From Scraps to Soil: Vermont Composting Short Course

We offer the course annually each fall for 6 weeks.

A Hybrid Course

It is considered a hybrid course because you will participate in both online and in-person sessions. 

The online portion is offered through the national Extension Foundation Campus website, using a Moodle software platform. You will need a free Extension Foundation Campus account to register and participate in the course. See below for instructions on getting an account.

You will also participate in at least one of three in-person workshops at community composting sites around Vermont.

Required Texts

The textbooks for this course are the Vermont Master Composter and the NY Master Composter Manuals. These are provided to students in online pdf formats in an effort to save paper.

Weekly Assignments

The course is structured with weekly readings and pre-recorded lectures posted to the online course platform. As a student, you will post weekly questions, participate in a real-time Zoom meeting with the instructors, and take a weekly quiz. Each week, we will cover a new topic.

A typical weekly schedule is as follows (subject to change)

• Friday: A new unit opens for the week on the course portal. It includes reading and other assignments for the week, a pre-recorded lecture provided as a videos, and a resources section.
• Tuesday: Students will submit a question/comment about the reading and lecture by midnight.
• Thursday: Students participate in a real-time Zoom meeting with the week's instructor from 6 to 7:30 p.m. ET. These sessions provide opportunities to interact with instructors to ask questions and review the topic of the week.
• Friday: Weekly quiz is due by midnight.

We also ask students to take pre- and post-course surveys to help us gauge how we are doing. You will take a final exam, participate in weekly online discussions, and develop a project customized for your home or community composting needs.

Course Topics Include

• Decomposition Process
• Biology of Composting
• Site and Container Selection
• Community Composting
• Compost Uses
• VT Act 148
• Managing the Compost Process
• Troubleshooting

2025 Syllabus Coming Soon!

Getting an Extension Foundation Account

This course is hosted on the Online Campus of the national Extension Foundation.

To register for the course (and other courses we offer), you must have an Extension Foundation account. You may use your Google or your Microsoft account to create an account and subsequently log in. If you do not have either, then please select the "Create new account" button at login or use the account creation Form which does not require email validation.

If you have any problems or questions about creating your account, see the Extension Foundation's campus help .

Finding Our Courses

Once you have an Extension Foundation Campus account, you will be able to enroll in our UVM Extension Master Gardener and Vermont Master Composter courses. You can find our courses through a search of the catalog, using "compost" as a keyword.

Although it may seem counterintuitive to learn about gardening and composting online, the mission of UVM Extension is to make University resources available to individuals across the State of Vermont. The online platform provides us with a cost-effective and accessible way to reach people in many different locations - rural and urban - who would not otherwise have access to one physical location. Plus, we are able to reduce our carbon footprint by offering the course online! A rough estimate shows we are able to save around 12.29 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents by offering each course in this way.  

We suggest these courses be taken as a first step toward learning more about sustainable gardening or composting practices, including reducing your use of pesticides and other harmful garden products and enhancing your landscape to be both a human and wildlife-friendly environment. You might be surprised how much you enjoy the convenience of an online course, as it allows you the flexibility to schedule your time around work, vacations and other family activities.

What do I need to know?

You will need basic computer skills, such as knowing how to do the following:

• Download and open files (word docs, and pdf docs)
• Fill out answers on a word doc and upload it
• Familiarity with opening links and watching videos online
• Be able to search the internet comfortably
• Be able to login to the course website and send messages on the website to the instructor
• Have access to high-speed internet-1.5 mpgs or faster. Talk to your internet provider if you are not sure of your internet speed
• Have access to a webcam
• Download and use Zoom software for online meetings
• Operating systems and computer brands can vary, but it may feel more frustrating to use an operating system that is not updated

Tech Support

We take pride in providing a high quality, interactive and engaging online courses. However, at this point, we do not have the staffing capacity to provide in-depth assistance with individual level computer issues. Please consider lining up help prior to enrolling in one of our courses.

Registration Deadline

The final day to register for the 2024 course is August 31, 2024 by midnight. We are unable to accept students after this date but would be happy to add you to our contact list for next year's course.

Dropping the Course and Refund Policy

The final date to drop out of the course and request a refund is September 15, 2024. We are unable to process refunds after this date. 

Accommodations

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Deb Heleba at debra.heleba@uvm.edu or 802-656-1777 so we may assist you.

If you have questions, please contact Deb Heleba at debra.heleba@uvm.edu. Once you have registered and created your course account, students should plan to submit course questions using the online course platform.

The Vermont Master Composter program is managed by the UVM Extension Community Horticulture program with financial support from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.