Composting

Help make compost for the Earhart Learning Gardens by donating compostable green and brown materials listed on the flyer above! We will collect materials for 2 weeks because we have twelve 4x8 ft garden beds to fill!  By the end of the two-week period, we aim to fill up the entire black compost bin and add in materials to the tumbler.  We will continue to aerate and water the compost pile, and in 2-3 months, we'll have a fresh batch of compost.  

Thank you for all your support!! Below are pictures from the previous event. 

When you stop by, make sure to check out our vermicompost exhibit! 

When food is thrown out into trash dumps, it releases methane contributing to greenhouse gases that warm up our Earth.  This is BAD!  We can help our Earth by composting some of those food scraps, which will turn it into healthy nutrients that our plants can use to grow.  

So, how do we compost?  We need a balanced amount of nitrogen, carbon, water, and air to make compost work. At school, we have a large tumbler and a stackable compost bin. 

Ingredients:

• Nitrogen rich material (aka "greens") - raw fruit and vegetable food scraps, tea bags/leaves, coffee grounds, grass trimmings

• Carbon rich material (aka "browns") - dead leaves, shredded newspapers, brown paper bags, woods chips, twigs, cardboard without tape or shipping labels

• Not for compost - bones, meat, weed seeds, chemicals, diseased plants

• Water - water is used to help break up the green and brown material.  We want the consistency to be slightly moist. The compost becomes anerobic when it's too wet.  It'll be harder to break down, and you'll notice a bad odor.  To fix this, you can add more browns.  If it's too dry, you can add a little more water or acceptable wet materials.

• Air - air helps break down the compost pile and keeps the bad odor away.  You can create air in the compost by turning the tumbler every few days.  If you have a stackable compost bin, you'll need a pitch fork to help pick up and stir the pile.  

****Helpful tip: cut up large pieces of material to speed up the breakdown process.****

Process:

For tumblers: 

1. Open tumbler door.

2. Insert green and brown materials.  

3. Add some water depending on how much material was added.  You want the material to be moist, but not soaked.

4. Close tumbler.

5. Turn the handle a few times.  

For stackable compost bins:

1. Remove lid.

2. Alternating adding in green and brown materials.

3. Add water to moisten as needed. Do not soak.

4. Come back in a few days, and take a pitchfork to stir up the bin. 

5. Close lid.

For both methods, repeat this process as necessary. Compost will be complete in about 2-4 months.  How long it takes depends on what's been added, and how often the tumbler is turned or bin is stirred.  When it smells like nice soil, your compost is finished.  Enjoy your new compost!  

UC Master Gardener has wonderful instructions on composting. Click below for Composting 101.