Last time I was visiting my parents (who had just moved into a new house), my mom took me on a tour of her backyard. In the farthest corner of her yard, I noticed a heap of old scraps of food.
"Oh, you have a compost heap?" I asked her. "That's so trendy right now!"
She looked at me like I was crazy. "What do you mean, trendy? This is just how we always did things."
"OH," I replied. Well, DUH! I never really thought of my mom and abuelita composting back in Cuba but, now that I think about it, of course they did. Without me realizing it, composting—which I've read a lot about lately—is simply the way things were for a lot of families.
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I don't know why it never occurred to me before but, now that it has, I realize just how silly I've been, thinking that composting is a new, cool trend for the home. Before, I think our abuelas simply called it "not wasting anything" and that was that. But what exactly is composting and how do you do it properly?
First of all, composting is a good idea for anyone that wants to do any kind of gardening. Basically, you're using organic materials (like waste from your kitchen and yard) to improve your potting soil. It's a good idea because, not only does it reduce landfill waste, but it also "adds nutrients and introduces beneficial organisms to the soil."
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There are, of course, smarter ways of composting than just collecting anything you can think of. The video below explains some of the basics but, in general, most people recommend keeping a balance between green matter to brown matter (some say half and half, others say 1/3 green and 2/3 brown). But, basically, there's a lot you can add—just keep in mind that there some things that you should absolutely never compost. In the meantime, though, try it and your garden will reap the benefits!
Embedded content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqrrheVviP0
Have you ever composted? Do you want to try, after watching this video? Share with us in the comments below!
Image via normanack/flickr
