33: Kari Spencer on Composting Made Easy
Today on the Urban Farm Podcast, we welcome frequent special guest and Urban Farm U instructor Kari Spencer, urban farmer and a Master Gardener volunteer, and we are talking about composting.
Kari operates The Micro Farm Project, a research and teaching farm that implements urban farming techniques. She enjoys a busy schedule teaching gardening, permaculture, urban farming, and homesteading classes.
Kari wrote Urban Composting made easy. The book describes how to compost, when to compost, and how to overcome some of the challenges. There is an easy “how to” and more technical tips if you want to dig deeper.
As she says, “It’s all the dirt on composting.”
She uses acronyms to make it easy to remember. 
C O M P O S T
Color, Oxygen, Moisture, Particle, Odor, Sight, Temperature
In the book, there is a chapter for each letter.
To find out more, be sure to listen to the podcast!
And while you’re clicking buttons, pick up a copy of Urban Composting Made Easy.
For a shorter but equally riveting read on Composting, Kari also has a free composting PDF available for download! Get it here.
What are greens?
Greens are things that were recently alive. You need about half as many greens than browns.
What are browns?
Browns are more stable. They’ve been dead for a while.
Learn the difference on the show.
What is compost?
Compost plays an important role in gardening, providing a sustainable, free source of organic matter and nutrients to our soil. Garden waste, weeds, and kitchen scraps are added to the compost pile, where they break down into humus. This humus is added to the garden, providing the nutrients to grow more plants. The vegetables and herbs that are grown in the garden are eventually consumed, and the leftover parts of the plants that are not eaten are thrown into the compost pile to continue the cycle.
Compost is broken down my living creatures that need oxygen (air). To achieve proper aeration that is necessary for composting, a pile needs to be turned regularly. The pile also requires moisture. What’s the right level? Let Kari teach you!
What to do if you find mushrooms in your yard?
Celebrate! It means your soil is showing signs of being a good host for fungus.
Kari is also teaching the Urban Farm U special online course Growing Food, The Basics: 7 Keys Factors to Easily Grow Your Own Healthy, Organic Food. It’s based on tried and true gardening principles that really produce!
Kari is going to show you how to get started on the path to growing food in as little as 6 weeks. This is an action-oriented program focused on lasting, sustainable results.
You’re going to start implementing the Action Steps on Day 1, taking simple but extremely impactful steps that will build on each other week by week.
Also get a sneak peek at Kari’s new book, debuting approximately December 2016. Learn how Kari’s publisher found her – NOTE: Her publisher is based in the United Kingdom!
Kari’s Advice:
Share information! Put your content on the web.
Where do we find Kari?
Well, right here at the Urban Farm U: http://theurbanfarm.wpengine.com/faculty/kari-spencer/
She teaches Growing Food, The Basics
Her website, TheMicroFarmProject.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Micro.Farm.Project/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/microfarm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerkari
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+KariSpencer
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