By Ana Candelli

Soil is the foundation of our earth. Our foundation is slowly weakening and not able to support us. So what can we do to strengthen our soils? Simply put you can create a composting system, which is using decayed organic matter as plant fertilizer.

Here are some steps to create a compost:

1. Choose your container and drill holes in cover for air, a cover is not necessary. (Skip this step if you want to create a pile)
2. Add some dirt and food scraps
   a. It is important to keep an ideal ratio of carbon to nitrogen. 30 carbon: 1 nitrogen
   b. For carbon use: woodchips, leaves, grass clippings, or manure
   c. For nitrogen use: cut flowers, egg shells, fruit rinds,cores or pits, or nutshells
3. Moisten
   a. To tell if you have the right amount of water, squeeze the mixture in your
   compost and if one drop of water comes out that's perfect.
4. Turn the compost
   a. If you turn your compost every 2-4 weeks you will get compost quickly
   b. Your compost will be finished when it is dark in color, feels rich, and smells like earth.
5.  Important Notes
   a. The ideal temperature should be between 140-160 degrees. This allows for weed seed and plant pathogens to be destroyed.
   b. If you have a foul smelling compost, there is not enough carbon and you will need to turn it