by Lydia Holley                                         February 24, 2025

Master Gardener Chuck Lohrmann will present “DIY Composting” from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 26, Cain Center YMCA, 915 S. Palestine Street, Athens. Please enter at the lower level off of Loyola Drive and take the elevator or stairs to the Civic Hall meeting room. This presentation is free and open to the public. It is part of Henderson County Master Gardener Association’s “Let’s Grow” series. 

For some non-gardeners, compost may sound like a bunch of garbage, but most gardeners consider compost a magical component for enriching the soil. But if you have never composted, it can seem more like a giant puzzle. What to put in? What to leave out? 

Lohrmann will take you step-by-step, giving you a process to starting and then to maintaining a compost pile in your own back yard. Even if you have never tried composting before, or have tried and failed, he will answer all your questions about composting. 

Compost enriches the soil, no matter your soil type. University of New Hampshire says it improves “the soil’s water and nutrient holding capacity, infiltration rate, porosity, and microbial diversity.” The University of Minnesota Extension breaks it down a little more, stating it improves drainage on heavy soils and helps sandy soils “hold moisture and nutrients.” 

Composting also reduces waste in landfills, saving space and the taxpayer’s dime. If you generate enough, it can be used in place of mulch, saving you dollars. It also feeds your plants, although the University of Massachusetts Amherst states most compost has an analysis equal to around 1-1-1 and “due to the relatively low levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus,” it should be called a “soil conditioner rather than a fertilizer.”

However, my plants seem not to know the experts’ assessment because they perk up whenever I add compost to their soil. Perhaps part of that is based upon what is not in the compost instead of what is included in it. When you make your own compost, you do not have to be worried about adding salts, lime, or heavy metals to your soil. 

Whether or not compost is considered a fertilizer, everyone agrees it improves the soil. Come learn how to use your scraps and garden waste to make something magical.