BELLOWS FALLS — April means the start of work getting your garden into shape for planting, and good garden soil begins with good compost.
The Rockingham Free Public Library presents Master Gardener Ham Gillett in a free composting question-and-answer session on Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m. If you have backyard compost questions, send them along to the RFPL at programming@rockinghamlibrary.org or call 802-463-4270.
Receiving questions beforehand allows Gillett to crowdsource everyone's queries for the benefit of many in an efficient, informative manner. Participants should watch an online video about composting at okemovalley.tv/virtual-composting-workshop before sending queries.
This workshop is designed to be a perfect way for both novices and pros to unearth questions they've always wanted to ask an expert. When sending your composting questions to the library, make sure to also sign up for a Zoom invitation to the session itself.
Composting food scraps in your own backyard allows landfill space to fill less quickly and reduces the release of greenhouse gases from landfills, the library notes, adding that compost also nourishes garden soil.
To help residents who want to do backyard composting, the Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Management District is selling Soil Saver composters. To find out more, visit vtsolidwastedistrict.org. A free compost bin and kitchen scrap pail will be awarded to one program attendee on April 15.
This free program is sponsored by the RFPL, the American Library Association (ALA), and the Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Management District and is part of the RFPL's Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change series.