Curious about composting? Learn more at one of these free L.A. classes
In an effort to simplify the composting process and educate the public on how to combat food waste, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit L.A. Compost hosts regular classes on how to turn your food scraps into “black gold.”
In an interview with The Times last year, L.A. Compost founder Mike Martinez noted that “composting is a wide spectrum, and it can be a little intimidating if one assumes it requires a pitchfork and a lot of time.”
His perception is understandable given all the parameters that are involved in the composting process. Sure, it may seem simple to discard your coffee grounds and banana peels in a compost bin, but how do you get the decomposition formula right? For example, are pricey compost tumblers really necessary? What is the correct ratio of green (nitrogen-rich) to brown (carbon-rich) materials? And what about citrus and dairy … and pet hair?
Never fear, representatives will review the basics on Sunday at the “Spring Street Community Garden Compost Workshop” in downtown Los Angeles and at a kid-friendly workshop on June 30 at GrowGood, an urban farm in Bell that provides fresh produce to the Salvation Army Shelter. (GrowGood is also hosting a hands-on class with TreePeople on how to control pests in your garden without using pesticides from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 30.)
The workshops will also address how to properly collect and drop off your household scraps at a local community garden or farmers market if you are unable to compost at home. L.A. Compost collects food scraps on Sundays at the Motor Avenue Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Atwater Village Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Simply collect your scraps, store them in a freezer, bin or a container, and bring them to the farmers market.
Spring Street Community Garden Compost Workshop
When: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 24
Where: 220 S. Spring St., downtown Los Angeles
Info: lacompost.org
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Teaching Kids About Compost
When: 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 30
Orchard Pest Control Workshop with TreePeople
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 30 (Must be 16 to participate).
Where: GrowGood, 5600 Mansfield Way, Bell
Info: RSVP to jayne@grow-good.org
Twitter: @lisaboone19
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ALSO:
L.A. Compost: Bike group turns restaurant waste into garden gold
How a gardening novice tackled urban farming
A tiny kitchen, but it lets at-risk girls work from seed to skillet
Why we need to stop throwing out food and start thinking of it as a resource
