Today, most people realize the importance of composting to decrease landfill mass and to increase valuable organic matter for their gardens. However, not everyone has the space or time to commit to such a project. So why not try cold composting? Simply place your vegetable and fruit scraps under or behind your plants. If you are concerned about appearances, feed your evergreens the compost in winter and your deciduous plants in summer. You can easily use a trowel and bury the garbage beside the plants. You can even place small limbs, pinecones, and cuttings under or behind shrubs, and you will never notice them. Cold composting is an easy way to decrease garbage that would otherwise take years to decompose in a landfill and, at the same, to add valuable organic matter that decomposes in your garden in a matter of weeks.
Connie Eubanks, Smith County Master Gardener
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