What are the benefits of making compost?
When you compost, you convert vegetable scraps, leaves, grass clippings and other organic materials into useful, soil-building material. You can use compost in your garden and around shrubs or other plants. Composting reduces the amount of materials that go into landfills, which cuts down on the waste stream. Q: How long does it take to make compost? A: Generally, you can create usable compost in two to six months. It depends on materials, temperature, aeration and management. Woody materials, such as wood chips, branches and twigs, may take up to two years to break down, unless you finely chip or shred them. If you add these to your pile, the whole pile may decompose more slowly. However, these materials will improve the pile structure and allow air to move through it. This is important if you add dense material, such as manure, to the pile. Here are some other tips to aid the compost process: Mix materials that break down slowly with materials that break down quickly (food scraps, ga
