(Whittier Resident, Dan Cowell, submitted the following for posting on the Whittier Online website.)
I have been gardening all of my life however really began exploring the concept when I became a homeowner in 2001. You will be amazed how fast the worms eat through the material and turn it into rich garden soil.
For the record I do not call myself a master gardener and/or environmentalist. I simply want the best tasting and freshest produce that I can harvest throughout the year. Good produce comes from great soil.
Start with a container near your kitchen sink to collect uncooked vegetable scraps, coffee grinds, tea bags, anything plant based, and even used paper towels, napkins, and cardboard tubes. I do not recommend any cooked items as this may attract unwanted pests and animals.
Then dig a hole in your garden area as deep as you can and deposit material covering with soil from the same hole. I even collect my neighbor’s yard waste for the compost hole. I recommend not placing grass clippings in the hole as from experience they take a lot longer to decompose. In a few weeks the material will be transformed into a rich soil. If your garden was like mine so many years ago (clay and rocks), the addition of compost will benefit your plants and producing stronger plants and better tasting produce.
Think about your compost as a valuable resource versus going to the trash dump. You will save money on buying garden improvement products. Composting promotes physical exercise as well! I would even imagine that your garbage cans will fill less frequently as did mine.
Remember that our community prohibits vegetable gardens in the front yard! Hope you enjoy this easy, rewarding, and good for the environment activity! Please feel free to write me with any questions at danieldcowell@aol.com.
Dan Cowell
Whittier resident since 2001