Learn the basic composting tools and techniques to turn your yard and kitchen waste into black gold for your garden. Extension Master Gardener Beth Buffington will explain how you can combine these skills with no till gardening to develop rich organic soil throughout your garden while reducing water runoff and soil erosion.
Zoom session, recorded April 2, 2021
Video of Presentation
Note: When using cardboard in the garden, be sure to use untreated cardboard.
Chapter Breaks
- 0:00:00 Introduction & Overview
- 0:02:39 Soil Biology & Food Web
- 0:10:33 Components of Compost
- 0:17:26 Recipe for Compost
- 0:22:44 Types of Compost Piles
- 0:25:46 Troubleshooting
- 0:27:12 Containers
- 0:29:48 Questions
- 0:36:58 No-Till Gardening
- 0:51:10 Cover Crops
- 0:52:11 Lasagna Gardening
- 0:52:48 Keyhole Garden
- 0:53:39 Hugelkulture
- 0:54:50 Questions
Additional Resources
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Service:
Information on commercial and home composting & information for health & safety guidance for composting in the school setting for children. - Cornell Waste Management Institute:
Health & safety guidelines for small scale composting. Multitude of different choices from various publications: fact sheets, slide show, videos, surveys, how-to, composting in schools, resources for youth. - Environmental Protection Agency:
Composting at Home - Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia:
Compost FAQs - Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection:
Printable brochures, myths about composting, workshops - Ohio State University Extension:
On-line classes for home gardening - University of Illinois Extension, Chicago:
Getting Started with Home Composting - US Dept. of Agriculture Website:
About Composting - Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), Arlington County, Environmental Horticulture Office, 3308
South Stafford Street, Arlington VA 22206, Tel: (703)228-6414 - Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Publications:
Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia:
Compost FAQs