Composting has been around since Adam and Eve, I'm sure, but for some reason it still doesn't figure in many gardener's plans. Maybe it's the prospect of having an unsightly mound of dirt in the corner of their garden, or maybe it's easier these days to put all the garden trimmings and food waste in the trash for curbside pickup; whatever the reason, many gardeners are losing out on a great way to recycle vegetable and plant matter while saving money on formulated fertilizers.
After a year of composting kitchen waste along with grass clippings, landscape trimmings and the occasional layer of earth dug up when moving plants or redesigning the garden, I have really great compost crawling with earthworms of all sizes. (Coffee and tea grounds, by the way, attract and feed earthworms.) Because my compost pile is enclosed in a screen it doesn't look messy, and it allows me to build up layers of material as the season progresses.
Today I distributed a nice thick layer of compost along my raised vegetable bed and over 3 new herb beds. The compost bin, now only 1/3 full, has lots of room to add new materials and before I know it will have a new supply of rich earth for my garden. That's one of the things about living in Florida; compost develops very quickly in the heat and humidity.
With a bit of care I will now be able to take advantage of the enhanaced earth the worms have created to grow my fall crops. But the part I'm looking forward to is sitting back and enjoying the butterflies, birds and other creatures that visit my garden!
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