Practical solutions for people + planet
Real garden SOIL
Does anyone have any ideas about how to begin a discussion with the county on the possibility of supplying well composted garden soil to the community at low cost? Tremendous volumes of green materials and manures are dumped every year at transfer stations. Where does it go? Unsterilized, properly composted, ph balanced basic garden soil is next to impossible to find in the SF area. Precisely one local business has realized its value, and sells it for a small fortune. You may be tempted to offer thoughts about what people should be doing, and what people should know towards building their own soils etc., but please understand this is not a question of shoulds. It is about the realities of lack of means, and of skills (which simply cannot be acquired overnight) for people of all income brackets who might otherwise delve passionately into produce gardening. Soil is huge, and I wonder how difficult it would be for the county to process green materials into soil. Any thoughts?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Julie on -
hi felicia.
you're right, soil is huge. i think by "SF" you mean san francisco, right? (i'm in santa fe--we often call it "SF" too.) i'd start by contacting your local cooperative extension/master gardener program. if you're in fact in the bay area, there are several phone numbers (there's even a helpline twice a week and "walk-ins are welcome."). here's a link to their homepage. the many contacts are listed on the right-side of the page. they might be a good resource for answering your questions, informing you any existing programs like this (if there are any), and/or connecting you with like-minded people to tackle next-steps...
good luck out there!
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Permalink Reply by Felicia Fredd on -
Hi Julie, actually I am in Santa Fe. Yes, I did contact our local county extension agent, and he was entirely disinterested. Big surprise. Thanks for the reply. My sense is that it will be pursued eventually. Perhaps by me when I have more time!
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Permalink Reply by Yvonne Scott on -
The city of St. Louis and I believe all of St. Louis County in Missouri has an amazing recycling program we should all learn about. All residents are provided with a dumpster type of container next to their regular trash can. It may be one green waste dumpster per block as I recall. Only green waste and kitchen scraps are put into the green waste dumpster. The trash man cometh, he/she taketh away and VOILA! A pile of compost is deposited in any nearby community garden for ALL residents to take from. This happens on a regular basis, not just a couple of times per year. My daughter lives in the Soulard area and it is an amazing thing to watch the neighbors recycle all the leaves, tree trimmings, kitchen waste, etc. Of course all the green waste the city takes down from cutting trees and trimming and cleaning up parks goes into the system as well. It CAN BE DONE!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Felicia Fredd on
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Yvonne, woah, that is amazing! Really. Yes, this is something to learn about - contact the City and find out how they got this going, and keep it going. Thank you very much.
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Permalink Reply by M. Martin on -
Hi Felicia,
It sounds like you have embarked on quite the noble quest, though not surprising in today’s "green" environment; you would think this a common idea.
You might try pursuing your thoughts with your representatives and legislatures. My experience with dealing with a municipal office directly, especially when starting a “grass roots” idea such as yours, might be just too much for them to handle.
I would present the idea with a financial savings, then environmental benefits, and finally community improvement perspective; dust it with your experiences to show an immediate need in your community, and you may find a friendly ear. Talking to your local papers is not a bad idea either. Politicians pay close attention to public opinion, and making yours known cannot hurt.
I encourage you to continue pursuing ideas and examples from this and other venues. The more examples you provide, of successful programs already in existence, the better your chances of selling this idea to a politician. Copying, while a great flattery to those, whose idea you use, is always faster, and removes the concern of not knowing what the outcome may be.
I am sure climate has a lot to do with the success and failure of vegetative waste management, so I would caution that programs already working elsewhere may need to be adjusted before they work in the Santa Fe area, but at least can provide a model.
We have a very successful program here in Cobb Co. GA. Though it doesn’t include table scraps yet, the idea has been talked about. Currently you can take all your vegetative waste, which for us comprises a great deal of leaves in the fall and winter, along with branches and other cuttings, for a small fee to a county recycling plant. Here it is mechanically broken down, then mulched and given-away, free to the community. In my opinion, it has been a great success, and I would love to see the idea catch on in more communities around the nation.
You can see a little about it at this link
: http://solidwaste.cobbcountyga.gov/recycle.htm
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by John S on -
Felicia:
You have a great idea, and yes, it is amazing that a community that is supposedly enlightened like Santa Fe would not have such a program. I know of several communities around the U.S. where it is commonplace. Too bad SF is not one of them. BUT, programs get started very much through the efforts of just one person. Maybe you and Julie can get the ball rolling in Santa Fe. If so, let us know how it is going!
Meanwhile, start small! Too many times we think about the end result and overlook the obvious starting point. I am in Bangkok, and there is yard waste pickup, but not for composting; at least I don't think so. So, I just do what I've done where ever I've lived: Do it myself. As we all do, my wife and I generate quite a lot of compostable waste, which I hate to see go into a landfill. In Maine and Iowa, we simply made our own compost heap. Here in Thailand, our modest compost pile not only provides rich humus, but lush pumpkins, cucumbers and as yet unidentified vegetables that have sprung up from the pile!
Anyway, start your own, spread the word, and you will connect with like-minded people and I'm sure your dream will grow! Contact the county on a regular, but respectful basis. Good luck!
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