Backyard Composting
What is compost?
Compost is earthy-smelling decomposed 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 practical and convenient to handle yard waste. 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.
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.
Quick and easy guides, downloadable in
Adobe®PDF format:
Where can you buy compost?
Check the yellow pages for truckload volumes. 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, 360-779-WORM (9676)
Want to
buy a compost bin?
Check with nurseries and farm stores. 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 and 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, 360-779-WORM (9676)
Check these resources:
Before you visit the resource links listed below, check our
publications where you will find plenty of information on what you can do to be a friend to
the environment.
Other Options to Recycle Yard Debris
You can sign up for curbside yard waste collection in many parts of Kitsap
County. Branches and other woody debris can be
chipped
or taken to a drop-off recycling site.
Kitsap County Public Works
Solid Waste Division
(360) 337-5777 or (800) 825-4940
solidwaste@co.kitsap.wa.us |
