Composting & Soils
Unlike the air we breathe or the water we drink, soil is often overlooked as an essential element in a balanced, sustainable environment. But healthy soil is critical for good air and water quality and the health of our lawns and gardens. In the Pacific Northwest, the top layer of soil is thin. And in many yards, construction and years of neglect have removed any trace of healthy soil, leaving only poor soil behind. Learn below how you can improve your soil and how composting can restore soil to make plants grow and yards healthy.
Soil Building
Human activities as diverse as constructing homes and overusing fertilizers and pesticides affect the ground beneath our feet – the soil. Regular use of pesticides and fertilizers take a toll on soil because these actions can suffocate essential soil life.
Did you know that:
- Soil provides air, water & nutrients for plants and also serves as nature's environmental protector?
- On the West coast, sand or clay form the basis for most soils and that the soil is most likely a thin layer of glacial till, not very rich in organics?
- Adding compost and mulch to soil is the best ways to improve soil health?
- Improving the soil can actually help chum and salmon?
Composting
Compost is a natural organic material that is produced when leaves, plant residue, grass clippings and other yard waste break down over time.
Organic materials decompose in nature to feed soil and make it healthy. You can imitate nature in your own yard by composting your yard waste and kitchen waste. Compost is used as a soil amendment rather than a fertilizer because its nutrients become available slowly.
The benefits of Composting
- Encourages the growth of earthworms and other macro-organisms, whose tunneling makes room for water and air
- Provides nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and micro-organisms that are essential for plant growth
- Acts as a glue, holding water and soil particles together, and makes soil resistant to erosion
- Binds itself to polluting metals, pesticides and other contaminants to prevent them from washing into waterways or being absorbed by plants
- Suppresses soil-borne diseases and plant pathogens (a number of plant and lawn diseases are suppressed by micro-organisms found in compost)