Composting a Large Amount of Grape Waste

By

RDLaure

I know that this is an old post, but I just want to inform people that grapes are toxic and potentially lethal to dogs. Here is a link to some additional info> http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/danger_of_grapes_raisins_in_dogs

By

Jilson

You might also consider seeing if you can make some compost tumblers for some of the waste. www.instructables.com has some tutorials for using the plastic drums you can usually get very inexpensively locally, then you need some wood and some piping--all which (if you couldn't scavenge,) you could easily get from the local home center.

You might try doing this with some of the gardeners in the area; and let everyone try their own "recipe" in the tumbler, and see whose turns out best. You could do a workshop on making the tumblers and then divide out the grape waste among them.

Cold composting also sounds good. Maybe, since this is the first (of hopefully many) opportunities for this waste, trying several methods experimentally and seeing which is the most efficient and workable is the best thing!

What an interesting opportunity!

By Nance (Guest Post)

I had Master Composter training, too (E. SF. Bay Area) but wonder if the winery knows how valuable the discards are? The grape seeds might be used to make oil, and grape skins have a chemical/property that repels Canadian geese. Maybe you could find an after-market for your waste instead of composting it.

By mklema92658 (Guest Post)

Try talking to the wineries in Napa,Ca. or elsewhere to see who takes their waste and how its handled. Maybe they can be emailed? Good Luck!

By

susanmajp

If you can't get enough, why don't you plan to cold compost the grape waste in a separate pile? It may take longer to break down, but will be an easy way to take care of the overload. You can use the compost directly or, if you like, you can add the composted grape waste in layers with your regular compost pile at a later time to mix nutrients. Does your town mulch tree branches? If so, it may be a good source to add to your mixture too. I personally wouldn't worry too much about the C:N ratio. Nothing in real-life is ideal. I'd just make the compost and amend it later if need be.

By AuntyC (Guest Post)

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but isn't balsamic vinegar made from the grape sludge? And isn't balsamic vinegar VERY expensive? I'd look into making the grape waste into something salable. PS. You can send me the first bottle if this works out.