Indiana Composting Council Shares Lessons on Composting Autumn Leaves and More!

This time of year, composters and garden enthusiasts across the country share the same call to action: don’t throw away autumn leaves! In a news segment on WRTV Indianapolis, Indiana Composting Council President Gowri Somasudaram shared exactly that message.
 
The nutrients and organic matter that make up autumn leaves can be incredibly beneficial to the environment. There are many ways to utilize the positive benefits of leaves while also keeping them out of landfills. In this WRTV feature, Gowri shares the way that she incorporates autumn leaves in her backyard compost system. She breaks down the basics of backyard composting, from browns to greens to aeration, creating an explanation that shows how beneficial leaves can be while also giving beginner backyard composters an instructional foundation to start from.

Photo credits to WRTV. 

The article also touches on other beneficial ways to manage leaves. A common phrase shared by composters and gardeners alike is “leave the leaves!”—meaning, simply let the leaves lie where they fall and let nature take its course. The layer of leaves that is deposited over the soil in autumn creates a natural blanket for all kinds of small life, from microorganisms to insects, which is crucial to soil life throughout the cold winter. Leaves can be mulched and left in place or simply left as they are to slowly break down.

Spreading Composting in the Hoosier State

In addition to the WRTV spotlight, INCC board members have been actively organizing and participating in the Hoosier State. In the last week of September, they held their Annual Strategic Board meeting to carve out the short-term and long-term strategies for the chapter. Next, they held a one-day composting event on Oct. 2 with demonstrations of a soil extractor from Hiwassee Products, compost tea application using drone technology, and feedstock processing at Richland Farms. 

In addition to hosting these events, Gowri, along with INCC Vice President Jacoby Coombs and Treasurer Keri Marrs Barron, gave presentations on the Business of Composting and Commercial Scale Composting at the Annual SWANA conference and Retreat. Board member Jason Gearhart was interviewed for the Growing for Market Podcast. In this he shared his expertise on Soil Food Web and how his passion for composting by increasing the beneficial microbes and its biology. 

The mission of INCC is advancing and promoting composting in the state. Board members never miss any opportunity to outreach composting efforts. The USCC wants to thank the INCC for highlighting composting in Indiana! You can see the full autumn leaf composting feature on WRTV Indianapolis by clicking here. You can listen to the Growing for Market Podcast by clicking here.