Turning Trash into Treasure: Why Composting is the Real Dirt on Healthy Soil

Haven’t started composting yet? No pressure, but your banana peels are getting impatient. Composting is way easier than it sounds, and the payoff? Bigger than your tomato harvest.

At Wastenot Farms, I see “waste” for what it really is: future soil. I take food scraps, garden clippings, and other organic odds and ends, and turn them into compost, living, nutrient-rich treasure that fuels gardens and helps heal the planet from the ground up. Literally.

Why Composting Matters (A lot) 

Every time you toss a coffee ground or carrot top into the trash, it ends up in a landfill, where it breaks down without oxygen, and that creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

But if you compost it instead, that same “trash” becomes part of a regenerative cycle. It feeds the soil, reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers, and supports biodiversity, all while keeping harmful emissions out of the atmosphere. That’s what we call a win-win-win.

And here’s where it gets really interesting...

Meet the Soil Food Web

Beneath every healthy garden is a hidden ecosystem hard at work, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, worms, and insects all teaming up to break down organic matter and recycle nutrients. This underground alliance is called the Soil Food Web, and it’s the backbone of healthy soil.

When you add compost, you’re not just adding nutrients, you’re feeding this whole community. In return, they help your plants grow stronger, resist pests, hold more water, and soak up more carbon. Think of compost as the ultimate group project, but with no slackers.

How We Turn Trash Into Treasure at Wastenot Farms

We use a mix of composting methods to suit different materials, timelines, and soil needs. Each one has its own strengths, and its own personality. Here’s a peek into our rot-and-roll lineup:

1. Traditional Composting: The classic route to rich, earthy compost. We use two aerobic (oxygen-loving) strategies, depending on what we’re working with, and how fast we want results.
   1. Mesophilic composting (The chill way): This low-temp, low-drama method lets microbes break things down at room temperature over time. It's great for smaller piles, home-scale systems, or when you're not in a rush.
   2. Thermophilic composting (The hot stuff): Crank up the heat to 130–160°F and you’ve got thermophilic action. This fast, high-temp process speeds up decomposition and kills off weed seeds and bad microbes.

2. Vermicomposting (Worms at work): Our red wiggler worms are composting MVPs. They munch their way through food scraps and leave behind castings (aka worm manure), packed with nutrients and beneficial microbes. 

3. Johnson-Su Bioreactor (The “Set it and forget it” method): This slow-and-steady method uses a special bin where organic waste sits undisturbed for 9–12 months. No turning, no smell, just time and microbial magic. The result is a fungal-rich compost that’s amazing for long-term soil health.

Let’s Break It Down (Literally)

Compost isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each method creates a different kind of soil food, and together they help us turn yesterday’s waste into tomorrow’s garden gold. Pro Tip: Fall is the best time to apply compost. Give your soil a nutrient boost before winter and set the stage for spring success.

Want to supercharge your compost even more? That’s where our Soil Aid Tea Kit comes in. By soaking compost in a special microbial food mix, you can brew an extract that’s bursting with beneficial life, ready to be sprayed or poured right where your plants need it most. Watch my youtube video to learn how you can easily boost your soil!

This process helps unlock the full potential of your compost, turning it into a living soil elixir.

And the best part? This is exactly what we’re testing and researching right now, all in the name of developing even higher-quality, biology-rich products for you and your garden.