Composting at Blake Garden- Final Report 2013 Project Leader: Janet De Haven Project Title: Blake Garden Compost Development Area Project Sponsor: Blake Gardens Project Summary The goals of this project: •
Reduce Green Waste at Blake Garden
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Recycle material on site
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Build wall to be able to turn compost with the front loader
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Increase efficiency of compost production
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Reduce risk of repetitive stress injury
We chose an area to build a back wall in the garden that had water access for the composting process. The wall is used to push the pile up against with the front loader to turn and move the compost. Turning the pile frequently and keeping it damp accelerates the compost process. We started the project mid-December. This worked well because the ground was soft for digging out the back area and foundations. We were lucky with the weather not raining and were able to lay the base rock and start building up the wall in February. We finished the project and started using the compost area in late March. The only challenge was that we modified the design and material. Since the back wall serves as a retaining wall as well, we researched and chose an interlocking brick, Handy-Scape by McNear Brick Company, to build the support wall. The original design used concrete cinder block which would have required a poured foundation and rebar. The Handy-Scape was a good choice because it gave us the flexibility to work on the project incrementally either individually or as a team at varying times to fit in with everyone’s busy schedules. We also decided that dividing walls were not necessary. This would make it easier to maneuver the tractor. We did need to ask for a little more money since the brick material was more expensive. Since we didn’t need the dividing walls, that cost savings was redistributed for purchasing the more expensive interlocking brick material. The TGIF program was great and Katherine Walsh was a pleasure to work with. The program is organized well with clear timelines and goals. I would like to extend special thanks to staff