Here at the Gangsta Garden, we believe in returning nutrients to the earth. I mean, don’t get me wrong – we’re not crazy about it, and we don’t do a perfect job. But, we do try our best to compost, especially after wine making season.

Into the composter the skins, seeds, and sticks go, and my backyard stinks like wine for about a week. My neighbors must think I’m an alcoholic.

In the spring, the compost is just about ready, and into the vegetable garden it goes. The skins mostly decompose, although you can make out a few circular outlines in the picture above. The seeds and stems are slower to decompose, but they loosen up the soil a bit, which the veggies don’t seem to mind. And with that, the nutrients are returned to the earth; that beautiful black soil is ready to go another round.