Death and Composting

Compost is created from decomposed organic material, grass clippings, leaves, and kitchen waste. Composting is a way to connect with the natural cycles of life, death, and regeneration. It provides essential nutrients for plant growth and fertilizer for your garden and crops. Utilizing compost improves soil structure, adding back nutrients so that your soil can easily hold the correct amounts of moisture, nutrients, and air.

Compost closes the loop of your food cycle:

Grow food
Prepare food
Produce scraps
Compost
Decompose food waste
Use fertilizer in your garden
Consume food

This beautiful food cycle is explained in more detail in Kiss the Ground’s “Soil Story.” In addition, you can find our “How to Compost” videos directly from our garden on our website.

In short, here’s how you can make your own compost right at home:

Choose your type of backyard compost bin or pile. We use a large metal barrel.

Put a bucket with a nice lid in your kitchen and label it as compost.
When you have filled your first compost bucket with food scraps and organic materials, bring it to your compost location, pour your organic scraps into the compost, and cover with a layer of dry leaves, soil, or wood chips.
Every few weeks, turn your compost with a shovel.
After your compost looks more like healthy soil than food waste, use it in your home garden or community garden to nourish and fertilize new life. The compost is ready to be harvested when the finished product is a rich dark brown color, smells like earth, and crumbles in your hand. (In the tropics, this could take about three months. In colder climates, it may be six to twelve months.)