Composting is the process of making mulch out of decomposed organic matter, such as food scraps and plant pieces. Once made, the mulch is an excellent source of nutrients for growing plant life, like vegetable gardens and saplings. If you have a pond on your property, you can use the dead leaves and pond debris that formed on your pond throughout the fall and winter to create pond compost.
Clean out the pond. Drain the water using a pump, remove the pond life and place into a temporary holding container, and hose down the interior of the pond. During the cleaning process, you will find extra debris that can be used in your pond compost. Collect any organic matter, including the leaves and muck built up on the rocks and floor of the pond, in a bucket and put it aside while you finish spraying the pond down and return the water and pond life to the pond.
Pile all of the organic pond matter into a shaded corner of your yard or garden. Add dried leaves or mulch to the top of the compost pile.
Add any organic waste that you create throughout the next few months to the pile. Cut grass, pruned clippings from plants and food waste, such as fruit and vegetable peelings and coffee grounds, are all good materials for composting.
Keep the compost pile moist. Moisture helps in the breakdown and decay of the organic matter.
Turn the compost pile out every couple of weeks with a pitchfork. Lift the entire pile one layer at a time and spread it out beside the compost pile, then return all of the compost back to the pile. This helps air circulate through the pile, which will help the organic matter in the pile decompose more quickly.