the fertilizer you would buy from a gardening store.

Commercial compost often contains lingering herbicides, which can actually kill and infect your garden instead of growing and nurturing it. This is known as 'killer compost'.

When you make your own compost you are solely in charge of what you put in there, meaning that it is free of any type of chemical that can harm your garden. It's all "au naturel" and purely organic food for your plants.

Benefits of composting #4 - A cleaner planet

Last but definitely not least: who would not want to live on a cleaner and healthier planet?

Composting is eco-friendly in more than one way:

• Vegetable matter produces methane when it breaks down, which is harmful to the ozone layer, but when it breaks down in a compost heap, the methane production is less.
• Finished compost also reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, which can pollute the water supply and kill fish.

No matter how small your garden is, you have no excuse not to compost. It is an easy process that will deliver healthy, eco-friendly rewards!