Composting yard materials has many landscape benefits:

• Reduce the need for fertilizers Nutrients are released slowly, less likely to leach out of the root zone, as with a regular fertilizer
• Soil structure is improved by the addition of organic matter
• Improved water retention and root penetration
• A properly designed composting pile has high temperatures
• High temperatures kill most disease pathogens
• Most weed seeds and pesticides are also destroyed because of the high temperature
• Materials that may be acidic when added to a compost pile will become almost neutral in pH
• When added to soil that is acidic or alkaline, compost acts as a buffer against high or low pH Earthworms
• Earthworms love soil enriched with compost
• Earthworm tunnels increase drainage, and the casts they leave behind are a great nutrient supply for plants. Black gold!