Home Composting
What is compost?
Compost is a dark, crumbly, and earthy-smelling form of decomposing organic matter. Decomposition and recycling of organic wastes are an essential part of
soil building and healthy plant growth in forests, meadows, and in your home garden.
Why should you make compost?
Composting is the most practical and convenient way to handle yard debris. It can be
easier and cheaper than bagging these wastes or taking them to the transfer station.
Compost also improves your soil and the plants growing in it. If you have a garden, a
lawn, trees, shrubs, or even planter boxes, you have a use for compost.
More
on natural lawn care.
By using compost, you return organic matter to the soil in usable form. Organic matter
in the soil improves plant growth by helping to break heavy-clay soils into a better
texture, by adding water and nutrient-holding capacity to sandy soils, and by adding
essential nutrients to any soil. Improving your soil is the first step toward improving
the health of your plants. Healthy plants help clean our air and conserve our soil making
Kitsap County a healthier place to live. Here's a couple of things to get
you started in composting:
Learn How to Compost:
Free 2-hour Composting Classes are
held frequently. Check out the class schedule to find a time and
location convenient for you! |
Or use these quick and easy guides, downloadable in
Adobe®PDF format:
|
What other options do you have to recycle yard debris?
You can sign up for curbside yard debris collection in many parts of Kitsap
County. Branches and other woody debris can be
chipped
or taken to a drop-off recycling site. For
details, see our Alternatives to Outdoor Burning page.
Where can you buy compost?
Many grocery stores and garden centers sell compost by the bag. For
truckload volumes of yard debris compost, call:
- Emu Topsoil, 360-779-5614
- Verns Organic Topsoil, 360-779-2764
- Kitsap E-Z Earth (worm compost), 360-377-3989 or 620-8493 (cell)
Where can you buy compost worms?
Red worms, suitable for home worm bins can be purchased locally from:
(Note: you will need a pound of worms to start a new bin)
- Kingston Worm Farm, 360-297-7280
- Kitsap E-Z Earth, 360-377-3989 or 620-8493 (cell)
Want to build a compost bin?
We have directions for building yard waste and worm compost bins in our
Down to Earth publication. Want to
buy a compost bin?
Your best one-stop-shopping is
www.composters.com
or Kitsap E-Z Earth What is compost tea?
Compost tea is a solution made by steeping compost in water. You can make
a tea bag from a cloth bag and a shovel-full of compost. This tea is
full of soluble plant nutrients and beneficial soil microorganisms. A more
high-tech approach is to add extra nutrients aerate the
mixture. This process greatly increases the number of beneficial
microorganisms in the tea. If you want to make your own aerobically brewed
compost tea, the Soil Soup Compost Tea System is available in local stores.
You can purchase aerobically brewed compost tea by the gallon from these
vendors, but call ahead to be certain of the days compost tea is available:
- Bainbridge Gardens, 206-842-5888
- Kitsap E-Z Earth, 360-377-3989 or 620-8493
Check these resources:
Before you visit the resource links listed below,
download our brochure
Down to Earth
(a complete instruction guide for composting), or check our
publications where you will find plenty of information on what you can do to be a friend to
the environment.
Kitsap County Public Works
Solid Waste Division
(360) 337-5777 or (800) 825-4940
solidwaste@co.kitsap.wa.us |
