Shovel full of mulch

Should I Remove Mulch From Garden Beds Before Adding Compost?

Have you ever wondered whether you should remove mulch before adding compost to your garden beds? For best results, remove mulch from garden beds first, then evenly distribute the compost directly atop the soil before covering everything with a layer of mulch. Doing so will provide maximum nutrients to your garden plants while ensuring ongoing…

Compost Filled with Rotting Food

Bugs in Your Compost? Here’s How to Get Rid of Bad Ones

Unwanted bugs like aphids, fire ants, spider mites, squash bugs, and whiteflies can make a home in compost, overwintering during the cold months and proliferating come spring. Soapy water and diatomaceous earth can be used sparingly to stop these bugs and keep them from spreading. Over the years, I’ve seen lots of bugs in my…

Fertilizers in Garden Center

Compost vs. Fertilizer: What’s Best for Your Garden?

Whether you’ve just started gardening or you’ve been growing plants for years, the more you understand the significance of both compost and fertilizer, the better your plants will benefit from each. It’s not enough to haphazardly try both throughout the year. For best results, you’ve got to know the when, where, and how of using…

Compost Bin With Finished Compost

Making Compost Fast: 50+ Items That Decompose Quickly

Many years ago, I used to toss most things in the trash, but once I started composting, I loved watching my kitchen scraps and garden waste turn into nutrient-rich compost. I wasn’t just reducing the amount of waste my family sent to the landfill. I was also replenishing my soil each year, converting garbage into…

Direct Composting Around New Plants

Can You Compost Directly in the Soil? (Do it the RIGHT Way)

Ever find yourself peeling carrots or chopping up vegetables and wondering, “Can I just dig a hole in my garden and toss these scraps in?” If so, you’re not alone.  Kitchen scraps and all other compostable items can be composted directly in the soil. This method, called “direct composting” or “trench composting,” involves digging a…

Worms in Compost

Putting Worms in Your Compost: Should You Do It?

Worms play a crucial role in the composting process, transforming organic waste into rich, fertile soil. When I transplant seedlings into my garden or remove old plants, I enjoy seeing little earthworms crawling around. They’re a sign that my soil is a happy place for them to live and work. Fortunately, I’ve never had to…

Compost Bin in Winter

Should You Cover Your Compost Heap in Winter?

A few years back, I left my compost pile as is when winter weather arrived—no cover, no protection, nothing. As things got frigid outside, sleet began to fall, and soon my compost was under a blanket—not of warm, insulating straw, but of cold, freezing ice.  Overnight, the compost pile turned into a frigid, ice-covered mass,…

Bottom of a Compost Bin

What Goes at the Bottom of a Compost Pile? 9 Things to Add

I’ve written several articles on how to start raised garden beds—including what to put in the very bottom of raised beds to get the most out of them—but when I started composting in my backyard, I began thinking more about how to start compost piles as well. What should I put in the bottom of…