Organic Vineyard Compost
I am always looking for ways to be green (I do live in Northern California, after all) and it seems that local vineyards have found a way to be green and make money at the same time. , a local TV station, reports that a company outside the town of Vacaville is turning table scraps from restaurants into compost for vineyards. This is a “why didn’t I think of that?” story.
The company, of Dixon has experienced a booming business with their Four Course Compost. The company takes “food scraps and kitchen trimmings from restaurants in San Francisco and Oakland and mixes them with other additives such as rock phosphate, gypsum, lime and sulfate of potash to create custom compost blends.” Imagine the quality of grapes that could be produced from Alice Waters’ scraps….
The company delivered more than 450 truckloads of compost between September 1 and December 1 to Northern California vineyards.
Soil scientist Bob Shaffer, of Soil Culture Consulting in Glen Ellen, said superior compost is vital to harvest high-quality fruit for ultra-premium wines.
“Compost used by vineyards over the past 10 years has shown the industry that applying this material elevates soil quality and vine health,'’ Shaffer said.
I wonder how long it will take for wineries to start putting this information on their labels….
(Photo of machine spreading compost on vineyard from )
cool idea….i’d like to order some compost from the italian spots for my garden….nice posting….