1 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Hey there, I'm Mugisha together, a co host of Part 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: Time Genius, one of the founders of Mental Laws, and 3 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: this is Humans Growing Stuff, a collaboration from My Heart 4 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:17,119 Speaker 1: Radio and your friends at Miracle Grow. Our goal is 5 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 1: to make this the most human show about plants you'll 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: ever listen to, and along the way, we'll share inspiring stories, 7 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: tips and tricks to nurture your plant addiction, and just 8 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: enough science to make you sound like an expert. So 9 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: we are on summer break right now, but the truth 10 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: is Molly and I can't stop our plant addiction, so 11 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: we're bringing you some sunny mini episodes to enjoy before 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: we return with a brand new season. Throughout this summer, 13 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: we'll be dropping incredible stories from growers, fun advice we 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: get from experts, and we'll even be bringing you along 15 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: on our field trips as we hunt all over Brooklyn 16 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: for a Polka Dot plant and learn about growing lavender 17 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:01,639 Speaker 1: on Governor's Island. It is super fun. In today's bonus episode, 18 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: we're getting to the bottom of compost, from how to 19 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: do it, when to start, why it's so important to 20 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: soil health, and how it can help combat climate change. 21 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: So quick backstory when my family and I lived in Atlanta. 22 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 1: We would take our food scraps to a local farmers 23 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: market for collection to be turned into compost. But that's 24 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: kind of where my compost story begins and ends. But 25 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: after listening to our many guests and friends on the 26 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: show just talk at length about the benefits and meditative 27 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,119 Speaker 1: nature of composting, I wanted to figure out what exactly 28 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:38,119 Speaker 1: I needed to get started at home. So I called 29 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: up Tara Lewandowski and Carry Oceans. Tera is a senior 30 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: scientist with Scott's Miracle Grow, and Carry is an associate 31 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: director for the US Composting Council, and both are compost experts. 32 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: So if anyone could get me started, it's definitely these two. 33 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: Hey Tera, Hey Carry, are you there? Yeah, I'm here. 34 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: So I've always liked the idea of composting, and I 35 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: even used to drop off my food scraps at a 36 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: farmer's market in Atlanta. But um, during COVID that stopped 37 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: and I realized how much garbage I was generating. It's 38 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,079 Speaker 1: it's really crazy, but you know, to be honest, I'm 39 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: still not that familiar with what composting actually is and 40 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: how it all works, and I'm a little hesitant to 41 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: just start, so I I'd love if you could explain, 42 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: you know, what compost is and the act of composting 43 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: to a newbie like me. Alright, So, at its core, 44 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: composting is taking the natural process of decomposition, which happens 45 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: when leaves fall to the ground and the forest or whatever, 46 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,239 Speaker 1: and putting that into a concentrated location and managing managing 47 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: that to accelerate it. So we can put stuff into 48 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: a into a pile at home that could be you know, 49 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: instead of just a narrow layer, it's now in a pile. 50 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,079 Speaker 1: And by putting in a pile you accelerate all those 51 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: processes and so things will decompose faster, and then in 52 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 1: the end you can end up with material that's kind 53 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: of like a soil. We call it a soil amendment, 54 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: something you would add to your soil to help improve 55 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: the soil's health. And then there's just a few basic principles. 56 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: So the work of the composting is being done by 57 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: millions and millions of micros, bacteria, fungi and other things. 58 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: And just like any animal husbandry, if you maintain a 59 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 1: herd of cows, you have to make sure that they're 60 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: all fed and housed, and keeping the micro hurt happy 61 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: and making sure they have the right amount of moisture, 62 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: which is just just a moist environment and making sure 63 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: it is enough for them they kind of build some 64 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: heat up and things don't get too dry, and they 65 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: have the right balance of nutrients, which is really just 66 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: we call them browns and greens, they're really represent carbon 67 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: and nitrogen. It's pretty simple at a at a small 68 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: level and at a home level, you can't get into 69 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: too much trouble. So that's the process of composting, and 70 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: encompost is just the end result to that process, and 71 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: it's something that is good for the soil. Helps helps 72 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: feed the soil, and feeding the soil you'll be feeding 73 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: your plants, so it's not really a direct fertilizer, but 74 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: it's something that helps your plants grow indirectly by helping 75 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: your soil grow. Can I ask why is composting so 76 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: essential to growing and gardening? So compostings away for us 77 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: to recycle carbon, nitrogen um and the micronutrients to get 78 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: them back to a form that the plants can use. 79 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: It is really important for us to make sure we're 80 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: reusing these organic inputs. People often think of a big 81 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,919 Speaker 1: egg and how inputs are off taken from the field, 82 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: but not many are put back. And that's a great example, 83 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: but the same thing can happen at home. We want 84 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: to make sure that when you're gardening and you're taking 85 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: those organic inputs off, you're also putting something back. When 86 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: you add organic matter to the soil in these forms, 87 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: you end up with greater nutrient retention in the soil. 88 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: It's often known as canon exchange capacity. Sees you also 89 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:04,679 Speaker 1: have carbon in the soil, and carbon is really important 90 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: not for the plants, but for the microbes in the soil. 91 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 1: The microbes are going to need that carbon for their processes, 92 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 1: but in breaking down the carbon, they're also breaking down 93 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 1: and p K and making it more available for the plant. 94 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: So very important for a couple of different reasons. I 95 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: had this incredible writer and thinker, Barton day Thurston on 96 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: and he was talking about his practice of composting, which 97 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: just sounded so romantic to me. He'd like go out 98 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: in the mornings after meditating and he'd take a cup 99 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: of coffee and he'd sort of spin the compost and 100 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: check the temperature, and and I had this very quiet 101 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: morning that was kind of based around his compost But 102 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: but I was curious, if I was just gonna start composting, 103 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: how would I do it. The best time to start 104 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:54,040 Speaker 1: composting is in the fall, because there's usually fall leaves around, 105 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: and that's a good way to start. You we're going 106 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: to start other times a year. You need to kind 107 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: of you need to have those brown uh that high 108 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 1: carbon dry stuff that you're gonna add your food waste into, 109 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: so you you need you need to have that first. 110 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: You can just do it in a pile, and the 111 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: only problem with the pile is that takes up a 112 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: lot of space, So you contain a pile inside a 113 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: couple of palettes or a wire ring or something that 114 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,359 Speaker 1: contains the space and makes it easier to build a pile. 115 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: Or you can get these commercial either bins or or 116 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: the fancier turners like you said you the bins that 117 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: are mounted and so can spin. Every state cooperative extension 118 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: office in the country has pretty good instructions on home 119 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: composting and they're all pretty reliable. So get a pamphlet 120 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: ahead will have the basic dues and don'ts and how 121 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: to start and what your options are, but there are 122 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: other variations. There's worm composting for people in apartments that 123 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: just really just have the food waste. They just want 124 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: to be or do the right thing and not send 125 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: their food waste to a landfill. Composting of the worms 126 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,919 Speaker 1: called verma composting is an option. In the end, you 127 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: have to do something with this stuff that you've collected 128 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: and made in the compost. So if you don't have 129 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: a garden, you know you're gonna find a friend to 130 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: use it with. Uh, you know, you have to. Ultimately, 131 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: there's a lot of value in composting in terms of, 132 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: you know, for the for the planet, because we're keeping 133 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: the food waste out of landfills, and that causes methane, 134 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: which is a powerful greenhouse gas, depending on how you 135 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: measure it, either twenty five or a hundred times worse 136 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: than carbon dioxide. You might wonder why, well, why doesn't 137 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: that happen in a compost pile. Well, in our compost piles, 138 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 1: we work to keep it aerobic. We we work to 139 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: keep oxygen flowing to the microbes in the pile, and 140 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: methane only happens under strict anaerobic conditions. So if there's 141 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: air getting in, won't be creating methane. Landfills are designed 142 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: to keep air out. But in the end, as the 143 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 1: point is to make compost and to use the compost, 144 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: and so one way or another, you have to think 145 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: about what am I going to do of this stuff 146 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: once I have it. I love the idea of having 147 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: garden parties and giving out gift boxes to everyone who comes. 148 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: But um, so tell me a little bit more about 149 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: the worms, because I'm fascinated about by them. And we 150 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: talked to this wonderful person, Jamie Brennan from Gold Feather Gardens, 151 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,239 Speaker 1: and she was talking about how worms can be essential 152 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: to the part of composting. So, okay, can you tell 153 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,240 Speaker 1: me about how they contribute to the process. Yeah, so 154 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 1: you can do a dedicated box container that you get 155 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: the right kind of worms are called red wigglers. Once 156 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 1: they're active, they will eat half their weight every day 157 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: in food waste. So if you have a pound of worms, 158 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,559 Speaker 1: which might be a thousand or two thousand worms, they 159 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,840 Speaker 1: will eat half a pound of food every day. It 160 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,559 Speaker 1: is somewhat miraculous, Like where did it go? Depending on 161 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 1: of your single person or family four, depending how much 162 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:55,959 Speaker 1: you're feeding them. Eventually it kind of gets all composed 163 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: and then you have to do something with it. That's 164 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: a that's another story. But if you're comp us is 165 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: on the ground, which most people, unless it's in a 166 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 1: tumbler off the ground, you will get worms working their 167 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: way into their compost pile. You'll get sal bugs and 168 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: other things. At a commercial facility, we don't get any 169 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: of those because it's too hot. But at a home 170 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:16,080 Speaker 1: compost pile, yeah, you get. You get a whole food web. 171 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: You get you get little mites, you hat sal bugs, 172 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: you get all kinds of things that will be living 173 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: in your compost pile. Then they're all good. They're all 174 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: helping part of the food web of the compost pile. 175 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: There's a great book called Worms Eat My Garbage by 176 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,960 Speaker 1: Marry apple Hof, and that is like the worm composters Bible. 177 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,200 Speaker 1: Tell everything you need to know about how to do it, 178 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: what to do with it when you're done, what are problems. 179 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: It's a great it's a great resource. So you mentioned critters, 180 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: and I'm curious, how involved should possum or raccoons be 181 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: in my compost pile. They shouldn't be. We try to 182 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: get them out and that's why if you're in an 183 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 1: area that has those things, putting your compost in a 184 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: bin in an enclosure, well we'll keep them out. In 185 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: an urban city, you want to rat proof beIN right, 186 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,319 Speaker 1: and rats can get through a hole like the size 187 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: of a of a quarter. What are some things we 188 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: can compost and what surprising that we can't. Anything that 189 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:20,719 Speaker 1: was once alive or produced by living things can be composted. 190 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: And you may have heard in some of the states 191 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: in the Northwest now they allow composting of human bodies 192 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:30,439 Speaker 1: instead of funerals, so you can compost anything that was 193 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:34,079 Speaker 1: once alive. Now at the home scale, that's a different 194 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 1: story because you're not getting the heat, you're you're not 195 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: getting the controls that you have at a big scale. 196 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 1: And so generally we say to keep to things that 197 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: we're growing like leaves, brush, grass, weeds, and from the 198 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:53,600 Speaker 1: kitchen anything that was vegetative in nature, and try to 199 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: avoid too much dairy or meat or oils. Some people 200 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:02,079 Speaker 1: will be very persticaty about this, and you know, really 201 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,959 Speaker 1: only do like coffee grounds and tea and and the 202 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: carrot tops and things like that. Others of us are 203 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:11,720 Speaker 1: not so worried about it. And so a little bit 204 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 1: of cheese or a little bit of meat or a 205 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: little bit of oil from a salad dressing really is 206 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: fine as long as especially as long as you're burying 207 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: it into your pile and not having it exposed. And 208 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: I'm sure you're going to get some questions about that, 209 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: because some people will really disagree with me. I am 210 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: a fairly lazy composter or I mean, you can really 211 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: be aggressive in your composting and turn it frequently and 212 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: mix it up and make composts fast, or you could 213 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,200 Speaker 1: be a lazy compostor like me. I might turn my 214 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: compost pile once a year, just when it gets so 215 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: full I can't add anymore in. That's when I have 216 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: to start a new bin. And that's one thing that 217 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:50,559 Speaker 1: people have to figure it out, is if they have 218 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: a single bin and they're adding food every every couple 219 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: of days or once a week, when do they stop? 220 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: How do they get their compost out? And so ultimately 221 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 1: that you have to kind of start a second bin 222 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 1: so you can let the first bin finish. I guess 223 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: that's that's one of my That's one of my questions too, 224 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: is like how do you know when it's ready. It's 225 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: it's tricky because the outside doesn't finish. I mean, the 226 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,840 Speaker 1: stuff on the very outside always looks like it's not decomposed. 227 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,319 Speaker 1: You have to you have to look inside to find it. 228 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: Stuff breaks down. Compost happens after a few months and 229 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: a pile. The stuff at the botto of your pile 230 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: that you can't see will be compost. Take the raw 231 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: stuff off the edges and off the top, and then 232 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: you'll have your finished compost. So the add to this 233 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:37,319 Speaker 1: um it goes back to your question on cadence of 234 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: when to start composting. So most people are going to 235 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: be wanting to add compost to their garden in the spring, 236 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:46,200 Speaker 1: right like when they're starting their garden. If you back 237 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: out from that, you're gonna want at minimum I would 238 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: guess six months and some of these piles, I mean 239 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: that's a minimum. So when Carrie's saying, like when you 240 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: should stop adding to a pile, fall might be a 241 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:01,679 Speaker 1: good time to consider doing that. For what you want 242 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:03,959 Speaker 1: to use in the spring to start a new pile 243 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,719 Speaker 1: to then add to a different cadence could be every year. 244 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 1: Maybe you run a pile for a year and then 245 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: you let it sit for a year. It kind of 246 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 1: depends how much you're putting in, how big your storage 247 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: area is, and when you want to use it. I 248 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: think everyone's going to be a little different there. And 249 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 1: the other thing I'd like to add is when you're 250 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: talking about inputs with the compostable products that are, we're 251 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 1: all very excited to be seeing them reducing waste to landfill. 252 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 1: For the home compost or, it's a bit tricky. I 253 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,200 Speaker 1: can't say that you can't compost them, but it's going 254 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: to depend on how you're composting, how active you are 255 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: with that pile, with turning it and wetting it, how 256 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 1: long it's sitting there. And if you don't like seeing 257 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: pieces of cardboard or cup or some of that compost 258 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:50,199 Speaker 1: full stuff in your finished compost, you may not want 259 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: to use them. They're primarily formulated for municipal or large 260 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 1: scale composting facilities that do have the time and temperature 261 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: to really break them down. Well, I love that you've 262 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:07,319 Speaker 1: advocated and made space for the lazy composter because that 263 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,080 Speaker 1: feels very much my lane, even though I love the 264 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: romance of like composting daily uh and the way Barryton 265 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: Day does it. I probably feel the same way about 266 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 1: the gym where I shouldn't be going every day but 267 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: but don't. But so if someone was on the fence 268 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: about composting, what is your quick pitch for why they 269 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: should get into it. That's a great question. So we 270 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: all have organic waste that we're producing, and you're sending 271 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: a high volume of materials, of possibly stinky material that 272 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,040 Speaker 1: sitting in your trash. You're sending it to landfill, and 273 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: often you're putting it in a plastic bag, and at 274 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: that point decomposition is slow to stop, especially when it 275 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: gets into the ante over part of the landfill. We're 276 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: just losing nutrients. That way, you could take that material 277 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: compost it at home. For one, you're going to significantly 278 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: reduce the weight, the smell, the mass of product you're 279 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: saying to the landfill. So you're paying for trash. That 280 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: right there is a win. But secondly, it can be 281 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: as involved or as uninvolved, as lazy as you say, 282 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 1: magna as you want it to be. It does not 283 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: have to be a big deal. You can easily start 284 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: a static pile and just add to it for a year, 285 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: and then you can add with very minimal effort and 286 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 1: still have a successful pile. Of just making a hole 287 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: in that pile and put your food waste in and 288 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 1: covering it up, maybe adding some water once a week, 289 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 1: that could go a long way, and you could be 290 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 1: all the way from that to a very involved composter. 291 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: But it doesn't need to be a big production in 292 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: your life in order to have a really positive effect 293 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: on the environment. There is a lot of things that 294 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: are readily accessible to every person to do to address 295 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 1: climate change. Keeping food out of landfills is one of them. 296 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: On that is really accessible to a lot of people. 297 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 1: And unlike other kinds of recycling, where if you put 298 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: a bottle in your recycling bind, it's going to go 299 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: thousands of thousands of miles to a processor, to a 300 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 1: converter eventually end up as other product, compost stays local. 301 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 1: Keeping it at home is the most local you can be. 302 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 1: But even sending it to our commercial facility, it's going 303 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: to be within fifty or a hundred miles of you. 304 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: And then less it ends up in a bag of 305 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:18,360 Speaker 1: scots and might go five thousand miles, it's probably gonna 306 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: end up within fifty or a hundred miles from where 307 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: it started. And so that's a real advantage just on 308 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: the process side, and then you've got all the benefits 309 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: of the product itself. Tara talked about the nutrients, but 310 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 1: there's other things that does for the soil. Soil that 311 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: has a lot of organic matter, and it can absorb 312 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: rain easier, it holds onto the rain longer, it's easier 313 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,400 Speaker 1: to work, it's easier to garden. So there's all kinds 314 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: of benefits that come both with the process and with 315 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:47,600 Speaker 1: the product. Thank you both for hanging out with me 316 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: and talking compost today. Happy to do it at a 317 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: great time. Thanks sank. I want to thank Tara Lewandowski 318 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 1: and Karay Oceans again for sharing all their incredible knowledge 319 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: about compost. You can learn even more about composting at 320 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:10,920 Speaker 1: the US Composting Council's website at Composting Council dot org. 321 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: That's it for today's bonus episode, but check back here 322 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: again soon for more bonus episodes this summer. And don't 323 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,120 Speaker 1: forget no matter what season it is or where you're 324 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 1: at in your gardening journey, there's some incredible resources waiting 325 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 1: for you on the Miracle Grow website. Humans Growing Stuff 326 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: is a collaboration from I Heart Radio and your friends 327 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 1: at Miracle Grow. Our show is written and produced by 328 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:38,840 Speaker 1: Molly Sosha and Ni Mongayatigler. Our editor and engineer on 329 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:42,400 Speaker 1: this episode was Matt Stillo. Thank you so much for listening.