Organic Gardener

Master Composters are here to teach

Author: Susan Harris

English garden writer Emma Cooper thought she'd been gardening in isolation for too long, so she signed up for her local Master Composter program as a way to give back to her community.  On her first day of class, she and her fellow trainees were told WHY composting is such a good (and green) idea.

• It reduces the amount of waste being sent to landfills.
• It avoids the greenhouse-gas emissions that would result from transporting waste TO a landfill.
• It also avoids the methane emissions that come from organic waste IN landfills - and methane is one of the worst greenhouse gases.
• For the gardener, composting adds organic matter to soil, which performs the miraculous feat of both increasing the soil's ability to hold water and its ability to drain it properly.
• Compost added to gardens reduces the need to apply fertilizer to plants, an especially good thing when it means avoiding the use of nonrenewable peat-based products.
• And not having to BUY fertilizers means avoiding the greenhouse emissions resulting from their production and transport to us.

From The Store..

Rodale's Book of Composting Price $15.95 This essential guide for all gardeners and environmentally conscious people provides an up-close look at composting, with helpful tips for apartment dwellers, suburbanites, farmers, and community leaders. An extensive list of compostable materials helps gardeners select the right ingredients for their compost piles. Grace Cershuny and Deborah L. Martin. Paperback, 288 pp Buy Now Browse other Organic fertilizers in the Gardening Products Store


• Finally, compost piles in the garden are fabulous for wildlife because they attract the insects and fungi that eat decaying matter.  These small critters then support many larger animals, like our cherished songbirds.

As Emma says, it's all good for the environment AND for our gardens.  Admittedly, she was already a "composting fanatic," but now she sees "hugely exciting things" happening in the composting arena.  (Composting fanatics are like that.) She related all this exciting news in a recent podcast, declaring that compost is THE cornerstone of organic gardening.  (No argument from me there!)  But surveys show that people who start home composting operations and have problems (too slimy, too smelly, vermin, etc.) give up and are very reluctant to try again.

Thus the need for Master Composters.  These trained volunteers go out into the community and act as a support network to help people succeed at home composting.  They speak at public events, teach at garden clubs, allotments and garden centers, write articles for the press, and help anyone who needs help.  For their own continuing education, there's a Master Composter online forum, and a newsletter.  This sounds like great program!

How to become a Master Composter
In the UK it's a free program put on by local councils (government bodies) or by wildlife organizations.  The training (at least in Oxfordshire) is composed of two full days, after which trainees are required to volunteer 30 hours teaching and promoting composting in order to become certified as Master Composters.  Here's the link to find a Master Composter scheme near you (in the U.K.)

Coming soon - Master Composters in other countries.

Photo credit.

Help us to spread the word:

Susan Harris

Susan is a Gardening Coach, GardenRant blogger, Master Gardener, garden writer, and activist for urban and suburban greening. She is an active writer and contributer to the gardening community.
Read more about Susan.

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