Composting: Turning Yard Waste
into Black Gold 

This workshop will cover the basics of composting, large scale composting as a business, Q&A, a farm-to-table lunch, agro-tourism farm tour, large and small scale compost techniques and more!

Denise Houghtaling, owner of MW Horticulture Recycling, will explain the basics of composting and lead a tour around their large scale yard waste recycling facility.

As a compost producer that is Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) listed to meet USDA National Organic Program standards, MW Horticulture can shed light on the details that meet OMRI approved compost production practices. FOG staff will explain how compost techniques and new food safety regulations are related.  

After the discussion and tour, we will move to Southern Fresh Farms for a farm-to-table lunch and farm tour where UF IFAS county extension director, Roy Beckford, will discuss nutrient management using compost in southwest Florida. Southern Fresh Farm is multigenerational farmland that is working to create a unique farm experience for local and visiting families. They will share their firsthand experience with using compost and growing vegetables in southwest Florida’s soil and climate.

Registration is $25 including the farm-to-table lunch. The workshop is limited to 44 participants. Closed toe shoes recommended. There are scholarship opportunities available. Please contact Star Tarrant at star@foginfo.org.

There is an optional visit to Ms. Potter’s Place, an edible landscaping home that includes 150 fruit trees and plants, backyard chickens, bunnies vermiculture and more all on one acre of land. Come see the possibilities!

The workshop is hosted by Florida Organic Growers, MW Horticulture Recycling, UF IFAS Lee County Extension, Southern Fresh Farms and Ms. Potter’s Place.

Please register by October 22!