Dirt is golden to a gardener. To make great dirt, you need to recycle your kitchen and garden scraps for next season. The vegetables and garden bounty will go great with your fish and wild game meals.

Now is the time to start preparing for your Spring Compost harvest! A quick and simple way to begin is building a compost pen, or box. Old pallets will work for this. Staple some screen, or wire, on the sides and top cover to keep out critters and keep the mulch in. Build a base using a pallet and attach the sides. Hinge the lid and set it up in a remote corner of the yard.

Commercial composters work well. They can be pricey but are practical and easy to use. The key to great dirt is air. Having ventilation around the bin speeds up decomposition. Bugs and decomposers will do the rest.

Keep a sealed container in the kitchen for your snippets and organic trimmings. When the can is full, transport it to the composter. Mowed, or mulched leaves also work great. Gather them up and add them to the mix. Grass clippings are also wonderful. You may need to use a pitchfork once in a while to turn and mix your future dirt.

Yard leaves are also great to add to your vegetable gardens. Did a trench down the garden and fill it with leaves. Mowed/mulched leaves will decompose faster. Cover with dirt and till it in the Spring. Mowed/mulched leaves are also good to leave on the lawn.

Bagging and throwing away your compost ingredients, like leaves, vegetables, corn husks, peels, and trimmings, is a waste! You spend money on time to grow it then dump it? Keeping this mulch out of the landfill is a good idea.

Making your own dirt is a great idea!

Montana Grant

For more Montana Grant, talk dirt with him at www.montanagrantfishing.com.