When life hands you a lemon balm, plant it. Operator John D'Angela stands at the gate of Sarnia’s compost site, where visitors are greeted by a lush display of flowers and vegetables. The garden is comprised of plants thrown away by residents and revived, as well as donations from patrons who saw the creation in the making. The secret, says D'Angela, is two inches of wood chips topped with six inches of finished compost. "It really holds the moisture," he said. The St. Andrew's Street site churns out enough compost to feed gardens around Southwestern Ontario and is open six days a week until Dec. 16. Glenn Ogilvie