2022-11-19 Composting at Home 101

1. The
presentation
will begin shortly.
Welcome!
The voucher for the free
composter* will only be
shown at the end of the
live 11/19/22 lecture.
1-Click on the link
2- Take the evaluation 3-
Print out or photograph
the voucher
*Miami-Dade residents only

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

14. Ad-free. Influence-free.
Powered by consumers.

16. Outside the Library
Get a 24-hour access code to start reading. After 24 hours,
return here to get a new code. There are no limits on how many
codes you can use.

18. 0

31. 7 day
check
out for
full
music
albums

33. TV SHOWS & MOVIES 3-DAY

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

40. Now about some upcoming programs & services…

43. TODDLER STORYTIMES
@ 10:30am
Wednesdays Fridays

44. Fridays @ 10:30am Saturdays @ 10:30am
AVI THE POODLE
&
CANINE ASSISTANCE READING
ENHANCEMENT

45. Genealogy Society of Greater Miami
First Saturdays at 3pm
contact: gsgmfl@gmail.com

47. Mondays
5pm-7pm

52. HYBRID
PROGRAM
A Good Book
Book Club
first Thursdays
@ 6pm

53. 2nd & 3rd
Saturdays
10:30am

54. Two Spanish-language bookclubs

56. Painting Together
Thursdays 11-2

57. Third
Wednesdays
January 18, 2022
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Telephone
Pinecrest Library
for an appointment.
www.GatherGoGet.com

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

65. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/miami-dade/
SUNDAY, DEC 04, 2022 -- 2:00 PM TO 3:00
PM
Monthly Gardening Workshop Series:
Gifts from the Garden
Where: Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park
(East Shelter) 1725 NE 135th St, North Miami,

66. Sat., Nov 19, 2022@ 3:00-4PM

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

70. Everyday Information Source

71. Everyday Information Source

72. Everyday Information Source

73. Gardening Solutions

74. https://tinyurl.com/WhenToPlant

75. https://tinyurl.com/MiamiVeggies

76. https://tinyurl.com/MonthlyPlanting

77. https://tinyurl.com/FLVeggieGarden

78. Was NOT me

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

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

82. A Tumbler Bin Composter
UF/IFAS

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

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

88. 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

90. .

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

93. THE RECIPE

96. 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

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

99. BROWNS ON THE BOTTOM & TOP ARE

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

105. Photo www.bobvila.com

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

107. “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

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

113. 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?

114. Smaller surface areas
decompose faster

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

117. Compost
bin
cutaway

118. Aeration
keeps
microbes
alive.
Anerobic
microbes
STINK!

119. Compost Crank
Compost Aerator

121. 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.

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

123. Smaller bits
decompose
faster
BIGGER
pieces need
more time

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

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

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

127. Five “Pests”
in a Compost Pile

128. NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT…

129. 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/

130. Red Wigglers

131. 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

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

134. 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

135. 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

136. 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

137. 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

138. 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

139. 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

140. 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

141. 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

142. 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

143. 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

144. 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

145. 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

146. 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

147. 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

148. 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

149. 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

150. 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

151. 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

152. 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

153. 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

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

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

156. 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

157. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

164. 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

165. 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

166. 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

167. 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

168. 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

169. 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

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

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

172. LANDFILL SITES

174. Evaluation
& Voucher
Link to the slide presentation:
https://TINYURL.com/IFASanswers
The link to the
evaluation and voucher
will be live until Monday,
11/21/22
at 8:00am.
Vasquez,Laura A
lavasquez@ufl.edu
Urban Horticulture Agent and
Master Gardener Coordinator
Voucher link revealed at the end of the live presentation on 11/19/22