Basil, tomatoes and the magic of compost

I began composting several years ago, mostly as an homage to my grandmother's garden, which she always nourished with compost. My mom bought me a compost pail for food scraps that I carry to my composting site every few days. The site includes an old garbage can and a bin I can spin. That sidesteps the smelly task of turning the compost manually. 

This year, the magic of compost created a wheelbarrow-full of beautiful dirt just in time to nourish our kitchen garden. Apparently, basil and tomatoes LOVE compost. And in the closed loop of composting, a squash plant germinated from a seed and I'm waiting to see just what squash it will produce. 

Some tips: if you’re in a city, check out farmer’s markets for composting bins. Meanwhile, store your food scraps in the freezer until you are ready to drop them off. Some composting do’s and don’ts here.

Fara Warner is a writer and editor who lives in West Shokan, NY.