Creation is amazing! Take some fallen leaves, grass clipping, yard waste, add a little water and air and what do you get? Black gold! (otherwise known as compost). Composting is one of many ways that we can tend and keep the earth that God has entrusted to us. Check out our new compost bins located in the rear of the church near the parking lot.
Why compost?
– It helps build soil and provides nutrients for plants.
– It reduces our carbon footprint by keeping leaves and other plant material where they grew.
– It reduces waste in landfills. Studies show that food waste makes up 21% of the waste in landfills.
We have two kinds of composting at Christ Lutheran. The first is an open system made from recycled pallets. We’re asking our community to only add shredded leaves, grass clippings or chopped garden waste to these bins. We don’t want to attract rodents or other critters! By shredding leaves and chopping up garden waste the compost will “cook” more quickly. We also have a closed system, a bin made from recycled plastic with a tight fitting lid. In addition to leaves and garden material, this bin can accept fruit and vegetable scraps.
Compost is made from 4 basic elements: water, oxygen, nitrogen rich materials (greens) and carbon rich materials (browns). Any mix of greens and browns will give you compost, but a healthy pile will have a mix of about 3 parts brown to 1 part green.
Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts for your compost pile.
DO ADD:
Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds/filters, egg shells, grass clippings, shredded newspaper, shredded leaves and straw, wood chips, yard debris.
DO NOT ADD:
Meat, dairy products, oily or fatty products, animal waste, coated paper, diseased plants, plastic, glass, metal or Styrofoam.
Other kinds of composting include: vermicomposting (worm bins); bokashi composting (a fermentation process) and hugelkutur (composting in place).
If you don’t have space or time to compost at home, you can always share your food waste with the compost cab. There are dropoff locations at farmer’s markets in every ward in DC.
Talk to members of our garden team if you’d like to learn more about composting or check out these resources.
https://rodaleinstitute.org/why-organic/organic-farming-practices/composting/
https://joegardener.com/?s=compost
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
https://compostcab.com
https://rodaleinstitute.org/science/articles/vermicomposting-for-beginners/
https://bokashiliving.com
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur