Free Manure Management Workshop!

Manure is a valuable resource – don’t trash it, compost it!

During this free workshop learn about:

• Manure management and composting basics
• The benefits of composting
• Applying compost to gardens and landscapes
• Land use regulations
• Protecting local water sources

Wednesday, February 3rd

7:00-9:00 pm

Ramona Community Center

434 Aqua Lane, Ramona

Pre registration required. Please register online at www.solanacenter.org or by phone 760-436-7986×222

This workshop is funded by the County of San Diego Watershed Department.

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“Rotline” Question of the Week: Is hay or straw best for my compost?

Hay is considered a nitrogen source, or a green, and can be added to your compost bin. Because hay often has weed seeds in it, make sure that your bin is reaching a hot temperature, 100 – 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are passively composting and not achieving high temperatures, you can bag the hay and put it in the sun for a few days to kill off any seeds.

Straw is considered a carbon source, or a brown, and can also be added to your compost bin. Straw also helps aerate your pile.

When adding hay or straw, our Master Composters recommend moistened it first to help it break down faster in the bin.

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“Rotline” Question of the Week: Where can I get more browns?

Greens, or nitrogen-rich materials, are often easy to come by. When using an outdoor compost bin, many people have trouble locating enough browns to maintain an appropriate nitrogen to carbon ratio. Here are some suggestions from one our Master Composters for locating some local browns for your pile.

Yard trimmings: dried leaves, wood chips, dried plant trimmings

Chipper/shredders: can be a great investment, especially if you have  a lot of wood to chip.

Local tree trimmers: Befriending a local tree trimmer and getting loads dumped of predominantly wood chips is a great method of obtaining browns. Some tree trimmers chip everything, including massive trunks and they will often bring it right to your residence.

Straw:  which is mostly carbon, not hay which has much protein (nitrogen/green) and is expensive.

Shredded paper/cardboard: If you are using very fine greens, paper and cardboard can often get too compact and dense for appropriate aeration. It tends to work best if moistened before added and used with materials that provide good aeration like wood chips.

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