Wormpost Northeast President Melissa Jordan finds more food for the worms!

Benefits of Composting

A discussion of the benefits of composting should begin with a note on agricultural systems and their approaches to soil and plant health. In the United States there are two primary forms of agriculture, chemical and organic. A detailed list of agricultural subsystems can be gleaned from the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. This website also provides information on the ecological, social, and economic differences in these systems.

Healthy Soils = Healthy Plants = Healthy Environment = Healthy Society

In conventional agriculture there is a heavy emphasis on enhancing soil fertility and crop yields through chemical (petroleum-based, synthetic) fertilizers and pesticides. While synthetic fertilizers may initially result in bountiful crop growth, their continuous use ultimately exhausts soil and damages plant health. This is because they do nothing to increase plant health. The nutrients released into the soil following application of chemical fertilizers are easily leached out of the soil, polluting our groundwater and waterways. As the soil is used it’s structure is broken down and easily eroded by wind and rain. Ammonia and salts gradually build up in the soil, weakening plants and making them more susceptible to attacks pests and disease.

The use of pesticides common in conventional agriculture are designed to eradicate pests which would otherwise damage or even destroy plant quality and/or yield. Unfortunately, pesticides also kill beneficial organisms which hold pests and disease in check, so when a there is an outbreak the effects may be even worse. Finally, pesticides are toxic to animals and humans who are exposed through residuals in food, water, soil, or air.

The mainstay of organic (for our purposes, sustainable) agriculture is maintenance of soil health and environmental balances through continual applications of compost. The benefits of compost are outlined below.

• Compost increases soil workability, water holding capacity, porosity and drainage, compost minimizes wind and water erosion. Soil temperatures are moderated, making plants less susceptible to extremes of heat or cold.
• Compost nutrients are released slowly, allowing them to stay in the soil for a period of up to five years. So, while chemical fertilizers may contain more available nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium than compost, compost allows these and other nutrients to be consumed by plant roots as they are needed. Slow release of nutrients in compost means there is also no danger of over-fertilizing plants.
• Compost creates enhances microbial action in the soil. This creates a stable ecosystem for beneficial insects, birds, and other organisms, which keeps pests in check and trigger plants’ natural defenses against disease. Healthier plants lessen the need for fertilizers or pesticides. Less fertilizers and pesticides pose less of a danger to animals and humans who are exposed to toxic residuals through food, water, soil and air. Read More...
  

Some Composts Are Better Than Others
Despite the clear benefits of compost, not all products are equally beneficial so the materials used to produce the compost make a difference; a compost made from a variety of organic materials is more nutritious than a compost made from a single material. Composts made from organically grown materials are less likely to contain heavy metals and other contaminants compost maturity is critical; an immature compost means nutrient and pH levels may not yet have stabilized and further decomposition may actually rob plants of nutrients. An immature compost makes it more likely that possible pathogens may still be present. Compost kits and other soil tests can be used to test compost maturity, nutrients, pathogens, heavy metals, and other noxious substances. A sign of a quality compost product is certification by labeling programs like The Rodale Organic Gardening Solvita Process, Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) List, the US Composting Council Seal of Testing Assurance, or the Mulch & Soil Council Inc. For further information on composts click here to see "Buying Compost: The Good News and The Bad News” by Cheryl Long, Organic Gardening Magazine, July/August 1999.

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Compost Organisms

>> Continue to: Managing Organic Waste through Composting.