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“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Home Composting Made Easy” Home composting is a great way to reduce, reuse, and recycle yard waste. As more and more municipalities enact restrictions on disposing of yard waste, home composting is the answer. Compost, often referred to as "black gold" by gardeners and farmers alike, is the best soil amendment that can be incorporated into all types of soil to help improve soil structure and add nutrients. It helps sandy soil retain moisture and it helps break up clay soil. Compost is rich in organic matter. Organic matter in the soil is made up of both living organisms as well as plant and animal debris that is in the process of decaying. Organic matter is a very important part of the soil. Microscopic bacteria and organisms are constantly breaking down leaves, roots, and plant parts, reducing it to humus. As the decomposition process occurs, nutrients are released into the soil. The humus layer is usually dark brown or black and does not break down any further. Humus helps retain soil moisture as well as add air to the soil by holding together in small clumps, creating minute air pockets. All sorts of yard waste can be turned into compost including lawn clippings, brown leaves, wood chips, pine needles, twigs, annual and vegetable plants that are pulled up at the end of the season, and perennials that are cut down after frost. Kitchen scraps like fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, and egg shells can also be composted. Avoid any meat, bones, or fat. Microbes do all the work in a compost pile, breaking down the organic matter into rich, black compost. One of the best ways to make sure the pile has enough microbes is to use Compost BioActivator. Compost BioActivator provides billions of these helpful microbes which helps speed up the composting process, resulting in compost in as few as 60 to 90 days. It can be used when starting a compost pile from scratch, or added to an existing pile to help speed up the composting process. When using it in a new pile, sprinkle it liberally on each layer of the pile as you build it. It's also great to use on an existing pile that's just sitting there not breaking down. On an existing pile, sprinkle it on the top and you'll see the pile drop a couple of feet in just a few weeks. Turning the compost pile is important to the composting process because it adds air, essential for the microbes to do their work. Turning a compost pile can be a lot of work, but there is a handy new tool that makes adding air to the pile easy. The Compost Turner/Aerator is a handy, must-have tool that eliminates the need for turning the compost pile by hand! The tool is pushed into the compost pile and when it's pulled back out its wings open, making seven-inch-wide slots to aerate the compost. This compost turner features an extra handle (which reverses for a left-handed person) and four wings instead of two, creating the widest slots possible. Both handles have comfortable foam hand grips. The entire tool is very durable.

by Pernell Gerver

"Many Different Flowers Will Thrive in Shade" Q. This was my first summer in my new house and the first year I had a flower garden. It turns out my yard is mostly shade. The marigolds and geraniums I planted did not flower that much and didn't do well either. I'd like to try again next year, but I don't know what flowers I should plant that will give me lots of color. Do you have any suggestions? I'm new to gardening and would appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks! A. Gardening in the shade can present a challenge. Many summer-blooming annuals like marigold and geranium require sun to do best. However, there is a whole group of plants, from annuals, to perennials, and bulbs that offer as much color to a shady garden as the sun-loving annuals provide in a sunny garden. One of the best annuals for a shady garden is impatiens. It will grow and flower in even the deepest shade and does not appreciate hot sun. It forms tall mounds that are covered with small, brightly colored flowers. The color range is extensive and includes red, pink, orange, white, violet, rose, cranberry, and salmon. The bright colors really brighten up a dark spot. Impatiens does best in moist, rich soil. Impatiens ranges in height from a foot tall to over two feet tall. In really rich soil, it can grow much taller. In my garden this year I had a bed of impatiens that grew to 42 inches tall! Impatiens is a tender annual that should be planted after all danger of frost is passed. A bulb that provides striking, colorful leaves instead of flowers is caladium. This tropical bulb bears huge, heart-shaped leaves that are striped, streaked, or blotched with red, pink, white, and green. It's a very cold-sensitive bulb and should not be planted until night temperatures remain above 65 degrees. There are many perennials that thrive in shady locations. Astilbe is one of my favorites. In early summer, it bears plumes of flowers in red, white, or pink. Its fine, fernlike foliage is attractive all season. Hosta is also another perennial that adds color to a shady garden. Most are grown for their attractive leaves, but all flower as well. The leaves range in size from an inch or two long on dwarf varieties to over three feet long on the larger types. In addition to green, there are blue-leaved types that are very striking. Many hosta varieties have variegated foliage with white, cream, or yellow markings on the leaves. The flowers are carried on a tall flower spike that rises above the foliage. Flower colors are white, violet, or pale lavender. Also, some varieties bear fragrant flowers. Click here to submit gardening questions for Pernell Gerver's online Q & A column. Click here to read previous online columns in the archives.

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