Fellow green thumbs! The sun’s warming up, buds are coming to life, and our gardens are buzzing with activity again as we enter spring. But before you start planting your favorite crops, let’s talk about something that will transform your garden even before you begin: composting. Take advantage of leaf piles and last winter’s kitchen scraps this season, and convert waste into nutrient-rich magic for your soil.
Spring is the Perfect Season to Compost
Spring isn’t just about sunshine—it’s also prime time to reboot your compost. Your garden beds are hungry after a long winter, and your soil is ready for a boost. It’s time to make the most of fallen leaves, dead plants, and kitchen scraps that you’ve collected.
Mix pruned branches, weeds, and spent flowers with last fall’s leaves for a good carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Keep your pile covered with a tarp or cardboard boxes to soak up excess moisture. You can speed up decomposition by adding materials like twigs or straw to your compost.
Once your compost is ready, prepare your garden beds with finished compost mixed with garden soil 2 to 3 weeks before planting. This improves drainage, adds nutrients, and welcomes worms and beneficial organisms. You can give your plants an additional nutrient boost by spreading compost around your established plants or perennials, as a slow-release fertilizer.
Spring Composting Hacks
As we kick off the new growing season, consider spicing things up with a few composting alternatives besides the classic compost pile in the corner of your garden.
1. Vermicomposting
Worms are the heros of composting. Feed them with food scraps in a composting bin and watch them go to work. They will reward you with black gold in a matter of weeks. Consider using worm tea to fertilize your houseplants—you’ll be amazed by how fast they can grow!
2. Bokashi
Bokashi is your jam if you have a small space. Layer your kitchen waste (even meat) with bokashi bran in a sealed bucket. Your scraps will be fermented in 2 to 4 weeks. Bury the pickled compost in your garden beds and watch it vanish—becoming your soil’s favorite snack.
3. Trench Composting
No time to manage your compost pile? Try burning food scraps directly in garden beds up to 12 inches deep. They’ll decompose underground to feed plant roots where nutrients are needed, while keeping pests at bay as well.
4. Lasagna Gardening
Layer up a lasagna in your garden bed by alternating leaves, cardboard, grass clippings, and coffee filters on top of the soil. Water it and wait a few weeks. Once ready, plant directly into this nutrient-rich lasagna, and you’ll be rewarded with lively new plants in no time.
What Not to Compost
Not all debris or waste can become garden gold. Avoid diseased plants or organic matter, as they can spread and wreak havoc on plant health. Invasive weeds like bindweed will likely compete with your plants, so keep them out of your compost. Finally, stick to herbivore manure from rabbits or chickens.
Spring into Action
This spring, take advantage of composting to get creative with your garden. Whether brewing worm tea, layering compost, or burying bokashi, you will create a healthier garden from the ground up. Using these composting hacks, let’s turn debris into spring gardening success!
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