The Seed of Life Garden
and the
Nevada County Recycling Department

The third Seed of Life garden in existence has recently been installed as part of the Composting Demonstration Garden created by Lynne Cody of the Recycling Department of Nevada County with a grant to promote the composting of greenwaste. It is located between the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility and the Nevada County Government Center or Rood Center. Many groups and organizations, including the Boy scouts and the Native Plant Society are involved with the demonstrations. The Seed of Life Garden was built by inmates of the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility. There were five groups of four to six men each that assisted Lynne Cody and Kathy Irving with installing the stone and brick work and adding the soil.

The Seed of Life pattern delineates the various types of plants and provides visual interest in the dormant months. In a small area the growth of flowers, culinary herbs, medicinal plants, and food are all demonstrated. The round shape conserves the amount of water and imported soil that is used. Multiple stepping areas provide low-maintenance access to all the beds. In addition, it nurtures deer resistant plants and low cost techniques that educate the public about rural gardening. Fire resistant plants surround the garden and are used within it when possible. The inclusion of the garden completes the Composting Demonstration Area by recycling the compost itself into fertile soil and consumable plants.

The Full Circle Composting
Demonstration Garden

Composting is a form of recycling. In California there is a need to reduce the amount of "green waste" (material that can be composted) that is currently going into our landfills and wasting precious resources in transportation and labor. This need inspired the creation of the "Full Circle" Composting Demonstration Garden. The intention is that it will serve as a location and tool for educating the public about recycling their "green waste" at home and reusing it in the garden. The garden as a whole clearly demonstrates the cycle of reuse that transforms kitchen and yard waste into fresh usable plants that reenter the kitchen and yard.

The Wayne Brown Correctional Facility already had a worm composting and vegetable growing area completed. The worms make castings that provide optimal natural fertilizer as they consume up to 100 lbs of daily kitchen waste generated by the jail. The WBCF and the Rood Center share a parking lot making it an ideal location for the "Full Circle" Composting Demonstration Garden.

The Seed of Life Garden was selected to demonstrate a garden pattern that integrates flowers, culinary plants, medicinal plants, and food. Deer Resistant and Fire Safe Plants are also utilized throughout the circular garden. It is an efficient use of space and resources and provides a natural outdoor classroom environment hospitable to multiple students and able to accommodate widely diverse agendas. It is a model garden pattern for self-sufficiency start-up purposes for once the gardener(s) can handle the ‘seed’, the pattern is then extended and it grows into the "Flower of Life" garden. It was designed by Kathy Irving.

Several different kinds of composting systems are also demonstrated throughout the garden. The Nevada County Boy Scouts assisted in constructing the various composting bins.

The Kiosk is built using recycled materials and is located at the center of the demonstration area. It is stocked with maps and explanations of the various garden elements. In addition, informational brochures that illustrate the techniques required to manage the worm beds and each kind of composting system are available.

The garden area is surrounded by plants conducive to erosion control. It was planted by the Nevada County Resource Conservation District. Please note the special programs offered by the NCRCD described in the back of their brochure.

COMPOSTING BASICS

from Shepherd Ogden’s book Straight-Ahead Organic,
Chelsea Green Publishing Company. © 1999, pages 77-81

Compost is more than simple decomposed yard waste. It is a living culture that transforms the waste into organic material that is rich in nutrients that plants need to thrive. There are several elements involved in efficiently creating compost. These include fuel, heat, starter, moisture, air, and amendments. The elements must be combined or layered in the proper ratio in order to create a balanced culture.

Fuel

• "The fuel is carbon: dry plant matter like leaves, straw, hay, or dry weeds and yard trimmings."

Heat

• "The heat comes from nitrogen. The surest form of nitrogen to fuel the compost pile is manure...(with the exception of manure from pets or people)..."
• "Where manure is not available the readiest sources of nitrogen are freshly cut grass clippings, freshly pulled weeds, and kitchen garbage: that is, vegetable and fruit trimmings, coffee grounds, spoiled leftovers, and the like."

Starter

• "Include a bit of soil or compost from an earlier pile, which will serve as a 'starter' by providing a population of decomposing organisms early on (though they would eventually find the pile anyway)."

Moisture

• "If the materials used are not succulent, the pile should be watered as it is built, and periodically thereafter, to keep it uniformly moist."
• "When the materials are just glistening and damp to the touch, but not soaking wet, conditions are likely to be ideal."
• Too much moisture creates anaerobic rot rather than decomposition.

Air

• "The fast method (of making compost) is like building a fire, and it differs from the slow method solely in that air is actively incorporated into the pile.
• "The bottom layer of the pile should be made of shrub pruning, twigs, or other light materials. As the pile increases in size, larger branches, or even poles can be laid horizontally on top, and then later, during its decomposition, withdrawn to allow air to enter."
• "...stick vertical lengths of drainage tile into the first few layers of the pile and then build it right up around them"
• "Poke holes with a bar or piece of iron pipe once the pile is finished"
• "Turn the pile with a manure fork each time it starts to cool down, placing the materials from the outside of the pile on the inside and vice-versa."
• "There are manufactured compost tumblers that will accomplish this process of reareation without the heavy lifting."

Amendments

• These include rock phosphate, lime, kelp, bone meal, and small amounts of wood ash.

Ratios

• "The basic proportion between the dry, fuel-type material in the pile and the moister, heat-supplying materials should be four or five to one."

Other considerations

• Layering:
• "Compost piles work best if they are built in layers"
• "The soil or compost fraction usually covers lightly each layer of the nitrogenous material to hold in its moisture and discourage scavenging animals (not a problem in a bin is used to hold the compost)."
• "In our hot piles we alternate six- to eight-inch layers of dry matter with one to two-inch layers of compost from the previous pile."
• Size:
• Freestanding compost piles should be at least (3'-4') three to four feet wide and high and as long as you like.
• Succulent Materials:
• Autumn leaves are better shredded before being added to the compost for they tend to inhibit aeration.
• Lawn clippings should be dried before being added to the compost or mixed in with other drier materials or they rot.

COMPOSTING SYSTEMS

Sheet-Layering System

Ideal for businesses and farms composting large amounts of material.

• Piles should be at least 3' - 4' wide and tall and as long as needed.
• Layer 'fuels' and 'moist heat' in a ratio of 4:1 or 5:1 with amendments sprinkled in and as much air as possible.

The Three-Bin System

Offers a continuous supply of fertile compost and is able to accommodate the needs of most rural residential situations.

• Three separate bins hold green waste that is in three distinct stages of decomposition.
• Piles are moved every few months to ensure air circulation and make room for new green waste.
• Compost is produced when the pile is moved for the third time.
• The bins can be constructed of wood, cinder blocks, inverted sod (so it doesn't re-grow), or pallets.

The Pallet Bin System

This system is ideal for suburban settings with limited space.

• Four pallets are bound with rope or wire into a square.
• Layers of 'fuel and 'moist heat' are added until the space is full.
• The pallets are unbound monthly and the pile is moved aside.
• The pallets are rebound around partially composted material.
• New material is added until it is full again.

The Loop Bin or Stack Bin System

An excellent temporary system for small scale gardeners. No construction required!

• A cylinder of thick recycled plastic with large holes stamped out of it stands about 4' tall and is about 3' wide.
• The holes provide air circulation and the compost is contained in a discreet and compact fashion.
• These can be obtained free from the Nevada County Recycling Department.

Tumblers System

These systems are suited for handling kitchen scraps (no oil or meat) as well as yard waste and are extremely tidy and fast.

• The black plastic barrels with handles that turn the compost manually are Tumblers.
• Kitchen waste, yard waste (small amounts), and a bit of compost from earlier are placed in the Tumbler.
• The handle is cranked every day or as often as possible and this aerates the contents and helps break it down.
• Finished compost is removed and new material added.

Enclosed Bin System

Intended to avoid the inquiring actions of the local wildlife.

• The Sheet-Layer system is only enclosed by fencing.
• Placing the composting system within the garden gates is also a good idea and may be easier than enclosing the system.
• The Three Bin System can be enclosed with a chicken wire mesh frame that can cover the three piles and act as a sifter for the compost when it is being transferred.
• The Pallet System can be enclosed with a fifth pallet as a top or with a chicken wire frame.
• The Loop Bin or Stack Bin System is not easily enclosed because it is flexible and it would be easy for a medium size animal like a raccoon to knock it over.

The Tumbler is naturally enclosed.