The presentation provides information about composting. Ellen Book, a Master Gardener with UF/IFAS Extension in Miami-Dade County, gives a lecture on composting 101. The chat box will open at the end for questions. Various composting methods are discussed including tumbler bins, sheet composting, and vermicomposting with worms. Active management through turning, aeration, and maintaining the proper carbon to nitrogen ratio can accelerate the composting process.

1. The presentation
will begin
shortly…
Welcome!

2. COMPOSTING
101
Ellen Book,
UF/IFAS Extension
Miami-Dade County
Master Gardener
Link to slide presentation:
https://TINYURL.com/GREENBROWNMIX
The chat box
will open at the
end of the
lecture for a
Q&A session.

3. Ellen Book, Branch Manager Pinecrest Branch Library
booke@mdpls.org www.mdpls.org

4. So first.
A few
features….

5. Choose your library card!

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15. 0

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albums

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34. Help create PLARN balls
Recycle bags into mats
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Mats for the homeless

36. Now about some upcoming programs & services…

38. Genealogy Society of Greater Miami
Certain Saturdays at 3pm

40. HYBRID
PROGRAM
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Book Club
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41. 2nd & 3rd
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AVI THE POODLE
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CANINE ASSISTANCE READING
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45. TODDLER STORYTIMES
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47. Painting Together

48. Wednesday,
October 26, 2022
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Telephone
Pinecrest Library
for an appointment.
www.GatherGoGet.com

50. JOURNALING FOR
WELLNESS 5-PART
WORKSHOP SERIES

54. COMPOSTING
101
Ellen Book,
Master Gardener
UF/IFAS Extension
Miami-Dade County
Master Gardener
Link to slide presentation:
https://TINYURL.com/GREENBROWNMIX
The chat box
will open at the
end of the
lecture for a
Q&A session.

59. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/miami-dade/
SAT., AUG 13, 2022
Responsible Gardening Workshops: Gardening in Zone 10
When: Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 9:30 AM - 11 AM
Where: Thalatta Estate Park, 17301 Old Cutler Road
SAT., AUG 13, 2022
Water Issues in our Landscapes, Gardens, and Parks
When: Saturday, August 13, 2022 @ 10:30 AM
Where: Miami Beach Botanical Garden

60. Sun, Aug 13, 2022 @
10:30am

61. Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences - IFAS
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/miami-dade/

64. Everyday Information Source

65. Everyday Information Source

66. Everyday Information Source

67. Gardening Solutions

68. https://tinyurl.com/MiamiVeggies

69. https://tinyurl.com/WhenToPlant

70. https://tinyurl.com/MonthlyPlanting

71. https://tinyurl.com/FLVeggieGarden

72. Was NOT me

73. Kitchen food scraps. Photo: Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS

74. Too much
too wet
too long…
Anaerobic bacteria
kills worms
UF/IFAS

76. A Tumbler Bin Composter
UF/IFAS

77. https://tinyurl.com/42wbx2t8

81. Fill out the evaluation
at the end of the
program for a voucher
80-gallon capacity
Size:
32” diameter X 32” tall

82. Sheet Composting Top-dressing on
the soil surface like a garden lasagna
right onto a future growing space.
Trench Composting - composting
directly in the soil
Cold Bin Composting Fill your
compost bin halfway with browns and
bury kitchen scraps
Bokashi Bucket anaerobic bacteria
(grass-like inoculated bran, rice, dried
leaves sprinkled over scraps). 10
days to ferment & “pickle” waste,
forming an acidic organic matter that
must be dug into the soil or added to
a compost pile.
TYPES OF COMPOSTING

84. .

86. GREENs = nitroGen
BROWNs = carBon
NitroGen = Protein
CarBon = Energy
From: https://small-farm-permaculture-and-
sustainable-living.com/how-build-compost-pile/

87. What materials are good for composting?

90. Citrus
green/nitrogen
cut in half or quarter before composting
mix with browns &
add a 6-inch layer of browns on top

91. WWW.TINYURL.COM/
CANICOMPOSTIT?
Material Can I Compost? Comment
Banana skins Yes
Bird cage "waste" Yes
Bone meal Yes
Bread Yes
Cereal Yes
Citrus (e.g., oranges,
grapefruit, lemons, tangerines)
Yes
Green/nitrogen - must cut in
half or quarter before
composting; mix with browns
& add 6-inch layer of browns
on top
Coffee grounds (with paper
filter)
Yes Green/nitrogen
Corn cobs Yes
Cornmeal Yes
Cottonseed meal Yes
Crop waste Yes
Egg shells Yes Adds calcium

93. BROWNS ON THE BOTTOM & TOP ARE

96. Attribution to: KidsGardening: A Kids’ Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt by Kevin Raftery

99. Photo www.bobvila.com

100. From : https://www.emnz.com/article/microbial-imbalances-in-the-soil

101. “The secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing –
and the key to our planet’s future : Don’t dismiss soil:
its unknowable wonders could ensure the survival of our
species”
by George Monbiot in The Guardian, 5/7/2022
I

107. AS PILE TEMPERATURES  & 
TIME IS NEEDED FOR VARIOUS
MICROORGANISMS TO COLONIZE

108. Left: (1 year old) Last year’s material all garden stuff, grass & leaves,
kitchen: banana peels veg. trimmings from the pile’s top.
Middle: (2 years old) bottom of this year’s pile put into bags
Right: (3 years old) Finished product from the bags to be used in the
garden & greenhouse this year
GUESS WHERE THIS
COMPOST WAS MADE?

110. Smaller surface areas
decompose faster

112. Attribution to: KidsGardening: A Kids’ Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt by Kevin Raftery

113. Compost
bin
cutaway

114. Aeration
keeps
microbes
alive.
Anerobic
microbes
STINK!

115. Compost Crank
Compost Aerator

117. The free compost bins have
trapdoors at the bottom to access
the compost which may need to be
further cured/finished at a lower
temperature.

118. Check for moisture when
turning the compost.
The consistency should
feel like a wrung-out sponge.
UF/IFAS

119. Smaller bits
decompose
faster
BIGGER
pieces need
more time

120. Unfinished compost
may stress plants, causing
yellowing or stalling growth

121. Heat cooks most weeds.
For hot composting turn when pile
temperature drops below 100°F or
if the pile is more than 150°F

122. HEALTHY VEGGIES AND PLANTS START WITH
HEALTHY SOIL!
UF/IFAS Leon County Extension

124. NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT…

125. Vermi-Composting Definitions
• Vermiculture – Work farming process of
culturing worms to decompose organic food
waste, turning it into nutrient rich material
• Casting – Worm waste, digested food
• Omnivores – Animals that eat plants and
animals
• Hermaphrodites – Animals with male and
female sex organs.
http://clipart-library.com/

126. Red Wigglers

127. Contains
• 5Xs the available nitrogen
• 7Xs the available potash
• 50% more calcium
than 6” of good top soil
• Water soluble nutrient immediately available for
plant intake.
Will not burn root system
unlike fresh raw manures
Red Wigglers
UF/IFAS

129. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/saras
ota/natural-resources/waste-
reduction/composting/quizfa
q/
COMPOST QUIZ
!

130. 1) I'm having problems with
my compost system and I'm not
sure of the cause. What should
I do first?
a. Add water
b. Add browns/carbon rich
material
c. Turn the compost

131. 1) I'm having problems with
my compost system and I'm not
sure of the cause. What should
I do first?
a. Add water
b. Add browns/carbon rich
material
c. Turn the compost

132. 2) My compost smells bad and
I turned it yesterday. What can I
do?
a. Add bulky browns/carbon-rich
material
b. Add greens/nitrogen-rich
material
c. Add water

133. 2) My compost smells bad and
I turned it yesterday. What can I
do?
a. Add bulky browns/carbon-rich
material
b. Add greens/nitrogen-rich
material
c. Add water

134. 3) My pile won't heat up, but I have
the proper volume of material
(approximately 1 cubic yard), enough
oxygen (aeration), and a good balance
of carbon to nitrogen (approximately
30:1). What can I do?
a. Add lime
b. Add moisture
c. Add potting soil
d. Add clean wood ash
e. All of the above

135. 3) My pile won't heat up, but I have
the proper volume of material
(approximately 1 cubic yard),
enough oxygen (aeration), and a
good balance of carbon to
nitrogen (approximately 30:1).
What can I do?
b. Add moisture

136. 4) What can I do about flies in my
compost?
a. Spray with pesticide
b. Create a separate pile for kitchen
scraps
c. No need to act

137. 4) What can I do about flies in
my compost?
a. Spray with pesticide
b. Create a separate pile for
kitchen scraps
c. No need to act

138. 5) How can I compost in my
high-rise condominium or
apartment?
a. With a compost bin
b. With worms
c. With the in-sink disposal

139. 5) How can I compost in my
high-rise condominium or
apartment?
a. With a compost bin
b. With worms
c. With the in-sink disposal

140. 6) What is the optimal size of a
composting system?
a. The bigger, the better
b. Long and narrow
c. About 3 feet high by 3 feet long
by 3 feet wide

141. 6) What is the optimal size of a
composting system?
a. The bigger, the better
b. Long and narrow
c. About 3 feet high by 3 feet long
by 3 feet wide

142. 7) What can be used as a catalyst or
inoculant to get my compost pile
started?
a. Finished compost
b. Large pieces left over from screening
compost
c. Small amount of organic top soil from
the yard
d. Commercially prepared inoculant
e. All of the above

143. 7) What can be used as a catalyst or
inoculant to get my compost pile
started?
a. Finished compost
b. Large pieces left over from screening
compost
c. Small amount of organic top soil from
the yard
d. Commercially prepared inoculant
e. All of the above

144. 8) How do I get rid of fire ants
in my compost pile?
a. Leave the pile alone
b. Water and turn the pile
c. Spray the pile with pesticide

145. 8) How do I get rid of fire ants
in my compost pile?
a. Leave the pile alone
b. Water and turn the pile
c. Spray the pile with pesticide

146. 9) When is the compost
finished?
a. After 6-8 weeks
b. When the compost appears dark,
crumbly, and looks and smells like
soil
c. When the pile temperature
exceeds 131 degrees F

147. 9) When is the compost
finished?
a. After 6-8 weeks
b. When the compost appears dark,
crumbly, and looks and smells like
soil
c. When the pile temperature
exceeds 131 degrees F

148. 10) What determines how long it takes for
organic material to become useful
compost?
a. Size of materials place into composting
system
b. Carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of materials
place into composting system
c. Level of management/attention paid to the
composting process
d. Intended use for finished compost
e. All of the above

149. 10) What determines how long it takes for
organic material to become useful
compost?
a. Size of materials place into composting
system
b. Carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of materials
place into composting system
c. Level of management/attention paid to the
composting process
d. Intended use for finished compost
e. All of the above

150. 11) Must I cover the compost bin?
a. Yes
b. No

151. 11) Must I cover the compost bin?
a. Yes
b. No

152. 12) What items may harm my worms if
added to my vermi-composting system?
a. Alcohol or vinegar
b. Coffee grinds
c. Oranges or other citrus
d. All of the above

153. 12) What items may harm my worms if
added to my vermi-composting system?
a. Alcohol or vinegar
b. Coffee grinds
c. Oranges or other citrus
d. All of the above

154. 13) It I can't compost it, what can I do with
it?
a. Reduce
b. Reuse
c. Recycle
d. All of the above

155. 13) It I can't compost it, what can I do with
it?
a. Reduce
b. Reuse
c. Recycle
d. All of the above

156. 14) Must I use a manufactured composting
bin?
a. Yes
b. No

157. 14) Must I use a manufactured composting
bin?
a. Yes
b. No

158. 15) What is the lowest-cost backyard
composting system?
a. Pile, trench, and sheet composting
b. Manufactured bins
c. Self-made bins

159. 15) What is the lowest-cost backyard
composting system?
a. Pile, trench, and sheet composting
b. Manufactured bins
c. Self-made bins

160. 16) What best accelerates the
decomposition of oak leaves?
a. Water the pile
b. Turn the pile twice a week
c. Shred leaves before adding to the compost
d. All of the above

161. 16) What best accelerates the
decomposition of oak leaves?
a. Water the pile
b. Turn the pile twice a week
c. Shred leaves before adding to the compost
d. All of the above

162. 17) How can I accelerate the compost
decomposition process?
a. Active management of the compost system
b. Building a bigger pile
c. Adding a compost starter/inoculant/catalyst
d. None of the above

163. 17) How can I accelerate the compost
decomposition process?
a. Active management of the compost system
b. Building a bigger pile
c. Adding a compost starter/inoculant/catalyst
d. None of the above

164. 18) How much time does it take to make
compost?
a. One hour per day
b. One hour per week
c. One hour per month
d. As little or as much time as I want

165. 18) How much time does it take to make
compost?
a. One hour per day
b. One hour per week
c. One hour per month
d. As little or as much time as I want

166. 19) Hot composting and vermi-composting
are compatible?
a. True
b. False

167. 19) Hot composting and vermi-composting
are compatible?
a. True
b. False

168. 20) How does composting affect soil pH?
a. Makes soils more acidic
b. Makes soils more basic
c. Has a buffering effect

169. 20) How does composting affect soil pH?
a. Makes soils more acidic
b. Makes soils more basic
c. Has a buffering effect

170. LANDFILL SITES

172. 7701 SW 76 Ave, Miami, FL 33143

174. Evaluation
& Voucher
Link to slide presentation:
https://TINYURL.com/GREENBROWNMI
Vouchers will be accepted
When supply arrives…
The link will be up until
Monday at 8:00am.
Vasquez,Laura A
lavasquez@ufl.edu
Urban Horticulture Agent and
Master Gardener Coordinator
Copy this link to evaluation AND
composter voucher from chat.