I’ve been a bit busy of late. Soccer games. Girl Scouts. Moving to the country. You know…the usual. I may still be living out of boxes, but at least the trash is all figured out: trash, recycling and now COMPOSTING!

While I have no illusions that I can whip the house into a zero-waste home anytime soon, I hope to be able to recycle and compost 90% of what we use. As someone who enjoys gardening, there is no better soil for plants than vitamin and mineral rich composted soil.

Now is the time to do it!
My family has voiced their collective opinions that I’m crazy for starting the compost bin at “the end of the season.” What they, and most people, don’t realize is that successful gardeners prepare for the spring in the fall.

My Grande Plan
I’m going to start with all of the newspapers left over from the packing and moving. If you put wet newspapers down in the area you want your garden in the spring, you can do the “Lasagne Method.” Without tilling, you’ll have a garden ready to plant in six months!
Start with the wet newspapers. Lay them down in the area you want to plant. Once the newspapers are down, cover with coffee grounds. If you have compost ready to go, add the compost over the coffee grounds. {If you don’t have coffee grounds or are planning a large garden, you can ask your local coffee shop for their used grounds.} Repeat with the newspapers. Yard waste, such as pine needles, leaves and grass clippings may also be added.

Get out there and grow something!
XxOo