Your Compost Might Be Pretty, But is it Alive?
What’s in your compost bin? If you’re a homesteader or backyard farmer, you may have some slowly rotting food scraps and garden litter than looks dark, and is decently fertile, but missing the diverse microscopic life that will truly boost your soil and your plants. On June 20th, Living Web Farms will host a workshop focused on teaching tips for building microbe-rich compost.
Jane Weaver of Alexander, NC, makes a job of looking at people’s farm and garden soil. Not any old look, either, but a good, hard look through a microscope. She’s looking for bacteria, amoeba, nematodes, fungi, and other critters that are normally invisible to the naked eye. Sometimes, what she sees is surprising. “Farmers bring me their soil samples to analyze under the microscope so that we can predict their fertility, and so many of them are simply barren: no bacteria, no fungi, and no predators for these organisms. But, the bacteria and fungi are the microscopic fertilizer bags for plants in the soil, and their predators are the fertilizer bag openers.” In other words, soil that looks good to the eye, and has been managed to grow food might actually be quite lifeless, and lifeless soil will not lead to thriving plants.
What is the answer? Compost: really well-made compost, full of the life that the soil needs, and that the plants need in turn. Weaver explains, “Healthy soil and compost are not only hosts to microorganisms, but they also actually ARE living organisms. The microbes are comparable to cells in the soil organism, and make nutrients available to the plants. As they work, they also support formation of proper soil structure so that levels of moisture and air are adequate for growth.” As it turns out, even people who have been making compost for many years are turning out compost that is dead of microorganisms, or rich in only one type, usually bacteria, which can be supportive of weed growth rather than healthy crops.
On June 20th, 2017, Weaver will join Living Web Farms’ Director Patryk Battle in teaching a next-level compost-building workshop. The tips and tricks shared at the event are meant to bring growers, no matter how much they know about compost, into a mindset of focusing on the microbial life in their pile. The class will also include techniques for keeping compost piles rodent-free, guidelines for what not to put in the compost pile, and participants in the class will get to take part in building a pile during class using the 10-bucket-method.
In many cases, “people are letting food scraps and yard litter slowly rot in some back corner of the lot,” says Patryk Battle, who ran a commercial composting facility before his time as a farmer. “These slow, cold piles are rat motels, and by the time the organic matter has decomposed, you may end up with something that looks dark and decent, but you’ve got a lifeless compost that could be hosting weed seeds and pathogens.” In response, tips shared in the class will be accessible, geared toward the home-scale, and thoroughly related to fostering a complete foodweb of soil microorganisms.
To register for Building Microbe-Rich, Living Compost, visit: http://livingwebfarms.org/workshops/building-microbe-rich-living-compost/
Copyright © 2017 Living Web Farms, All rights reserved.
Living Web Farms is an education and research organic farm located in Mills River, NC. With over 35 acres, four greenhouses, alternative energy innovation, pastured livestock, forest crops, and diverse vegetable production, Living Web is a leading demonstration site for effective organic farming in western NC. Living Web conducts year-round education in farming, homesteading, cooking, and sustainable living. All education conducted at the farm is archived online in a free video library, and all food produced at the farm is donated to charity, via seven North Carolina food banks. For more information, visit www.LivingWebFarms.org.
Appreciate you sharing, great blog post. Keep writing.
Really appreciate you sharing this blog.Much thanks again. Cool.
Thanks-a-mundo for the article post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool.
Muchos Gracias for your blog article.Thanks Again. Want more.
Hey, thanks for the article post.Thanks Again. Cool.
Really enjoyed this blog article.Really thank you! Want more.
Thanks a lot for the article.Thanks Again.
Looking forward to reading more. Great article.Much thanks again. Cool.
I value the blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.
Very informative blog article.Really thank you! Really Cool.
I loved your article post.Much thanks again. Really Cool.
Say, you got a nice post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Hello, the whole thing is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing data, that’s actually fine, keep up writing.
Thanks a lot for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.
Major thanks for the blog article.Thanks Again. Cool.
I really enjoy the post.Really thank you! Want more.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic blog article.Much thanks again.
Major thanks for the blog article.Thanks Again. Awesome.
Awesome article post.Really looking forward to read more.
Thanks for the article.Thanks Again. Want more.
Awesome blog post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
I loved your article post. Cool.
Say, you got a nice article post.Thanks Again. Really Great.
Looking forward to reading more. Great blog post.Much thanks again. Much obliged.
I really enjoy the blog post.Really thank you! Cool.
I really liked your blog article.Really thank you! Much obliged.
I think this is a real great blog.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
Thanks so much for the article.Really thank you! Want more.
Im thankful for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more.
I loved your article post.
Really enjoyed this article post.Really looking forward to read more. Cool.
Say, you got a nice article. Really Great.
Enjoyed every bit of your article post.Thanks Again. Really Cool.
Really enjoyed this post.Thanks Again. Really Great.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic article.Really looking forward to read more.
I am so grateful for your blog.Really thank you! Awesome.
Thanks so much for the blog article.Thanks Again. Will read on…
Thank you for your blog.Really thank you! Fantastic.
I truly appreciate this blog article.Much thanks again. Great.
Enjoyed every bit of your blog.Thanks Again. Keep writing.
Im grateful for the blog article. Will read on…
I really like and appreciate your blog post. Really Great.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic blog post. Really Great.
I cannot thank you enough for the blog post. Much obliged.
Say, you got a nice blog article.Really thank you! Will read on…
I appreciate you sharing this article.Really thank you! Will read on…
Thanks-a-mundo for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
I really liked your blog article. Really Cool.
wow, awesome blog article.Really thank you! Awesome.
Thanks a lot for the blog article.Really thank you! Really Cool.
I truly appreciate this blog article.Thanks Again. Want more.
Great, thanks for sharing this blog. Keep writing.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.
I really like and appreciate your blog post.Thanks Again. Much obliged.
wow, awesome blog. Want more.
A big thank you for your blog article.
I really like and appreciate your blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
I truly appreciate this blog article. Want more.
I am so grateful for your post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Thanks again for the blog.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.