Here's my presentation from a November 2014 public lecture on composting. I've had many requests for copies of this! Invited by the Southside Virginia Master Gardeners Association, I pulled together material from my training as an MG, but also lots more from my certificates in Permaculture and the Soil Food Web. My goals were 1) to share enthusiasm for this eco-friendly practice, 2) take the apprehension out of the process, and 3) encourage systems-level thinking to reduce, re-use, and recycle yard waste. We can keep good biological matter and carbon out of our landfills and use their nutrients to build soil life in our own backyards. Based on feedback afterwards, I seem to have done a pretty good job.

1. COmPoStInG
“A TOuR Of TEcHnIqUeS
FRoM MAnUrE To OBsCuRe”
Ben Capozzi
540•227•0221
bencapozzi@gmail.com

2. Ooh, that’s the stuff!

3. Enthusiasm > Experience

4. Advanced Master
Gardener:
Land Care
Steward Program
• Reduce Yard Waste
(right plant, Right Place)
• Reuse Yard Waste
(Mulch on site; chop & drop)
• Recycle Yard Waste
(Wonderful, glorious Composting)

5. ACCORDING TO US EPA:
• Yard waste accounts for 18% of refuse dumped into
landfills
• Food SCRAPS are another 19%*
• This rises as high as 50% during growing season
• 25% tree leaves and limbs
• 75% grass clippings
• 1/3 of all municipal landfills expected to reach capacity
soon; new sites are difficult and EXPENSIVE to establish
* Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_waste#Landfills_and_greenhouse_gases

6. WhY TO COmPoSt
?

7. MOnEy
• Hanover County MGs started a county-wide composting program
that extended the life of their land fill by 10+ years and kept waste
management taxes down
• Healthier plants from veggies to ornamentals. $
• One of The USA’s biggest exports is soil, and we’re Maybe Not getting
the best return for it.
• A yard of Halifax Topsoil = $35. ~70yards in an Acre = $2450. Can you
make a compost tea to spray over an acre for less than $2450? (Yes!)
• Composting is not just top down—It helps feed soil life and those
organisms do the heavy lifting of making good soils. They can even
do it from down below, converting subsoil to top soil.
• Save by using what you’ve already got on hand. Compost is the best
way I know of to make the right food available in the right form in
the right place at the right time. Forget adding lime and sulphur
and focus on feeding your soil life.

8. FAmIly
• It’s YOU friendly—if you’re
concerned about putting toxic
chemicals in your yard or food
garden, having compost on hand is
AWESOME!
• you can make compost tea to improve
the health of your plants.
• It’s cheap and natural and helps get
the biology right in your soil.
• If your focus or even a part of your
yard and garden is about food for you
or your loved ones, there is no
fresher food nor potentially more
nutritious than what you pick outside
your door. No loss or damage during
transportation, you know the
chemicals used on it (hopefully none),
Where the water comes from, and the
labor.

9. ENvIrOnMeNt
• Keep organic matter out of the landfill; wastes
tucked into a plastic bag are taken out of the
carbon cycle essentially forever.
• It takes 100s of years to make inches of topsoil.
Composting makes soil.
• The amazing alluvial soils built up over millennia
are not the result of chemical dumps of lime,
calcium, or phosphorous from an agrochemical
company. They’re the result of the natural
breakdown of plant and animal bodies and things
get sorted out just perfectly.
• It is not rocket science. Stuff WANTS to break down
for gosh sake. Entropy is the order of the universe.

10. It’S ALl iN ThE SOil
KEeP ThE PlAnTs hApPy aNd eVeRyBoDy eLsE Is hApPy

11. WHaT iS COmPoSt
?

12. WHaT Is COmPoStIng
• “Composting is pretty simple. It’s taking any kind of
organic matter and stacking it up so that nature will
take its course and between bacteria and fungi and
insects it will break down.”
• It’s an AEROBIC process (with oxygen)
~Jack Spirko
• Air flow is important: without it, things break down
anaerobically causing stink, rot, and taking a long
time to break down

13. There’s only two things
you’ve got to know about
–Felder Rushing
composting:
1) Stop throwing that stuff
away,
2) and Pile it up over here.

14. The End

15. PLeAsE ThInK Of yOuR SoIl
As a lIvInG SyStEm
• Dirt is inert. SOIL is ALIVE.
• Your Soil is teeming with life. (or it should be.)
• Some liken it to a “tummy”.
• If you get nothing else out of this, please
start thinking of your soil as a living system.

16. SOuRce: uSdA NAtUrAl rEsOuRcEs cOnSeRvAtIoN SeRvIce

17. WHaT TO COmPoSt
?

18. GReEnS
(NItRoGeN RiCh)
Grass clippings
Vegetables
fruits
Kitchen scraps
Eggs
tea bags
coffee grounds
weeds *
BRoWnS
(CArBoN RiCh)
Leaves
Straw/Hay
woody material
bark
pine needles
sawdust
paper
corn stalks
MAnUrEs
(LIgHtEr FLuId)
horse
cow
pig
chicken
turkey
rabbit
goose
goat
fish
milorganite
aVoID: PEt wAsTe, MEaTs, OIls, PEts/ROaDkIll**

19. A FEw POiNtErs
• More diverse is better
• make sure there’s no herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, or
other-cides in your materials, including alLelopathogens.
• Do NOT use Dog or Cat Manure (if the compost is for food
crops)
• Do NOT waste time, money, or other resources on exotic
ingredients like cocoa hulls or lama droppings or
something trendy. Work with what you’ve got.

20. COmPoStInG BLaCk WAlNut?
“The presence of juglone is highly
concentrated immediately under the
leaf canopy of black walnuts, both
from the tree roots and the
accumulation of dead and dying
debris. Decaying roots from a dead
black walnut tree can still contain
juglone for many years.
The leaves containing juglone may be
composted where the juglone will
break down in several weeks from
the presence of bacteria, air and
water. If you want to test the
toxicity of composted walnut leaves,
plant tomato seedlings in it.
Tomatoes are highly sensitive to
juglone and will quickly die in its
presence.”
Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1186/#ixzz3IX51y6pI”

21. “IF It hAs lIvEd bEfOre,
It cAn lIvE AgAin.”
–GEoFf LAwTon

22. HOw TO COmPoSt
?

23. “COmPoSt hApPeNs.”
–FRaNk (Or PAt) REiLly

25. COmPoStInG STePs
1. Pile up a mixture of yard wastes by
alternating layers of mostly carbon
materials (browns) with layers of mostly
nitrogen materials (greens). Do this until
you are out of materials. When it stops
looking like the stuff you put in the pile and
more like crumbly soil, it’s done.
2. End of steps.

26. COmPoStInG tIpS - LEvEl 1
1. keep the pile moist — rain, garden hose, rain
barrel. But not sopping wet.
2. turn it every few days. Especially if smelly.
3. It goes faster with smaller pieces. Chip, chop,
or shred.

27. COmPoStInG tIpS - LEvEl 2
1. Cover the pile with a tarp to keep moisture in AND
out.
2. turn the pile to keep things aerobic and fluffy. you
don’t want compaction or anaerobic conditions.
3. If you smell Ammonia, Vinegar, Sour Milk, Vomit—
anything unpleasant your compost is going
anaerobic too quickly and losing nutrients. And
possibly being a nuisance. Turn the pile.
4. You may want to inoculate a new pile with good soil.

28. COmPoStInG tIpS - LEvEl 3
Annuals prefer bacteria-dominated soils
Perennials prefer fungal-dominated soils
1. More acidic conditions for annuals = bacteria. feed their compost
with molasses or Kelp.
2. Less acidic conditions for perennials = fungi. feed their compost
with woody materials.
You may Lean slightly one way or the other. know that
1. There will always be exceptions, But
2. Healthy soil sorts all that pH stuff out.

29. CArBoN To NItRoGeN RAtIos
25-30:1 by volume
“Getting the right ratio isn’t required; it just makes
things go faster.” ~Frank Reilly

30. CArBoN To NItRoGeN RAtIos
• Wide C:N ratio, 100 parts Carbon to 1 part Nitrogen -
dried grass trimmings, leaves, straw—those are
foods for growing fungi more than other things
• Narrower C:N ratio, 30 parts C to 1 part N - food
scraps, green grass—food mostly for bacteria
• Very narrow C:N ratio, 10 parts C to 1 part N - fresh
manure, legumes, meat—“party foods” for microbes
to grow really fast and generate high temperatures
~Dr. Elaine Ingham, SoilFoodWeb

31. OdOr aS InDiCaTor
• If it smells like rotten eggs—you’re making
hydrogen sulfide and have gone anaerobic.
• If it smells like Ammonia—You’re going
Anaerobic; turn the pile.
~Dr. Elaine Ingham, SoilFoodWeb

32. LIgHtNiNg FAsT COmPoSt
(By Composting Standards)

33. BErKlEy MEtHoD Of 18 DAy COmPoSt
• Cubic Meter of Material (armpit high)
• Activator - Comfrey, Nettles, Dead animal,
Innoculum from other compost
• Need a compost thermometer
• Good, long-handled, 3-5 tine pitchfork
• Water until it leaks
• Cover with branches, then a tarp
• Mix, and then turn on Days
• 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16
• It’s done when it no longer looks like the stuff
that went into it and more like soil
THiRd
(GReEns)
THiRd
(BRoWns)
tURd
(MAnUre)

34. WHeRe TO COmPoSt
?

35. http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/ultimate-compost-
bin
3-BIn
SYsTeMs
(GOoGlE It)

36. “THe COuCh”
Held a lot, tough to turn, only place to put stuff

37. “THe COuCh”
Held a lot, tough to turn, only place to put stuff

38. WIrE SIlOs
Easy open, close, turn from one to the next,
Extras for storage

39. WIrE SIlOs
Easy open, close, turn from one to the next,
Extras for storage

40. COmPoSt TEa
• Can be done at home scale
• Can be done farm scale
• $6 aquarium aerator, 5 Gallon
Bucket, & Pantyhose
• brew for no more than 24 hrs
• Dilute 1:50
• Throw in a little flour to feed fungi
• Molasses to feed Bacteria
• Kelp Extract for everyone

41. COmPoSt &
SOiL ADdItIvEs
• Kelp extract for compost
tea.
• Molasses for compost &
Compost tea
• (laying out a new garden
bed? Add some molasses
and cardboard. You can get
dried molasses flakes for
gardeners.)

42. COmPoStInG WoRmS
(REd WRiGgLeRs—EIsEnIa FOeTiDa)
• Poop factories
• Perfect for kitchen
scraps—coffee, greens,
veggies, fruits
• avoid meats and oils
• Citrus and onions tough
to break down (purée!)
• 90 Days to good castings
• Be sure to add some grit
• Earthworms don’t do
well in containers—
solitary creatures

43. EArThWoRms
• If you're concerned about toxins from
previous pesticide and herbicide use,
grow earthworms. In their digestive
systems are the beneficial protozoa
that will break down pesticide material.
Psuedomonas—pesticide decomposers in
earth worm guts. Bacillus species.
Protozoa species. Earthworm castings
(earthworm manure) is good stuff.
Human pathogens at the front end of
the earthworm are broken down after
going through the earthworm. They do
not survive passage through the
earthworm digestive system.
• Earthworms are predators, not
decomposers.

44. BAtHtUb WOrM FArm
(Excellent for weeds!)

45. WOrM TOwEr

47. DO I HAvE MAgGoTs?!?!

48. NOpe! HErMeTiA IlLuCeNs!
AkA BLaCk SOlDiEr FLiEs. cOnGrAtUlAtIoNS!
• Not maggots. Different genus and species.
• Sanitary. Harmless. Adults have no functioning
mouths, extremely docile, don’t fly around much to
land on your food. Actually prevent houseflies and
blowflies from placing their eggs in the same
space.
• Voracious eaters, Breaking down high-nutrient
waste well, whereas earthworms better at
breaking down high-cellulose materials.
• Excellent fodder for poultry, fish, pigs, turtles,
even dogs. Nutri-packets! 40-30-30.
• They will self-harvest!
• NOT a worm competitor, though things can get
wet. If so, Add dry bedding.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/verm/msg0401113220154.html

49. BioPods™

50. BlAcKsOlDiErFlYbLog.Com

51. HUgElKuLtUr
THe ULtImAtE RAiSeD (Or SUnKen) GArDeN BEd

53. BEnEfItS AnD SUch
• It’s pretty much just buried wood.
• Grow a typical garden with less
irrigation and/or NO fertilization.
• Use up rotting wood, twigs, branches and
even whole trees that would otherwise
go to the dump or be burned.
• Fill with dirt, kitchen scraps, manure, leaf
litter, et al. Water well.
• Can be flush with the ground, although
raised garden beds are more typical.
• Can start small, and be added to later; can
always be small - although bigger is
better.
• The wood doesn't have to be old to be used.
Fresh is fine.
• No chipper/shredder and no tilling.
• Get’s easier every year, and does benefit
from “curing” before planting.
• NOT for trees (That’s swales) because
settling will occur.

57. HEaTiNg wItH COmPoSt
JEaN PAin, BEn FAlk, aNd WHoLe SYsTeMs DEsIgn

58. COmBuStIon-FReE
HOt WAtEr
• Compost mounds
• Wood chips & horse
manure
• Heat exchanger buried
inside mound
• Well water from 40º to
145º
• 18 months of use
• Grows soil to boot!
• Multiple functions
from single elements

59. BEn FAlk, WHoLe SYsTeMs REsEaRcH FArM
VErMoNt, uSA

67. www.wholesystemdesigns.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Z003uBn9Q

68. COmPoStInG
“A TOuR Of TEcHnIqUeS
FRoM MAnUrE To OBsCuRe”
Ben Capozzi
540•227•0221
bencapozzi@gmail.com

69. HApPy COmPoStIng!
I’M OfF To cOlLeCt fReE CaRbOn!