Guerilla Composting on an Urban Farm

Guerilla Composting on an Urban Farm

Benjamin Franklin once famously quipped: Waste Not, Want Not. We take that to heart here at Mezzacello. This is how we create guerilla composting on an urban farm.

When you come upon an empty dumpster full of grass clippings you take advantage! This is #DumpsterDiving 101. Here is a brief tutorial on how I build hot compost in 15 days.

Recipe for 14 Day Hot Compost:

Yes, this will seems like a lot of steps, and equipment. I am just being thorough.

• Enough biomass to fill (6) 5 gallon buckets.
  • Three each of grass clippings and an equal amount of partially rotted leaves or well shredded leaves.
  • You don’t actually need 6 one will do as this is about volume, not containers.
  • The example in the gallery above filled (2.5) 5 gallon buckets.
• A source of paper (paper bags, news papers, yard bags, etc)
• A source of mineral nutrients
  • A gallon of coffee grounds, shredded banana peels, crushed egg shells
  • or
  • A small bag of blood meal, bone meal, and plant fertilizer
• A collection of ethylene, amylase, sucrose, and ammonia:
  • A gallon of ammonia
  • A 2liter bottle of cheap NONDIET soda
  • A six pack of cheap beer
• A mixer attachment for a hose (or a pitcher)
• A garden hose
• A tarp to lock in moisture

Instructions

1. Start with a piece of land devoid of grass.
2. Lay a layer of paper, newspapers, paper bags.
3. Dump the first bucket of grass, then the first bucket of leaves.
4. Place coffee grounds and banana/eggshell or blood/bone meal.
5. Then mix 1cup each of Ammonia, soda, and beer.
6. Spray this layer with the ethylene/amylase/ammonia mixture until the mixture in the mixer is 1/3 depleted.
7. Layer the second round of grass, leaves, coffee & meals,
8. Spray another third.
9. Layer grass, leaves, coffee/meals.
10. Spray final third.
11. Thoroughly soak the pile with water.
12. Cover the pile in tarp.
    • Do not skip this step. The grass will cook everything if under a tarp.
13. Let this sit for 8 days.
14. Uncover, mix with a garden fork.
15. Spray with ethylene/amylase/ammonia and coat thoroughly.
16. Cover for four more days.
17. Uncover, mix and let it rest.
18. After 14 days it is cooked.