— Composting—
“Working with Andrew has been an absolute pleasure and learning experience about turning food residuals into the most nutrient dense soil amendment. I am on my second bin in the comfort of my second floor apartment and this has been an amazing experience that will benefit the gardens”.
Tracy Houle
Client, Black Rock Garden Structures
What is Compost?
A nutrient dense soil amendment. The end result of solid organic matter that has been decomposed in the process of composting.
Through best practices and continuous annual maintenance, at the end of exactly one year, finished compost is ready for your vegetable garden. Composting is the decomposition of solid organic materials, that within one year of maintenance transforms into humus (compost), a rich and nutrient dense soil amendment. This process recycles various organic materials otherwise regarded as waste products.
The earth has been having a tough time lately, due to such conditions as overflowing landfills, loss of rainforests, air/water pollution, chemical poisoning, soil erosion and disappearing ozone layer. Much of this is the result of how we live.
Thinking about or implementing change on a national or global basis can be overwhelming. We can start implementing small changes and and practices right inside of our homes, to our neighbors and our community.
Composting allows you to do something for the part of the earth you live with day by day: your own home. Composting follows basic values, such as putting things where they belong and not making a mess.
Black Rock Garden Structures LLC’s mission is sustainability. How we grow our food, raise our food and even how we discard our food. How will our role within our community presently benefit us as well as our next generation to come? When we cook, we tend to accumulate food residuals (scraps, peels, cores, egg shells, etc.) essentially that we wouldn’t normally eat. We tend to throw them in the garbage.
Our garbage then goes to landfills and refuse plants (power stations that burn garbage to produce electricity) where it can further cause a problem to our environment. 30% of our house hold garbage contains food residuals, valuable and renewable resources that can be diverted from our garbage and introduced into various composting systems.
Learn more about food waste in America at usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs
The Four R’s of Composting
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
- Restore
Composting Reduces your generation of trash. After you reduce its volume, you can Reuse the compost in your yard. Then, the compost Recycles nutrients back into soil and plant life. Increased plant growth helps Restore the health and beauty of our properties, neighborhoods and communities.
Why Compost? Why should I get involved?
Why Compost? Why should I get involved?
- Reduces trash
- Turns waste into a valuable resource
- Saves limited landfill space
- Provides soil amendment
- Retains soil moisture
- Feeds existing soil (nutrients, beneficial microbes for plant growth, beneficial micro/macro organisms)
- Recycles nutrients back into the earth
- Prevents soil erosion
- Improves yields of fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, etc.
What to Compost
- Fruit (peels, skins, cores etc.)
- Vegetables
- Bread
- Grain/Rice
- Eggshells
- Coffee grounds, filters, tea bags, loose tea
- Flowers/house plants
- Nuts and or shells
- Greenware (compostable cups, utensils, bowls, plates etc.
What Not to Compost
- Magazines
- Plastics
- Aluminum foil
- Rubber bands
- Styrofoam
Andrew Tyrrell
— Owner of Black Rock Garden Structures, LLC —
Loving natural products
- Enclosed Cedar Vegetable Gardens
- Cedar Planter Boxes
- Cedar Composting Bins
- Vermicomposting
- Products are designed , installed and maintained to customers specs
- Chicken Coops
- Arbors
- Pergola
- Window Boxes
- Obelisks
- Trellises
Give yourself a Gift
Have a small space? Room to fill on your patio or around your pool? Black Rock Garden Structures is here to help. Offering clients various options for raised white cedar planter boxes. Can be stained with boiled linseed oil or a Swedish painted style finish.
Certifications
- Certified Master Composter
UConn Master Composter Program (2018) - Certified Compost Apprentice
Earth Matter NYC (2020) - Co-founder of Black Rock Compost Program (2020)
- Co-founder of Park City Compost Initiative (2021)