GAINESVILLE, FL – In step with Earth Day on April 22, IFAS Communications Video released a series of videos on compositing featuring Dr. Dina Liebowitz with the UF/IFAS Field & Fork Gardens. The first video in the series is on Backyard Composting:
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Why compost? Converting yard debris to compost has many benefits. It is an environmentally friendly way to reduce the amount of solid waste that must be disposed of. And it provides useful and beneficial products for yards and gardens. It can be applied on top of soil as mulch. Mixed with other components, it makes a good potting soil – Sydney Park Brown, Compost Tips for the Home Gardener (EDIS Publication EP323.)
As Dr. Leibowitz says
Composting is actually a really exciting topic. It’s the ultimate natural recycling where you’re taking these food scraps and instead of throwing them into a waste bin, which then goes into a landfill, which then creates methane gas and breaks down incredibly slowly, you are putting it into a system where you’re encouraging biological degradation that creates fertilizer that you can use in your garden.
Mixing all the different elements within a compost bin, Leibowitz adds, creates a perfect sandwich for bacteria which has the optimal mix of nitrogen and carbon. The compost pile heats up and literally cooks into a beautiful, dark fertilizer that is great for the garden.
As the series continues, Dr. Liebowitz will cover three other aspects of compost:
- Don’t Throw Organics in the Trash
- Natural Litter
- Compostable Plastics
Be sure to visit the IFAS Video YouTube channel to view these and many other videos covering a multitude of different topics.
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