Tag Archives: compost

Introduction to Composting

Course Description:
A constant supply of fresh compost is ideal for many community garden sites and residents who want to grow flowers or fresh produce. Composting helps to turn food scrap and yard waste into healthy and nutritious soil that can be used to garden. However, the garden site should meet a few basic requirements, in order to host a composting system.

1. Is there enough space to work with?

2. Are there gardeners willing to contribute to the compost pile and to help maintain it?

3. Are there enough materials on site (both brown and green) to have a balanced compost pile?

4. Are there gardeners who will use the finished product?

5. What are the steps to compost?

During this course, we will discuss these questions and ensure that you are ready to start a small composting project.

Community Cider Press and Recipes Wokshop

This workshop is an invitation for attendees to bring organic apples from their own trees, you-pick orchards, or the store to be pressed into apple cider to drink and keep. The more different types of apples that are brought the more complex and unique the flavor of the batch will be. If you don’t have apples you still welcome to attend.

We will talk about recipes for warm and cold cider drinks, storage, and composting of cider mash. Please bring containers for cider (plastic gallons work good if you would like to freeze your cider) or large mason jars, Nalgene bottles, and 5 gallon buckets also work.

Teacher Bio: Dana McCoskey is a hobby organic gardener and brewer that has been pressing cider for 7 years. She grew up in Michigan near apple orchards and cider mills and thinks that cider is one of the best things about fall. Dana is also a wildlife biologist who has traveled throughout the US and abroad to study birds and other animals.

Compost Cooperative Bin Repair and Accessory Build Class

This workshop is for DPR compost managers and members who want to learn how to maintain and repair their compost bins and build compost accessories such as sifters and critter proof brown storage bins.  All supplies will be provided and you can take home whatever you build.

Teacher

Josh Singer, as the DC Parks and Recreation (DPR) Community Garden Specialist, builds community gardens, urban farms and develops urban Ag. support systems such as an urban garden education series with over 100 urban Ag. classes a year, a garden toolshare, a 4 greenhouse seedling cooperative, and a community compost cooperative network serving over a 1000 active composters.  Josh also is the co-founder and executive director of the 501c3 non-profit 3-acre garden park called Wangari Gardens, the founder of the DC Food Recovery Working Group and a co-founder of the DUGnetwork, DC’s Urban Ag and Food Security cooperative Network

Improving Urban Soils with Biosolids

Urban soils are typically very poor– lacking in nutrients, organic matter, microbial activity and good soil structure. Biosolids are the nutrient-rich materials recovered during the treatment of waste water that are carefully processed to make a soil amendment that helps address these shortcomings and build great soils for growing plants. Biosolids have been used for decades throughout the District and surrounding areas in tree plantings, soil remediation, green infrastructure, urban gardens and residential yards. Come learn more about DC Water’s biosolids program and how you can be involved in the movement for better soils.

Teacher Bio: Bill is responsible for ensuring biosolids operations and services at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (or “Water Resource Recovery Facility”) run smoothly. He also looks for new outlets for this nutrient-rich soil amendment. Previously he worked on a water and sanitation project in Kenya at the World Bank and held various engineering positions. He has a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge.

Intro to Composting with Bokashi

Join us for a workshop at Common Good City Farm to learn about Bokashi composting at a urban farm level. Bokashi composting is an anaerobic fermentation composting method that is 100% critter proof, has no greenhouse gases emitted like hot bacterial composting, and holds onto to 100% of its fertility unlike hot bacterial composting. DC Parks and Rec has launched its pilot community Bokashi program at Common Good City Farm.
http://commongoodcityfarm.org/

Teacher Bio:
Christian spent the last few years as Farm Manager at ECO City Farms, a few miles outside DC in Prince George’s County, MD. On this 1-acre urban farm (or “big garden”), the farm used organic methods, compost, and season extension tools to provide fresh vegetables, fruits, and sprouts to our 25-person CSA and farmers market. More importantly, as a non-profit educational organization, is the mission to help urban communities use agriculture to positively develop their communities.

Skill Class: Soil Ecology & Compost

Build a soil ecosystem to improve the health of your garden, your body and the world

Cost: $100

Description: Improve and restore degraded soils. If we are to understand the systems that have allowed human life to flourish, there is no more important or less understood component than the soil. In this class, you will learn how to analyze different soil conditions and build sound soil ecology to improve soil structure, root penetration, water retention, biodiversity, pest resistance, nutrient cycling and fertility. Topics covered will include:

Composting Fundamentals. Explore the spectrum of approaches to composting to fit specific site and plant needs.

Accelerated High-Nitrogen Composting. Build a compost pile designed to complete the composting process in under 1 month.

Compost Tea. Brew compost tea and learn how to apply it to supercharge beneficial microbial communities in all your growing systems.

Humanure. Observe two different composting toilet systems in action—hot and cold style composting.

Vermicompost. Create a worm composting habitat to quickly create top quality garden amendment.

Urban Waste Stream. Discuss the range of excellent free composting materials to be found in abundance in urban environments.

Location: Forested in Bowie, MD. Be sure to read how to get into the site here. Google Maps by itself will not get you here.

Qualifications: Participants should feel comfortable working outside in any weather. Some heavy lifting might be required. Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Sturdy footwear is required as well as appropriate outdoor clothing. Please bring a pair of work gloves if you have them.

Food: Snacks and drinks will be provided, but please bring lunch.

Registration: Pay below or email Lincoln to let us know you’re coming.

Work Trade: We accept the $100 class fee, 10 hours of volunteer work, or any combination of the two. Payment is prefered to help us continue to develop the forest garden. Email Lincoln to inquire about a work trade.

Groups: Bring friends and save! Select a number below for group discount price. Email Lincoln if you’d like to bring more than 4 people.