All you need to compost for your garden is enthusiasm, lawn, garden or food waste (except meat or dairy products), and some space. Garden compost piles don't need to be enclosed, although many people use a bin or similar enclosure. Garden compost bins can be purchased, or you can easily construct one with common materials such as chicken wire, snow fencing, lumber or used pallets. Other tools that come in handy for composting are a garden hose, wheelbarrow and common garden tools.

Composting is a natural process. Organic materials such as leaves, grass, and vegetable scraps are broken down by microorganisms, forming a rich soil-like substance called compost or humus.

Keys to successful home composting:

• Organic materials: A good mix consists of three parts "browns" (materials such as dead leaves that are high in carbon) and one part "greens" (such as fresh grass clippings and garden prunings that are high in nitrogen).
• Moisture: Composting materials should feel moist but not overly soggy.
• Temperature: Compost should feel warm to the touch except in the cold winter months.
• Air: To prevent unpleasant odors that can occur when materials decompose without oxygen, compost should be turned regularly to ensure that air is reaching the center of the pile.

Grass clippings make up a large percentage of the household waste produced each year. About 1,000 square feet of lawn in Pennsylvania can produce 200 to 500 pounds of clippings during the growing season.

A simple alternative to bagging grass clipping is "grasscycling." Simply leave clippings on your lawn where they break down in 7 to 14 days. The clippings act as top dressing fertilizer and help keep your lawn green and healthy.

Composting is a key component to any green garden .

A water garden can be a beautiful addition to any green space and a key part of a green garden.

A water garden on your property has a variety of benefits:

• A water garden is an efficient way to store water for watering your lawn and garden.
• A water garden will capture runnoff from watering your lawn and garden and let you reuse the fertilizer instead of turning it into pollution.
• The larger the water garden the less lawn there is to mow. A one acre garden pond will save at least $700 and 40 hours of labor per year compared with a similar sized lawn area.
• A water garden can double as a geothermal pond . A geothermal heat pump system is the most cost effective way to heat and cool a home. A geothermal pond type geothermal heat pump system is the least expensive method of all. This results in a huge savings over the life of the home.
• A water garden conserves water by capturing runoff from all the impervious surfaces on your property. Efficient, low voltage pumps can then pump the water to planters or for lawn watering.