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 01/28/23 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/askIFAS
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.
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features….

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53. Two Spanish-language bookclubs

55. Painting Together
Thursdays 11-2

56. Third
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Feb. 15, 2023
10 am – 2 pm
Telephone
Pinecrest Library
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58. ROOTS!
AN EDIBLE
EXPLORATION OF
THE VEGETABLE
UNDERGROUND
20XX

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

66. FEB 05, 2023 -- 9:00 AM -12 NOON
Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch training
FEB 08, 2023 -- 6-7:00 PM
Conservation Conversations:
"Traveling Sea Beans"

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

75. https://tinyurl.com/MiamiVeggies

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

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. Can I compost this?
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

132. v

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

173. 7701 SW 76 Ave, Miami, FL 33143

174. LANDFILL SITES

176. For
Miami
Beach
residents
ONLY
For
Miami
Beach
residents
ONLY

177. Evaluation
& Voucher
This link to the
evaluation and
voucher will be
live until Monday,
01/30/23
at 8:00am.
link revealed at the end of the 1/28/23 lecture

178. Miami Beach
residents ONLY
voucher
The link to the
evaluation and
voucher will be live
until Monday,
01/30/23
at 8:00am.
link revealed at the end of the 1/28/23 lecture

179. DOME COMPOSTER – AVAILABLE TO ALL
MIAMI-DADE RESIDENTS
TUMBLER COMPOSTER – AVAILABLE TO MIAMI
BEACH RESIDENTS (CHOOSE EITHER DOME OR
TUMBLER )
QR Code
revealed at
end of lecture
QR Code
revealed at
end of lecture

180. Evaluation
& Voucher
Link to the slide presentation:
https://TINYURL.com/askIFAS
The link to EITHER
evaluation with voucher will
be live until Monday,
01/30/23
at 8:00am.
Miami-Dade voucher will be
valid for six months.
Vasquez,Laura A
lavasquez@ufl.edu
Urban Horticulture Agent and
Master Gardener Coordinator