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Creating and using compost as a natural fertilizer is easy and convenient.

You can purchase a plastic compost box for your back yard, or you can very easily construct one yourself: all it has to be is a box with a lid made of any material, with its bottom open to the ground (so that worms and bugs can get in) and a means of opening it close to the bottom, which is where the completed fertilizer comes out.

Almost everything can go in your compost box, all year round, except for meat. You may put in vegetable and fruit matter, coffee grounds, grains or bread, eggshells, and even paper towels break down - just make sure they haven't been used with cleaning products.

Every once in a while, throw a layer of leaves or dirt into the box with the garbage. This allows a bit of air to get in, and lets the creation "breath" as it breaks down.

What happens to all this refuse? It slowly turns into soil. Worms come out of the ground, as well as all kinds of insects, and as they eat it up and expel it, it becomes the most nutrient-rich, black soil you could ask for. You can even compost ONLY yard waste, meaning all your leaves in the fall. They eventually break down into a great soil as well if left long enough.

In the spring, dig the matter out the bottom of the compost box and work it into the soil of your garden. You can tell what is completely broken down and what isn't; use the stuff that looks like dirt.

Composting is great because it's recycling, it's good for the environment, it's a natural fertilizer and therefore non-chemical (chemical fertilizers often do more harm than good), and you don't have to purchase anything at all!

Learn more about this author, K. M. Crowley.
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