Organic composting can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. The best part about creating compost is that it can consist of any organic material and we all have access to plenty of that every single day because it is produced by the lawn, garden, and kitchen. Compost is what happens when leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, woodchips, straw, and small twigs are combined, then allowed to break down into a soil-like texture. Organic compost introduces and feeds diverse life in the soil, including bacteria, insects, worms, and more which support vigorous plant growth.

Composting is actually a fast-track method of changing crude organic materials into something resembling soil,called humus. In your average forest when leaves and branches and whatever fall to the forest floor a whole host of organisms big and small (worms, bacteria, insects, fungus, small mammals, birds, etc) go to town, each one breaking down the plant matter until it becomes soil. Composting is an easy way to use things you would normally add to a landfill. However, if you have meat eaters in your home, don't use their meat scraps, which will attract rodents. Also, do not use litter from your dog or cat; it doesn't break down properly and contains too many pathogens.

Composting is best accomplished with the use of a compost bin. The bin helps to keep the pile neat and rodent free, reduces moisture loss, and retains the heat generated in the pile. A compost pile is made up of a variety of ingredients from yard waste, household food waste, and used paper such as paper towels and napkins. In mixing these items together in a bin, they begin to "cook". As they heat up, worms, insects, and bacteria work to turn your organic waste into a rich compost material that can be used to feed your garden or lawn. Compost cuts the need to fertilize since it's rich in plant nutrients, and slowly discharges them over time. Plus it is free of chemicals normally used as fertilizer that can be bad for the environment - and our health.

Compost supplies the soil with a rich, friable source of humus and helps retain moisture in the garden, in addition to supplying valuable nutrients. By placing grass clippings, fallen leaves and unused plant parts in a compost pile or bin, you are preparing them, through decomposition, to be put back to work for you. Compost piles make great quality dirt by the time they are done. Your pile is fully composted when it fails to heat up after being turned. It is now time to take out the nutrient rich material and use it to enhance your soil.