Few things. In Finland the black water doesn't go to waste, there are two things which happen to it depending on the area. 1. Nutrients gets treated with bacteria and the biomass is collected along with the solid particulate. Then one of two things happen: If the area has a bioreactor facility (Operated by Finnish government owned company Gasum OY), they go to there to be turned in to biogas. After fermentation, they go to centrifugal processing to separate liquid and solids. Solids go to composting, and liquids go to nutrient recovery (they become nitrogen, phosphorus and other such fertilisers). 2. The material goes to be incinerate, and this ash is then used as a ash based filler or fertiliser (or processed further). Finland is basically an isolated island - everything needs to come here basically with a ship or plane (because of your geography and neighbours). We don't have fossil fuel recoursed, so we make do with other means. As every cent used in fossil products from some far away place, is a cent lost from our economy. Also you are in the Finnish archipelago. If you don't want to buy limestone, you can probably find it somewhere fairly close by. Its quite abundant and there are even mines and processing facilities for it here - well only anymore in Parainen.
We bought an old house pretty close to you two years ago and composting has quickly become more of a hobby than a chore. There is something deeply rewarding about the process.
I always told my students, feed your plants and they will feed you. Composting is vital for a happy healthy kitchen garden. Thank you for your lovely blog.
Feed the soil, and it takes care of the plants. The mistake everyone makes is feeding their plants. Soil is the most important part of growing food. Composting and worm farms are the way to go. Another amazing way to farm is using korean natural farming methods. Definitely worth looking into.
What a legend you are mate. I well up whenever I get to your musical outro. Don't think I've ever passed over one of your videos from begining to end. 🙏🏻
I echo your sentiments completely. As a Finn who lives in Canada, I was overjoyed to learn that Mossy Bottom moved to my native land! I watch every episode with love and admiration welling up in my heart.
I don't get people who say "It's so much work..." but the one i am thinking of likes to spend his time sitting in front of the tv watching endless sports.
I used to have chickens and I’d recommend wood shavings rather than straw for their bedding. I found cleaning their coup was a hell of a lot easier with wood shavings, as the shavings would soak up their poo (chickens poop a lot) and turn it into clumps. Straw wasn’t so easy to manage as the poop would sometimes seep through the stalks and soak into the wood of the coup, making cleaning troublesome.
I agree! I also use wood shavings that I get for free. That works way better than straw and is easier to clean. Also if I would keep up on adding more a bit more often than I do 😬, it completely eradicates smell. We've had a rainy summer so I really should have kept adding at a faster pace, but...
I tend to use whatever is available but yeah wood shavings and leaves are more absorbent than straw and hay. This year I've mostly just been using hay since it's so easy to produce for free and I've not been doing much woodwork. I think one of the reasons it gets a bit muckier is the hens don't scratch through it as much whereas a deep litter system with something more scratchable means the poo gets stirred in and covered rather than sitting on top. It's possible chopping the hay/straw would let them do that
A tiny nugget of knowledge to add ...... Ash! It makes a great cleaning agent for your glass fronted burners. A damp rag dipped in the ash gives enough grit to cut through the carbon and not too much that it scratches the glass!
Hi 👋 Daniel. Wow, your homestead looks wonderful 👍.! Glad to see you back. Your friend in the panhandle of Florida, USA I like your video today is very very informative. I learned quite a few things that I didn't know and I know that that will help my composting work itself even better. God bless you and your family and keep you safe.🎉❤🎉
I put my humaure in wheelie bins, layered with straw for a little longer than a year, then move it to the compost area when pathogens have been eradicated. Gardens looking great, we had a terrible year in Ireland, wet and cold.
We always joke, that our vegetables and potatoes "come from own behind". :D It is a bad translation of Finnish "omasta takaa", which means "home made". See, we also have an outhouse and a compost.. "Food from own behind is very nutritious", ha ha .
Always inspirational ❤️ Thank you for promoting humanure so eloquently, I mention it all the time in gardening conversations ( here in Scotland) and it is always met with wide eyes. Common sense needs verbalising at every turn because the further away from the land the population gets the less context they have.
The timing of this video could not have been better, we're just in the middle of planning our own garden compost and your build is actually quite genius, though simple. I think we will do something similar. Thanks for all the tips! I've been going through all of your old videos this summer and eagerly waiting for a new one. I know from experience that summer is a busy time for an outdoor person, so there's not much time for videos, but hopefully you'll find more time to edit and upload in the autumn 🍂 Your style is extremely captivating to follow. Good storytelling with lots of tips but also humour and real life stuff. Keep it up!
I like using an iron rod to perforate the pile periodically, introducing oxygen to new areas of activity. I find that faster and easier than turning. Totally agree about layering.
What a great video, i wish composting and self sufficiency could be taught in schools, i think its absolutely insane that we flush our toilets with drinking water, if only rain water storage tanks were added to all new builds, i think it could help with our huge water problem here in the Uk, it could help take the pressure off drain systems which in turn could reduce sewage being pumped into our rivers and seas, maybe one day the people at the top will realise its not all about profits, at least some people are doing what they can for the planet, looking forward to seeing your next videos, hopefully about how you prepare for the upcoming winter, my favourite season
Thank you for mentioning John Seymour! I found his book, in Swedish, in Akademen bookstore in Helsinki, in the 70’s. It quickly became my “bible”, my mentor and teacher. I still follow his teachings from that very inspirational book. And so do my children! I also spread the knowledge in my new home in America. I guess he is the reason I love listening to you! 😁
Excellent video. It feels so right to be living this way closer to the land, no UPFs and piles of plastic packaging. I’m naturally making big changes to what I buy and eat and definitely feel the benefits.
Hi! Greetings from west Ireland, it’s wonderful to see you flourishing in Finland! You’ve been a huge inspiration to me and my partner, as we have always strived to be (and finally are!) on a very similar journey. I must request more content on humanure composting. I think you mentioned it in one of your first videos while you were in Ireland. We’ve read the humanure handbook and all, but we would love to see you talk about it more (and learn from the variations you’ve tried!). It’s not discussed enough and you always provide such delightful insight. Many thanks and all the best!
Living on the side of a hill in Wales, your gem of a tip will save me much work 😊 I have put - re positioning and configuring of the compost heap on my autumn project list alongside building a garden privvy - this will save me the treck back up to the house and taking off shoes and the same in reverse. All in all a very enjoyable and informative video 👍. Looking forward to the fishing video. I will also check out Angela's blog.
Oh and that Quote will go down in history ! "A good compost area is more a beating heart at the centre of your enterprise, than a bulging heap at the edge " ... Mossy Bottom !
Your videos are joy, support, knowledge and are bringing me pleasure while I process tons of apples in the kitchen at this very moment.... best wishes from county Tipperary to you and your family and thank you for doing those videos 🤗
"A good compost area is more a beating heart at the centre of your enterprise than a bulging heap at the edge". - Mossy Bottom Thanks for a great video on compost! 24:29 Here in Norway, I think outhouses are associated with nostalgia for a simpler time. At least among people who still have them at their summer house. However, most Norwegians look down upon it, as in Britain. Many traditional outhouses have been replaced by fancy incinerating ones that cost a fortune. But the old outhouses with a heart in the door and photographs of the king on the wall (don't ask why) are still around. There are plenty of people who keep using them and love them. I'm one of those people. I lived in an 1800s house without plumbing and loved going to the outhouse, even in winter (I only wished it was closer to the house). There's just something about it, the fresh air and a warm cork seat. It's not at all unhygienic, as many people think, wood and cork is naturally antibacterial. If anything, it can be _more_ hygienic than flushing, which releases aerosols of whatever you flush down. The "outhouse smell" comes from mixing urine and solids. If you separate the urine and provide enough ventilation (that's what the ❤ is for), there won't be any smell or flies. By keeping the outhouse clean and tidy, it can even become cosy. It's a wonderful place to sit and think, something I'm sure everyone who has one appreciates. I think people are missing out, I love outhouses ❤ If you don't fancy digging out the partly composted solids with a shovel (who does), the Finnish have come up with a great solution, Pikkuvihreä's Green Toilet. It's possible to DIY using trash bins, but their bins have some clever design features that would be hard to copy. Having moved to an area where outhouses are prohibited, I bought the 330L kit that I intend to install indoors with a separating seat (protip: HepVo waterless valve). The fan ensures no smell on the inside, and the separation of solids and liquids ensures no noticable smell on the outside. That's another topic. All that valuable nitrogen that we mix with potable water and flush out to sea. Or, at best, spend lots of energy to extract from a toxic sludge. By collecting urine at the source and storing it in a tight container in the dark for a few months, it becomes a sterile and highly potent liquid fertiliser (protip: SSWM has all the info you need). I _will_ be diverting it down the drain to begin with, simply because it's so much more than I need, but the option to collect it in barrels is there should the need arise. To take it one step further, one could even extract struvite, a granulated slow-release, long-lasting fertiliser that's rich in nitrogen and phosphorus (MgNH 4 PO 4 · 6 H 2 O) and more benign for soil life than urine (again: SSWM for the win). Most developments in this area appears to happen in less "developed" countries. Another interesting development worth mentioning is worm-based sanitation (IWBSA) for dealing with the solids, although it does require heating in the winter in our climate. To end this rant with a fun fact: Each of us produce enough fertiliser to grow the food we need to survive. Not so fun fact: We mix it with potable water, producing toxic waste that ends up polluting rivers and oceans. If that's not madness, I don't know what is.
There is nothing better than a good composting-video! 💚 Would love more of them. Please follow up! I live in a cottage in Sweden and I compost everything! 👍
@@lorettamargaret2243 They don't break down as they are. I first put them in to get clean. When I use the fireplace in winter I throw them in the fire. When cooled down I crush them up and put them back in the compostbin. I also use the ashes. 💚
Hi great video with lots of useful facts and tips , I find that most Cafe and petrol stations in New Zealand were I live put the coffee grounds outside free to anyone , they make a great addition to composting system.
Really appreciate your using the hillside as a ramp to the tops of your bins. I have property with a lot of sloping sides, really hoping I can copy that idea. 🙏😊👍
Daniel, thank you so much for posting as you do. You share your experience and knowledge in such a measured and beautiful way. Every episode leaves me educated and feeling at peace. Looking forward to the next episode already. Cheers to you and your family.
Very nice and inspiring video. We have the same hot composter as you do, but also a second one that is insulated and stays hot over the winter. Both have been working great, but the latter works all year round. Thanks to the warm May, we got an excellent pear crop this year. Hopefully the next winter will be easier as this became very expensive energy wise. Greetings from the upper part of South-West Finland!
Daniel you are so inspiring...I remember my grandfather using the humanure from the privy he had in his garden in the North of France...I am now in Australia and making my own though small compost heap...sending Love to you and your family...
Thank you! I love the educational stuff you share! Honestly, it's hard for me to find a lot of truly useful articles and videos online, when my search engines seem geared to prioritize clickbait instead. Your videos always are and have been a breath of fresh air! It's obvious that you all do both the mental hard work as well as the physical - who would have considered ergonomics applied to composting systems? But it makes so much sense! Please don't ever stop the educational vids, Daniel. Those will have enduring value. Congrats on your successes in the garden this year, and happy fishing!
Lovely to see how your plot is flourishing! I'd love to hear more on what you use as the dry material in the composting toilet. Store bought "huussikuivike" (especially the one without peat) is quite expensive, and I'd like to learn how to make it myself.
We use a mix of birch chips which I make myself (you can see the large green containers of it later in the video), mixed with dried lavender, which we grow just to neutralise any scent. Just avoid pine/spruce to prevent the acidity being too high if you intend to use the resulting compost for vegetable growing. The bark chips you buy in stores here is generally made from coniferous species which would make the compost unsuitable for veggies.
Great to see so much progress in your garden. I have never turned a compost stack in my life. Then again, when you're used to creating them from running 17 horses, who has the time for that kind of faff when you can just it correctly! Lovely system you've got going on.
Good to see you are not afraid to use human manure in composting system. Also wondering what kind of wood chipper you are using? The size of the chips in your piles are so much smaller than many I have seen. Really a nice size for your composting needs. Love seeing what your doing on your homesteading journey......keep up the great work. I'm jealous.
I always aim to produce 1-2 videos per month, but it's been so hard lately due to the amount of work we're doing just to get everything set up on the land. I still loving making content though. :)
Job well done Daniel… Wow do you ever stop? I admire how you put so much thought into all you plan and accomplish. I don’t find. Compost boring.. I’m all for learning… glad to know you and your family are doing well… its so wonderful watching your videos… take care till next time , can’t wait to see your harvest.
I have a diverter composting loo which separates liquids and solids. The urine goes directly into the soil and the solid waste (like yours layered with wood shavings) is composted. A small fan from a computer powered by a small solar panel ventilates this solid waste and dries it out while in the loo. This minimises any odour. Impressed as always by your explanations.
Great video, Thank you! In our gardens any woody materials and weeds (plants in the wrong place) are either thrown into the chicken pen or onto insect piles where there are no chickens nearby. Insect piles are basically compost piles that are never turned or moved with the added benefit of giving habitat for overwintering insects. The fertility simply runs off with the rain to feed the nearby plants year after year. When starting a new no dig garden or expanding an existing garden, for now we still use mushroom compost while we can get it here in Ireland.
@@rayvin357 it help's to keep somewhat track of how much different kinds of waste people produce, including compost, so we could be even more efficient in recycling. Something like that.
Lovely to see a video Daniel this rainy morning, great to see how busy you’ve been over the summer , your composting area is impressive I have to say ! Your garden is looking fantastic , all those lovely Veggies 😊
Thank you Daniel. We mix leaves collected every year, or else they turn to mud, and grass cuttings mixed. Sprinkles of seaweed pellets, cardboard strips, sawdust/chips and wood ash. I thought wood ash was making it acidic so thank you for the info. On my learning curve I've learned I don’t leave it to cook long enough or turn it enough times. Two years sounds about right. Charles Dowding from No Dig calls it Treasure! Happy cultivation All 💖🙏💫
I started saving my pee over a year ago (it's not too inconvenient). Last year, I experimented with a couple of rows of corn, dividing each row in half, and applying diluted pee to one half. There was an obvious and amazing difference. Now I use the pee on crops which need nitrogen, or I put it on my compost pile.
Nice. I started composting two months ago using cow dung and donkey droppings, to which I added kitchen scraps and 2 litres urine once a week. Today, it looks almost ready - the kitchen scraps are breaking down nicely, but the dung is broken down. I will be making another compost heap this week to ensure I have compost all year round. There is lots of cow dung all around where I live since livestock is kept free range.
Always glad to see what you have been doing. Full summer garden patch is wonderful! That compost system looks great as well. We learn by doing something, and then figuring out what would be better. You have an introverts dream there, with your own bit of shore, and a private forest. Best of luck with your next list of chores for the autumn. Cheers!
If you're planning on an outhouse I would seriously recommend a hot composting toilet. There is a bigger model that would be great. No need to shovel raw stuff.
I've been using 'recycled beer' to add moisture to compost for years. I also compost waste from the fish I catch, the deer, rabbits & pigeons I shoot. I've found a 1.2m cube is plenty hot enough (70°C for a couple of weeks) to deal with those, plus any weed seeds.
To me, composting is about acknowledging and being part of the life-death-life cycles that are happening all around us all the time. I've been composting since the early '80s and vermicomposting off and on since the '90s. Starting about two years ago I brought my "worm factory" inside my garage turned efficiency apartment. It is, in effect, a confined space, and yes, I do have a couple of air purifiers going, but those are mainly for the three cats! I have had no issues with odors from the worm bin and I realized pretty quickly that the worms smell the food going bad long before I ever do and eat it! As long as I don't over feed, the system works great! 👍😊👍
I just wanted to leave here a thank you for both of you for the lovely and inspiring vlog/blog. I just moved with my small daughhter to a nearly 100 years old cottage in my homecountry Finland after living over 20 years in Germany, with an hope for more sustainable, self sufficient life style in the future. I also have a (now retired) certified mold detection dog Wilma. If you need information on the training of environment detection dogs, feel free to contact me 😊 Best wishes!
Thank you, this video is perfect timing for me. I was just researching and planning to make a compost area at our home in California. Very informative and approachable. Saving this video.
Straw can be hard to come by here, so most use pine shavings, hemp shavings or straw/wood pellets in their chicken coop. I asked a friend that is a farmer why straw can be hard to find, and he said it's because it's all tilled down into the ground to improve our heavy clay soils and lessen the amount of fertilizer needed.
Privys or outhouses are common in Canada also but don't make the mistake of a friend who put hot ashes down his in July and almost burned down the mountain. I was there to put out the fire but roots burning underground meant I was busy for 24 hours putting out spot fires! Very scary! Sitting on the bog looking out over the world is a lovely feeling of freedom and no, they don't smell much when ventilated. When almost full just fill in with top soil and plant a fruit tree then dig another next door. ❤
Heartfelt congratulations for the amazing results of your gardening work, Daniel and Angela 😍😍 I really enjoyed the presentation of your composting system - very thoroughly planned lay-out and process. Good luck with your fishing projects!
When you said the wood structure was made of treated lumber I think you need to provide details on what type of treatment. I would be hesitant to get treated lumber at the big box store because it may have toxins which might leach out. However if you treated it yourself somehow that would be good to know.
