How-to Compost and Build Living Soil: An Evening with Mark Stumpf-Allen

Simple Solutions from Edmonton’s Compost Expert

The success of gardens and food forests relies on healthy soil.

With so many products and amendments advertised, the process gets complicated fast. Mark Stumpf-Allen is here to tell you the solutions are simpler than you think.

Mark, fondly known as Markster Composter, has gardened in the Edmonton region for nearly fifty years. His goal has always been building soil that grows tasty, nutrient-dense food. As the former Compost Programs Coordinator with the City of Edmonton, he helped thousands of residents learn how to turn kitchen scraps and yard waste into black gold.

Tonight he walks through the steps to building healthy compost, understanding soil as a living system, and achieving the benefits of growing food in an environment that nurtures plants, ecosystems, and people.

You’ll also meet other gardeners working to build better soil and discover what’s happening locally in Edmonton’s growing permaculture and regenerative agriculture community.

What You’ll Learn

• Composting fundamentals – balancing greens and browns, managing moisture and aeration, knowing when compost is ready to use
• How soil biology works – the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and larger organisms that make nutrients available to plants
• Building compost systems that fit your space – from apartment balconies to large properties, simple methods that work
• Troubleshooting common problems – addressing smell, pests, slow decomposition, or materials that don’t break down
• Soil as a living ecosystem – understanding how organic matter, mineral content, and biological activity create fertility
• Regenerative soil practices – moving beyond amendments to building self-sustaining soil health over time
• Seasonal composting in Edmonton – managing systems through freeze-thaw cycles and making compost work in cold climates

Mark’s teaching draws on practical experience from city-scale organics management, community gardens, and decades of home composting across different conditions.

His approach focuses on understanding principles rather than following rigid rules, so you can adapt techniques to your specific situation.

After the presentation, there’s time for questions about your composting challenges, soil conditions, or gardening situations.

Bring your questions – Mark’s conversational teaching style makes complex soil science accessible.

About Mark Stumpf-Allen

Mark Stumpf-Allen has devoted his life to building rich, living soil. He’s gardened in the Edmonton region for nearly five decades, experimenting with landscape design, community gardens, and soil biology along the way.

As Compost Programs Coordinator with the City of Edmonton’s Waste Management Branch, Mark designed and delivered home composting and soil health education, including the Edmonton Master Composter-Recycler Program.

He taught thousands of residents practical techniques while explaining compost as part of larger nutrient-cycling and regenerative soil systems. His presentations covered everything from backyard basics to advanced soil biology, always emphasizing how composting keeps organics out of landfills and returns them to productive use.

Mark’s teaching background includes leading “Compost Conversations with Markster Composter” and community workshops that invite people to bring questions and learn in informal settings.

He’s worked with groups including Métis Nation of Alberta, the Edmonton Horticultural Society, and the Community Garden Network. In the early 2000s, he began teaching Elaine Ingham-style soil biology and management, shifting his focus to soil as a living ecosystem rather than just a growing medium.

Since retiring from the City in 2020, Mark has administered Red Brick Common’s Organic Master Gardener Program in partnership with Gaia College in Victoria, continuing his education and mentoring work. His perspective is valuable because he’s seen what works across different scales – from city programs to backyard piles – and he understands both the practical techniques and the biological principles behind them.

Composting and Soil Health in Regenerative Systems

Healthy soil stores carbon, cycles nutrients, retains water, and supports the biology that makes plants thrive. When soil functions well, plants handle stress better and produce more abundantly.

Composting is the most direct way to build soil health. You transform kitchen scraps, yard waste, and organic matter into material that feeds living soil systems. This aligns with permaculture’s principle of producing no waste – everything cycles back into productive use.

Soil isn’t just minerals.

It’s a living system where bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and larger organisms all play roles in breaking down organic matter and making nutrients available.

Understanding this biology changes how you approach soil building.

You’re not just adding amendments. You’re feeding and supporting living systems.

When you build nutrient-rich soil, you create an environment that nurtures plants and supports ecosystem health.

Gardens become more productive. Food and fruit quality improves.

You reduce waste by cycling organic matter back into the system instead of sending it to landfills.

For Edmonton gardeners working to build resilient food-producing landscapes, Mark’s knowledge offers practical guidance grounded in decades of hands-on experience.

He makes soil science accessible and composting techniques adaptable to different situations and scales.

This evening provides the knowledge to start or improve your composting practice, plus the chance to meet other people working toward healthier soil and more productive gardens.

Whether you garden on a balcony or manage larger acreage, the principles apply.