Looks interesting. I've been using a rather primitive approach to veggie gardening. I just add home made compost on top of my beds each fall. Sometimes I'm tempted to modernize my approach but it always comes down to my questioning whether any change would be worth the extra time and effort. The last change (toward modernization) I did was when I tried not tilling my beds. I guess I was attracted to this approach because it meant less work. But I feared that this less work might reduce my production. So for three years I tilled a few of my beds and left a couple un-tilled. I grew similar veggies in both types of beds. After three years I noticed a remarkable difference in production - the veggies in the un-tilled beds were bigger, more numerous and healthier. Who would have thought that less work would lead to greater success? I like that. This compost tea thing is all over RU-vid. Literally hundreds of variations. It's all so damn confusing but there must be something to it as it seems so many people are doing it and finding success. I'm desperate to find some guidance as to what, if any, form of compost tea I could try but so far I've been unable to find any convincing field trials on the subject. I've also searched rather extensively for any successful commercial growers that use compost tea. Still can't find anything. It looks like you've been using this method successfully so I'm wondering if you did any comparative testing before you decided to use your approach? If you did, I'd love to hear about it. Cheers and thanks for posting.
Sounds to me you've got a system that works and doesn't need additional layers. If you are getting good results I'd say keep on your path! I like the compost tea mainly so that there is a very nutritive soak that we can provide potted plants (which are under stress from limited resources in a pot) as well as being able to water plants in high tunnels and the like where nutrient access is limited. Otherwise, your ideas of adding compost on the surface and planting into it... Super reasonable and I've found very similar results, although not as thoroughly tested from our end. Just 'feels' like the right approach! So yeah, if you have potted plants, or indoor plants, or seedlings in flats, etc., high tunnels... the compost tea system is quite nice I find. But it isn't a necessary thing if you have happy plants in a garden!
So far we made one big batch and have diluted it once. I will probably use all that up, clean it out and start a fresh batch. It's definitely super rich.
I must say Azomite for compost tea is a great idea. Have you done any estimations of biochemical oxygen demand from the amount of nettles you put in? If you want to get better oxygen transfer from your bubbler (sparger) you can use a plastic bottle with some tiny pinholes poked in or just a dead end tube loop with tiny holes but the pump needs to be able to produce enough pressure to get the air through the constriction. The smaller bubbles have a greater surface area for gas transfer and a longer residence time because they don't float away as fast. You can also improve the gas transfer simply by having a taller tank so that the gas encounters a higher pressure at the bottom and has more distance to travel up to the surface.
Whoa! Bubble genius here! :) We just throw crap in a bucket with bubbles goin'... Works well enough so I suspect your next level thinking would make for some compost tea that makes plants glow!
@@edibleacres haha thanks! I'm a bioprocess engineer but I'm new to the concept of compost tea. If aerobic is better than anaerobic products for the soil then that's what you should do.
Another great EdibleAcres video, thank you! There seems to be a lot of sometimes conflicting information about compost tea on the internet. For example, some people say the anaerobic method is best for making comfrey tea, others say this is just a way to make a 'bad' bacteria brew. A lot of people use the compost in a bag hanging in water for 24 hours method. Yours is the first video I've seen combining these methods, where you have plant material with some additional nutrients thrown in and its aerobically brewing. I'm definitely going to try this. I wondered if you've done any trials with your brew ie "these plants had no compost tea vs these ones did have it" over a decent time period to see if there really is a benefit? I agree with you that for plants that are in pots or tunnels ie not out in the natural environment (garden beds) then they do need some additional help in getting the nutrients they need. Keep up the great work, it's really inspiring.
We're pretty loose with most of the systems we work with. We haven't done any formal trials to prove/disprove over long periods of time, etc. It is possible it isn't necessary at all to have this for plant health, but it is also nice to have a place to dip/soak potted plants and why not make it nourishing? Having a rich brew to offer as a foliar feed for struggling friends feels nice, if only as a gesture. But it does really seem to be productive and supportive so we'll keep doing it. Enjoy the growing season!
Funny thing about methane. A long time ago I read an articular in Harrowsmith magazine about one of the first farmers to extract methane from cow manure using a rudimentary method. It turns out that the cooked out manure yielded a better fertilizer. His corn fields produced 5 to 7 percent more and the equipment was amortized in three years.
I took a look though my pile of magazines to no avail .Let me give you an overview of the article. Basically this predated the coining of Biomass digester. The raw manure is piled up.A large hose with a filter is placed on top. The other end of the hose is connected to the intake of a compressor. The manure is covered with heavy gauge black poly and weighted down with a bunch of old tires. He heats and lights the barn with methane powered generator. The resulting fertilizer creates a surplus of corn which he distills and now has methanol which is converted to electricity which is in turn sold to the states utility. I have seen a few different setups for biomass digester. Now there is even a commercial model available.
I love the aerobic side of it instead of anaerobic. All the good microbes grow in in Aerobic soil and Water. Bad microbes in stagnant anaerobic. I love using comfrey in my garden. But until this video all I've seen or heard about is using fermented comfrey as a fertilizer. How long does it take for the comfrey to break down using this method?
I'll try this. I had to dump my comfrey tea yesterday in the "fallow" area of the garden. I had left it probably a week too long...smelled gawd awful. Like sewage. And a small colony of gnats, and even flies. Good to know I just needed aerator/bubblator, and to empty it sooner. Thanks!
In the future I'd say still use it! Maybe not as a foliar feed, or something that you pour onto plants, but to either active compost, pour around trees or plants that seem sad, a stinky comfrey time could be a great thing. I was first introduced to compost tea by some folks who had a 55 gallon drum packed with nettle and comfrey and they just kept adding water and dipping in... As you can imagine, it was phenomenal how bad it smelled, but their garden was insane, so it helped me realize there is a lot of wiggle room on all this!
I made 2x 5-gallon buckets of 'weed tea' (lawn clipping + water, rest 1-hour). The first bucket, I applied to my garden area after the clippings sat in water for 50-min. The garden seems to like the weed tea just fine. I messed-up, and left he 2nd bucket sitting for about 90-min before applying. It smelled a little funny, and it half-killed the plants I added it to. Lesson: sitting stagnant = anaerobic microbes = hard on the aerobic microbes I was wanting to grow. Bubbler is 100% a better idea.
Do you worry about mosquitos being a problem with standing water, or do you think the bubbler might help? I really love this idea! I’m just a little nervous about mosquitos here in north Georgia. Any thoughts? Btw, just found your channel, and I absolutely love it. It’s now in my regular rotation. Thanks for the great content.
if your thinking about watering your entire garden with compost tea then are you going to put a pump that pumps water into the barrel as you need it? that would be the icing on this cake! lol. love your knowledge that you share threw the videos! thank you!
Could do a pump to bring it over, but we don't water a huge amount so as of now this system is just fine for us. I could see a bilge pump with a simple filter lifting the tea into a container in the garden to distribute there... But probably isn't necessary for us just yet.
Yellowing on very young leaves usually means the air is too cold and/or they are getting too much moisture. If you got a 12-volt bubbler and connected a small solar panel and battery to a controller, then to the battery and then to the bubbler, you'd be in business!
For how long do you allow this water to stay in the tub before it becomes unusable? I've heard aerated compost tea has to be used right away, right after creating it.
We haven't set this up in a year or two now since the soil fertility overall has been good enough to not need it, but the basic concepts shared then are still sound I believe
I wish I had azolla; I've tried two different sources, but they always lose their roots and die in shipping. I'm hopeful one day I can find it local because it has many benefits and it very pretty.
Its bubbling all the time, at 3 watts its incredibly small amounts of energy and I'm fine letting it do that... We'll use it all and refill with rainwater a few times and then start fresh after that.
@@edibleacres - My 2 cents. ;-) Solar panel, any cheapo small 10W or similar should be more than enough to maintain a small water pump or air pump going. Adding a air dispersing stone, easily found in any aquarium shops. Increase the efficiency of air distribution. On the simplest side the pipe end with several small holes, instead of just one big hole, will do more or less the same for cost 0, more for less. ;-) Azolla, Salvinia natans and pretty much all in this families are either a blessing or a curse. Solely dependent of where they are allowed to thrive or the use of it. Generally fantastic to remove nutrients from water (water treatment), pile up Nitrogen (fertilizer), etc. By far and wide a very fast growing and fantastic raw material for the compost pile. On the other hand in ponds, lakes, etc. where they're not supposed to be are simply an invasive plague, able to "kill" fish, other plants and the water itself. You seem to have a good grasp of these concepts, maybe it's a decent idea for a future video. I see way too many embarking into this without pure conscience of how detrimental the introduction of a foreign species can do to the environment. ;-) Thumbs up. Cheers
For all the composting you do with the tea, the chickens, etc., how do you feel about worm bins? I don't think I've come across one of your videos where you have that. Is it too much of a pain considering all the work you already do on the property? Also, where are ou and Sasha from originally, neither of you have NY accents and why did you choose NY to set up?
There are so many worms all over our land that we don't need to do a bin specifically for them. I'm from NJ actually, but never 'caught' the accent... She's from MA originally but somehow doesn't have a strong accent either! I always feel I hear her NY accent :)
Have you used this as a foliar spray (maybe diluted)? I was thinking about putting it into a pump sprayer to spray leaves in the morning...what do you think? Also, can you give young plants compost tea? How mature do they need to be before you start feeding them this?
I'm not going to give specific advise on use since I don't know but we've definitely used compost tea to water leaves and young plants without problems. Be careful and observant and see what makes sense to you.
Hi there. I’m wondering if a standard dual air pump for a fish tank would work for this? Also, I have a ton of wild nettle and fern. Can I just cut them down and put them in, or do I need to compost them first.
The pump sounds really reasonable, and nettles work amazingly well, I bet ferns could be helpful too. They break down while making the tea, so no need to do work in advance.
Definitely going to do this this year! I've found a huge pile of wild nettle on the north end of Lake Ontario. Any suggestions on how I might harvest it? A cutting? Or should I root it out in the spring? Have you done a vid on nettles yet?
planting to propagate - sry....should have been more specific! I bought seeds for this year, but thought I could get a head start on the cuttings or root ball!
EdibleAcres not the fruits. The vines are everywhere. They’re like living razor wire. I have much to remove, but I’d rather extract some value than pay to dump them.
you definitely could use more air or maybe put both of those air lines into 1 air stone to create more fine bubbles. But there are a million ways to skin a compost tea cat! LOL!
Worth a try....I just know how bad nettle stew can smell...can make one lose their lunch. LoL I'll have to rig up a way to keep my yuk finding lab out of it. She thinks smelly things are WoNDerFUL. Thanks for the tip :-)
I'm thinking solar and an airbed pump at 12v, just wired direct, no battery. Or an 'it don't matter' battery with a light dependant switch. No sun no go.... Anything to try oxygenate and cut down on the stink. I need to get some sleep. Don't even have a garden yet ;s
I like the end there! I would think you could find a DC air pump and run it directly. I don't think it would have to be 24/7 pumping to work. Maybe its vigorous during the day and then off at night. If you figure something out let me know!
Thanks for the reply :) My wee sister has a garden up in Scotland and we have been working on it this year. She has a fine patch of comfrey and we plan to set up a 'stink' bin for making the gloop so I shall get on it when I next head north. I will favourite this page and do my best to get back to you :)
Had a look today at fan based 12 volt air mattress, kids pool type blowers today. Finally found one for £15 which had a wattage rating on, most didn't, and it was 50 watts at 12 volts. Which was a bit of a shock to be honest. It looked a bit 'wonder how long this will last running 12 hours a day' too. I was expecting 5 or 10 watts and thinking on a £30 panel, bit bigger than a sheet of paper, that would do 5 watts in full sun. So in reality I would probably need at least a 100 watt panel, cloud shading etc and a battery and a switch that worked only when a brightness threshold was reached. I bought the light 'switch kit' for £10, I will have to solder ( that would be sodder for you yanks :O ) that together ( or voltage which would be more complex maybe, actually the MPT solar controller I have will cut out the 'load' if the voltage in the battery drops below a certain point, to protect the battery, but that's pretty harsh on the battery letting it drop that low every day. ) So already it would tie up my 100 watt panel and controller, put my deep cycle battery under a lot of stress and cost another £15 for the 'how long will this last' pump and I would have to source pipe, wiring, a box for the electronics and enough time to put it all together. Suddenly not seeming like as much fun LoL. I might just buy the pump anyway, if I don't burn it out it's handy for blowing up airbeds, and still have at it but it will be a few weeks as all my gear is up north with my sister. Will keep you posted:) P.S. I can see now why you went with the mains electric pump ;) How much smell does it really stop, now you have had it running a while?
@@edibleacres Fred is right. Details, flexibility, and innovation using the simplest means at your disposal, even if that means breaking or bending a rule, are your greatest strengths. The evangelical, fundamentalist, rigid nature of some in the organic and permaculture movements can at times be off-putting.
