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Composting 101
Word of the Week composting — a mixture of decaying organic matter, as from leaves and manure, used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients
Did You Know? BENEFITS OF COMPOST TO YOUR GARDEN • improves soil structure in all soils, and therefore: • improves water retention in loose, sandy soils; • improves drainage in heavy, clayey soils; • prevents the soil surface from crusting, easing the emergence of seedlings; • resists compaction, making it easier for roots to penetrate the soil; • helps balance pH, making alkaline soils more acidic and acidic soils more alkaline; • provides a good environment for the microbes, earthworms and insects that break down soil constituents into plant nutrients; • nourishes microbes that protect against some plant diseases; • reduces the need for other soil amendments and for fertilizer; • provides many micro-nutrients and low levels of macronutrients; • improves the soil's retention of nutrients, thus increasing the amount of time they are available to plants; • slows the leaching of nutrients, thus preventing them from reaching and polluting water; • encourages healthy plants, thus reducing the need for pesticides and fungicides. BENEFITS TO THE ENVIRONMENT • reduces the amount of garbage in landfills, and therefore: • reduces the greenhouse gases produced by hauling garbage; • reduces the amount of methane produced by landfills; • helps prevent runoff and soil erosion; • helps remediate (decontaminate) polluted soils, binding some contaminates in the soil and increasing plant uptake by others, allowing their removal from contaminated sites; • reduces the need for environmentally damaging pesticides and fertilizers.
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Have you ever noticed how some people have beautiful, vibrant flower gardens or grow large, scrumptious looking vegetables almost with ease? They might have a green thumb, but chances are better that it’s their soil. If you use compost, your soil has a richer composition that is better for your veggies and flowers. This healthy and sturdy soil produces those gorgeous flowers and mouth-watering vegetables we all wish we could have in our own gardens. Guess what? Now you can have them. It just takes a little knowhow about composting. Composting is not hard. The entire family can get in on the act. If you have a family garden, composting will be quite helpful to you. Let’s discuss the benefits of composting as well as how to create a compost pile that can enrich your soil naturally and produce those growing beauties. COMPOSTING IS HEALTHY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Creating compost reduces the amount of trash in the landfill. We throw away a lot of food, which is the majority of our waste. Using those food scraps in compost gives precious nutrients back to the soil instead of
the garbage heap. Basically, composting is the process of using plant matter and other materials to enrich the soil. You let the items decompose and blend them in with the soil as nourishment for whatever you are growing. You also can use compost as mulch in flower gardens instead of wood chips or pine needles. GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR OWN COMPOST PILE So how do you begin? First, find a place to compost. You can buy compost bins or make your own. With an inconspicuous place in the back yard, you don’t even need a bin. Compost will decompose in a pile all by itself. Once you’ve chosen your location and storage unit (or none at all), it’s time to begin filling it. Composting problems occur when the wrong things are added to the compost pile. That’s why it’s important to know what you can safely and effectively add. WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR COMPOST PILE There are two types of compost materials that fill two needs of the compost pile. First, there are the wood products. Those
See if you can find and circle the words listed. They are hidden in the puzzle vertically, horizontally and diagonally — some are even spelled backwards.
include wood chip, straw and leaves. You also can throw those pesky weeds on the compost pile as well. These materials add pockets of space to the compost pile so air can reach everything that goes into it. Secondly, you have the food material and grasses. Grass clippings, fruit rinds, vegetable waste, and even coffee grounds make great compost. Compost needs to be moist for the bacteria to survive and digest properly. This type of material is what provides the moisture. As long as your compost pile has air and a moderate amount of moisture, the bacteria, along with insects and worms,
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will do their job. When these two things are absent, you get the yucky foul smell of garbage. Constantly turn the compost pile over with a rake or hoe so all the material gets air. Ever wonder why food sent to the garbage doesn’t just decompose? It’s because it doesn’t get air in the garbage pile. Compost is ready when the ingredients are not recognizable anymore. It usually takes on a dark brown color once it’s ready. Use your leftovers and lawn trimmings to grow a beautiful lawn, flowers or vegetable garden by creating a compost pile. You can start anytime. Why not today?
Backyard Composting & Gardening Workshop
A Joint Workshop with Miami County Master Gardeners & Miami County Sanitary Engineering Department
When: April 13, 2013 9:30am-10:00am registration & refreshments 10:00am to 12:00pm workshop WHERE: Upper Valley Applied Technology Center 8901 Looney Road, Piqua COST: Free (minimum of 10 people, maximum of 50) Registration Deadline: April 9, 2013 Presentations On: Basic Composting (Deb Green), Soils (Dan Poast), Sustainable Gardening (Harriett Walters) & Companion Gardening (Elaine Richards) Door Prizes & Compost Bins for Sale For more information & registration contact: Cindy Bach, Miami County – 937-440-3488 Ext. 8705 cbach@miamicountysed.com Registration form for Basic Composting & Companion Gardening Please return by April 9, 2013. Please Print. Name: __________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________ Please send registration to: Cindy Bach, Miami County Sanitary Engineering 1200 N. County Rd. 25-A, Troy, OH 45373 Fax: 937-335-4208
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