Our controversial compost

At Brentwood CG, we are lucky to have a community compost pile. Most gardens don't have one of these because they are often a hassle to maintain, and occasionally someone is disrespectful of the rules of the compost, which can cause the compost to become unusable. This is usually caused by someone putting a pernicious weed in the compost, often unknowingly, and the entire pile becomes contaminated. There are other ways to make the compost difficult as well, such as putting in large clumps of sod, garbage, or many other types of unacceptable material.

Last year, we found that having a couple of people 'adopt' the compost for a time (usually a month, but sometimes longer) was a pretty decent way to manage it. Adopting the compost means that a couple of volunteers would turn, seed, and water the compost regularly for the time agreed upon at the meeting when they accepted the task of care-taking. During the season, we have BBQs on a monthly basis, which is when we have meetings.

Sadly, this spring when we looked over the compost at the first work party, it had been abused. Folks have been ignoring the rules, posted clearly on a sign, which explain how the compost MUST be treated. At the meeting which followed the work party, there was a discussion of the compost, and it was decided to put the subject out to the garden at large:

WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE THE COMMUNITY COMPOST? And if so~

WILL WE COMMIT TO TAKING GOOD CARE OF THE COMPOST?

Please send your comments, the compost is a wonderful thing for us all to use and enjoy, but it does require responsibility and commitment. We need to work together if we are going to keep it. If folks feel that it's not something we need to have, the compost area will be reassigned as plots for gardeners. This also means that we will all have to compost in our plots, or haul away our debris to our homes. Thanks for your support!