Composting

Maple Community Garden: Guidelines for Use and Maintenance of Composters (03/2022)

Composters are located in Section 4 and are for Work Party use only

  • Section 4 has three composters: two for Active use and one for collection of “Dry Leaves Only” .
  • Please be respectful of section 4 when you enter to do maintenance. Tidy the area when you leave and rewind the water hoses after dampening compost.

Our goal is to keep composting simple, clean and rodent resistant by following these guidelines:

Please DO NOT PUT THIS STUFF IN:

  • Do not put in Kitchen scraps from home…it will attract rats, racoons and flies.
  • Do not add: Invasive weeds, weed seeds or roots, such as morning glory, creeping buttercup, gout weed. See the website for photos of these invasive plants under ‘Gardening Tips/Plant Info’ http://maplecommunitygarden.ca/gardening-resources/gardening-tips/
  • Do not add diseased plants, tomatoes or potatoes with powdery mildew or blight, leeks or garlic with rust, kale or other brassicas with club root. Also contaminated soil with invasive insects such as fire ants must be disposed of in your own garbage or city compost. Ask your section lead if you are in doubt. Kate, Janet and Stephen are resource people for composting, invasive plants and insects.
  • Do not add in any uncut plant material. All compost material must be cut up into smaller 3 to 4 inches long and no thicker than a pencil for easy digging in and faster composting.
  • Minimize the use of pine needles as they will create an acidic soil that is not suited for vegetables.

GOOD STUFF TO GO IN:

  • Grass clippings – fresh green or dried brown grass – free of invasive weeds or seeds.
  • Garden trimmings green or brown – ALL stems, twigs, leaves and roots must be cut up into 3 to 4 inch pieces and no thicker than a pencil to make digging in/ forking over easier, to promote faster breakdown of plant material and to take up less space.
  • Dry Leaves are essential for a healthy, balanced compost and are stored in the composter designated for Dry Leaves. Add a few scoops of dry leaves to newly added plant material to create layers of green waste garden material and dry leaves (brown waste garden material). We store dry leaves in the South composter labelled “Dry Leaves”. Collect dry leaves in the fall for use the rest of the year.
  • Composted Soils or manures can be added three to four times a year to the Active composters to introduce the good bacteria needed for plant decomposition.

MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES: Compost material needs to be turned over/ forked over at least once a week with a garden fork and kept moist all year to “cook” and decompose!

  • Please do not add thick stems, instead discard to your green bin/city compost.
  • Create layers of green (fresh) and brown (dried leaves) plant materials as well as any manure or soil to aid in the breakdown of material. Think of making “lasagna” layers.
  • Turn often by forking over a few times, at least once a week during garden season, and whenever you add new material, to mix and incorporate composted material with new garden waste.
  • Keep the compost material moist. Dry material will not break down. Add water with each addition and weekly in the summer months to keep material moist…make sure it is not soaking wet. Water is needed also in winter but less often. Once a month is good for winter.
  • Check the composter for potential infestations of rats…they like it warm and dry, but not moist or damp…therefore a good reason to keep the composters from drying out. Notify the Executive ASAP if there are problems with rats.
  • Ants also like to make their nests in composters…you just need to turn the material often and wet the nest area to deter them.
  • It takes about a year to produce well composted soil.
  • Remover some of the finished composted soil from the access panel at the bottom, or wait a full year to empty it out and start over. Access panel is secured in place with old bicycle tubes. Compost material to be used in soup kitchen or communal beds only and is not for individual member use.
  • Plastic buckets are located beside the composters to collect water to use in the winter when our water lines are shut off. The same buckets in summer can store communal waste material that needs to be cut up in between work parties
  • An old fork has been left beside the composters to make it more convenient to turn over material.

Send questions to: info@maplecommunitygarden.ca with the Subject Line ‘Composters’ and a member of the executive will respond.