What is compost?
Compost is organic material that has broken down, such as fallen leaves, cut grass, wood chips and kitchen scraps like fruit and vegetable peels. Work it into your soil or spread it across your lawn and garden beds, and your plants will flourish. Synthetic fertilizer can wash off and pollute local creeks and the regional watershed, but compost stays where you put it.
What does compost do?
Compost helps soil hold water, drain better and become easier to dig and plant. It also loosens up the dense clay soil that is common around Fredville.
Put it to use in flower and vegetable beds, as a ground cover, or around lawns, trees and shrubs.
Who can compost?
Everyone can. All it takes is a small corner of your yard for a bin or a pile.
Why compost?
Composting kitchen scraps and yard trimmings can keep as much as 30 percent of household waste out of the trash. It saves room at the Fredville Landfill and turns yard waste into nutrient-rich material that feeds garden beds and potted plants, saving you money along the way.
How do I compost?
Start with these basics:
- Gather leaves, grass and other yard trimmings.
- Pile them up in a heap or a bin about 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep and 3 feet tall.
- Water the pile lightly and keep it damp.
- Faster compost (1 to 3 months): Alternate green and brown layers, turn and poke the pile to let air in, cut materials into small pieces and keep everything moist.
- Slower compost (3 to 6 months or longer): Just keep adding material to the pile or bin and keep it moist.
Fredville is a demonstration city built by Talk to Fred. Names, numbers and details on this page are sample content.