AUSTIN – A composting and soil health seminar, presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and its Travis County Master Gardeners volunteer horticulture program, will be held from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. June 15 in Room 1130 on the south campus of Austin Community College,1820 W. Stassney Lane, Austin.
A composting and soil nutrition seminar presented by AgriLife Extension will be held June 15 on the south campus of Austin Community College (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
The seminar will include presentations and demonstrations related to composting and maintaining and enhancing the nutrient value of soil used for growing plants.
Attendees must register at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone at 979-845-2604. If registering through the website, enter the word “soil” in the keyword search field. The $35 fee includes all presentations, a box lunch, water and snacks.
Seminar topics and presenters will be:
— “Composting – Life After Death,” Sheryl Williams, Travis County Master Gardener. Learn how to improve your soil no matter what kind or how much you have by composting kitchen and yard waste. Discover the needs of the microbes in your soil and how to feed and maintain them.
— “Some Like it Hot and Some Like it Cold,” Williams. Acquire knowledge about hot and cold composting and how your plants should determine the type of compost you needs to make. Learn about the equipment or supplies needed for success.
— “Ground to Ground,” Lindsay Razzaz, AgriLife Extension horticulture program assistant, Travis County. Learn about AgriLife Extension’s citywide initiative to divert nutrient-rich spent coffee grounds from landfills and put them back to work in yards, gardens and farms. Ground to Ground businesses provide free grounds to customers in bags, buckets or bins.
–”Worms’ Gift to Mankind – Vermiculture,” Clyde Adley, Travis and Williamson County Master Gardener. Some of the very best compost is created by worms, and this presentation provides instruction on all phases of vermiculture, including supplies, worm sources, moisture, heat, food and harvesting.
— “Who Would Like a Drink of Compost Tea?” Tommie Clayton, Travis County Master Gardener and compost specialist. Produce your own “liquid gold” by setting up a home brewing system using a five-gallon bucket equipped with an aquarium pump and air stones. Learn how oxygen and an energy source can grow beneficial microbes to produce a compost tea concentrate for a compost starter solution, foliar spray and soil drench.
— “Zero Waste by 2040!” Sylba Loren, City of Austin. Austin’s goal is to reach zero waste by 2040, which means reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills by 90 percent. Austin Resource Recovery has implemented multiple measures to achieve zero waste, including a home-composting program and rebate. Learn more about what Austin Resource Recovery is doing and how to qualify for a rebate on a composting system.
This event is not sponsored by Austin Community College. Parking is free, but is not allowed in the reserved area. Check in with campus security and provide them with your vehicle’s license number.
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