Soil & Compost
3 Composting Myths Debunked
Composting is a rewarding practice for so many reasons. It allows you to prevent waste by creating healthy soil, provides organic material to help store more water in the ground, and can even benefit your wallet by decreasing the need for frequent trash pickup. But we’ll be the first to admit that getting started with composting can be intimidating – especially…
Read MoreRotline: Is it possible to have too many worms in my vermicompost bin?
Rotline Question: Is it possible to have too many worms in my vermicompost bin? Answer: Red wiggler worms are amazing in so many ways, and population management is one of them. So, the short answer to the question is “No, you can never have too many worms!” Here’s why:As worms adjust to their home, they…
Read MoreMental Wellness And Gardening
Written by Master Composter Volunteer Mary Purpura, MA, HTR If you garden and compost, you know there are many physical benefits. Digging, hand tilling and turning compost piles can all increase your heart rate, offering a boon to your cardiovascular system. Weeding and planting maintain and improve hand strength. All that time spent outdoors tying…
Read MoreCarbon Farming for Climate Resilience
Did you know that San Diego is fortunate to have more small farms than any other county in the nation? With the unique combination of urban and rural landscapes, San Diego was one of the first southern California regions to adopt the framework for carbon farming pioneered by the Marin Carbon Project. Carbon farming describes a variety of agricultural…
Read MoreFrom the Rotline: What “browns” can I use in my compost?
Rotline Question: Can I make a traditional compost pile with paper as my only “browns” material? What else can I use? Answer: Making a traditional compost pile with paper as your only brown is doable, but not optimal. In order for the materials of your compost to break down efficiently, a sufficient amount and balance of nitrogen…
Read MoreBiochar: A Valuable Composting Ingredient
Article written by Master Composter volunteer, Melody Plan. What is biochar? Before the bins, compost thermometers, and subsidized compost vouchers, our ancestors buried char: wood, manure, or leaves cooked at a relatively low temperature in a low-oxygen environment over a long period of time, directly into the ground to fertilize the soil. You may say “That sounds…
Read MoreBenefits of Compost and Mulch on Fire-Damaged Land
2020 has become the largest wildfire season recorded in California’s modern history as wildfires have devastated many parts of state this year. As of October, 4,267,386 acres have burned so far and we’re still not quite in the clear yet. We are all looking to the coming months to bring much-needed rainfall for our state, allowing us to start to…
Read MoreFood Cycle Participant Spotlight: Sustainable Shelby
We love our Food Cycle participants! Solana Center is proud to bring the Food Cycle program to the County of San Diego. The community compost program makes it possible for Food Cycle members to divert organic materials from the landfill without having to compost it on their own. Participants simply collect their food scraps and…
Read MoreFood Cycle Participant Spotlight: Nicole & Mike of Sustainability Saturday
Solana Center is proud to bring the Food Cycle program to our community. The program makes it possible for community members to divert organic materials from landfills without having to compost it on their own. Participants simply collect their food scraps and organic materials and bring them to the Center for processing on-site to create…
Read MoreIs it Compostable? A Reference List of Compostable Items Often Asked About
Question: What items can I safely put in my compost bin? Answer: This is a list of items that the average backyard composter can feel comfortable adding to their compost bin. We will address materials for the adventurous or more experienced composter in a future blog post. COMPOST THESE: Raw vegetable and fruit waste* Cooked…
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