Compost Bins (c. 2014): MMSK students worked together to build a sturdy compost bin station. Compost serves as an invaluable organic fertilizer in all of our plantings. Students learn to save organic matter like fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, manure, leaves, sawdust, eggshells, and straw to add to our compost pile. They also learn to keep certain types of organic matter – such as dairy products, meat, fish, bones, fats, oils, pet waste, diseased or insect-ridden plants, or plants that have been chemically treated – out of the compost. One side of the bin is filled up and then left to heat and decay, while we fill up the other side of the bin. Periodically we use a pitch fork to turn and aerate the compost so it will stay hot enough to decompose well. When it looks almost like dirt, the compost is ready! We use the finished product on our berries, asparagus, and vegetable beds to encourage strong healthy plant growth.