Page 26 - Hillview_book

Soil
“ITall starts with the soil.” That is what Will Allen, CEO of Growing
Power in Milwaukee, believes. Mr. Allen continues, “Without good soil, crops don’t get enough of the nutrients they need to survive, and when plants are stressed, they are more prone to disease and pest problems.” That is also what Hillview be- lieves, and it is the first component of “Who We Are.”
In December 2010, as the result of a grant received from UW-La Crosse, Hillview and UW-La Crosse signed an agree- ment on a joint vermicompost project. The vermicomposter, housed at Z’s Lawn & Landscaping in La Crosse until fall 2014, is one of the largest vermicomposters of its kind in the Midwest. At peak production it has the capability of turning 400 pounds of food waste per week into rich worm castings fertilizer.
TURNING GARBAGE INTO GOLD
During the school year vegetable waste is taken from UW-La Crosse food services, and during the summer months veggie waste—along with coffee grounds—is taken from Mayo Clinic Health System—Franciscan Healthcare cafeteria’s kitchen. Both are used to produce the worm castings fertilizer.
Hillview’s red wiggler worms display is always a huge hit at the Earth Fair!
Boys & Girls Club Mathy Center participants visit Hillview’s vermicompost facility. Zack Gaugush (not shown), vermi- compost consultant, explains to them how vermicompost (a.k.a. worm poop) is made.
THE LA CROSSE AREA’S GROWING EXPERIENCE past | present | future
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