New composter is ready to roll

Mical stands poised to feed our new Food Coop composter

Starting this year, the garden will be operating as a compost source for the Park Slope Food Coop.  We'll gather and break down uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and other materials in a new composter donated by the Coop for just this purpose.  At the same time, we'll carry on with our existing composting system for our own plots.

The new composter (current nickname: Roland Turner) arrived back in January inside a couple of large, flat boxes.  Tim handled most of the assembly, and a team of gardeners helped lift it onto its legs and make some adjustments to the door and vents.  

Garden members who also happen to be Coop members will be sorting and transporting Roland's contents to fulfill their PSFC workslot requirements.   We've started out with four Coop composting slots,  but some new ones may open up in the future.

And Roland's already cooking; a check of the compost the other day showed it steaming away in the chilly March air.  That heat is a sign that the scraps are breaking down exactly as they should.

Please note: Only certain kinds of food and materials are suitable for composting.  Adding the wrong thing to the mix can render an entire batch useless.  If you're unfamiliar with composting, check with a supervisor at one of the upcoming Garden Days for the details on what's acceptible to put in, and watch this space.  We hope to have a list of compost-friendly items online shortly.