Composting is an amazing way to recycle food scraps into nutrient-rich soil. It also helps keep your garden healthy and pest free.
Composting takes work, but the benefits of compost outweigh the work that you put in.
Did you know that composting is also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint? By using composting instead of throwing away food scraps, you can save yourself money and energy while helping the environment.
Here are many more benefits why you should start composting today.
Top Benefits From Composting
1. Improves Soil Health
The organic matter present in compost improves the health of your garden by increasing its fertility. This makes it easier for plants to absorb nutrients from the soil.
By adding compost to your yard, you’re making it healthier. Organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, kitchen wastes, etc., contain beneficial bacteria and fungi that promote plant growth.
In addition, when used as mulch or fertilizer, compost increases plant growth rates and yields. The increased yield means less water and fertilizer will be needed.
2. Increases Crop Yields
Organic fertilizers like compost help crops grow faster than chemical ones because they provide essential nutrients organically required for plant growth.
There are no harmful chemicals that could potentially harm vegetables and other edibles. They also make sure that there’s enough oxygen available for root development.
3. Reduces Pollution
Using compost reduces the amount of waste going to landfills. Landfills are already full with trash generated by humans. If we don’t use them wisely, these dumpsites would soon become unusable due to pollution.
Reusing waste as compost will not only prevent further contamination but also conserve our natural resources.
4. Helps Reduce Air Pollutants
When you compost, you create less greenhouse gases. The process breaks down organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, kitchen wastes, etc., which releases methane gas.
Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. When this gas escapes through landfill sites, it contributes to air pollution. But with composting, these emissions are reduced significantly.
5. Improves Soil Structure
The organic matter present in compost improves the structure of the soil by increasing its porosity and aeration. This makes it easier for nutrients to penetrate into the roots of plants.
In addition, this increases the ability of the soil to hold moisture without it becoming waterlogged. That results in better growth of crops. Plants need good drainage so their roots won’t rot.
6. Increases Nutrient Availability
Organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings or manure contain high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nutrients are vital elements necessary for healthy plants. These nutrients are easily absorbed by plants if they have access to them.
Different brown and green ingredients provide different amounts of nutrients depending on how much carbon and nitrogen they contain. Good compost should consist of a good balance of decomposed material rich in nitrogen and carbon.
7. Helps Prevent Soil Erosion
A great benefit of using compost on site is that it prevents soil erosion. Soils naturally erode over time. If left unchecked, this could lead to serious environmental issues.
However, if you apply compost regularly, it will help slow down the rate at which soil loses its structure.
By adding organic matter such as leaves or grass clippings into the top layer of soil, you can help prevent runoff during heavy rains. In addition, when added to the bottom layers of soil, compost helps retain moisture, which reduces evaporation rates.
8. Improves Water Quality
When applied properly, compost also improves water quality. It contains nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus which improve plant growth and reduce algae blooms.
Chemical fertilizers often also run-off into the soil, which can go into your area’s water supply. But with compost, all these nutrients stay within the soil where they’re needed, and they’re organic.
9. Helps Manage Stormwater
Stormwater runoff is one of the most significant contributors to pollution problems in our nation’s waterways.
By using compost, you will be helping to control stormwater run-off through the soil, while also improving the health of local ecosystems.
Composting is a great way to help reduce the amount of pollutants entering our waterways.
10. Conserves Water Resources
The use of compost reduces the need for irrigation or supplemental watering during dry periods. It also improves plant health and growth rates, which means less fertilizer needs to be applied.
Compost helps retain water, so there isn’t as much of a need to consistently water. This helps make your garden and soil more drought resistant.
11. Improves Nutrient Cycling
When you add organic matter such as compost to soils, it becomes part of the nutrient cycle. As nutrients move throughout the system, they become available again when needed. Furthermore, because compost has been broken down from living organisms, it provides an excellent source of food for microorganisms. Microbes then break down other compounds found in decomposing waste.
12. Reduces Waste
Composting is a great way to recycle organic waste and turn it into rich, nutrient-rich soil. Instead of waste like kitchen scraps and garden waste going to landfills, you can recycle it into compost and use it to grow vegetables.
13. Cuts Down on Greenhouse Gases
The composting process breaks down organic material into nutrients that plants can absorb. This reduces the amount of waste going to landfills and creates a healthier environment. It also helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing methane production.
Composting reduces carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 90%. This is due to the fact that when organic matter decomposes, it releases oxygen back into the atmosphere, which helps cleanse our air. The more compost we have on land, the less greenhouse gases are released into the environment.
14. Prevents Pests & Disease
By applying compost around trees and shrubs, you can protect them against pests and diseases. The presence of beneficial microorganisms will discourage insects and disease causing organisms.
Related article: Prevent fruit flies in compost.
15. Makes Your Lawn Greener
Compost can help make lawns greener by increasing their overall fertility levels. When used correctly, compost has been shown to increase root mass, promote healthy turfgrass development, and boost resistance to weeds and other invasive species.
Additionally, adding compost to your yard makes it easier to mow because grass clippings break down faster than if left alone.
If you have a green thumb, then you already know how important it is to feed your lawn well.
16. Creates Healthier Food
Organic gardening and food have been shown to contain higher levels of antioxidants than non-organic foods. When used correctly, compost can increase the nutritional value of crops grown from soil enriched with compost.
17. Compost Helps Save Money
By recycling kitchen waste through composting, you’re not only saving on landfill space but also reducing costs associated with disposing of trash. You may even be able to get paid for some of this material!
You’ll also have a better idea of what you are spending money on, because you’re sorting through the trash to decide on what’s compostable.
You also save money because you don’t need to buy any fertilizer products for fertilization. And you’re using less water too.
Compost Benefits Final Thoughts
There are many benefits to making good quality compost at home. By doing so, you can improve the health of your family, pets, and gardens while helping to create a cleaner planet.
If you want to learn more about composting or find out where to start, check out these resources:
