All plants, from carrots to oak trees, have their roots in the soil. This is true in more ways than one. In nature everything returns to it's source, the soil, which in turn provides the nutrients that all growing things need to flourish. When we harvest our fruits and vegetables or rake up and remove leaves in autumn, we deplete the soil of these vital nutrients. For the soil to remain healthy and fertile, organic material must be returned to it.

By composting our organic materials, we make compost (also called humus). Compost is a dark, earthy substance, which looks, feels and smells like very rich soil. Like peat moss, compost is a valuable soil conditioner. Unlike peat moss, you can make compost at home, using material that you have handy - like fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, leaves, egg shells, and serviettes. And it's free!

Composting takes very little effort, just a slight change in some of our daily habits. You don't have to work that hard at it because composting is a natural process, something that simply happens. It is not really something that we do. We simply create an opportunity for compost to make itself.

Let's explore the reasons why more and more people are composting...and how you can join them right in your own backyard.