The Benefits of Composting for Gardens and Landscapes

Ohio Soil Health Week

Sunday, November 9 through Saturday, November 15 is the 2nd Annual Ohio Soil Health Week. This week encourages everyone to learn more about how important soil is to our everyday lives. Soil may look simple, but it is actually full of life. It supports plants, animals, clean water, food production, and the balance of entire ecosystems.

At Marvin’s Organic Gardens, caring for the soil is one of the most important things we do. When soil is healthy, plants grow stronger and more naturally. Gardens become more colorful. Lawns become greener and thicker. Natural areas become more stable and diverse. Healthy soil is the foundation that allows everything above it to thrive.

One of the most effective ways to build healthy soil is through composting. The benefits of composting reach far beyond recycling scraps. Composting is a natural process that turns waste into a resource that the earth can use again.

Composting is also a central part of regenerative landscaping, which focuses on restoring the natural balance of the land instead of just maintaining the appearance of a yard. By using compost, we support the soil as a living environment rather than treating it as just a surface.

What Compost Is and How It Forms

Compost is created when organic material such as leaves, plants, yard trimmings, and food waste break down over time. This breakdown happens inside compost piles or compost bins. The process is powered by soil microorganisms and other tiny soil organisms, including bacteria, fungi, earthworms, and insects. These organisms naturally recycle organic materials into a rich, dark organic soil amendment.

Good compost requires a balance of:

• Dry carbon materials (leaves, wood chips, straw)

• Moist nitrogen materials (vegetable scraps, fresh grass)

• Proper moisture

• Air circulation

Once these conditions are balanced, compost forms on its own. Nature knows how to recycle what it creates. The finished compost is soft, crumbly, and full of nutrients that plants need to grow strong.

This compost is used as a soil amendment that increases soil organic matter, improving soil texture and supporting plant health.

Benefits of Composting

Regenerative Landscaping

Regenerative landscaping prioritizes restoring life to the soil. It focuses on rebuilding natural cycles so that plants can grow with strength rather than depending on artificial fertilizer. Compost plays a central role in this approach because it is alive with nutrients and microorganisms.

Compost helps with improving soil structure. Healthy soil has space for water, roots, and air to move through it. When soil becomes compacted, plants cannot develop strong roots. Adding compost helps loosen compacted areas and gives space for the root system to grow.

Additional regenerative practices include:

• Planting cover crops to protect and enrich the soil surface

• Avoiding over-tilling, which can damage soil structure

• Adding compost regularly throughout the growing season

These steps create gardens that heal and strengthen themselves over time.

Stronger Root Growth and Healthier Plants

One of the greatest benefits of composting is how it improves root growth. Compost creates soft, healthy soil that allows the plant root system to expand deeper into the ground. When roots have room to grow, plants become stronger, more stable, and better able to handle stress from weather changes.

Healthy roots help plants:

• Absorb nutrients more efficiently

• Survive heat waves and dry periods

• Resist disease and pest pressure

• Grow thicker stems, leaves, and blooms

A strong root system is the foundation of plant health. Compost supports this foundation by creating the conditions plants need to thrive, grow naturally, and remain resilient through every growing season.

Compost Helps Soil Retain Moisture and Conserve Water

Compost helps soil retain moisture by holding water like a sponge and releasing it slowly to plants over time. This keeps the soil damp longer after each watering or rainfall. As a result, there is less need for frequent watering, which helps conserve water, especially during the hottest months of the year or when rainfall is limited.

Healthy soil absorbs water instead of letting it run off the soil surface. This not only reduces erosion, but it also prevents important nutrients from being washed away. When compost is added to the soil, it improves soil texture and helps create tiny spaces that hold water where plant roots can reach it.

With compost in the soil, irrigation systems do not have to work as hard. Lawns stay greener, garden beds stay healthier, and plants experience less stress. This benefit lasts throughout the growing season and continues to improve the soil long term.

This is especially valuable for gardeners and homeowners who want strong, thriving plants without having to rely on large amounts of water or constant watering schedules. Compost makes the soil work smarter and helps plants do what they do naturally: grow well with the resources around them.

Reducing Landfill Waste and Protecting the Environment

Composting also helps the environment by reducing landfill waste. When organic materials like yard trimmings and food waste are thrown into landfills, they break down without oxygen. This produces methane, a greenhouse gas far more powerful than carbon dioxide in contributing to climate change. By composting instead, we support the natural carbon cycle and return nutrients back to the soil where they can help plants grow.

Even small everyday steps make a meaningful difference:

• Leave grass clippings on the lawn after mowing so they break down and feed the soil

• Collect leaves and add them to compost piles or compost bins instead of bagging them

• Compost kitchen scraps instead of throwing them away

These simple habits are part of sustainable gardening, zero waste habits, and eco friendly living. Each choice returns valuable nutrients to the earth and supports healthier soil, stronger plants, and more climate friendly landscaping. By keeping organic material in the natural cycle, we help the soil retain moisture, reduce waste hauling, and protect the environment over the long term.

Composting at Home is Simple and Effective

Composting at home can fit into any lifestyle. You can compost in a large backyard, a small patio space, or even on a balcony. All you need is a simple compost pile, a small bin, or a tumbler. These tools allow you to turn kitchen scraps and yard debris into valuable compost over time.

Home composting leads to noticeable improvements in:

• Soil quality

• Plant growth

• Garden resilience

• Water retention

• Ease of maintenance

As your soil becomes healthier, you will see plants grow stronger and gardens become easier to care for. This creates a conducive environment for insect and disease resistance, and produces bigger brighter longer lasting blooms and more abundant fruit set. Once you experience the difference compost makes, composting becomes a natural daily habit rather than a chore. It feels good to use what you already have and return those nutrients to the earth.

How Marvin’s Organic Gardens Uses Compost

At Marvin’s Organic Gardens, we help you achieve healthy lawn and garden practices that support long term soil health. During seasonal cleanups or landscape care, our team collects leaves, branches, plant trimmings, and other biodegradable materials. Instead of sending this organic material to a landfill, we bring it to our composting facility. There, it is transformed into nutrient rich compost using natural processes powered by beneficial soil microorganisms.

Once the compost is fully developed, we return it to the soil in new gardens, lawns, planting beds, and restoration projects. This compost acts as an organic soil amendment that strengthens plant health, improves soil quality, and supports strong root growth. When compost is added back into the landscape, it helps retain moisture, supports improving soil structure, and eliminates the need for synthetic fertilizers.

This full-cycle process keeps nutrients circulating locally rather than being lost as waste. It supports the local ecosystem, encourages biodiversity, and provides better growing conditions for both ornamental and native plants. It also aligns with sustainable landscaping and eco friendly lawn care practices that reduce environmental impact while improving plant performance.

By returning compost to the landscapes we care for, we benefit the land, the plants, and the community. We help build healthier soil, stronger gardens, and outdoor spaces that thrive naturally — now and for future generations.

Celebrate Ohio Soil Health Week

Soil is the foundation of all life. It supports the food we grow, the trees that clean our air, and the landscapes we enjoy every day. As we celebrate Ohio Soil Health Week, we encourage you to get involved, learn new practices, and take simple steps that help protect and strengthen our soil.

Explore resources, community workshops, and partner events here:

 https://www.ohiosoilhealthweek.com/

Together, we can protect the soil beneath our feet, support thriving gardens and natural spaces, and ensure that the land continues to nourish life for future generations. Even small actions matter. When we care for the soil, we care for everything that grows from it.