Black gold - that's the name some gardeners use to describe the dark mix of decomposed leaves, kitchen scraps and grass clippings created in home compost piles. Compost is a natural fertilizer and soil amendment, which adds nutrients and loosens compacted soils, thereby aerating them and increasing their capacity to hold water. The compost also attracts soil-building creatures such as earthworms and insects. 'Recipes' for compost vary widely. Basics include organic materials such as leaves and grass clippings and kitchen scraps such as eggshells, vegetable and fruit peelings and coffee grounds. Sun and rain will provide the heat and moisture required for decomposition and, about once a week, a good stir with a pitchfork will aerate the mixture. You can construct your own bin or purchase a manufactured one from a garden center or garden catalog. Just make sure the container is at least three feet square by three feet high (1 cubic yard).

For more information:

Don't Waste Your Wastes--Compost 'em, The Homeowner's Guide to Recycling Yard Wastes. By Bert Whitehead, Sunnydale Press, Mesquite Texas, 1991

Publications from UF IFAS:

Organic Vegetable Gardening, James M. Stephens, CIR375

Construction of Home Compost Units, Roger A. Nordstedt, Anne W. Barkdoll, Fact Sheet AE-23, November 1991

Backyard Composting of Yard Wastes, by Roger A. Nordstedt, Anne W. Barkdoll and M. Elizabeth Will. Circular 958, November 1991



FWC Facts:
The crested caracara is a resident of the prairies and range lands of south-central Fla. This boldly patterned raptor has a crest, naked face, heavy bill and longish neck and legs.

Learn More at AskFWC