Download - The Zen of Compost
by Master Composter, Joe Gierlach
The Zen of CompostIncorporating the Circle of Life into Your Routine
The Zen of Compost… The Circle and Cycle
● Circle of Life:birth, life, death, re-birth
● Cycle of Life:meals, gardening, menstrual, seasonal, tidal, lunar,
Waste Categories● Cycle of Life:● Wicker basket of recyclables
fills up every three weeks
● Reduce, Reuse , Recycle
● In the recyclables includes: Cardstock and Paperboard- Pull it out of your recycling
● Tear paperboard into smaller pieces when you get them.
(Approx every 3-4 days)
Waste Categories
Cardboard● Typical paper shredder
Fills up every six weeks
( It could be used forguinea pig bedding before composting … just sayin. )
Food Preparation● When preparing food● Composting as a daily
Component of Meals.
● Cut debris into 2” piecesor less.
● Emptied every 3-4 days
Waste Categories● Why 2” pieces?
It increases the surface area● So, … coffee grounds &
sawdust are ideal? - YES!
● Use a recycled can, or buy a charcoal filtered one at Bed Bath & Beyond for $29.95
Mixing food & Cardboard● Keep a regular garbage can in
the garage. (fill 2:1 ratio)● 2/3 Carbon (paper),● 1/3 Nitrogen (food scraps)
● Cycle of Life:● Empty the garbage can every
nine weeks
Compost Bins● Add garbage can to your
compost bin in layers.(Alternate new and old)
● Notice the seasonal variances:
● Perhaps more fireplace ash in the winter
● Perhaps more yard debris in the summer
● Bin contents continue to shrink all season.
Bin Location● Feng Shui: Positive Chi● Where to locate it for the
“Cycle of Life” ?
● Feng Shui Cycle of Elements:● Usually Earth Element
(South West)● This is Not a “waste bin”
Bin Location● Feng Shui: Bagua Chart● Not a “waste bin”
We are making living earth
● Usually Earth Element● Usually South-West● Symbol: Six Pink Bars
Sift Once at: Spring, Winter & Fall● Sifting in each season
It’s the Cycle of Life
● All you need are two things ...
● a Wheelbarrow● and a ¼” Screen
Sifting● Load with a pitchfork● Slide hand across the screen
● Look for worms
Red Wigglers (eisenia fetida)● Red Wigglers live 3-4 Years● They eat 3x their body weight
weekly
● Worm eggs will hatch if the conditions are favorable
Vermicomposting● Return the remaining larger
pieces of compost back into the bin.
● Extra points if youLive in the moment:
● Notice the rhythm of loading, sifting & returning to the bin.
Red Wigglers (eisenia fetida)● Notice which parts of the
worm bin that the worms occupy
● 1 pound of worms can produce 10 pounds of worms in 4 months.
Seasonal Family Fun● Spring bin sifting
Rejuvenates the Environment for the Worms
● Summer bin sifting is for regular maintenance
● Fall bin siftingPrepares for Winter
Black Gold! (vermicast)● The result is Black Gold:● Sifted Compost
(Includes some worm eggs)
● Seven Times Richer than compost from Fungi and Bacteria
Black Gold! (vermicast)● Nourishes soil with Nitrogen,
Phosphorus, & Potassium… or about an N-P-K ratio of 3.2 - 1.1 - 1.5
● Releases slowly (doesn’t burn)● Increases Vegetable Yield● Natural herbicide● Excellent loam (like Peat)
The Zen of Compost● People often ask me:
“Do you want my … ?”“… Not really.”
● It is a Connection to your own personal waste creation
● So, I give them a bucket of worms.
by Master Composter, Joe Gierlach
The Zen of CompostIncorporating the Circle of Life into Your Routine