Garden Talk: Ecology's Food Bank Garden gets a new compost system

By Kate Nagel, Food Bank Garden Coordinator, WCC Outreach Assistant, Hazardous Waste Toxics Reduction Program

The Food Bank Garden's new compost!

Come take a look at our newest addition! Next time you go for a stroll behind the Lacey headquarters building, keep an eye out for the bright new compost container now taking up residence in the garden.

Washington Conservation Corps members lend a hand to community gardens

Teamwork during assembly.

On January 21st, as part of their Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) week of service, a group of 15 Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) AmeriCorps members and WCC staff braved the cold to build a hot compost container for Ecology’s Food Bank Garden. The three-bin compost system will allow Ecology’s volunteer gardeners to turn garden scraps into fresh soil. This improved method of handling in-garden waste material replaces the uncovered piles of garden debris at the back of the garden.

A benefit of the new hot compost system is the ability to quickly turn discarded plants into healthy soil. Additionally, there is a lower risk of unwanted plant seeds returning to the garden either by hand or wind.

Proud WCC members next to the completed compost bin.

During the MLK week of service, WCC members also spent time assisting Kiwanis Olympia Food Bank Gardens, GRuB, and several other community gardens around the state. Members helped with garden work such as spreading and turning compost, weeding, planting garlic, cleaning garden areas, garden maintenance and more.    

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