Tucson Village Farm (TVF) is located next to the University of Arizona Campus Agricultural Center and is operated in partnership with the College of Agriculture, Life, & Environmental Sciences’ (CALES) Cooperative Extension program. The purpose of the Extension is to provide community outreach on agricultural and sustainability-related issues like gardening, nutrition, water conservation, and more. TVF advances this mission by teaching young people about food systems and the importance of consuming fresh produce. To learn more, visit https://tucsonvillagefarm.arizona.edu.
Compost Cats hosts as compost demonstration site at TVF to better utilize the green and brown waste produced there. Processing TVF’s organic waste on-site provides the farm with a valuable soil amendment to improve plant health and soil quality. Onsite composting reduces the costs of obtaining compost from external sources, eliminating the need for expensive waste management services. Our demonstration sites aims to make TVF a model for sustainable agriculture in Tucson.
The TVF Demo Site also helps us expand our community outreach efforts by providing a space for educational activities. The site welcomes K-12, college students, and community members to engage in hands-on learning experiences.
The site includes a 30x30 foot concrete pad with a six-bin conventional pile composting system and a 15x25 foot ramada to shaded activity space. Our Compost Systems Specialists installed irrigation at the demo site to facilitate easier watering and further development of the site.
Other composting systems on-site include a vermicomposting system that houses hundreds of worms and a smaller-scale compost tumbler. The variety of composting systems helps demonstrate to the public how composting can be done in all backyards, or even without one! To illustrate the process of vermicomposting, Compost Cats has painted a mural inside the underground lysimeter that houses our vermicomposting system. The mural provides an immersive experience to help students understand the important work performed by decomposers.
The site also hosts two Palo Verde trees that are planted near the ramada, donated by Tucson Clean and Beautiful. The most recent additions to the site include a desert willow tree, two pomegranate trees, and a custom-built shade structure to cover our hardworking worms! As the TVF Demo Site continues to develop, Compost Cats plans to plant more trees and native plants surrounding the concrete pad and ramada.
Cats on the Farm
Compost Cats are present at various outreach and educational events held at TVF, including general composting demonstrations, Cooperative Extension programs, Earth Week celebrations, Market on the Move food drives, and more!
During the school year, Compost Cats teaches K-12 students who attend TVF’s Growing Forward and Dig-In Field Trips. The primary curriculum shared at these field trips is focused on worm anatomy and vermicomposting, utilizing worms from our vermicomposting system in the underground lysimeter or “Bug Basin,” as we’ve named it. We plan to continue tabling for community events and running educational outreach programs for students and the public as this site continues to develop.
Compost Cats looks forward to hosting more events at our TVF Demonstration site! If you or your school are interested in attending one of these field trip sessions, please contact TVF directly or visit their website.