T.O. workshop helps people make most out of compost

Fungi, bacteria and insects are the keys for making good compost, along with a healthy balance of brown and green vegetation and plenty of water.

That's what participants learned at a free workshop Saturday in Thousand Oaks.

Eric Werbalowsky, an environmental consultant and expert composter, led the instruction at the event hosted by the city of Thousand Oaks at Conejo Community Park.

"I'm really not sure how to get started, so that's what I came down here for," Diane Paull of Newbury Park said before the 90-minute presentation.

"We're doing a lot of recycling stuff at home, and we have a garden, and we grow vegetables and fruits, and we have a lot of leftovers and stuff, and it's just thrown in the garbage, and we want to do something with it," Paull said.

Werbalowsky talked about how garden trimmings and kitchen leftovers break down to create nutrient-rich soil.

"Composting is the way nature takes care of things. It's a very elegant cycle," Werbalowsky said. "The key is having patience."

He said a 50-50 mix of greens, such as grass clippings, and browns, such as dried leaves, is important, as is keeping the pile as moist as a wrung-out sponge. He said virtually anything organic and of plant origin can be cut up and thrown into the mix, which should be worked over regularly so decomposition occurs evenly.

"The most biologically active area will be toward the center of the bin. Fold it in and homogenize the materials, and they'll continue to digest, and you'll start to see more even decomposition," he said.

As the matter breaks down, it creates humus, Werbalowsky added.

"Humus loves water," he said. "The humus molecule has the ability to hold seven times or more of its weight in water, so by adding organics, we're increasing the soil's ability to hold water right down at the root level. As root mass increases, plant health increases."

He addressed questions from participants on controlling odors, deterring rodents and knowing when compost is usable.

The city of Thousand Oaks has an active residential composting program and sells compost bins for $20, or half of their wholesale cost, to city residents.

The workshops, which take place a couple of times a year, are designed to encourage residents to take up composting and show them how to do it, said Chris Ball, an assistant analyst in the environmental programs division of the city's Public Works Department.

"Up to 35 percent of your household waste is compostable, and the more people we can get composting at home, that's all material we're keeping out of the landfill," Ball said. "It's natural. You can put it into your garden and it nurtures your soil and your plants, so it's a win-win."

Anida Brock said she has one of the city's compost bins and is trying to make compost to use on her small vegetable garden.

So what did she learn at the workshop?

"I need to add more water," she said, laughing.

Susan Wood said she learned how she could use more types of waste in her composter.

"I haven't been doing the grass clippings, so it raised my awareness," she said.