Compost can be used as a fertilizer for your plants and garden with no risk of burning like with synthetic fertilizers. It also contains many beneficial microorganisms that keep away plant disease.

There are two types of home composting, Hot Composting and Cold Composting. Cold composting takes very little effort but will take much more time to produce compost. Hot composting requires more effort but will produce compost much quicker. Here is guide for the two:

Cold Composting

What you will need:

• A large bin or hole in your yard
• Worms (if you are digging a hole in your yard you wont need to buy many)
• Dried yard trimmings (leaves, small pieces of wood)
• Paper or egg cartons (and egg shells!)
• A little healthy nutrient dense soil
• Food Waste (can be added as you produce)

Food Waste:

Stick to leafy greens and produce with low acidity:

• Banana peels
• Chard, Kale, Cabbage, Lettuce, Spinach, etc
• Carrots, beets, and other roots

Avoid high acidic produce:

• Lemons
• Oranges
• Onions
• Garlic
• Leeks

Instructions:

1. Prep your bin or dig your hole. 
2. Add yard trimmings and paper to the bottom on the bin.
3. Then add your nutrient dense soil and worms. 
4. Add food scraps as you acquire them.
5. Mix the compost pile whenever or never. 
6. It will take 6 months to a year to get completed compost

Hot Composting

What you will need:

• A large bin or hole in your yard
• Worms
• Dried yard trimmings (leaves, small pieces of wood)
• Paper or egg cartons (and egg shells!)
• A little healthy nutrient dense soil
• Food Waste (can be added as you produce)
• Water

Food Waste:

Stick to leafy greens and produce with low acidity:

• Banana peels
• Chard, Kale, Cabbage, Lettuce, Spinach, etc
• Carrots, beets, and other roots

Avoid high acidic produce:

• Lemons
• Oranges
• Onions
• Garlic
• Leeks

Your pile should maintain 1 part food waste and 2 parts dried yard trimmings. A healthy pile will 141F to 155F. This temperature will kill all weed seeds and disease pathogens.

Instructions:

1. Prep your bin or dig your hole. 
2. Add yard trimmings and paper to the bottom on the bin.
3. Then add your nutrient dense soil and worms. 
4. Add food scraps as you acquire them.
5. Mix the compost pile 2-4 times a week. Check the temperature during each mix.
6. It should stay damp, add water if needed.  
7. It will take at least a few weeks to make compost.
8. Use it in your garden and mix it in with soil when repotting indoor plants!

Written By Madison Suoja, Education and Outreach Specialist

Maidenhair ferns are notoriously temperamental. They are not native to Yolo County and therefore need a lot of love and attention to stay alive. With the proper knowledge and dedication, you can keep a maidenhair fern of your own and trust yourself to keep it alive! We love these ferns at the Co-op and often have them available in our floral department. Here are some tips to get you started:

Sunlight:

Find a window in your house that faces East or West. Maidenhairs like the sun, but not too much sun. Bright evening or morning sun is enough. If you only have a window facing North or South, make sure it only gets partial sun by putting a larger plant in front of it to supply some shade or move it further from the window.

Pruning:

When the fronds of your fern are starting to brown you should remove them. Some fronds will be completely brown and others will only have brown tips, but you might as well remove them all! Once they start to brown on the edges, there’s no saving them and they will use up resources that the thriving fronds need. Don’t get too sad, if you have been caring for your plant properly there should be many new fronds emerging!

Watering:

Water your maidenhair fern 2-3 times a week. Water from the top of the pot until the base is partially full of water. If your pot doesn’t have a draining hole, water it1-2 times a week until all the soil is wet. It is hard to overwater a Maidenhair in dry Yolo County, but your maidenhair should not be in a pool of water.

Humidity: 

Maidenhair ferns love humidity! In nature, they grow on forest floors or by large trees. Mist your fern every other day at a minimum. Be sure to mist all the fronds and do not neglect the base. Make sure to get any new fronds that come in, they need the extra moisture the most!

Dark Spots: 

The underside of your leaves will occasionally get some black dots. Don’t Worry! These are spores and they are good. You should congratulate yourself. Your plant is so happy it is trying to make babies.

Bugs: 

Maidenhair ferns often get fungus gnats. These little flying bugs are your friends. They keep the soil healthy and as long as you don’t have moldy fruit nearby, they will stay in the pot. 

Touching it: 

Do your best not to touch your plant. The fronds are bouncy and fun, I know. But please avoid playing with your plant, it doesn’t like it as much as you do. On a similar note, they also do not like breezes or strong winds. Do not place your fern by an open window, a fan, or a heater. All of these will lower the humidity and dry out your fern.

Have any questions or tips on keeping your maidenhair happy? Click on the suggestion box below and send us a message!

Written by Madison Suoja, Education and Outreach Specialist