Poor Farm Barn hosts backyard composting workshop
From staff reports
In collaboration with the Leelanau County Solid Waste Council, a workshop for backyard composters will be held at the Poor Farm Barn Gardens on Wednesday, May 29, from 9 am to noon. This hands on composting educational program will help you divert organic material from your kitchen and backyard to build rich compost for many home planting projects. The Poor Farm Barn gardens are located across from Myles Kimmerly Park on County Road 616, or Burdickville Road, just west of Maple City.
Kate Thornhill, founder and caretaker of Leo Creek Preserve in Suttons Bay will lead the workshop. Thornhill will cover the four rules of composting, the materials required for composting, the proper carbon:nitrogen ratios or “greens and browns” required for effective microbial decomposition and how to maintain the compost system for optimum success. Volunteers from the Row by Row Garden Project at the Poor Farm Barn will follow-up with tips on incorporating compost into both flower and vegetable gardens.
At 11 am, the tour will move 1/4 mile east on County Road 616 to Krull’s Composting and learn from owner Barry Kroll how he produces premium humus compost for backyard and commercial uses.
The workshop is being offered at no charge to county residents. Please bring a folding chair, hat, rain gear and a water bottle. The event will happen rain or shine. For more information, please contact Kama Ross at kross@leelanau.gov.
