"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." - Cicero
Recap: Composting with Garden Debris and Worms Bins
"Composting is just one species digesting another species," - Kris LaMar
Our wonderful presenter provided us with a lot of the science behind composting and how we are simply mimicking nature by recycling our kitchen scraps and yard debris.
And leave it to Kris to make learning about worms so exciting! She let us know that worm castings contain more microorganisms, more inorganic minerals, and more organic matter in a form that is more readily available to plants than soil. The only thing to take note of is that it is nitrogen rich, which is great for foliage production, but not as much for fruit.
Since many of us have clay heavy soil, it's nice to know that adding compost once a year will reduce the compaction and make the soil more workable and drain better.
I have been chatting away about composting for over a month, and in my conversations, one of our patrons shared with me about her time in Uganda. The village she worked in used a keyhole garden method. The garden was planted in a mound that surrounded a composting center. Often these gardens are located near kitchens, so food scraps are easily added to the composting center. This got me so excited that she agreed to share a video with me!
To watch a video on how to assemble a Uganda style keyhole garden, click here.
If you are interested in creating something similar for yourself, you can do an internet search of "keyhole composting garden bed" to will find many examples on how to build yourself one or purchase a kit to assemble.
Recommended Reading
Composting for the Absolute Beginner by Dede Cummings
This book does get a little bit repetitive at times, but it offers a lot of useful information and perspectives.
One of these perspectives is that of Cheryl Wilfong - she does not like to turn her compost which means it will take more time to become the nutrient-rich soil amendment. For this reason, Cheryl has 3 bins on her property. Each bin represents a different year. When the year is up, she will not add to that bin again, and by the end of year 3, the first bin it is ready.
No-Waste Composting: Small-Space Waste Recycling Indoors and Out by Michelle Balz
Each option presented in this book provided a DIY example that was very easy to follow. I was most intrigued by the terra-cotta pot system. If anyone has experience with this system, I would love to hear about it.
Michelle Balz has an additional book that touches on keyhole composting as well, Composting for a New Generation
Worms Eat My Garbage and
Worms Eat My Garbage: How to Setup and Maintain a Worm Composting System by Mary Appelhof
I appreciated that Mary mentions weighing the amount of food waste your household produces in a week to determine the size bin you may need.
Preserving Tomatoes Presented by OSU Extension Service. Learn how to safely preserve tomatoes and tomato products, such as salsa, using food preservation equipment available through the Library of Things. When: Friday, Sept 13th at 6pm Where: The Sandy Library Hoyt Community Room
Fall and Winter Gardening Once the temperatures fall, along with the rain, gardeners often want to "pack it up" and concentrate on indoor plants. But there's lots to be done in the fall and into winter, so next year's garden will thrive. From clean up, to soil testing, to caring for "tender perennials", to growing winter vegetables, the list is endless! And let's not forget how we can make our landscapes friendly to the wild animals who also call it "home". When: Thursday, Sept 19th at 6pm Where: The Sandy Library Hoyt Community Room
To receive all the latest Seed Library news email Brianna Chase: bchase@ci.sandy.or.us to sign up for the newsletter!
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