Composting and Soil Health
Saturday, June 15, 2013,
9:30am-3:40pm
Austin Community College, South Campus, Rm
1130
1820 Stassney Lane, Austin TX 78745
Learn about compost positive impact on soil health with
an incredible program packed with information and how-to topics. This is
everything you need to know to treat your garden by embracing composting.
Talks include:
Composting –
Life After Death
Sheryl
Williams, Travis County Master Gardener
Learn
how to improve your soil no matter what kind or how much you have by composting
kitchen and yard waste. Find out what
compost is, how it fits into the Soil Food Web.
Discover the needs of the microbes in your soil and how to feed and
maintain them.
Some Like it Hot
and Some Like it Cold
Acquire
knowledge about hot and cold composting and how your plants should
determine which type of compost you want to make. Discover the
equipment or supplies needed for success.
Ground to Ground
Lindsay
Razzaz, AgriLife Extension’s Horticulture Program Assistant, will tell you
about participating in Ground to Ground.
Ground to Ground is a city-wide campaign that diverts nutrient rich
spent coffee grounds from landfills, and puts them back to work in our yard,
farms, and garden. Ground to Ground
businesses provide free grounds to customers in bags, buckets, or bins. Just ask how to get grounds at the
counter. And take all you can carry!
Worms Gift to
Mankind – Vermiculture
Some
of the very best compost is created by worms!
Clyde Adley, Travis and Williamson County Master Gardener, will share
the secrets for success. All phases of
vermiculture will be discussed including supplies, worm sources, moisture,
heat, food, and harvesting.
Who would like a
drink of Compost Tea
Stretch your gardening
dollars! Produce your own “liquid gold”! Set up a home
compost tea brewing system using a 5 gallon bucket equipped with an aquarium
pump and air stones to produce 4 gallons of aerated compost
tea. Learn how oxygen and an energy source can grow beneficial
microbes to produce compost tea concentrate. Tommie Clayton, Travis
County Master Gardener - Compost Specialist, will share brewing recipes and tips
for using this valuable liquid compost as a starter solution, foliar spray and
soil drench.
Zero Waste by
2040!
The City of Austin’s goal is to reach Zero Waste by 2040, which means reducing the amount of trash sent to
landfills by 90 percent.
Austin Resource Recovery has implemented multiple measures to achieve Zero
Waste, including a home composting program and rebate. Learn more about
what Austin Resource Recovery is doing and how you can qualify for a rebate on
a composting system.
$35 registration fee includes box lunch, water, and
snacks. Attendees must register at
https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu,
keyword: soil or by phone at (979)845-2604. This event is presented by
the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas A&M
AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County.
www.tcmastergardeners.org. For
information, call (512)854-9600. It is not sponsored by Austin Community College.