Want the best gardening advice? Go straight to the source. Mother Nature, after all, is the world's best gardener, and some of the world's most beautiful gardens are found in the most remote places. To create a garden that's naturally lush and vibrant, without using harsh chemicals, use garden compost. It's nature's perfect fertilizer.

Composting is a natural method of fertilizing all types of plants, from leafy shrubs and trees to exotic flowers. Think of the rainforest. Its entire floor is a carpet of naturally-occurring compost that provides constant shelter, support and food for all types of plant life.

Creating your own perfect compost is easy. All you need to do is save your food scraps and yard waste. You'll save money on garden center supplies, reduce waste and feed the environment. It's a win-win-win situation! With a little effort, you'll have a dark, crumbly and nutritious mixture of decomposed organic matter.

Creating garden compost is so easy to do, and just wait till you see how many ways it can benefit your blooms:

* Feeds plants with essential nutrients

* Reduces the need for harmful fertilizers

* Improves the quality of sandy soil or heavy clay

* Reduces the amount of water required

* Help control pesky weeds

Creating Garden Compost

There is a very basic recipe for creating garden compost. Just remember the gardener's rule of thumb: two parts brown to one part green.

A compost pile is a bustling community of microorganisms. These tiny creatures exist by breaking down organic matter, like yard debris and organic scraps, and turning them into compost. You'll need to take an active role in encouraging the growth of these microorganisms.

Dried leaves and other natural flower fertilizers can be used as the two parts carbon-rich "brown" materials. Mix this with one-part nitrogen-rich "green" materials, like fresh grass clippings. This all-natural fertilizer provides the ideal fuel for those hungry microorganisms. They'll soon kick in to high gear and heat up your yard debris, producing valuable garden compost.

Ingredients

The "two parts brown" may contain any combination of these materials:

* Dried leaves and grass clippings

* Twigs and small sticks

* Shredded newspaper

* Straw or hay

* Wood chips, wood shavings or sawdust

* Used potting soil

The "one part green" may include one or more of these healthy materials:

* Green grass clippings

* Newly fallen leaves

* Plant stems and stalks

* Hedge trimmings

* Annual weeds (without the heads!)

* Vegetable and fruit scraps

* Coffee grounds, filters and tea bags

* Clean egg shells

The following list of materials should NEVER be used in your compost:

* Sick, diseased plants

* Seed heads from weeds

* Invasive weeds like quack grass and morning glory

* Cereal grains and bread

* Meat or fish parts or bones

* All dairy products

* Grease, cooking oil, oily foods

* Feces from pets

* Dead animal life

Size Really Matters

Smaller composting components bring about rich, usable compost more quickly. Large pieces of vegetables obviously take longer to break down than smaller pieces. Leftover fruits and vegetables should be chopped into small pieces. Garden debris can be cut up with shears or a machete. A garden chipper, shredder or lawnmower mulching attachment is a handy tool for breaking up sticks and twigs.

If your compost pile is no less than three feet in diameter, you'll see even faster garden compost action. This is where size really matters, because the actual composting occurs when those millions of microorganisms living in your soil begin to generate heat. As the microorganisms process the raw materials, they release energy to help activate the decomposition. A compost pile that's at least three square feet in diameter is the optimum size for the hottest and fastest composting.

Water and Air

All living things, including compost need air and water to survive. Microorganisms living in your garden compost can't do their jobs without ample supplies of water and air. You should sprinkle water over your compost on a regular basis, but don't drown it. Just use enough water to create the consistency of a damp sponge.

To incorporate air into the mixture, use a pitchfork to turn the compost materials one every week. This can also help to distribute the efforts of the microorganisms. If you don't turn the compost, you'll have a rich layer of compost at the bottom of the pile, and a heap of dry garden waste on top.

The best gardening advice comes right from the source: Mother Nature herself. Natural garden compost is so easy to make, and your bright, beautiful plants will be more than enough payment for your efforts.