Did you know that over eighty percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions? And gardeners are a very resolute bunch, so perhaps the percentage is higher. We all make a bunch of gardening resolutions every year and don’t manage to keep any of them. Life and weeds get in the way of our best intentions every time. So this spring, start with just a couple really good ones.

One resolution that many of our gardeners are considering is to start a home compost pile. Not only will composting reduce your carbon footprint, but using the homegrown stuff will save you money. Everyone knows that you can grow plants without compost or fertilizer if you must, but using compost can double or triple your plant’s growth and harvest. It truly is black gold for the garden. Compost is absolutely the best soil amendment you can use to nourish your plants and improve the structure of the soil. And it will cost nothing once you establish an area to house the pile.

There are a tremendous number of options for corralling your compost. Some gardeners choose to go bin-less, simply piling yard waste in a convenient, but out-of-sight spot. Others build bins from found or purchased materials like recycled pallets, or two-by-fours and plywood. And, of course, the Garden Center has pre-made bins and enclosures available for sale.

Composting is not a new idea. In the natural world, this process is what happens when leaves pile up on the ground and begin to decay. Eventually, the rotting leaves return to the soil, where roots finish the recycling process by reclaiming the nutrients from the decomposed leaves. Composting may be at the root of agriculture as well. Some scientists have speculated that as indigenous tribes dumped food waste in piles near their camps. Perhaps our gardening ancestors recognized that these dump heaps were good places for food crops to grow, and began to put seeds there intentionally.

Composting your kitchen scraps, lawn clippings and leaf litter will reduce your trash burden and add valuable micronutrients and microbes to the soil. And gardeners who want to make frugal decisions at this time of year can take heart that their hobby is one of sharing. A little adversity might make us smarter gardeners in the long run and better eco-citizens in our communities. After all, growing a garden allows us to recreate the miracle of nature on a scale that we can care for and appreciate. And like compost, that’s worth its weight in gold.