Talked to my neighbor about his garden and it changed how I think about lawn care

I always thought a perfect green lawn meant dumping chemical fertilizer on it twice a year. But last Saturday my neighbor Dave, who's like 70, showed me his compost pile and explained how he just uses kitchen scraps and leaves. He told me he hasn't bought fertilizer in 15 years and his grass is way thicker than mine. I looked it up later and apparently those synthetic fertilizers kill off the soil microbes over time. His approach is slower but it actually builds the soil up instead of just feeding the grass for a week. I'm gonna try starting a small compost bin next month. Has anyone else switched from chemicals to composting for their yard?

2 comments

2 Comments

michaels9526d ago

It's wild how that applies to so much more than just lawns though. Started thinking about it and realized we do this with our health too, like reaching for a quick pill instead of fixing the root issue with diet or sleep. My buddy tried those turbo lawn sprays for years and his grass looked dead by August every time, but my grandpa's compost patch is green all summer with zero work. Feels like we get sold on the fast fix for everything and end up paying for it later, lol.

oscarh1625d agoMost Upvoted

but doesnt that kinda depend on what the quick fix actually is though? like sometimes a pill is the right move if your diet and sleep are already solid and you just need a boost, right? or is the whole point that we jump to the pill before even trying the boring stuff first?