Composting at Home 101 on 1/27/2024

1. The
presentation
will begin shortly.
Welcome!
The voucher for the free
composter* is shown at
the end of this lecture.
1-Click on the link
2- Take the evaluation 3-
Print out or photograph
the voucher
*Miami-Dade residents only,
while supplies last

2. COMPOSTING
101
Ellen Book,
UF/IFAS Extension
Miami-Dade County
Master Gardener
Link to slide
presentation:
TINYURL.com/MiamiSoil

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!
2021

16. The collection
contains:
•Over 70 magazines
•317,000 digital
audiobooks for all
ages*
•20,000 Braille Books
for all ages
MIAMI-DADE AND
MONROE
COUNTIES

17. Unable to visit the library in person due to
disabilities or caregiving? Items are mailed to
your home for free, including return postage.

24. January 8th- March 18th.
mdpls.org/adultlearning

32. 7 day
check
out for
full
music
albums

34. TV SHOWS & MOVIES 3-DAY CHECKOUT

35. Acs select classes from MasterClass with your MDPLS
card!

38. Edwin Villasmil : hands-on
environmental craft programs
Wed., Feb 21, 2024 @4pm
Everglades River of Hope

39. Fridays
@ 10:30am
1st & 3rd
Sats @ 10:30am
HEEL 2 HEAL,
AVI THE POODLE, &
CANINE ASSISTANCE READING
ENHANCEMENT (CARE)
4th Weds
@ 10:30am

42. TERTULIA LITERARIA
Last Tuesdays, 10am – 11:30

43. FOURTH

44. A GOOD
BOOK
HYBRID
BOOKCLUB
FEB 1, 2024
@6PM

45. 2nd & 3rd
Saturdays
10:30am

46. 2nd
Saturdays
@
10:30am

48. Friendship Circle Visits
fourth Thursdays at 4:30pm

49. PFLAG
Fourth Saturdays 11am – 1pm

50. JOURNALING FOR WELLNESS
5-part series returns
Monday 1/22/2024 @ 11am – 12:30pm

51. JOURNEY TO YOUR INNER
CHILD UNLOCKING MEMORIES & UNVEILING
HIDDEN RULES
Restartig in February
First and third Fridays @ 10am-11:30am

52. How NOT to Get Hacked
Cyber Security
1st Weds. @ 6:30pm

54. Wed., January 31, 2024
10 am – 2 pm
Telephone Pinecrest Library
305-668-4571
for an appointment or email
booke@mdpls.org
www.GatherGoGet.com

55. Sat, Jan 27, 2024 @ 2-3:30pm
Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 @ 6:30-7:45pm

56. Starts on
Saturdays, Feb 3, 2023 – April 13, 2024

57. SECOND Saturdays @ 2pm

58. Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 @ 9:30 am

59. COMPOSTING
Saturday, February 24, 2024 @ 2pm ONLINE

60. SPEECH CONTEST
Saturday, March 23, 2024 @ 2 - 5:00PM

61. Pinecrest
Library’s
Quinceanera
Cake

64. COMPOSTING
101
Ellen Book,
Master Gardener
UF/IFAS Extension
Miami-Dade County
Master Gardener
Link to slide presentation:
TINYURL.com/MiamiSoil

69. TROPICAL FRUIT
TUESDAYS
ON ZOOM
“JACKFRUIT”
Tues., Jan 30, 2024, 2-2:45pm
FL Horseshoe Crab Watch
training
Sun., Feb 4, 2024 9am-12pm
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Biscayne Nature Center
6767 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL

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

73. Electronic Data Info System

74. Everyday Information Source

75. Everyday Information Source

76. https://tinyurl.com/MiamiVeggies

79. Was NOT me

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

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

83. A Tumbler Bin Composter
UF/IFAS

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

89. Adjustable size allows you
to set it up “skinny” for low
capacity or make it large
enough to hold 246 gallons
of materials.
36.5″ in height

90. THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR LOCATING
YOUR COMPOSTER IS CONVENIENCE.
What Is The Best Location For A Compost Bin In
Your Yard – Sun or Shade?

91. 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

93. .

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

96. THE RECIPE

99. Can I compost this?
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

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

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

108. Photo www.bobvila.com

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

110. “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

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

117. 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?

118. Smaller surface areas
decompose faster

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

121. Compost
bin
cutaway

122. Aeration
keeps
microbes
alive.
Anerobic
microbes
STINK!

123. Compost Crank
Compost Aerator

125. The free Earth Machine
dome compost bin
or the GeoBin
How to set it up

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

127. Smaller bits
decompose
faster
BIGGER
pieces need
more time

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

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

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

131. Five “Pests”
in a Compost Pile

134. NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT…

135. 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/

136. Red Wigglers

137. 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

138. v

141. 7701 SW 76 Ave, Miami, FL 33143

142. KITCHEN SCRAP COLLECTION
FOR FERTILE EARTH WORM
FARM

145. For
Miami
Beach
residents
ONLY
email:
ViceChair@miami.SurfRider.org
For
Miami
Beach
residents
ONLY

146. LANDFILL SITES

148. Evaluation
& Voucher
This link to the
evaluation and
voucher will be
live until Monday,
01/29/24
at 8:00am.
VOUCHER LINK TO BE SHOWN AT LECTURE’S END ON 01/27/24
OR

149. Miami Beach
residents ONLY
voucher
The link to the
evaluation and
voucher will be live
until Monday,
01/29/24
at 8:00am.
VOUCHER LINK TO BE SHOWN AT LECTURE’S END ON 01/27/24

150. DOME COMPOSTER – AVAILABLE TO ALL
MIAMI-DADE RESIDENTS, while supplies
last
TUMBLER COMPOSTER – AVAILABLE TO MIAMI
BEACH RESIDENTS (CHOOSE EITHER DOME OR
TUMBLER )

151. In a few months a
will be emailed to you

152. Evaluation
& Voucher
Link to slide presentation:
TINYURL.com/MiamiSoil
The Miami-Dade voucher will
be accepted for six months
while supplies last
The link to the evaluation that
leads to the voucher will be up
until
Monday at 8:00am.
Vasquez,Laura A
lavasquez@ufl.edu
Urban Horticulture Agent and
Master Gardener Coordinator