Composting 101 on 2021-09-25

1. The presentation
will begin shortly…

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

3. But first, a few MDPLS features….

6. •8-inch
Samsung
Android tablet
•30-day
checkout
•T-Mobile cell
service

8. 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.

10. 0

22. Third Wednesdays
10:00 am – 2:00 pm.
Telephone Pinecrest Library for an appointment.
www.GatherGoGet.com

24. Graphic
Novel
Book Club
4 Kids &
Tweens!
4th Saturdays

25. www.mdpls.org

26. www.mdpls.org
Teens and Adults develop
21st century skills
Video & Music Production
Graphic Design
Photography
3D Modeling & Printing
Podcasting
Robotics
Virtual Reality
YOUmedia Miami On-the-Go
YOUmedia Miami
Adult Computer Classes
Locations at N. Dade Regional, S. Dade Regional, Lemon
City Branch, & Hialeah Gardens Branch Libraries

27. www.mdpls.org
A place for creation,
exploration, invention
and learning
3D Design & Printing
Graphic Design
Sewing
Video Production
Photography
Jewelry Making
Music Production
Painting
Robotics/LEGO
Arts & Crafts
Located at Miami Beach & W. Kendall Regional Libraries

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

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

33. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/miami-dade/
OCTOBER 14, 2021
Pesticide training on LCLM/LLO
OCTOBER 18, 2021
Sesión Informativa: 1st Time Homebuyers

35. Fri, Oct 15, 2021 @ 6:30
PM

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

39. Everyday Information Source

40. Everyday Information Source

41. Everyday Information Source

42. Gardening Solutions

43. https://tinyurl.com/WhenToPlant

44. https://tinyurl.com/MiamiVeggies

45. https://tinyurl.com/MonthlyPlanting

46. https://tinyurl.com/FLVeggieGarden

47. Was NOT me

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

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

51. A Tumbler Bin Composter
UF/IFAS

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

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

57. 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

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

60. What materials are good for composting?

63. Citrus (oranges, grapefruit,
lemons, tangerines)
Green/nitrogen - cut in half or quarter
before composting; mix with browns &
add 6-inch layer of browns on top

64. 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

66. BROWNS ON THE BOTTOM & TOP ARE

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

72. Photo www.bobvila.com

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

78. 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?

80. Smaller surface areas
decompose faster

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

83. Compost
bin
cutaway

84. Aeration
keeps
microbes
alive.
Anerobic
microbes
STINK!

85. Compost Crank
Compost Aerator

87. 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.

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

89. Smaller bits
decompose faster
BIGGER pieces
need more time

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

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

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

93. NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT…

94. 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/

95. Red Wigglers

96. 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

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

98. 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

99. 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

100. 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

101. 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

102. 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

103. 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

104. 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

105. 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

106. 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

107. 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

108. 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

109. 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

110. 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

111. 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

112. 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

113. 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

114. 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

115. 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

116. 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

117. 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

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

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

120. 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

121. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

128. 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

129. 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

130. 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

131. 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

132. 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

133. 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

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

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

136. 20) How does composting affect soil pH?
a. Makes soils more acidic
b. Makes soils more basic
c. Has a buffering effect

137. 20) How does composting affect soil pH?
a. Makes soils more acidic
b. Makes soils more basic
c. Has a buffering effect

138. 20) How does composting affect
soil pH?
c. Has a buffering effect
In general, compost has a buffering effect on soils. Compost
made from acidic materials, such as pine needles or oak
leaves, may have a slightly acidifying effect on soils. Because
many soils in Florida are slightly basic, there is rarely a need to
add lime to neutralize even acidic composts.

139. LANDFILL SITES

141. Evaluation
& Voucher
Link to slide presentation:
https://TINYURL.com/makingEarth
Vouchers will be accepted
starting on Wednesday,
September 29, 2021
The link will be up until Wed.
at 8:00am.
Vasquez,Laura A
lavasquez@ufl.edu
FYN Program Supervisor
https://ufl.qualtrics.com/
Copy this link to evaluation AND
composter voucher from chat.