May 29 is National Learn About Composting Day... at least in the U.S.

I love composting, and everything about it.

Sound silly? Here are two reasons you might be able to relate to:

1. The Thrill of the Hunt: Finding Free Compost Materials

Treasure-hunting for compost materials.

This is an excuse to head to the beach and collect kelp. Or sip a real ginger ale at our local brewery and then load up the car with buckets of spent grain...

2. One Good Turn Deserves Another, or... The Compost Pile That Hooked Me

Ah, turning. I remember when I turned my first batch of compost.

The year was 1985, and I'd just moved to Kodiak, Alaska.

My family thought I was crazy. (Not about the compost thing, but for moving to Kodiak).

It was February. And it was snowing.

I'd slapped together a compost bin from wood pallets and filled it with eel grass, leaves, and goat poop.

Now, making compost was new to me. No blogs or YouTube videos to fall back on. But I found a few great articles.

But now it was time to turn it.

Gripping the pitchfork handle, I was poised for action.

I jammed the tines into the middle of the heap and lifted a clump of dark, chocolaty stuff.

Steam rose into the cold air.

"Woohoo!" I shouted. "It works!"

I was hooked. And I've been making and using compost ever since. Forty years later, I'm still learning and still teaching others what I've discovered along the way through my Compost Academy.

George Washington and Composting

But my efforts are nothing compared to George Washington's. The nation's first president was called, "America's First Composter" (though I'm sure forms of composting had been going on for hundreds, if not thousands of years).

According to the book The Practical Farmer, in the 1770's, Washington instructed his farmworkers at Mount Vernon to:

"Rake, and scrape up all the trash, of every sort and kind about the houses … and throw it … into the Stercorary."

A stercorary is an old term for a covered or sheltered pit used for storing manure, usually to protect it from the weather.

Why Compost Is Worth the Effort

Now you may have heard me say...

Compost is the all-purpose answer to everything.

And if you have enough of it, you won't need much of anything else.

In my 40+ years of making compost, I can unequivocally say this is true!

In my experience, compost allows you to enjoy a garden that practically takes care of itself. It makes gardening easier year after year.

If you'd like to learn a few composting basics, come along as I casually talk compost while turning a batch.

Get this: Compost can not only save your garden, it can also save lives!

Here's a draft story I wrote for my upcoming book, Cultivating Joy Through Gardening: 365 Daily Meditations.

It's a true story, and I'd love to know your thoughts and suggestions about how to improve it. Do you like it? Is it awkward to read? Does it flow nicely?

Saved by a Compost Pile

Most people think of compost as something that saves tomato plants.

For Dale, it saved his life.

In the early 1960s, stationed in West Germany, Dale took part in a military survival exercise. Soldiers had to escape from a mock prison camp and travel fifty kilometers back to base without getting caught. No gear. No maps. Just dog tags and the sun and stars to guide them. If they escaped, the Military Police would hunt them down.

On a bitter December afternoon, Dale and a small group broke out. They stole a truck, ditched it on a deserted road, and split up to make capture harder. By the second night, ten of them regrouped near a forest.

Then three jeeps roared around a bend. Chaos. Dale dove into a roadside ditch—straight into icy water. He stayed there until the engines and shouting faded.

Alone, soaked, and shivering, he stumbled into a nearby field.

That’s when he saw it: steam rising in the cold air.

A giant compost pile.

He burrowed in feet first, leaving his head exposed. The smell was fierce. The warmth was better. Soon he fell asleep under the winter sky.

He woke to a sheepdog licking his face and a shepherdess standing nearby.

Dale made it back.

Moral of the story: Never underestimate the power of compost!

Here's to composting and National Learn About Composting Day!

Keep your hands in the dirt and your eyes on the stars.

Thanks for being here... for being you,

What do you think? Let’s Keep the Conversation Growing...

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