Composting

"Buy worms, fight global warming!" At the Athens Farmers' Market this past Saturday, I heard this being shouted into the crowd. One of the vendors was selling worms for compost bins - and having a lot of fun doing it. "Grow worms, not war!" Though this man was presenting the subject with humor, composting is, seriously, a great way to help the environment. Instead of sending much of your waste to the landfill, you can turn it into rich compost for your garden.

Composting is a simple biological process. Microorganisms, fungi, bacteria, and worms digest organic matter, such as leaves, grass and vegetable scraps. The result is compost or humus, a nutrient-rich soil.

There are two types of compost bins - open-sided and enclosed. You can buy them or make your own. My compost bins were wooden boxes that my husband brought home from work. The enclosed bins break down matter more quickly, because they hold in heat and moisture better, but open-sided bins work great, too.

To create a compost pile that generates a lot of heat, you should mix one part "green" materials with three parts "brown" materials. Green materials include grass clippings, garden prunings, green weeds and leaves, eggshells, and fruit and vegetable scraps. Brown materials include straw, sawdust, shredded paper and dry leaves. Do not use meat or sugary foods in your compost. You want to layer the materials, alternating green and brown. Gently water the pile as it grows, keeping it moist, but not soggy. Regularly turn the compost to aerate the materials. Heat, moisture and air will speed up the composting process.

Worms help speed up the decomposition process, too. You can do what I do, which is look for worms after a rainy day, or you can buy them at bait stores or places like the Athens Farmers' Market. If you have a garden or flower beds, consider starting a compost pile. It will create fantastic soil for your plants, and reduce the amount of materials you are sending to the landfill. Go worms!!