When you visit the Maple Street Community Garden, you’ll pass beneath the willow tree and find our compost operation tucked away in the back of the garden. There, six bins are hard at work turning food scraps and organic matter into rich compost. Like any good recipe, compost depends on the right ingredients. Ours relies on a simple ratio: two parts browns to one part greens.

If you’ve ever admired our compost, you’ve seen the impact of Doug Bost’s work.

On Team Compost, each captain helps steward a different aspect of the process. Doug (he/him) serves as our Browns Captain, making sure volunteers have the materials needed to maintain that all-important balance every Saturday. Thanks to his efforts, our decomposers enjoy a diverse menu alongside the donated food scraps we collect each week.

Doug has a favorite part of the job. “I must admit that one of the reasons I like transporting browns for the garden is that it makes my car smell good, especially the cocoa husks.”

On Team Compost, we couldn’t agree more. Few things lift spirits during a shift quite like opening a toter full of cocoa husks. Go take a hit of cocoa, you’ll often hear.

Originally from Maine, Doug joined the Maple Street Community Garden in April 2018. When asked how the garden enriches his life, he didn’t hesitate. “It’s a community that feels genuine.”

That sense of connection extends well beyond the garden gates. Through his role, Doug has built relationships with neighbors and local organizations that help keep our compost program thriving. “I love meeting the people who are generous enough to donate browns, like Caroline Purvins at Raaka Chocolate, and the folks who run Green-Wood Cemetery.”

While Doug spends plenty of time collecting materials and leading compost shifts, his favorite garden memory is a personal one. “Having my kid participate in the compost garden, then do interviews with composters and write an article about the history of the whole space for their school newspaper.” (Read Acadia Bost’s piece here.) It’s a reminder that community gardens don’t just grow compost and vegetables. They create opportunities for people to learn, connect, and become part of something larger than themselves.

A few weeks ago, a member of Team Compost spotted bags of leaves sitting outside a nearby brownstone. We left a note explaining our compost program and asking if we could give those leaves a second life. The homeowner reached out, and Doug was there to collect the bags, and store them for future use.

Doug’s generosity extends beyond the compost bins. He helps maintain the infrastructure that keeps the system running, from replacing buckets and tents to creating new signs and securing replacement scales. Doug is often the one who notices what’s needed, picks it up, and brings it to the garden, helping ensure the compost operation has the tools it needs to succeed.

That’s the thing about the Maple Street Community Garden. It runs on the dedication of volunteers like Doug, whose care for this space reaches far beyond the garden gates.

Written by Jess Frost

Portraits by Nance Treuber

Community Spotlight: Doug Bost