Dirt is dead. Soil is alive. The difference? Soil has things growing in it: mycelium, benefical microgranisms, and more. Compost is one way to create living soil from kitchen scraps, yard waste, and other organic matter.
Composting is easier than it seems. You can compost inside or outside. Even done on a small scale it not only creates soil for your houseplants or garden, it reduces waste by keeping organic matter out of the waste stream, sequesters carbon, and reduces methane released into the atomosphere.
You can use kitchen scraps, yard waste, or a combination of the two. Either way you need to balance the browns and greens and maintain the right moisture level.
I suggest building your compost pile in layers, like lasagna. It minimizes the need to turn your compost pile manually. introducing red wiggler worms to your compost is very important. They tear through your compost quickly leaving high quality soil in their wake. The end result is a living soil, rich in nutrients and full of microbes, mycellium and other entities that work symbiotically with plants, increasing their growth and health.
I always recommend using spent coffee grounds in your compost. The worms love it! If you add Oyster Mushroom scraps they too love coffee and cardboard. If you’re lucky Oyster Mushrooms will grow in your compost. Totally edible and good for you.
