Monday, July 9, 2007

You Are the Active Ingredient to Our Master Soil Recipe

About Our Greatest Resource

Here at Page Street Community Garden, we encourage green gardening methods and urban composting. Our compost bin is the heart of our garden. It is our greatest garden resource. Why? Because we use it to create the soil that helps our garden to thrive. That’s why our greatest garden resource is our compost. All gardeners benefit through proactive contribution and passionate maintenance of our compost, every time we garden.

Active Ingredient

The active ingredient to great soil is active participation from you and every Page Street Community Gardener. It’s fun. Add to the compost pile, do the 60 second chop, open the compost bin to check on how it’s doing, be aware of it, glance at it, or give it a positive thought every time you visit the garden. When you’re not in the garden, think about it, and gather materials from your kitchen for it. That’s all we ask.

Three Easy Steps to Fertile Soil

Our recipe for great soil has three easy steps – sort, chop, and add/cover/stir. The bugs and worms do the rest! In 6-8 weeks our soil will be ready for harvest, and it’s the best soil around.

Step 1: Sort

Compost ‘Yes’ Materials (do put in the compost)

Green materials:
  • Clippings and young weeds
  • Well aerated fruit and vegetable trimmings, citrus rinds, coffee grounds/filters, tea bags

Brown materials: Woody prunings, straw, fallen leaves, shredded newspaper and cardboard, untreated sawdust. These can be found in the blue and brown containers to the left of the tool shed.

Egg shells: Place in our worm bin.

Compost "No" Materials (don't put in the compost):

  • Meat, bones, fish
  • Dairy products or grease
  • Grains, beans or breads
  • Dog, cat or bird feces
  • Sawdust from treated wood
  • Diseased plants and the noxious weeds pictured on the compost bin can be placed in the green container that we carry to the curb. This will decrease their spreading throughout our garden.

Step 2: Chop to 2”


Chop materials to 2 inches to expedite the decomposition process. Use the chopper to the left inside the shed to chop in the wooden bin in front of the shed. It doesn’t take long...if you see a pile, chop it!

Step 3: Add/Cover/Stir

  • Add equal amounts of chopped green and brown compost ‘yes’ materials to the bin.
  • Cover food scraps with several inches of other materials (even if in a covered bin) to discourage pests.
  • Stir, be patient with the worms and bugs, and enjoy it when it’s ready!

For More Compost Info:

  • Ask questions, make comments on our blog
  • Enjoy the compost books in the shed
  • Stop by the Garden for the Environment at 7th Avenue at Lawton Street. The center features many different styles of compost and instructional signage. Open all daylight hours. Volunteer hours every Wed. from 10 am-2pm and Sat. from 10 am-4pm.
    http://www.gardenfortheenvironment.org/

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Compost

Hi Michael/Brent- edit this post with compost info!