Since the Community Garden opened in 2009, the committee has always envisioned a viable Composting System. As the garden grew and amenities were implemented, composting kept getting pushed back because there were more important issues at stake. Our goal was to get a composting system set up before our 10th Anniversary.
Last year, longtime gardener and all-around good guy, Norm Nass, took on the task and built a composting system perfectly designed for our garden. The structure is simple. You’ll find it in the southwest corner of the garden, by our manure and hay piles. It has three sections:
1) Fresh vegetation to be composted; 2) Material in the act of breaking down into compost; and 3) Finished compost, ready to be used to amend plots. Temporary signs were put up last year, and permanent signs are on order.
Here’s how our system works. All healthy vegetation—weeds, leaves, and other plant properties--from plots can be added to the first section (Healthy Vegetation to be Composted). Weeds pulled from your plots are welcome. Not welcome are any leaves or parts of any plants that show signs of Tomato Blight/Becilium Blight/Early Blight/Late Blight or Powdery Mildew or have obvious signs of disease. That is…anything that just doesn’t look healthy. Those plants should be bagged up (bags are on the inside door of the Castle) and taken home with you and tossed into your garbage cans.
Never put any vegetation in or take compost out of the middle section. That section is “Composting in Progress.”
Feel free to take compost from the “FINISHED COMPOST Ready to Go” section, keeping in mind that 49 other gardeners are sharing the bounty.
We’ve been asked if gardeners can bring compostable vegetation from home. We’re not ready to do that yet until we can formulate guidelines for what is acceptable and what is not.
Thanks to Norm Nass for making our Compost Center a reality and for maintaining it for the benefit of all of us.
Last year, longtime gardener and all-around good guy, Norm Nass, took on the task and built a composting system perfectly designed for our garden. The structure is simple. You’ll find it in the southwest corner of the garden, by our manure and hay piles. It has three sections:
1) Fresh vegetation to be composted; 2) Material in the act of breaking down into compost; and 3) Finished compost, ready to be used to amend plots. Temporary signs were put up last year, and permanent signs are on order.
Here’s how our system works. All healthy vegetation—weeds, leaves, and other plant properties--from plots can be added to the first section (Healthy Vegetation to be Composted). Weeds pulled from your plots are welcome. Not welcome are any leaves or parts of any plants that show signs of Tomato Blight/Becilium Blight/Early Blight/Late Blight or Powdery Mildew or have obvious signs of disease. That is…anything that just doesn’t look healthy. Those plants should be bagged up (bags are on the inside door of the Castle) and taken home with you and tossed into your garbage cans.
Never put any vegetation in or take compost out of the middle section. That section is “Composting in Progress.”
Feel free to take compost from the “FINISHED COMPOST Ready to Go” section, keeping in mind that 49 other gardeners are sharing the bounty.
We’ve been asked if gardeners can bring compostable vegetation from home. We’re not ready to do that yet until we can formulate guidelines for what is acceptable and what is not.
Thanks to Norm Nass for making our Compost Center a reality and for maintaining it for the benefit of all of us.