The Compost Cable
UConn Master Composter News & Information - September 16, 2011
RAMBLINGS
Well I hope that everyone made it through Irene and the following deluge last Thursday without
too many horror stories. Personally I can’t complain as we did not lose power and the only tree
that fell in our yard landed right between the 3-bin composter and the chicken coop and did not
damage either one! Our yard is still on the soggy side, which it has been for most of the summer,
and while we did get some decent harvests, a lot of plants were stunted and nutrient deprived
because their roots just keep getting to wet. I am hoping for a somewhat drier fall but who knows
what’s in store weatherwise.
Because my vegetable garden beds are in a low-lying area in the yard with a high water table, I
try to get them cleaned up and prepared for spring in the fall. This may involve soil testing,
adding some potassium in the form of greensand or kelp meal, and sometimes a thin layer of
compost. These I just scratch into the top of the soil and then the beds get covered with a few
inches of grass clippings and leaves that we pick up the last few grass mowings. Come spring, I
can just move aside some of the organic mulch and set in transplants and seeds.
We have received a number of soils at the lab this summer with pictures of small, sad-looking
plants. In almost all cases, the nutrients were really high and so was the soil organic matter.
Basically what was happening is that with all the rain we received, the heavily amended soils
acted like giant sponges and all the pore spaces were filled with water and the oxygen was pretty
much squeezed out. Since plants need oxygen to take up water and there was very little air in the
soil because there was so much water, the plants were unable to take up the soil water, along
with the nutrients dissolved in that water, so plants were stressed, undersized and production was
low. Some plants just rotted in place. The bottom line is that we need to monitor our organic
matter content and, depending on the crop, keep it between 4 and 8 percent. Succulents and some
other plants that like excellent drainage and low fertility and low organic matter, of course,
would not be included in this category.
Actually, I just read an article about a program the U.S. Composting Council
(www.compostingcouncil.org) launched called “Strive for 5%’ which is encouraging retail
consumers as well as landscapers to learn about the benefits of organic matter and aim for levels
of around 5% in the soil. They are promoting compost with the Council’s Seal of Testing
Assurance (STA) to increase the percent organic matter where necessary. We will probably all
be seeing something about this public outreach campaign to use compost to increase organic
matter in our horticultural magazines or on-line sources in the near future.
KUDOS
**Barbara Meyers shared some pictures of her efforts to initiate a composting program at the
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury. She oversaw the construction of a wire bin
along with signage, gave some composting lessons to parish children and wrote an article for the
church newsletter to encourage composting on church grounds.
Here’s Barbara showing some eager students different types of compost.
**Anne McDonnell and Aileen Magda staffed the Master Composter section of the UConn
Master Gardener booth at the CAES Plant Science Day on August 13, 2011 at Lockwood Farm.
They discussed composting with at least 60 attendees.
**According to Sandi Wilson, the Bethel Extension Master Gardener Coordinator, the Bethel
Gardening Fair was a success even though the rains did put a damper on the day. Our UConn
Master Composter volunteers were Deb Brownell, Fran Litwin, Barbara Myers, Florie Riccuiti,
Bill Sturman, Rosemary Volpe and Bob Wojciechowski.
Rosemary and Bill organizing
Florie talking to a participant
the composting table at the Fair about vermicomposting
Barbara & Rosemary – view of 2
tables with compost bin in
background
Pictures sent by Barbara Myers
Sandi was most appreciative of all the Master Composter’s and Master Gardener’s efforts!
Again, if I missed anyone, I apologize. I know that some others have done great outreach
activities – please send me in your reports!!! Modesty is not necessary!
WORM BIN WORKSHOP
We had fun at the Master Composter Worm Bin Workshop and Pot Luck Dinner held August 11,
2011 in Haddam. While we did not have a large crowd, we had plenty of good food and enough
worms to make 5 worm bins. Worms were provided by Carol Quish, Charlie Tefft and a friend
of mine. Billy Baxter brought a drill to make holes in the plastic bins for drainage. Florie brought
some outreach materials including a very nice poster which was used at the Bethel Garden Fair
and we were also joined by several people who had not taken the Master Composter class but
heard about our workshop and wanted to make their own worm bins.
Charles Tefft, Master Composter Extraordinare!
I did not get a table runner with ‘UConn Master Composter’ written on it because so far the
cheapest price I found was about $175. I was thinking that maybe (in my free time) I could make
one with iron on letters if I can find and iron on UConn oakleaf symbol. If anyone wants to
follow up on this, I won’t mind.
I had gotten several calls about whether we planned to hold another worm bin building workshop
in other parts of the state and this might be a fun workshop to hold whenever someone’s bin
needs dividing. So Composters if you feel the urge to divide your worms and share, let me know
and I can set something up.
FYI: NEXT MASTER COMPOSTER CLASS WILL BE HELD IN
NORWICH IN JUNE, 2012
NEED A FEW MORE MASTER COMPOSTER
VOLUNTEERS FOR SEPT 24 & OCT 1&2
FALL COMPOST & GARDEN FAIR
Myself, Susan Munger, and Vickie Wallace (both from Norwich) are still planning on holding a
Fall Compost and Garden Fair at the New London Extension Center in Norwich on Saturday
September 24, 2011 from 10:30 am until 1:30 pm. (Go to www.ladybug.uconn.edu for a flyer
with more information.) So far Master Composter Charlie Tefft has volunteered to present a
short workshop on Vermicomposting, Billy Baxter and Justin Avery will be putting together a 3bin composter for the Extension Center with Florie and myself as commentators. Billy is
purchasing the materials needed and will maybe do some pre-construction work so set up can be
done in a timely fashion. We had announced that the compost bin building session would be at
12:30.
As far as volunteers go, it would be great if I have one or two more people that would not mind
giving a brief 15 to 20 minute informal discussion on basic composting and also be around to
answer composting questions. I’ll be there to assist to as needed and am making some ‘UConn
Compost Tea Bags’ and have finished rewriting basic composting fact sheet and had someone
develop a trifold basic compost brochure. Florie had come up with a vermicomposting brochure
which I will print out and bring also as well as a few other handouts. She also made a great
educational poster which we are hoping to have brought up from Bethel to use at this event.
The Master Gardeners will be there to answer plant questions, perform free soil pH tests and also
will be holding a plant sale. We plan on having an invasive plant walk and ID around the
property and also discussion about the rain garden.
We had wanted to create a composter garden with a palette bin and a drum bin and maybe
another type of bin right next to the back door. The garden is already there. It just needs to be
weeded and some of the plants moved. I think the recent bad weather and power outages had
changed people’s plans so I am not sure if this can or will get done but we can work on it before
the next Master Composter class.
We were also planning on offering free soil pH testing and may have a recycle your plastic pots
collection bin as well.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR AUDUBON
GREENWICH HAWKWATCH WEEKEND &
GREEN BAZAAR, OCT 1-2, 11 am – 5 pm
A few folks were looking for volunteer opportunities that would not involve a lot of organization
on their part. Well here is your chance! I thought this would be an easy opportunity to earn
outreach credits.
Audubon is willing to give us a table (at a very low cost) and 2 chairs and I need volunteers to
staff the table. So far Justin and Jean have expressed interest in volunteering on Saturday. I
would need at least 2 more people for Sunday. If several more people volunteered we could have
shorter shifts. This venue is a bit too far for me to attend and I am working both days the
previous weekend. I am really hoping that some of you will take advantage of this opportunity to
get the word out on composting. I can make handouts and mail them to you or you could make
copies of items at the Bethel Extension office or possibly at the Bartlett in Stamford. It is rain or
shine and the table is outside so we might need a contingency plan.
Please let me know if I have volunteers so I can keep the folks at Audubon informed.
Several of you have come up with excellent written materials which I was going to somehow
make available to others who needed handouts or web-based materials but I have not had time to
do that yet and will try to get the UConn indicia and equal opportunity statements on them before
I send out the next newsletter. In the mean time, the fact sheets on backyard composting,
compost tea, design for a basic compost bin, and a simple composting brochure are on the soil
lab’s website, www.soiltest.uconn.edu under fact sheets. I will put the vermicomposting up as
soon as the communications folks put the UConn id items on it.
We need to start thinking about a Master Composter Graduation Date – maybe mid-November.
Let me know your thoughts.
Hope to see some of you next Saturday in Norwich. Good Composting To You!
Dawn