[Community_garden] Yard waste compost is #1

Tue Mar 18 14:50:16 EDT 2008

Thanks for the scolding Mike . . . !

Darrol


Mike McGrath wrote:
> Yow--don't you DARE dis yard waste compost!
>    Study after study has shown that one to two inches applied overtop 
> or worked into the soil provides every nutrient necessary for 
> excellent plant growth. It and mostly it alone has fueled my veggie 
> garden, orchard, raspberries, flowers, etc for over 20 years at this 
> less-than-ideal situation in cool and shady PA. And its done the same 
> for thousands of others--including farmers (who don't grow 
> bonsai--wise guy).
>    Experts like Drs. Harry Hoitink and Dan Herms at Ohio State have 
> time and time again run studies showing its the absolute best compost 
> for home use. As have many other academics.
>    And for God's sake--it's essentially what grew our hardwood and 
> conifer forests, fields of wildflowers, native grasses and every other 
> plant on the planet for untold millennia.
>    Shame on you, Sir!
>                                                ----Mike McG
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Darrol Shillingburg" 
> <darrols at earthlink.net>
> To: "Don Boekelheide" <dboekelheide at yahoo.com>
> Cc: <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 12:58 PM
> Subject: Re: [Community_garden] Biosolids and municipal composts
>
>
>> Don,
>> I'm personally glad to see your entry into the muck - perhaps a
>> reframing of the "yes it is, no it isn't" trend of the discussion will
>> help carry it into something ultimately useful. I am an extension
>> service master gardener in southern New Mexico where we have available
>> multiple sources of composted/compostable materials including muni yard
>> waste compost and class A plus biosolids. Even among a group of 40 or so
>> trained and interested gardeners there seems to be more myth and belief
>> about compost than thoughtful science or art - and I agree with you
>> about the element of art in the process.
>>
>> I also agree that muni waste streams are valuable organic materials and
>> nutrients that need to be recycled - but in ways that are appropriate
>> both short and long term. For example, recommending that home gardeners
>> use municipal yard waste compost to grow food is a gross disservice if
>> they wish for more than bonsai rutabagas in the short run. In cases
>> where personal food growing is more than recreational - as in depending
>> on the same soil for healthy food and body long term - then biosolids as
>> a source of organic material and nutrients needs to be evaluated on more
>> than short term results, trust in the "system" and personal beliefs.
>>
>> Looking forward to further discussion - if there is anywhere left to go.
>> I remain a NIMBY until convinced that microbes can indeed clean up man's
>> collective messes.
>>
>> regards,
>>
>> Darrol
>>
>>
>> Don Boekelheide wrote:
>>> While I was yacking on about boxes, there was a much more important 
>>> discussion on this list about biosolid composts, municipal yard 
>>> waste composts, and their place in community food gardens.
>>>
>>> I'm heartened by the discussion, which seems very well informed. 
>>> Before saying much, I want to take a second look at the posts. But 
>>> it is a fundamental question all of us in urban agriculture need to 
>>> deal with.
>>>
>>> Two quick points. I've worked closely with County Solid Waste here 
>>> for more than a decade, helping to set up a home composting training 
>>> program and a Master Composter program. It's been very interesting. 
>>> In a way, I'm reminded of the certified organic movement that has 
>>> given us "USDA organic" and corporate organic farming, with all the 
>>> pros and cons. Our culture is highly influenced by 'the market' and 
>>> success is determined by viability in the marketplace. In short, we 
>>> instinctively "push" and "market" our product (or program), even 
>>> public employees in a waste disposal department. This can make 
>>> objective discussion of realities and costs/benefits highly charged 
>>> and sometimes misleading.
>>>
>>> Second, practically speaking, composting is still more art than 
>>> science, because of the enormous complexity of the materials, 
>>> processes and organisms involved; the potential for unanticipated 
>>> contaminants to enter the system; and uncontrollable variations in 
>>> feed stock, weather, water, human behavior etc.
>>>
>>> Practical example: At a school project I once worked on, we got a 
>>> big load of biosolid-based compost that stunk to high heaven. You 
>>> _know_ what it smelled like. When parents got wind of it, the howls 
>>> of protest probably reached the Pacific. The purchasing agent at the 
>>> school had thought 'compost is compost' and purchased accordingly. 
>>> Gardeners live in the real world - listen to the engineers and give 
>>> their arguments  and evidence a fair hearing, but always use your nose.
>>>
>>> I note Tacoma with interest, a center of problems with clopyralid 
>>> contamination in yard waste compost, a pesticide that did not break 
>>> down even with a well-run composting operation. I wonder if that 
>>> legacy is partly behind solid waste officials' interest in TAGRO 
>>> (biosolid compost for sale, following the lead of Milorganite). I've 
>>> seen political tussles between the yard waste compost 'side' (more 
>>> ag engineering background) and the biosolids 'side' (more civil 
>>> engineers/solid waste manager background) both locally and at 
>>> Composting Council - here, the two 'sides' don't seem to communicate 
>>> or cooperate all that much. Who knows, I might be full of biosolids 
>>> with my pop sociology, here - the point is that, whatever the 
>>> science involved, politics and economics also influence decisions 
>>> and justifications. We are not simply members of the public, we're 
>>> consumers, and our choice of whether or not to use a publicly 
>>> produced product such as biosolid compost can
>>>  make or break careers and reputations.
>>>
>>> Don
>>> http://urbanministrygarden.wordpress.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
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