Wisely waiting until Mother’s Day — the traditional hoped-for last-frost marker — backyard farmers are itching to get their hands dirty and begin planting summer crops. Until then, they’re left with the tedious toil of prepping garden plots.
A few jumped the planting gun late last month and found themselves wrapping their early-planted young tomatoes in insulating plastic and pillow cases to ward off an unexpected overnight frost. My trusty old Farmer’s Almanac tells me May 4 is the average date for a spring frost along the Lake Michigan shoreline; in interior Lake County, such as in Lake Villa, on average, April 30.
Gardeners know that working compost into their soil can boost crop yields when harvest time rolls around. A bunch of Lake County communities and organizations are helping their local growers with compost giveaways on Friday and Saturday while supplies last.
The free compost offerings coincide with observing the annual International Compost Awareness Week. The Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition digs into the local aspect of using compost and turning unwanted organic matter into that easy-to-work “gold soil” gardeners crave for their parcels.
The week’s mission is simple: Sharing the benefits of compost to build healthier soil. The catchy motto for this year’s composting week is: “Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us.”
Compost is that rich mixture of various nitrogen-rich materials — grass clippings, vegetable scraps, eggshells, tree leaves and more — after decomposition by microorganisms breaks them down. The result is nutrient-rich and earthy soil for use in gardens and flower beds.
Dressing gardens with compost helps improve soil structure and fertility, supports sustainable gardening practices, keeps ecosystems in balance and can reduce greenhouse gases, agriculturists tell us. Our gardens suffer from annual topsoil loss, reducing productivity.
New soil is not added fast enough to replace lost topsoil. Using compost improves plant growth and conserves water.
Compost also reduces reliance on inorganic, commercial fertilizers. Over time, the use of inorganic fertilizers can degrade soil quality, experts say, because they do not add organic matter to the soil.
Besides garden use, compost reduces waste headed for garbage landfills, extending the life of landfills, and creates green jobs. Food waste is a major contributor to trash dumped in landfills. Grayslake, Vernon Hills and Wauconda have areas where food waste can be deposited by village residents, according to the food scrap coalition.
The compost is free for the taking. Most are limiting amounts to 20 gallons of compost per household. Shovels will be provided in most locations, but it is suggested compost seekers bring their own containers to take their supplies home.
A compost giveaway will be held by the Lake County Health Department, in partnership with the Lake County Green Team and Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday, at the Lake County Central Permit Facility off Winchester Road, just west of Milwaukee Avenue, in Libertyville.
Also on Friday, a compost giveback will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mundelein Public Works location, 801 Allanson Road. Village officials promise a truckload of locally made compost to residents for vegetable gardens, flowerbeds, planters and lawns. A bonus is free kitchen pails for Mundelein residents who pledge to participate in the village’s curbside composting through LRS waste hauler or backyard composting.
One can even get compost at a shopping center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the parking lot near AMC Theatres at Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills. This compost includes pumpkins smashed and recycled after Halloween last year. A second event will be held in the village from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Vernon Hills Park District Maintenance Facility, 1400 Indianwood Drive.
Gurnee hosts its composting event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Public Works facility, 1151 Kilbourne Road. Other events being held Saturday will be in Bannockburn, Barrington area, Deerfield, Hainesville, Highland Park, Port Barrington and Round Lake Park. Many of them include educational programs and things for kids to do, keeping them occupied if parents are shoveling compost.
It takes a lot of work to make a successful garden in God’s quarter-acre and bear fruit come fall. Free compost can improve the chances of a bumper crop this growing season.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. sellenews@gmail.com. X @sellenews
