Down and dirty with compost

Did you know composting doesn’t have an odor if it’s managed properly outdoors, worms enjoy java and that you can grow hydrangeas just like Martha Stewart right here in Alaska?

We all come from a long line of composters. After our early ancestors piled their garbage, they soon realized the benefits to their plantings. Big Lake North Root Garden Club members and friends met early this month to share their composting knowledge and experiences.

Ed Bostrom opened this month’s meeting with his own experience of farm-scale wind-row composting in North Pole. Bostrom taught club members the proper ratios of carbon and nitrogen sources, along with the use of water and turning, to create steaming hot microbes that turn readily available items such as leaves, grass clippings and kitchen waste into beneficial nutrients that will make your garden flourish.

Jan Bass then shared her experience of worm farming in enclosed containers inside her garage where she feeds her worms with everyday food waste such as coffee grounds and egg shells. The worms turn these and other foods into highly nutritious compost for her fruit trees, garden and houseplants, with stunning results.

Tamara Smid talked about all the different components that can go into your basic compost pile, some of which might surprise you. Tamara is working with the Big Lake Transfer Station and Big Lake Community Council to encourage area residents to drop off their compostable materials at the transfer site now, and hopefully have wonderful compost to pick up next summer.

In addition to learning the secrets and benefits of composting, Pat Tremaine shared her extensive knowledge of the beautiful hydrangea. She brought in blossoming samples of hydrangeas from her own garden, explaining the types best grown in our climate, food sources to create the largest blossoms and some secrets to her own award-winning success.

The Big Lake North Root Garden Club meets on the first Thursday of each month until January, then the first Tuesday of each month, at 6.30 p.m., at the Big Lake Library.

New members are always welcome and the club is open to all those interested in gardening at any level, from brand new to well-seasoned gardeners.

Next month’s meeting will include wreath-making techniques to create your own beautiful wreath to welcome holiday greeters.

Call 376-9276 for more information, or join the North Root Garden Club at 6.30 p.m., Nov. 3 at the Big Lake Library in beautiful downtown Big Lake. Gardeners really can have fun all winter long.

Randi Perlman, Tamara Smid and Paula Sumner are Big Lake Garden Club members.