Composting is a great way to reduce waste and add fertility to your garden. Tulsa Backyard Gardens has three workshops to help you develop a composting system at your home.
Worm Composting or Vermiculture
Our workshop includes a three tray worm composter, two pounds of worms, bedding and one hour of instruction.
An example of the three tray composting system.
The trays are made out of doug fir 2×6 with 1/4 inch hardware cloth.
Bedding is half composted manure and leaves. We add our kitchen scraps to the mix and make sure the bedding is moist.
Once the first tray is full we will add bedding to the second tray, then add our kitchen scraps. The worms will travel between the two trays at will.
When the second tray is full, add the third tray, when it is approximately 50% finished, all the contents of the bottom tray should be 100% worm castings. Use the casting as a side dressing or mix it with your potting mix. Worm casting are PH Neutral, high in Nitrogen, potash and phosphates. With this system you will reduce your waste and add rich castings to your garden or flower beds.
Red Wigglers
Red Wigglers are the best worms to use in your composting system. They reproduce quickly, will eat almost anything and their castings are richer than other types.
Thermal Compost Workshop
Tulsa Backyard Gardens also offers Thermal Composting Workshops that are geared to help teach people how to produce large volumes of compost using leaves, grass, manure and other plant materials around your house.
The workshop does not just tell you how to build a compost pile, but we will help you do it! We believe that people learn best by doing. In these workshops you will learn how to build a compost pile and the science behind composting.
If you need a composting bin to keep animals out or to hid your pile from the neighbors, we can build it!
This thermal pile is approximately four feet wide, four feet tall and eight feet long.
This type of composting is very labor intensive and requires some technique. With the correct balance of Carbon, Nitrogen, Water and Air the pile will reach a temperature of over 140 degrees.
This compost pile has been turned once and has been at 140 degree for over three weeks.
Container Composting Workshops
For a less labor intensive composting system, try using a compost tumbler. There are numerous varieties on the market. We can help you select the tumbler that is right for you. In this workshop we will set up your compost tumbler and teach you how to produce high quality compost in as few as two weeks.
If you are interested in any of our workshops please contact us tulsabackyardgardens@gmail.com or call (918) 527-9204
