FREE Composting Workshops!

Saturday, January 22, 2011
10 – 12 noon
San Diego Botanic Gardens
230 Quail Gardens Dr.
Encinitas, CA 92024

Saturday, February 5, 2011
10 – 12 noon
Water Conservation Garden
12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West
El Cajon, CA 92019

Monday, March 14, 2011
2-4 p.m.
Welk Resort Farmer’s Market
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive, Escondido, CA 92026

Saturday, March 19, 2011
10 – 12 noon
Summer’s Past Farm
15602 Olde Highway 80
El Cajon, CA 92021

Learn about the ins and outs of backyard composting and vermicomposting at this free workshop! Workshop will include information about selecting a bin, maintenance, harvesting, and more! A limited number of compost bins and worm bins will be available for purchase after the workshop.

Click here to pre-register now or to view a full list of upcoming workshops!

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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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5 Reasons to Love Mulch

1. Conserves water by slowing evaporation.

2. Reduces erosion by protecting soil from heavy rains and increases the water-holding capacity.

3. Suppresses weed growth by blocking sunlight from reaching the soil’s surface.

4. Adds organic material and nutrients to soil as it slowly decomposes.

5. Helps maintain temperature by retaining heat during colder months and keeping soils cool during hotter months.

You can make your own mulch by chipping yard trimmings, leaves, and tree limbs. To purchase mulch try El Corazon Composting Facility in Oceanside or Miramar Greenery in San Diego.

For more information about the benefits and uses of mulch visit the City of San Diego Environmental Service Department website.

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Free Composting Workshop this Saturday

Free composting workshop at the San Diego Zoo. Click here to pre-register!

November 22, 2008

9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

San Diego Zoo, Otto Center

1 block south of main entrance, Balboa Park

Learn how to conserve water, save money, and help the environment by composting! Instructors will provide information about backyard composting and vermicomposting. All composting workshops offered by the Solana Center are free to the public and taught by trained Master Composters.

Pre-register now!

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Free Composting Workshop at Quail Botanical Gardens this Saturday

Quail Botanical Gardens, Encinitas

Feeling the urge to get in to composting? Wondering how to get started? If so, head on out and join as at the Quail Botanical Gardens this weekend. Come take part in our free composting workshop and learn the ins and outs of composting!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

11am – 1pm

Quail Botanical Gardens
230 Quail Gardens Drive
Encinitas, CA 92024

Click here to pre-register!

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Free Composting Workshop at Cuyamaca College this Saturday.

Want to learn how to make compost from your green recyclables? Have any questions about nutrient rich soils? Then come to Cuyamaca’s Water Conservation Garden this weekend, where you can take part in our free composting workshop. Have fun learning the ins and outs of sustainable gardening with us!

Saturday, November 8th

10 – 12pm

Water Conservation Garden, Cuyamaca College

12122 Cuyamaca College Dr W

El Cajon

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Free Composting Workshop in San Diego this Saturday

Saturday, October 4th

10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, San Diego

Corner of Hollister Street and Sunset Avenue

Learn how to compost yard debris and food scraps, create a rich soil amendment for your garden, and help save the environment.

Pre-register now!

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Free Composting Workshop at the San Diego Zoo

Saturday, September 20th

9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

San Diego Zoo, Otto Center

1 block south of main entrance, Balboa Park

Learn how to compost yard debris and food scraps in your own backyard, create great mulch, and start grasscycling! Workshops also include information about vermicomposting.

Save money, conserve water, and help the environment by composting!

Pre-register now!

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