Compost for Community Gardens

MPCA Compost Stakeholder Meeting THIS FRIDAY, FEB 10!

The MPCA has scheduled a stakeholder meeting on Friday February 10, 2012, from 9:00am-noon, in the MPCA Central Board Room located at 520 Lafayette Road North, St. Paul MN 55155. The meeting will be webcast. The meeting has been scheduled to provide stakeholders an opportunity to provide focused feedback to MPCA on specific topics related to the preliminary draft rule. 

Purchase Compost: 

The Mulch Store, multiple Metro-area locations - sells compost, soil blends, http://www.mulchstoremn.com/mulch.html
Roselawn Heritage Farms, St. Francis - sells composted manure, http://www.roselawnheritagefarms.com/Services.html
Biodynamic Compost produced by Loyal Hunter at the Philadelphia Farm in WI - $35/cubic yard.  Email loyalhunter@gmail.com 

Free Compost for Community Gardens:
The City of Minneapolis, as well as Ramsey County (including St. Paul) have free compost programs for community gardens.

Many areas also have free compost available for pick up at designated sites for residents. Check with your local city or county to see whether you have such a program. 

Make Your Own!
The Compostadores, a Gardening Matters working group, host compost bin building workshops in community gardens throughout the Twin Cities. They also have additional information available for folks interested in becoming their own self-sufficient compost generators. Learn more about the current goings-on of the Compostadores by visiting their blog.

Download their basic information about composting, along with additional resources and a troubleshooting guide.    Learn more about the difference between greens and browns and how you incorporate them into your pile.

Additional Backyard Composting Links

Composting and Mulching: Developed by Corrie Zoll, this is a classic how-to, straight-talking primer. Includes frequently asked questions and city regulations for St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Composting videos: North Shore Recycling Program in Vancouver put together a series of short youtube videos explaining different facets of composting - we think these are great!

Vermicomposting: Composting with worms creates luscious worm castings quickly. Very do-able and year-round recycling of organic matter. Many classes are being offered around the Twin Cities. We have enjoyed working with Neil Cunningham, now of Green Noise (visit his blog). LaVerme's Worms, based in Duluth, has additional information and materials to get started. Another online resource to consider is the Earth Worm Digest.

Download this helpful guide about Urban Gardens and Soil Contamination made by MISA, UMN Extension and Hennepin County for Twin Cities gardeners.