Turn up for compost 2016

Boy Scout Troop 202

Members of Boy Scout troop 202 built a large, wooden, 3-compartment compost bin system at the CCS Plots to Plates Organic Community Garden. Educational signs were added to the bins to teach gardeners how to use them. The community garden generates lots of organic waste, and composting will allow the garden scraps to be broken down and utilized to feed future garden plants, reducing the need for purchasing compost. This project is co-funded by United Way of Central Indiana’s Youth as Resources and the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program and is an Eagle Scout project.

Zach, the project leader observed that the existing compost bins at the Carmel Clay Schools Plots to Plates Organic Community Garden were falling apart and too small to adequately support the 90 garden plots.
 

First the old bins were torn down to make way for the new bins. Measurements were taken to determine the amount of wood needed for the three bins.  Cedar wood was chosen for it's durability and affordability. 

Once the posts were secure, the frames went up easily with plenty of help and elbow grease. 

Given the amount of use the compost bins get from the gardeners plus more than 1,000 visitors last year, new and bigger compost bins seemed like a perfect project. ​ Over a dozen fellow Scouts and many friends and family members helped Zach with this project.

Holes were dug and the posts were anchored in concrete to make the frames sturdy. 

The completed bins will accommodate plenty of organic waste from the gardens that will eventually be reused as compost on the garden plots. Educational signs explaining composting will complete the project to provide an educational element to visitors. 

Carmel Clay elementary school students use the garden for educational field trips. At the compost bin station they learn what a compost pile needs in order to break down material, they see and feel soil that came from a compost bin and learn how it is made and why it is beneficial for soil improvement.

Thanks to the hard work of Zach and Boy Scout Troop 202, plot holders at the CCS Plots to Plates Organic Gardens have an effective way to recycle their garden waste, generating rich compost which will fertilize their garden plots and make them more sustainable and save money. Gardeners, students, and visitors view this demonstration compost bin system working and can then apply these techniques to compost at home.