gardening
BY RACHEL FOSTER
Compost Happens
A
lthough it was a wintery March day when we met
to chat about compost, Sherry Wellborn greeted
me in a straw gardening hat. She was making the
point that she wears many hats, including two teaching
hats: She is a part-time instructor at LCC and also at
Chemeketa Community College. The hat she donned as we
got down to business was her city hat. As compost educator
in the Eugene Planning and Development Department, she
leads hands-on composting workshops in Eugene during
spring and fall.
The ¿ rst thing Wellborn wants you to know is “compost
happens.” Leave organic material in a heap and it will
eventually be broken down by nature’s many agents of
decay to form a pleasant, useful material that’s midway
between recently living organisms (plants, mostly) and a
mysterious, highly complex soil component called humus.
Composting can also be a precise, science-based endeavor
that proceeds much faster and yields a better, cleaner and
more predictable product. But Wellborn believes more of
us should be making compost at home, even if our methods
are haphazard.
Home composting reduces the material going to land
¿ lls. When it comes to yard waste, Wellborn asks, “Why
are we taking debris offsite to be composted somewhere
else and then, many of us, paying to bring it right back
to our gardens?” There are basically three ways to make
compost successfully at home: cold composting; hot
composting, which is more demanding; and composting
with red worms. Worm composting is the subject of
another article in this paper.
If you add materials to your bin or pile as they become
available, cold composting is what usually results.
The process is slow but quite effective. It won’t kill
weed seeds or pathogens, though. A temperature of 131
Classifieds
degrees Fahrenheit is needed to kill dangerous bacteria
such as E-coli, and 140 degrees kills seeds. Commercial
composters are required to achieve 131 or higher for three
days in their giant piles, and most use 150 as a goal. Such
hot composting requires a volume of a cubic yard or more
of waste, assembled all at one time, with a good mix of
materials that provide an appropriate ratio of carbon to
nitrogen. It’s often best for casual home composters to put
diseased or weedy plant material in the yardwaste bin.
The optimal conditions for making compost, hot or
cold, are:
Mix materials for a carbon to nitrogen ratio near 25:1
(see below).
Particle size of 1 to 2 inches. Larger pieces are slower
to break down. Avoid uniformity to keep plentiful air space
for the microbes and other creatures that actually do the
work. A shredder is nice, but Wellborn demonstrates what
you can do with a machete!
Adequate air and moisture. Some moisture should
trickle out if you squeeze a handful of mix. Water is
essential, but too much will ¿ ll up those vital air spaces
and make a smelly, oxygen-deprived mess.
Turn the pile to À uff it up and maintain aeration.
(Alternatively, install in your pile a perforated pipe in the
shape of an upside down T with the two lower ends capped.
Air penetrates from above.)
Wellborn’s boss at the city, Annie Donahue,
recommends that beginners start with stuff that is safe.
Don’t attempt to compost meat or cheese, for example. On
the other hand, don’t be afraid of compost — just wash
your hands. Carbon-rich materials include dead leaves,
dried plants, shredded paper and sawdust. Good sources of
nitrogen are kitchen scraps and peelings, coffee grounds,
spent grain, green plants and grass clippings. For tidy cold
Page 40
SHERRY WELLBORN
A little science improves results in backyard composting
Sherry Wellborn shows
how to mix compost
composting at home, Wellborn recommends the familiar
black Earth Machine (popularly known as the Darth Vadar,
and available from BRING) as the best value. It’s more or
less rat-proof if you stand it on a piece of hardware cloth.
Wellborn’s latest catch-phrase is “Every leaf left
behind.” If you want to compost on a scale that will use up
a quantity of leaves, it helps to use manure — preferably
from chickens and herbivores only, such as rabbit, llama,
horse and dairy manure. Call around for sources —
Wellborn points out that manure is a problem for many
operations, and they are often happy to give it away. Aged
manure is great. Fresh manure is OK, but get it in the bin
fast, cover it with a layer of leaves or sawdust, then wash
your hands! Store excess manure in covered plastic bins
until you have enough carbon rich material to mix with it.
Recipes for mixes to achieve ideal carbon-
nitrogen ratios are posted at http://wkly.ws/11s Look
for “Gardening Links” and click on “Composting
Information.” Better still, attend one of Wellborn’s
excellent workshops. Just go to the city of Eugene website
and search “2011 composting.”
ew
Rachel Foster of Eugene is a writer and garden consultant. She can be reached
at rfoster@efn.org
Page 40
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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF
OREGON FOR Lane COUNTY Juvenile
Department In the Matter of SHAMIA
MARIE HEISER, A Child. Case No. 09-033J-01
PUBLISHED SUMMONS TO: Gabino
Capistrano
A motion to establish
guardianship has been filed asking the
court to establish a legal guardian for
the above-referenced child. YOU ARE
DIRECTED TO FILE A WRITTEN RESPONSE to
the motion NO LATER THAN 30 DAYS AFTER
THE DATE OF LAST PUBLICATION OF THIS
SUMMONS, specified herein, admitting or
denying the allegations in the motion.
YOUR RESPONSE SHOULD BE MAILED TO the
Lane County Juvenile Department, 2727
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Eugene, Oregon
97401. You are further directed to appear at
any subsequent court-ordered hearing.
This summons is published pursuant to the
order of the circuit court judge of the
above-entitled court, dated March 31, 2011.
The order directs that this summons be
published once each week for three con-
secutive weeks, making three publications
in all, in a published newspaper of general
circulation in Lane County. Date of first
publication: April 7, 2011. Date of last publi-
cation: April 21, 2011. NOTICE READ THESE
PAPERS CAREFULLY IF YOU DO NOT FILE A
WRITTEN ANSWER AS DIRECTED ABOVE, OR
DO NOT APPEAR AT ANY SUBSEQUENT
COURT-ORDERED HEARING, the court may
proceed in your absence without further
notice and ESTABLISH A GUARDIANSHIP for
the above-named child either ON THE DATE
AN ANSWER IS REQUIRED BY THIS SUMMONS
OR ON A FUTURE DATE, and may make such
orders and take such action as authorized
by law. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS (1)
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE REPRESENTED BY
AN ATTORNEY IN THIS MATTER. If you are
currently represented by an attorney,
CONTACT YOUR ATTORNEY IMMEDIATELY
UPON RECEIVING THIS NOTICE. Your previ-
ous attorney may not be representing you
in this matter. IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO
HIRE AN ATTORNEY, and you meet the state’s
financial guidelines, you are entitled to
have an attorney appointed for you at state
expense. TO REQUEST APPOINTMENT OF AN
ATTORNEY TO REPRESENT YOU AT STATE
EXPENSE, YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY CONTACT
the Lane County Juvenile Department, 2727
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Eugene, Oregon
97401, phone number 541/682-4754,
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00
p.m. for further information. IF YOU WISH
TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY, please retain one as
soon as possible. If you need help finding
an attorney, you may call the Oregon State
Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service at (503) 684-
3763 or toll free in Oregon at (800) 452-
7636. IF YOU ARE REPRESENTED BY AN
ATTORNEY, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO
MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH YOUR ATTORNEY
AND TO KEEP YOUR ATTORNEY ADVISED OF
YOUR WHEREABOUTS. (2) If you contest the
motion, the court will schedule a hearing on
the allegations of the motion. ATTORNEY
FOR DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Katherine M. Blaser, Senior Assistant
Attorney General Department of Justice,
975 Oak Street, Suite 200, Eugene, OR 97401.
Phone: (541) 686-7973. ISSUED this 4th day
of April, 2011. Issued by: Katherine M.
Blaser, OSB #824204, Senior Assistant
Attorney General.
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF
OREGON FOR Lane COUNTY Juvenile
Department In the Matter of BRISON
MICHAEL ALLEN GREEN, A Child. Case No.
10-114J-02 PUBLISHED SUMMONS TO:
Cheri Lynn Green IN THE NAME OF THE
STATE OF OREGON: A petition has been filed
asking the court to terminate your parental
rights to the above-named child for the
purpose of placing the child for adoption.
YOU ARE DIRECTED TO FILE A WRITTEN
ANSWER to the petition NO LATER THAN 30
DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF LAST PUBLICATION
OF THIS SUMMONS, specified herein, admit-
ting or denying the allegations in the peti-
tion and informing the court of your cur-
rent residence address, mailing address
and telephone number. YOUR ANSWER
SHOULD BE MAILED TO the Lane County
Juvenile Department, 2727 Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd., Eugene, Oregon 97401. You
are further directed to appear at any subse-
quent court-ordered hearing. AN ATTORNEY
MAY NOT ATTEND ANY COURT-ORDERED
HEARING IN YOUR PLACE. THEREFORE, YOU
MUST APPEAR EVEN IF YOUR ATTORNEY
ALSO APPEARS. This summons is published
pursuant to the order of the circuit court
judge of the above-entitled court, dated
April 7, 2011. The order directs that this
summons be published once each week for
three consecutive weeks, making three
publications in all, in a published newspa-
per of general circulation in Lane County.
Date of first publication: April 21, 2011. Date
of last publication: May 5, 2011. NOTICE
READ THESE PAPERS CAREFULLY IF YOU
DO NOT FILE A WRITTEN ANSWER AS
DIRECTED ABOVE, OR DO NOT APPEAR AT
ANY SUBSEQUENT COURT-ORDERED
HEARING, the court may proceed in your
absence without further notice and
TERMINATE YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS to the
above-named child either ON THE DATE AN
ANSWER IS REQUIRED BY THIS SUMMONS OR
ON A FUTURE DATE, and may make such
orders and take such action as authorized
by law. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS (1)
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE REPRESENTED BY
AN ATTORNEY IN THIS MATTER. If you are
currently represented by an attorney,
CONTACT YOUR ATTORNEY IMMEDIATELY
UPON RECEIVING THIS NOTICE. Your previ-
ous attorney may not be representing you
in this matter. IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO
HIRE AN ATTORNEY, and you meet the state’s
financial guidelines, you are entitled to
have an attorney appointed for you at state
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EUGENE WEEKLY APRIL 21, 2011 37