Composting Workshop

Landholders in the Peel-Harvey catchment came together at Fresh Tracks Farm in Myalup to learn from composting guru, Mark Tupman (Productive Ecology – www.productiveecology.com.au). Participants learnt about assessing compost quality, the different types of compost, steps in making compost, the benefits of composting, and how compost can be used on a large scale. Mark emphasised that compost is not a fertiliser, rather it is a soil amendment that can be used to improve soil health and function. Participants got their hands dirty making a Johnson-Su bioreactor; a type of aerobic composting system that, unlike more conventional composting systems, does not need turning, never has smells, and does not attract flies! Participants layered a combination of straw, manure, green waste and seaweed inside a mesh housing with punctured poly pipe placed vertically in the centre for aeration and to control the internal temperature. These materials will breakdown, eventually turning into a microbial diverse compost that Fresh Tracks Farm can apply as an extract, use to coat seeds for planting, or apply directly as a soil amendment.