Closing the loop with plate to garden compost

The Columbia Heights High School Key Club is hosting their annual compost fundraiser, called Plate to Garden, during gardening season at the Columbia Heights Recycling Center, Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm. Plate to Garden is a program developed by the Minnesota Composting Council (MNCC), “to complete the loop of growing food, eating food, and turning food scraps back into soil to grow food again,” according to their web page.

Jesse Davies, Columbia Heights Public Works Department, noted that the rich garden additive comes from a huge organics recycling facility, run by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC), one of the largest organics recycling facilities in the state. The facility is part of SMSC’s Dakota tradition of caring for the earth, according to their website.

Students in Key Club fill bags, which hold about 20 pounds of compost, during the event, which they sell for $3.00 per bag. “The most obvious benefit of composting is that compost is great for the garden. Whether added to seed-starting mixes, container plantings, garden beds, or lawns, compost does several important jobs,” according to MNCC.

“Microorganisms in compost help break down organic matter into plant-available nutrients, so plants grow stronger.

“When added to the soil, compost increases the amount of moisture the soil retains, so you have to water less,” and “compost can help prevent erosion.”

The most important thing, according to SMSC, is to, “remember when using compost …it is a soil amendment, not soil itself. Think of compost like a fertilizer—you wouldn’t want to plant your plants in straight fertilizer. For best results in creating a healthy yard and/or garden, we recommend top-dressing your lawn with compost…or mix or tilling it into your garden.”