Compost Your Pumpkin!

Pumpkins are at the very heart of our fall celebrations. Halloween and Thanksgiving feature the plump squash, either as a decoration or delicious food, but there’s one problem with this big old veggie. What to do with it when the holidays are over?

Did you know that the Department of US Census Bureau reports that in the USA alone more than one billion pounds of pumpkins were produced in 2010? The $101 million dollar pumpkin industry is potentially disastrous for local landfills. Pumpkins are pretty bulky, so they not only take up a lot of space in the landfill, it also takes a good deal of fuel to get 'em there. If we care about our environment we need to find an alternative to sending used pumpkins to the landfill.

Compost vs Landfill
Pumpkins, which of course are 100% natural, will break down quickly as compost in your yard, providing you with valuable nutrients for your lawn or garden. Pumpkins are an easy addition to your compost pile. All you need to do is to remove the wax and candles and put the pumpkin into your backyard composter. Some composters say it’s better to smash or cut the pumpkin up first before you put it in the composter. The smaller the vegetable matter the quicker it will compost.

New Life for Jack-O-Lantern

Your Halloween pumpkins can enjoy renewed life as compost, bringing a grin to your face when discovering all the benefits compost delivers to your landscape. The organic matter has been transformed into nutrient rich food for your soil - making it the perfect soil amendment and lawn top dressing. Naturally!

Compost Facilities Can HelpThe City of Santa Maria recently implemented a green waste recycling program, aimed at diverting organic materials from the landfill. This is the ideal spot for our discarded pumpkins. Just remember to place your pumpkin in the brown curbside bin...you'll be doing a good thing for your community. Click here for a curbside pick-up schedule. 

If your city doesn’t offer this service contact your local compost facility to find out about alternatives. Let’s all pitch in to keep compostable organics out of our landfills! Everything we can do to reduce our contribution of compostable materials to local landfills is a reduction in greenhouse gas production.

For more info, check out http://www.gotcompost.com/ We're here to help you with all your compost needs. Naturally!

Composts - Are They All Created Equal?

At first glance, this may seem like a silly question. You might be thinking, “Any waste that sits in a pile long enough will decay and turn to compost”. Yes, but what kind of compost? Will it be nutrient rich humus or just a damp mess of debris. What goes into the pile and how well it's maintained will determine the quality of the finished product. Reputable compost manufacturers know the best way to insure a quality product is to put it to the test!

How can I be sure the compost I buy is safe for my lawn and garden? When purchasing compost it’s important to look for the US Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) label. Only composts that have passed strict testing by approved labs may wear this label.

What is STA?
It’s a compost testing, labeling and information disclosure program designed to give you the information you need to get the maximum benefit from the use of compost. The program was created in 2000 and has the approval of many of the leading compost research scientists in the United States. STA is the only compost testing program available to compost producers or compost buyers that provides this kind of information.

How does the STA program work?
All participating manufacturers or marketers regularly sample and test their compost products based on production volumes, or as otherwise prescribed by the STA program administrators.
Participants will complete test analyses for the required compost properties. Also, any and all testing required by applicable State and/or Federal regulation (e.g., pathogens, heavy metals, pesticides, inerts, etc.) to assure public health/safety and environmental protection must be completed.

All lab analyses are conducted at ‘approved laboratories’ which have certified that they are capable of performing the test methods specified in the Program Rules. The Participants, or their compost testing lab, will provide the appropriate lab analyses results (and updated Compost Technical Data Sheet) to the USCC. Test results are available to any person, upon request, using the STA Program’s “Compost Technical Data Sheet”. The Compost Technical Data Sheet includes directions for product use, a list of product ingredients and analytical test results.
A Participant’s composting facility must certify that it is in compliance with all applicable government regulations and it must remain compliant to remain in the STA Program.

STA Certification
The USCC will certify an applicant’s compost product when the specified criteria are met. Only then will the STA label be awarded, assuring the compost buyer a quality product. When buying compost in bulk, be sure to ask the sales person if the compost is STA certified.

Harvest Blend Compost is proud to wear the STA label, providing you with the highest quality compost products for your residential, agriculture and commercial needs (Cal Trans approved!). Check out our website, http://www.gotcompost.com/ for more info. Naturally!