Composting is nature’s process of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil known as compost. Anything that was once living will decompose. Basically, backyard composting is an acceleration of the same process nature uses. By composting your organic waste you are returning nutrients back into the soil in order for the cycle of life to continue. Finished compost looks like soil–dark brown, crumbly and smells like a forest floor.

Compost improves the moisture-holding capacity of the soil, adds nutrients, and feeds soil microbes. These microbes are key to the complex process that makes food available to grass plants. A healthy microbe population encourages a dense green lawn.

CAN TOO MUCH COMPOST HURT PLANTS?

When garden soil contains more than about five percent compost, the level of compost is too high in the soil, and it can be harmful to plants. Too much compost can leave an excess of certain nutrients in the soil, such as nitrogen or phosphorous. Problems resulting from too much compost can include plants that grow too fast or increased pests and disease as plants fail to produce natural pesticides. About an inch or two of compost per year in flower beds and for landscaping is plenty; in vegetable gardens, you can use up to three inches per year without worrying that you’ve used too much.

... And anything else that needs to be done to tidy up your lawn?