Session Information
Workshop:
Gardening Workshop
Title:
Preparing and Using Organic Fertilizer and Compost
Suggested
COTE
Placement
This 4 hour session and also be part of the full gardening workshop.
Objectives:
1. Participants can prepare fertilizer (compost) from locally available organic materials.
2. Participants can list the benefits of compost and natural fertilizers for home
gardening
3. Participants can list the materials needed to initiate composting and home and school
gardening projects.
4. Participants can identify and make connections and or tie-ins between composting and
formal education curriculum such as solid waste management.
Materials
Garden Shovel, Garden Rake, Pickax, Machete (colin style) (1 of each for every 3
participants) At least one wooden stake or post of approximately 6 feet long by 2 inches
in diameter.
Raw materials for compost: Animal manures, Organic household garbage, Cut greens,
Dried straw (bean straw, caña, cut grasses etc.)
Prepared compost to add to planted beds and around vegetables or fruit trees.
Soap for cleanup, First aid kit.
Logistics:
Area where compost pile is to be constructed should be previously chosen. There must
be an available water source near the compost pile.
Session Outline
and Timeline:
Introduction - Objectives
Locating and Preparing a Composting site
Making a Compost Pile
Break
Making a Compost Pile Continued
Application of Composts
Break
Alternate Organic Fertilizers
Description of:
Activity /
Introduction / Motivation
Technical trainer or facilitator introduces the above stated goals of the session.
ENTRENA, S.A.,
5 Minutes
0.25 hours
1.0 hour
0.5 hours
1.0 hour
0.50 hours
10 Minutes
0.50 hours
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Presentation
PCTs should be aware composting is not just limited to gardening and can be used in
urban areas as well. Curriculum tie-ins can include natural sciences, physics, health and
solid waste management, etc.
Information
1. Why Compost – Discuss and review benefits of composting including the reduction
of solid wastes, re-cycling of nutrients, building of soil and meeting plant nutrition
needs.
2. How to make a compost pile.
3. Maintaining and Protecting the Compost: Participants will protect the bed from
excess exposure to sunlight, rainfall and small animals.
4. How and when to apply compost.
5. Cleanup and tool Storage: Tools should be cleaned for storage.
6. Personal Safety and Health: Trainees should also be instructed to wash their hands
thoroughly with soap and water. Pathogens in raw materials can cause infections.
7. Green manures and cover crops.
Choosing a Composting Site: Almost any location can serve as a composting site,
including urban areas. However, if given options it is best to look for a site with the
following conditions:
 Accessible water source. (Most important consideration)
 Can be protected from animals (chickens, goats etc.)
 Close to sources of raw materials.
 Close to school (Allows the garden to be included into curriculum with a
minimum of classroom disruption.
 Partial Shade – Compost will require less water if located under partial
shade.
Preparing the Composting Area: Participants clear the area (usually 1 meter by 1
meter) of weeds and debris. Loosen the soil in the cleared area with a pick or shovel to
facilitate entry of soil organisms to enter the compost pile. Reserve some top soil to add
to the middle of the pile if you do not have animal manure as a composting raw material.
Tools for Composting
Shovel is the only critical item. Also useful are picks, pitchforks and machetes.
Raw Materials for Composting
Successful composting needs 4 things:
1. Organic Materials (manure, paper, food scraps, etc
2. Soil Bacteria that fuel the decomposition process
3. Moisture (water)
4. Oxygen
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How you put together and manage your compost pile is all in relation to these four
components of composting.
1. Organic Materials: It is best to use locally available materials. Different materials
provide different benefits. The make up and percentage of your composting materials is
all in relation to what can classified as:
wet vs dry
sometimes composters will refer to wet materials as “green”. In general these terms refer
to the amount of moisture within the material itself as opposed to color or external
moisture. It also refers to the type of green matter. Some plants are more fiberous than
others and as such would not necessarily be considered “green or wet”. Green material
are also materials that break down rather quickly or have rich nitrogen contents:
Green materials



Animal manures are rich in nitrogen and for starting the break down process. Stay
away from cat and dog manures as they can bring pathogens.
Fresh or green plant material (weeds from the garden, grass trimmings, garden
wastes.) are quick starters to begin break down process.
Kitchen garbage - Good way to recycle organic materials, reduce pressure on
land fills and urban waste disposal systems. Must be organic (paper, kitchen
scraps, etc.) Do not use bathroom waste paper because of risk of pathogens.
Dry materials
 Dry plant material (straw, rice hulls, corn stalks) provide bulk for improving
structure. They break down more slowly than green materials.
 Paper and cardboard products. ( be carefull will papers with a lot of colored inks
that could concentrate heavy metals in your compost.)
 Wood, woodchips, sawdust. Keep in mind that bulkier or dense materials not
break down rapidly.
Other good composting materials
 Ashes - Good source of potassium.
 Egg shells, feathers, hair – Good sources of calcium.
2. Soil Bacteria that fuel the decomposition process: These are naturally present in all
top soil as well as most manures. To insure sufficient amount in your compost pile,
include several layers of manure or add a shovel or two of top soil to each layer of
your compost.
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3. Moisture - This soil bacteria need moisture to live and function. Based upon the
types of materials you add to your compost pile, be prepared to add water with a hose
or watering can. How wet should you make it? When training this for farmers, I pull
out a bandana and make soak it until it’s dripping wet and pass it around. Then I ring
it out thoroughly and pass it around again. This would be proper moisture content in
most cases, damp not dripping. (The physical aspect of the demonstration, uses feel
to aid memory retention)
4. Oxygen - Remember that the soil bacteria are living, breathing organisms. This is
why we do not stamp down our piles and use aerators such as sticks and tubes to get
oxygen to the middle.
Preparing the Compost Pile: Participants to prepare.
1. Start at cleared spot. Add a layer of dry materials 2-4 inches deep. Lightly
moisten these materials with a hose or water can until damp but not dripping.
2. Add another level of a different material such as manure. If manure is dry,
moisten as in step one.
3. Continue to add levels of materials alternating green /wet materials with dry
ones.
4. When the pile is about 3 feet high insert the stake vertically into the center of
the pile. This is to allow for aeration of the pile. Continue to build pile until
you have reached a desired height. 5 to 6 feet is still very workable.
5. Warn participants to keep the pile loose. Do not tap down in order to insure
availability of air.
6. Add thin layers of top soil (1-2 inches) every 2 vertical feet or so. This insures
that there are soil microbes available to start the decomposition process
At the beginning or in the process of this session, you may find it necessary to explain to
the participants the correct usage of gardening tools for maximum work benefit as well as
to avoid blistering etc.
Maintaining and Protecting the Compost Pile: After the compost pile is completed you
may want to lightly cover with newsprint, cardboard boxes or a plastic tarp for the first
few days. This is to keep chickens away. Chickens are often attracted to the manures and
kitchen garbage and can scatter the pile. You may also want to cover it if is very rainy to
keep it from becoming waterlogged which will stop the decomposition process.
Assign participants in groups of one or two to check the compost pile every three to 4
days. They can pull the center stake to feel for heat which indicates that the
decomposition process has started.
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Applying Compost: Using the previously prepared compost, have all participants apply
compost to garden beds and fruit trees. Explain the benefits that compost has for the soil
in terms of structure, water retention, soil health and presence of microorganisms.
At this point you can also make references to plant health using existing garden plants
and trees which show deficiencies or stress and how compost and fertilization can
improve overall plant health and yield. When you think and plan for the fertilization of
your garden, fruit trees or field crops, remember this golden rule:
“Feed your soil and let your soil feed your plants!.”
Cleanup and tool Storage: Tools should be cleaned for storage, removing soil or plant
debris. Some tools made need sharpening. Although not a part of the session, this can be
an excellent opportunity for application/practice. Each participant can take one tool home
to be sharpened with their host family. Many rural farm families are very practiced at
sharpening gardening tools.
Personal Safety and Health: Trainees should also be instructed to wash their hands
thoroughly with soap and water. Pathogens in the raw materials or the soil can cause
infections. Talk about why gardening should be done with closed shoes or preferable
boots and the importance of having plenty of drinking water available.
Additional Organic Fertilization methods: If time and interest allows, use the final
portion of this workshop to point out additional options for organic fertilization.

Manure Teas - Have participants make a simple manure tea and explain some
it’s uses.

Green Manures - Using the plants around the demonstration farm, indicate
plants that can be grown in and around the garden that can be used as a
fertilization source such as nitrogen fixing plants and cover crops.
Participation / Practice
All of the steps above from #2 to #6 are hands-on activities performed by the participants.
Process
Generalization: At the end of the workshop, have participants summarize the steps
for making a compost pile and list the benefits of composting.
Reflection: If participants have already visited local schools, have them discuss
opportunities and limitations for this activity with local schools as an non-formal
educational activity
Application: During extended CBT periods, participants are required to make a home
compost pile with their host families as an extension / demonstration activity. Tools
should be available to do this activity.
Evaluation: Evaluation of this session is made by the technical trainer as he observes the
participation in the actual work throughout the session. Feedback on techniques can be
given at the moment. Feedback on motivation can be given during interviews. All
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participants will be assigned a day to visit and monitor the completed compost pile to see
if it is heating up. Heat buildup is an indicator of success when making compost.
Additional Notes/
All participants should be given a copy of the gardening manual prior to the start of this
Recommendations: Workshop. This manual includes several articles and references for composting.
Advise participants to wear closed shoes prior to the start of the session.
If this workshop is conducted in La Pita, Jarabacoa, set aside 30 minutes to demonstrate
the local worm composting facility located in the community nursery.
Experience with composting is often found within the training group and can be used as
lead or co-facilitators for this session which contributes to participant control and
satisfaction during technical training.
Among the educational tie-ins that can be integrated into this session is the
making bag compost for home use as well as preparing a clear plastic bottle model of a
compost pile that demonstrates the structure and components of compost piles. One of
these activities can be done in schools. If materials are prepared ahead of time at least
one of these activities can be demonstrated while the participants are on their first
extended break (30 Minutes) of this session.
Sources:
ENTRENA, S.A.,
Prepared by T. Kiefer, Entrena S.A. March. 2008
PST Training Binder: Gardening Sections 4 and 5
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