Composting is a magical alchemical process that is very near and dear to our hearts. It is the process of organic material (stuff that was recently soil, such as food), returning to soil. The soil made from composting is rich in nutrients and microbial life, perfect for growing beautiful, abundant plants in your backyard.

We are excited to help demystify this magic so more people can start creating compost in their backyards. We have been composting in our backyard in Burlington for a few years now and have had no issues, and as a result we’ve been able to save a lot of money in our gardens (soil is the most expensive input cost for starting and maintaining a garden). When managing a compost pile you’re mostly managing for moisture: too much liquid and it could be anaerobic, too little (less common) and it could go dormant. A common misconception is that compost piles always stink: this is only true when they are mismanaged and allowed to go anaerobic.

In our experience, we’ve found that compost systems work better when there’s more material. This way, the compost pile can generate more heat and break down quicker. For this reason we recommend seeing if other neighbors would be interested in contributing food scraps to your compost pile. If no neighbors are interested, it will still work but will be a slower process.

We can help brainstorm what type of pile would work well for your living situation, come up with a management plan, and can even manage your pile if desired. We need more people building soil to heal our degraded urban landscape. If you want to start transforming your household and neighborhood’s food scraps into rich, high-quality soil, reach out today!