Consider composting food scraps and yard waste to make your garden flourish

At first, Putnam created a compost pile. Then, she received a large compost bin as a gift about 20 years ago. To the large bin, she added yard waste, vegetable peelings and coffee grounds, along with some dirt from old pots. The result was lots of compost.

“This year, I was amazed at the amount of compost I have,” she said. “Probably a dozen 5 gallon buckets and a wheelbarrow full. We've been using it in flower and vegetable garden planting. I feel good about this. It's a small effort to keep stuff out of the waste stream and it yields benefits. You should see my begonias!”

Pictured: Judy Putnam, of East Lansing, has been composting for 30 years.