I have been interested in gardening and composting for several years. I successfully began growing my own vegetables and herbs over the past three years. I didn’t always have the biggest yard to work with, but since moving to Fredericksburg, VA from a town house with a tiny yard, to a full sized family house with a huge back yard, I have been able to realize my passion for the gardening arts. Last year I began researching compost and its unbelievable benefits to, not only the garden, but also the environment. I decided I would try my hand at it and see how it turns out. I wasn’t sure I had done it correctly, and since I started it late that summer, I had no choice but to leave it alone until after the cold seasons passed. Barely giving the poor thing a fighting chance, I figured all was lost. Imagine my surprise when I turned the pile this spring, and found underneath the unprocessed material the richest, most beautiful compost I have ever seen! I separated the nutrient-rich dirt from the the outer “cocoon” of newspaper shreds, grass clippings, and other random organic matter. I then added it to mom’s flower beds and my vegetable and herb beds before we planted. Once we got all of our beauties into the ground, I made sure to pay close attention to see if I could conduct a little research throughout this growing season to compare growth rate and yield where applicable. So far I am amazed at the results. Two months have hardly passed and I can already see a huge difference between now, using compost, and the past few years we have planted without the use of compost. My next post will be coming soon. I plan to add some photos, as well as detailed information about composting. If anyone has questions or needs advice on how to do anything garden-related, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading, and happy gardening!
laurapedini 