Organic gardening has grown in popularity due to health and environmental concerns about pesticides. Making compost is a good way to start organic gardening, as compost provides nutrients to help plants thrive without synthetic fertilizers. To make compost, designate an outdoor space and build alternating layers of plant trimmings, leaves, kitchen scraps, and manure, separated by layers of soil. Turn and water the pile over months to yield compost that can be spread in the garden.

1. Making Compost for Organic
Gardening
Hayley Ninnis

2. Introduction
• Yoga and art enthusiast Hayley Ninnis explores her creativity and
passions in many ways. For example, Hayley Ninnis enjoys
gardening, and she has become interested in particular in organic
gardening.
With the increasing awareness of the dangers of pesticides to
people and the environment, organic gardening has grown in
popularity. Many people wish to grow home gardens without using
synthetic fertilizers or other potentially harmful ingredients. While
growing an organic home garden does involve multiple steps,
getting started doesn’t have to be difficult. A good place to begin is
to create compost, a mixture created from decaying food and
vegetables that gives plants the nutrients they need to thrive.

3. Organic Gardening
• To make compost, you need to first set aside space for
a compost pile outdoors. A designated area of a few
square feet can work. Then, you can begin to alternate
layers of leaves and trimmings from plants with scraps
from the kitchen, or even manure if it’s available.
Place some soil between these layers, and then put
between 4 and 6 inches of soil on top of the entire pile.
Over time, you can add additional layers and turn the
pile, adding water as needed to moisten it lightly.
Depending on local temperatures, this pile should yield
quality compost to spread around crops in a couple
months or more.