In the soft, warm bosom of a decaying compost heap, a transformation from life to death and back again is taking place.general hydroponics Life is leaving the living plants of yesterday, but in their death these leaves and stalks pass on their vitality to the coming generations of future seasons. Here in a dank and moldy pile the wheel of life is turning. Garden waste material can be converted in many ways into a black, fragrant, crumbly, partially decomposed organic residue called compost. Gardeners have found that the best way to build a compost pile is to put a layer of mixed fertilizer, manure and garden soil between each layer of waste material.