In his wonderful book "Dirt" William Bryant Logon wrote about soil, "A fertile soil transmits forces. Originally it was the only material on the Earth that could hold water. It therefore became the theater when water, earth, and air could interact, where the earth could express itself in the endless variety of organic life." Compost makes the soil fertile so the magic can happen.

Even people with small terraces or indoor plants can compost. Schjanna's compost pail sits on her kitchen counter. Any organic matter--from fruit rinds to coffee grounds get put into her compost pail. (Avoiding meat, fish and fats.) It has charcoal filters in a vented lid to minimize odors.

Once a week she takes her organic matter to the Fort Greene Green Market and can exchange it for processed compost to add to the plants.

Composting seems so simple, so necessary, it's amazing we haven't perfected it. Most of us know about it, think in concept it's a good idea and maybe even tinkered with it and then we drift back to wasteful ways.

In New York City, you can get a large compost barrel for your backyard for $20.00 at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It isn't always as easy as it sounds--instead of rich fertilizer, many people find themselves with a big plastic bucket of garbage, and so attending a seminar isn't always a bad idea.