Apply compost to the Live Oak community garden plots (2026-07-20)

The shared garden plots serving Live Oak's farmworker and mobile-home-park families lose soil fertility fast with heavy annual planting and no regular compost input. A seasonal compost application rebuilds the soil so the plots keep producing food for the households that depend on them. Standard: USDA NRCS soil-health compost practice — SDG 15. Proof: Before/after photos of the compost-amended plots Method (USDA NRCS soil-health compost practice — SDG 15.): 1. Confirm the invited garden site and plot boundaries. 2. Spread a measured layer of compost across each plot. 3. Work the compost lightly into the top few inches of soil. 4. Water the plots in after application. 5. Photograph the finished plots with GPS and date. Done when: Before/after photos of the compost-amended plots

Where

Invited community garden near Capitola Rd, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Pay

$180 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

Before/after photos of the compost-amended plots

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

entry

Open until

2026-10-19

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 90–360 minutes. Method of record: Compost application per NRCS CPS 336 / CDFA Healthy Soils quantification (rate, quality, incorporation for the site) — finished compost only; assess→apply→verify

Bring

• finished compost meeting the quality spec (temperature-cured; STA/US Composting Council tested where available)
• spreader, wheelbarrow + rakes/shovels at garden scale
• camera + GPS + tape/bucket for rate calibration
• gloves + dust mask for dry material handling

Steps

1. 1. ASSESS: photograph the application area as found, record GPS boundary and area, and confirm the application rate (tons/acre or inches of depth) and compost quality documentation against the plan.
2. 2. Calibrate the rate (bucket-per-area or spreader pass test) so the applied depth matches the plan.
3. 3. Apply compost evenly across the area; keep material out of waterways, drains, and off pavement (sweep any spill back onto soil).
4. 4. Incorporate or leave surface-applied exactly per the plan (no-till surface application is valid under CPS 336).
5. 5. VERIFY: photograph the finished application from matching vantage + a depth-check photo (ruler in the applied layer) at ≥3 points; log source, quantity, rate, and date as the application record.

If it does not match the plan

• Compost not finished (hot, ammonia smell, recognizable feedstock) -> reject the load; immature compost harms the soil it should build.
• Rain forecast that would wash material to a drain before incorporation -> delay application.
• Application area drains directly to a waterway with no buffer -> route to the conservation planner for a setback plan first.

What counts as done

• Application record complete: source, quality doc, quantity, rate, area, GPS, date
• Depth-check photos at ≥3 points match the planned rate
• No compost in gutters/drains/waterways (site-perimeter photo)

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.