Thursday, August 16, 2018

Becoming a ‘Text-Book’ Composter!


Guest blogger Angela Rivera

As summer comes to an end, it’s time to snuggle up with a composting book to prepare for your next garden season. All three of these books are available at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Worms Eat My Garbage; How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System by Mary Appelhof (2017)


You have seen it on the blog many times, but still haven’t started a worm bin yet? Well, everything you need to know about vermicomposting is found in this book. Learn all about your new friends (the Red Wigglers), how to maintain and troubleshoot with your worm bin, and how vermicomposting has the potential to transform communities to be zero waste in their own homes. Are you an educator? Check out Appelhof’s classroom activities book about integrating vermicomposting in your classroom.

Let it Rot! The Gardener’s Guide to Composting by Stu Campbell (1998)



Unlike some composting books, Campbell’s guide goes beyond the “how to’s” and teaches its readers more about the science behind composting. Don’t fret, this isn’t a college textbook, but a useful and relatable  guide for anyone who is interested in composting. I found it most interesting when Campbell describes some of the things that you can compost which I never thought of before, including leather dust and seaweed. Check this book out from your local library to find out more.

The Complete Compost Gardening Guide by Barbara Pleasant & Deborah Martin (2008)



Each of us compost stewards need our go-to composting book, this one could be yours! With a focus on various methods of composting, this will give you a lot of ideas of how you can create and use compost. The colorful graphics and photography caught by eye when choosing a book to read. Also, the book provides a gardening guide in the back, sharing how to use compost when growing various vegetables, fruit, and flowers.

Did we miss your favorite composting book? Leave the title and author’s name in the comments.

Friday, August 3, 2018

Three Ways to Compost at Schools


Guest Blogger Cher Mohring

Thinking of composting at school? Well you have options:  

1. Compost Onsite
Onsite outdoor composting is probably the easiest and least expensive option. Now when I say “easy”, I don’t mean totally maintenance free. You will need to turn the compost, make sure you have a good balance of carbon and nitrogen rich material, monitor for moisture, and most importantly teach your students and staff what should (plant based material) and should not (animal products and oily food) be composted. 

My advice to any school wanting to compost onsite is to think of it as a teaching tool and not a waste reduction activity. Start small by just collecting fruit and vegetable scraps from one grade; or garden trimmings, leaves and coffee grounds. You can always increase collection if everything is going fantastic. Check with your local government on zoning restrictions, keep it away from streams and storm drains, and make sure it does not exceed 300 square feet.

Compost Kids Field Trip at the Civic Garden Center

2. Vermicomposting (with worms!)
Vermicomposting uses special worms in a container to compost fruit and vegetable scraps. Some of the advantages are that you can actively compost year round, vermicompost is superior to just about any other compost, you can use the vermicomposting system for all kinds of experiments, and you have enough class pets for each student to name one (good luck telling them apart). Some challenges are that you need to buy worms to get started, you need to separate the finished compost from the worms when you harvest, the finished compost should be used inside, and if not managed properly you could get fruit flies.

Learning about worms is fun


3. Offsite Composting
Having organics hauled away to a commercial composting facility diverts the most material from the landfill because you are not limited by space and you can usually include animal products (meat and dairy). Before you get too excited, I feel obligated to tell you that there are limited commercial composting facilities in Southwest Ohio right now, so it will likely cost you more to have the material hauled away for composting than landfilling it.   

Whatever option you choose, be sure to educate your students about composting. If your school is in Hamilton County, Ohio, consider one of our classroom program or Compost Kid’s field trips.

We Are Here to Help
Before you get started, check out our Composting at School web page . Email or call (513-946-7737) Cher Mohring for important information about local regulations and assistance starting composting at your school.


Compost Science