Composting
Turning Waste Into Black Gold
Do you want an all-natural fertilizer for your garden?
Do you want to spend almost nothing on fertilizer?
Do you want a balanced fertilizer that's easy to use?
By composting your kitchen waste and livestock
manure, you can turn trash into treasure and fertilize your garden for next to nothing.
Compost is the only fertilizer that I use in my garden. It's simple to make and use, and it costs nothing other than your time and the tools that you use, which you probably already have on hand.
If you've heard that composting is complicated, then this is the class for you. Forget about browns and greens and carbon and nitrogen. The bottom line is stuff rots! It's all a matter of time.
We will talk about ...
- benefits of composting
- the difference between hot and cold composting
- the difference between traditional composting and vermicomposting
- why you might want to use one or the other
- when and how you can use fresh livestock or poultry manure in your garden
- how to compost so that it is not stinky and does not attract flies or wild animals
- what you can compost -- or not
- should you use piles or buy a bin
- how to build a worm bin for cheap or free
- what to use for worm bedding
- what to feed worms -- or not
- how to make compost tea and vermicompost tea
Your Instructor
In 2002, Deborah and her family moved to 32 acres on a creek in the middle of nowhere to grow their own food organically. With the help of goats, sheep, pigs, and poultry, they produce 100% of their meat, eggs, and dairy products, as well as a large percentage of their vegetables, fruit, and herbs. They sold chickens and turkeys for more than 10 years, and are currently a licensed egg producer in Illinois and sell eggs to a grocery store and through a CSA.
Deborah is the author of six books, including Homegrown and Handmade, Ecothrifty, and Raising Goats Naturally, as well as her latest book, Goats Giving Birth. She also teaches sustainable agriculture courses online for the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. She has been teaching Raising Dairy Goats Sustainably since 2013 and Pastured Poultry since 2015.
In 2022, Deborah got certified as a FAMACHA instructor so that she and her students could feel confident that she was providing the most up-to-date information on parasite research and management.