The Benefits of Using Compost in Your Garden

Composting has been a popular gardening technique for many years. Some gardeners love it as a method of reusing and minimizing household waste while others swear by the benefits it gives to the soil. Here we’ll take a look at several of the biggest benefits that you can enjoy when you choose to use compost in your landscaping.

One large benefit to composting is that it increases the overall nutrient content of your soil. Vital nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, iron, copper, phosphorous, and zinc are all produced by your compost and are introduced into your soil.

Compost also creates something called your soil food web. This food web consists of many different macro- and microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, earthworms and beetles. These organisms are put into your soil, creating one of the best, natural fertilizers that exist.

Another benefit to composting is that it improves the structure of your soil. Soil structure is the way that your decayed organic particles (like compost) combine with your inorganic particles (such as sand, clay, and silt). The better that these two particles combine, and the better their levels, the healthier your overall soil. This healthy structure allows all the elements (such as water, air, and energy) to move freely within your soil.

The second part of soil structure is your pH level and the cation exchange capacity (CEC). Both of these levels inform how well your soil can hold nutrients to be used by your plants. Compost has a positive effect on both of these levels, meaning that there is a better, healthier, and stronger environment provided for your plants.

One big benefit of composting is that it is a naturally environmentally friendly step. Composting allows you to use less water in your garden. This is due to the higher level of health found in your soil, which allows it to retain more water. Composting is good for the root system of your plants, which means that there is less run-off. The decision to use natural composting also means a decrease in the use of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

Overall, composting has many wonderful benefits and can help you grow or develop your dream landscaping.