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Compost improves soil drainage and water retention, fights diseases, and equalizes soil pH so you don't have to use chemical-laden fertilizers. You can make it easily by recycling plants and kitchen scraps. But be careful to use the right proportion of brown matter (like dead leaves, plants, wood chips, and shredded newspaper) to green matter (including fresh grass clippings, green leaves, and fruit and vegetable peels). The ideal recipe: three parts carbon-rich browns mixed with one part nitrogen-rich greens. Your pile should be at least 3 cubic feet. If you're using a composter, your mound isn't in direct contact with the earth (where composting microbes live); you need to inoculate it with garden soil, finished compost, or fresh manure. The more shredded your ingredients, the faster they'll become compost. Turn the pile no more than once a week and keep it moist but not soggy (as damp as a wrung-out sponge). Compost takes 9 to 12 months to mature; if you add to your heap regularly, use a screen to sift out finished compost. It's ready when it looks and feels like moist chocolate-cake crumbs and smells like fresh-turned earth.
