By Jolia Sidona Allen

Americans have a reputation for being wasteful — even going so far as to waste our own waste. According to the EPA, yard trimmings and food scraps make up 24 percent of U.S. waste, needlessly filling up our landfills when it could be put to good use in a backyard or potted garden.

Throwing away food is hard on your budget — and on the planet

By John Perry

Don't trash those food scraps! Even a city slicker can compost to create nutrient-rich fertilizer for urban gardens. Here's how

I envision twining climbers and container-grown edibles on the deck, with hardy, colorful perennials below.

2:24 minutes (564.94 KB)
Jessica Walliser and Doug Oster, The Organic Gardeners, offer tips for keeping your garden debris and disease free. Learn to boost soil by adding plenty of organic matter (compost) and using preventatives such as lime-sulfur or baking soda sprays. Discover the importance of mulching to keep soil-borne diseases off foliage as well as how to spot the early signs of disease.

Danny Seo explains backyard composting.

Got questions about composting? Good. Our blogger just answered a whole bunch at a local coop.

Finished compost in weeks? Or years? The route to botanical bliss depends on the balance of browns and greens, hot and cold.

Our intrepid blogger discovers the remarkable universe of creatures in the compost bin.