Tara Mitchell writes at EcoRI News, about the many virtues of compost. It’s a timely topic for gardeners starting to think about spring and what to order from the seed catalogs that arrive this time of year.
Mitchell reports from Wrentham (MA), “John Engwer, owner of Groundscapes Express Inc., and Butch Goodwin, operations manager, recently led Ecological Landscaping Alliance (ELA) participants on a tour of the company’s composting facility, explaining how compost is made and discussing its many benefits and uses. …
“With the recent implementation of the Massachusetts ban on food waste being buried or incinerated, food scrap from hospitals, restaurants and supermarkets have become another component in the composting process. Food scrap from a local hospital is now incorporated into Groundscapes’ composting operation. …
“Goodwin said the material takes about four months to decompose and is then left to cure for another two months. It’s then screened. The finished product, dark brown, moist, light and crumbly, smelling of earth and full of microbes, is then ready to be delivered. …
“Engwer emphasized the importance of using, reusing and retaining existing wood, stumps, brush and other natural material on site so that organic matter can remain part of the cycle of growth, death, decomposition and renewal.”
You can find more on the how-to here.
Photo: Ecological Landscaping Association
The first step in the Groundscapes Express composting process is mixing the raw materials.
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