Gardening is one of the healthiest hobbies you can have. You get a dose of vitamin D from the sunshine, and a good workout. It also protect you from certain cancers, and you get to enjoy flowers, herbs, and produce grown with your own two hands. The only trick is, getting it to grow. Gardeners tend to fall into two categories: the green-thumbed who perform horticultural magic, and the black-thumbed who do only horticultural wrong despite all efforts to the contrary. The reality is we can be one or the other at different times in our lives. To be green-thumbed or black-thumbed depends upon many reasons besides luck. Gardening success requires the interaction of many environmental factors including the nature of soil and plants. However, a healthy soil is probably one of the most important contributors to successful gardening. A healthy soil depends among other things, on adequate supplies of organic matter. Well-made garden compost is excellent to ensure a healthy soil. Most garden plant residues, and much kitchen waste can be composted and returned to the soil.