What is a gardener to do in the middle of the winter? In the Atlanta area there are myriad winter garden tasks we can be doing. One of those tasks is to begin, or nurse our compost pile. Homegrown compost makes gardening so much easier. Thus, we have the virtues of compost:
Composting:
- Keeps your garden and landscape clean
- Keeps the debris out of landfills
- Saves the cost of acutally paying for soil conditioners, humus, manure, etc.
- Saves the cost of paying someone else to haul your debris away
- Provides a source of clean, nutrients for prettier plants
- Gives that "warm-fuzzy" feeling by being a green gardener
"Compost is fine-textured humus, which is an end product from the natural decompositions of plants and plant products under controlle conditions." (from the UGA CAES article, Composting)
Being a responsible gardener can also mean saving money, and growing better, tastier, prettier plants. Composting yard waste is a great way to kill many birds with one stone.
The middle of winter (January and February) in Atlanta and North Georgia is great time to begin your compost project, if you haven't already. Those leaves which are still laying on the lawn and in your beds need to be cleaned up anyway. Go ahead and police them up.
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Comments
It does take a little more effort but composting is well worth it. Good reminder!
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