Frugal organic gardening in the desert: The first step?

OK, so you're interested in organic or natural gardening, but you don't know where to start. Well, when it comes to gardening, you can't grow much without having something good to grow it in. Just like building a house, the foundation has to come first, from the ground up. You need good soil, and here in the Arizona desert, that can be quite a challenge. Really. Just step outside and look down. All that dirt outside looks dry, dusty and crumbly. Not much like that rich, black soil you find in pots with nice green things growing out of them! The first step to getting that nice, fluffy, rich, black soil is compost.

So, what is compost? Compost is the end result of what happens to decayed plant material, when it's decomposition process is managed. I say that it needs to be managed because we've all seen decayed plant material, and it doesn't all turn into black fluffy stuff! When leaves fall from trees, they get dry and crackly. When houseplants die, they wither and wilt into little bits of ugly nothings. But when all these things get to decompose in a maintained pile, you get compost.

Since compost is made of decomposed organic matter, it is a really good way to add vital nutrients and micronutrients to soil. And those micronutrients help to attract some of the little critters that really help our plants out, like earthworms.

Compost piles are easy to manage, simple to set up, and can even save you money! Unless you just don't have the room for it, there's really no reason not to compost! (Really! It doesn't smell bad, either!) There are all sorts of contraptions you can buy, and those elaborate rigs are great for people who want to spend their money on this sort of thing. But composting doesn't need to be expensive. In many cities here in Arizona, you can get compost bins for free. Some cities, like mine here in Mesa, ask for a small fee or a deposit. Mesa gets a 5-dollar deposit. This is how they get rid of their old garage cans. They take the old 90-gallon garbage cans (when they get old, they get holes in the bottom), cut the bottoms off, and drill a pattern of 1-inch holes in the sides of the bin, and you're left with a 60-gallon-or-so bin to make compost in. Now, isn't that a nice, "green" way to get rid of what would have otherwise been a big old piece of plastic headed for a landfill?

To make the compost, you can just put your plant-based waste in the bin. And wait. Or you can manage the bin, and you'll get the end result faster. It's up to you.

What goes in the bin? Well, if it's plant-based, most of it is pretty safe to place in the bin. What I put in my bin includes:

Fruit and vegetable peels and rinds
Old, rotten fruits and vegetables
Teabags, coffee grounds and filters
Crushed egg shells
Grass clippings
Dry leaves
Yard trimmings

Avoid placing any animal-based or chemically treated items in your bin. These would include:

Pet cat, dog, or bird waste
Old, rotten meat
Dead animals
Egg yolks

There are lots of great sites and resources to learn about the art of composting (see the end of this post for a few of them). Maybe I'm weird (okay, I'm definitely weird!), but I enjoy making compost. The process is just fascinating to watch, and if you care for the pile well, it actually smells really good! Since you are managing the pile (that means you add a little water and stir it around every few days or so), the compost doesn't just sit and rot like it would otherwise. My pile smells like a nice, fresh soil mix.

I said earlier that making compost can actually save you money. You might be wondering how that could work. Well, if you are in a situation now where you have that big 90-gallon garbage can, and you are filling it every week, check this out! If you start composting, you will find that you are putting less stuff in that garbage can and more stuff in your compost bin! Now, if you don't fill your big garbage can every week anymore, many cities will provide you with a smaller can and reduce your monthly bill! Here in the City of Mesa, I requested a smaller 60-gallon can, and my bill was chopped by $2.51 a month! (That works out to about $30 a year) It's not a huge amount, but it's better than spending money you don't need to.

So, let's see. I found a way to reduce how much garbage leaves my home, reducing my "carbon footprint." This worked out to save me money. And, by making compost, I am making stuff that my yard and garden will use that I'd otherwise pay money for. So I've actually saved double the money! Are you starting to see how this works?

Learn more about composting at these great sites: