Composting

We produce our own compost at PCG using plant-based kitchen waste from garden members and material collected in the garden. We also use plant-based waste resources such as coffee grounds, sawdust and shredded paper collected from various sources in the local community.

Adding material to the compost:

• Add your compostable material (from home or your personal plot) to the designated compost bin. A sign indicates the current bin.

• Large volumes of spent crops from the garden are generally added directly to one of the timber bays. 

• Any material added to the compost should be cut up into small pieces.

• Persistent weed materials, such as couch grass, kikuyu and disease-affected plants should not be placed in the compost system.

• Add shredded paper, sawdust, coffee chaff and/or and leaves to keep up the proportion of carbon in the mixture. We have a supply available in a wheely bin close to the compost bins.

Don't Compost:

• meat, dairy, bones

• cat or dog poo (rabbit or guinea pig OK)

• seafood shells

• baked goods (bread, cake)

• plastic or compostable bags (our system cannot reliably break these down)

Using the compost in the garden:

• Gardening members may use compost from the marked bay at any time on either communal beds or personal plots.  

• We sometimes also have a stockpile of compost that is produced from domestic green (Food Organics Garden Organics aka FOGO) bins and provided to us via the Merri Bek council. Garden members are also free to use it in the garden.

Maintaining the compost system:

• Helping to turn the compost and maintain the compost system are responsibilities shared by everyone.

• We need to turn compost from the first row of bins to the second row or from the second row into a bay most weeks.

• The compost bays also need to be turned occasionally.

• Please volunteer to help on a Sunday. A member of the committee will be happy to show you what needs to be done.