NOTE: Amazon.com and CA are having an issue and not all formats of the books are available. They are working on it. Their tech section is trying to figure out whats going on. All other amazons are fine. Search your local Amazon, or as an alternative Google it as the book is showing in multiple online sources for both the USA and Canada.
Amazon is still showing a hard copy of the book is temp. out. I just ordered a copy of the paperback from Barnes and Noble and it should be arriving tomorrow so no problems ordering it through them.
Fish Fertilizer does help speed things up, if you mix it with water and spray it on the pile. The Fish feeds the microbes. Use 2 oz. per gallon of water and spray it every 2-3 weeks.
Last year I brought in some manure from a local farm that had horses. I was informed that they were fed premium hay which is supposedly not sprayed for weeds. It took twice as long to germinate my seeds and when the seedlings were growing they achieved a very short height. The plants were yellow and they grew very slowly and were misshapen. The cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes all grew very poorly and the plants looked sick. The soil was evenly watered so that was not an issue I applied organic fertilizer and nothing improved the situation. After a lot of Google searches I came to the conclusion that there was herbicide residue in the manure. The easiest solution to my problem was to apply Activated charcoal to absorb the herbicide. Within a week the plants were greening up and a few weeks later the beans were flowering the tomatoes and cucumbers are growing very well. The beans ended up producing very well the rest of the garden were affected to the point that the cucumbers were round yellow little balls in the tomatoes were miniature and misshapen. The onions failed to become any bigger than ping-pong ball size. I applied more activated charcoal last fall and if I was to guarantee that it wasn’t going to be an issue this year I needed to remove the soil from all of my raised beds. I am taking the chance that the activated charcoal and allowing the winter season two breakdown the remaining herbicide. Time will tell.
@@donnawoodford6641 I googled activated charcoal to detox soil. This is a video I just saw but not the one I used. I suggest you do a search. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fQvP6l_d8dM.html
My compost bins are under a lime tree and the roots are so invasive that I lose a huge amount of compost to the tree. Needless to say, the lime tree is thriving and much of my work goes to naught if I don't keep on top of turning it regularly.... plus you cannot leave it in the bin once it's composted. My answer is don't put it under a tree if you know you may not keep up the turning routine. MUffy from OZ (Australia)
The Mushroom Farm is all organic. If there is pesticide in the compost then they need to be notified. If you have it I probably do too!!!! Eventually I hope to just drop and chop all my clippings and will no longer need compost imported. Also, I bury my food scraps around the garden so I have lots of worm casting feeding lots of my plants.
Most mushroom farms are not totally organic. They use nitrogen fertilizer. Mushrooms take a lot. So the salts are all leftover. A simple internet search will tell you that.
I watch Tony on here as a rule. This is good advice, I started a compost bin myself this year and I'm keeping my eye on the heat because I also added compost worms which I don't want to over heat. But, now I see I will have to purchase a moisture meter, even though I know mine is well watered and balanced. Gardeners never have their hand out of their pocket 😉
Kath, When you build the pile right and allow the temps to climb through the phases as the compost gets tot the point of starting to mature the worms will move in naturally and you can save the money on buying and adding worms
Thanks for a great video on a subject that I questioned if I’m doing correctly. Tony was helpful in answering my many questions, much appreciated. Looking forward to reading both your books.
Thank you Lupita When you finish reading or listening to it would you mind leaving an honest review on Amazon? It will help others make a choice to buy or not. It can be good or bad. Honest reviews are more authentic.
Question for you about magnolia leaves. They do have a chemical, I’m told, that suppresses growth. What do you know about using chopped up magnolia leaves as a mulch under fruit trees? Safe? Safe to use in the paths next to vegetable gardens? Much thanks! Sue
I do, on accession, add an organic compost helper/booster. It helps balance things. I'm not a Certified compost master, But I have been composting for at least 10 years. I have a 2 bin system (3' x 3' x 4 1/2' each), I use the Hot Method...producing 41 cubic feet (approx. 2.3 cu yds) of compressed compost in a summer. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, on .13 acres.
Never thought I had enough room to compost. Tony says different. I'll have to give it more thought. Thanks Brian. Another great lesson. You are truly appreciated!!
Hi Brian, i have been binge watching your videos for a couple weeks now. I haven't worked a garden since I was a child... about 45 years. With food shortage warnings I decided to make a back yard garden recently. Your videos have been so captivating and informational. I am stressing over the compost situation. i started a new compost bin but it will not be ready until next year. I'm too afraid to buy the local compost or the big box store compost. The certified organic compost is not available in my area. Sooooo.... I'm hoping that with the fertilizer that you suggested that the garden will make enough this first year to make me proud. Thanks again for all your videos. I love your compassion and sense of humor.
Yes AND it can be on Hay as I commented in last week's video. David the Good probably was one of the first ones to discover this happens back in 2012. After experiencing it the first time and determining Grayzon was the issue, "Mother Earth News" published an article he wrote. His channel is Survival Gardening with David the Good and he has also written books about gardening and specifically on composting called COMPOST EVERYTHING: The Good Guide to Extreme Composting. @April Brimmer
Sorry you may be growing a large crop of corn this year; at least there are different varieties😉. Scott Head over at Black Gumbo had to do this a couple years ago along. Charles Dowding has also found some of the tainted compost however he always tests before he puts it in a bed. It's great you are also promoting Tony O'Neill, he always has great things to share. There are a number of gardening RU-vidrs that are promoting it today (and probably in the days/weeks to come) and I can't wait to read it myself when it comes in the mail.
I also subscribe to Tony's RU-vid. One thing that wasn't mentioned is something I do. I have two circular composters. When I got them, I added regular garden soil to the mix, and the soil turned out to have a lot of worms in it. Having the worms in my composter really speeds up the process. I get worm castings mixed in with the compost. The circular composters have holes in the bottom, and excess liquid drains into a container below. I collect the liquid, dilute it and use it on my plants. I also have a regular compost bin which works fine, but it takes longer to break down material, & it doesn't have that nice dark brown color or texture of the compost from the circular composters. I assume worm castings are what make the circular composters product so nice and dark.
Susan. Garden soil should be avoided for multiple reasons, firstly it pushes air out of the heap as it breaks down. I understand your thoughts about adding worms, but if your composting properly you don't want worms as the temps, in the beginning, will kill them. These move in on their own as the compost is maturing. I cover this in detail in the book. If your main pile is taking a long time and not getting the dark colors then that's indicative of the wrong ratios and not enough heat
@@simplifygardening Thanks for your answer, Tony. I'm a big fan of yours. I've been trying to order your book but Amazon isn't yet offering the book editions. I'm eager to get it. For my regular non-rotating composter, I will definitely take your advice about the green/brown ration seriously, as I usually just dump garden waster into the bin and leave it as I don't have the strength to turn the pile. I do have the strength to turn the rotating/circular composter. I would say my rotating/circular composter does a great job of aerating the compost mix. I only put soil into the composter the first time I used it years ago as I was told that it was a way to Innoculate the compost with bacteria and worms that would aid the composting. Since then there seems to be enough worms/eggs left inside after I empty it to repopulate the compost, I don't add soil any more. The worms are really happy, which makes me happy. I live in a very mild climate along the Pacific Coast--San Francisco Bay. I have seen the worms migrate out of the compost and up the side of the rotating/circular composter on the rare occasions it gets hot here. I'm thinking the rotating/circular composter is maybe closer to vermiculture than traditional composting?
@@bobalman Hi, Bob, aren't worms amazing! When we move compost out of my non-rotating regular big bin compster there are always tons of worms at the bottom of the pile. The compost seems pretty good, but it isn't as dark and rich looking as the stuff that comes out of my rotating/circular composter. What comes out of the rotating/circular composter ". . . is pretty awesome...it smell like humus and is dark and rich," to quote you. I wouldn't say I garden the way all my different garden gurus say I should. I don't know how hot the compost in the various bins get. But overall, I think my garden has been kind to me despite my less than perfect approach. Still I learn new things all the time and approach gardening as a joint experiment with Mother Nature.
This video was great! Awesome information, Tony! Thank you so much! I'll be looking on Amazon for your book because Brian is going to wring my neck if I don't start composting soon. 🤣
Thanks Matt When you finish reading or listening to it would you mind leaving an honest review on Amazon? It will help others make a choice to buy or not. It can be good or bad. Honest reviews are more authentic.
Tony is my "go to guy" for potatoes! 🤗 I just opened my compost geobin... and what a disappointment. OK, I did some things wrong, but after all this time, I still expected more. 😆 I probably got as much as I get in a small bag of mushroom compost. 🍄 Anyways, it was full of little critters even after I sifted through it. So, after checking online, I discovered that spreading it out in the sun on a piece of landscape fabric would send them on their way. It worked! I keep running a stick through it and not a critter in sight. Yay! Since it takes so long for such a small yield, I decided to go with burying 2 gallon compost buckets in each garden bed. I drilled big holes in the bottom and lower half of the sides, and smaller holes in the section above ground. I filled them with a layer of the dirt and worms, greens, and browns, then watered them, replaced the lid, and put a piece of cardboard weighed down by a rock for shade. I am hopeful this will work for me!
Hey Joanie Thats a shame. Get my book and you will wonder why you ever worried about it. You will understand everything and produce as much as you require
Thanks, Brian and Tony! So informative. I will be looking into more about composting. I generally have purchased my compost but maybe I can try to do my own. Always so informative. Have a great day!
Brian, I planted my seed potatoes in containers a week after you planted yours. Some of my leaves are turning yellow. Any ideas on why and what I should do? Thank you!
hi 🤗 this is a great video on composting. i use the cardboard boxes from shipping deliveries (removing the tape and any plastic), food scraps, mulch, a little water and native soil mixed with perlite to help cut down the smell in a lid trash can. ive read that meat scraps are bad for composting, but can i use it in my trash can mix? tfs
Hi, started composting for the first time last November in big plastic box with lid. My compost is always very wet even after putting enough shredded cardboards and there are lots of little white flies inside every time I open the lid. How to prevent this?
You have to take into consideration of the ingredients you are using. Even dry leaves have a certain percentage of water in them. I cover this area in depth in the book because it is the number one reason for peoples struggles
One thing I have observed with composing near trees or even where trees were. the tree roots will grow into the compost pile. Makes the compost difficult to harvest.
Regarding green vs brown ratio, it's fall in the N.E. U.S., I have tons of brown leaves to deal with. What can I do to compost my leaves? Currently, I am chopping them up with the lawn mower and covering it with a permiable tarp.
Thanks for this useful video! I live in an apartment and I'm trying to compost on my balcony. I've got two around 100 l metal buckets with a lid and without any holes for the air circulation. Would I still succeed if I turn the content over every day from one bucket to another? It is hot here in summer, 20-40ºC.
I'm new to composting. I got my 4 pallets set up and have started adding ingredients. I'm lucky to have horse manure with wood chips from my horse stalls and NO GRAZON! My question is, how do I determine what would be 60% moisture? I live in Utah where it is dry and arid. Would it help to put black plastic over my pile and just take it off to water the pile? Thanks you for so much great information. It's making me into a real gardener and it is addictive!
We have a butternut tree and the leaves are toxic. They also take at least a couple of years to break down because they are like laminated leather! I’m sure composting would mean the toxins were negligible but the combo of texture and substance means those don’t go on our garden compost pile.
We have black walnuts on our farm. Have to be careful that we don't end up with too many shells from the squirrels in the compost bins. :( Thankfully, the leaves aren't a problem. :)
Вообще стеклянные теплицы лучше, они больше света пропускают и быстрее урожай получается. По моему лучше один раз вложиться, чем постоянно эту пленку порванную менять - по деньгам в итоге одинаково получиться
Just getting started with my compost bin. Our aerobic septic system sprays the compost. Is that going to ruin it? Thought I'd ask before we get too far into this. Appreciate your help!
I would question if grazon is used in California hay/straw. I have been using hay in San Diego to cover my gardening crops for years and have an amazing garden.
Several years ago a organic gardener on the radio in Austin tx gave out a recipe for excellerating compost. 1 can of cheap beer. One can of cheap soda and a cup of clear dish soap mixed in a 5 gallon of water. Pour over the compost pile. Not sure of this is still a valid mx any more?
His last answer about composting for small spaces was the one I really wanted to hear, yet could not quite make out what he said. "Cashi(?) composting" or something like that. Is that similar to making fertilizer tea? Your thoughts on fertilizer tea is something I was going to ask about anyway.
I use Bokashi for my compost. (I don't use it the conventional way. I dig a 2' deep hole, layer my kitchen scraps, brown matter and bokashi in the hole and bury it. I use the Bokashi because my compost system is anaerobic and it has been working well for me.)
Thx for the compost tips. I hear routinely that anaerobic compost is "bad" "dead" "etc, but I've never seen anyone provide scientific (or even empiric) evidence for that. It eems there's quite a bit of confusion surrounding anaerobic compost that would help to know about. At one point you say "..anaerobic compost is bad.." and the next minute you talk about Bokashi compost (which is completely anaerobic) being good (in fact most of Korean Natural Farming is based on anaerobic processes). Put that against the fact that most root systems live and thrive below the zone of soil oxygen (an inch or two below the surface) and the insistence on aerobic compost gets even more confusing. Can you please explain this disparity? Or is this whole "aerobic compost" thing just an old wives tale? Thx! (I could go on and on, but risk violating RU-vid community standards for making a long comment :)
Yes, I had an experince with old polluted dried, well rotted horse manure about 8 years ago. I took 5 plastic barrels to a lady's farm for free horse manure, as advertised. I was going to use it all over my compost piles, but just didn't get to for about 3 weeks. I did mix part of one barrel into a patch of something. I don't remember what the plants were, but they shriveled and died within a couple days. I had to haul the remaining 4 1/2 barrels to the dump, wash out the dust from inside the barrels, and call the lady to tell her to warn people not to take it for gardens as it had herbicide chemicals in it. I'm sure lots of other people already used it for their gardens. It amazes me people think they have to use chemicals like these to have a successful farm or ranch. I worked breifly at a ranch/ farm supply place and was astounded at the amount of pesticides and herbicides people bought. It was disgusting to me. I told this story to a horse fellow that admitted he sometimes uses herbicide sprays for his hay crop, so there you have it. I do not use manure in my compost piles, as much as I'd like to. Rabbit maybe if I can get a source.
You two are the first two gardeners I subscribed to on youtube! “Dalek-style!” 🤣🤣🤣 I wonder what % of viewers understood that reference? Yes, I intend to make my own compost, but in the meantime, I’ve planted indeterminate seed potatoes in an organic potting mix which I believe has almost no nutrients. Each container is a 10-gallon fabric pot, but I’m only putting 8 gallons in each (will add more on top later, hopefully compost (🤞🏼), to cover any potatoes that get close to the surface. Yes, I have mulched the tops with shredded oak chips. I already have purchased blood meal (10-0-0) for nitrogen, bone meal (0-12-0) for phosphorus, & muriate of potash (0-0-60)for potassium. I know that for root vegetables, I should not put in too much nitrogen. My question is, how much of each should I mix in to the potting mix?
I have clay soil and have oak stump grinding so as well and I’m going to dig it into the soil and let the beds sit for a season. Maybe plant some cover crops so that I can add nitrogen and keep out the weeds. I see plants already trying to grow in the stump grindings so it will make great soil.
I used to get fresh horse manure to compost for my garden. What could be better than free? Until my seedlings died and my garden failed, except where I didn't use it. That was when I learned about the weed poison horses could eat. I would bet that's what happened to you. Took 2 years to get over the issue. I also would strongly advise red wigglers in your compost which was another freebie for me. They changed the quality of the compost in a month or two.. You have to be sure to water the bins or the little guys will leave. The worm waste is an unequivocal compost improvement which allows your plants to draw more needed nutrients from your soil. I also try to harvest the little guys to keep them in my bins. I appreciate all that you do whether it works or not so we all know what to do and what to avoid doing. May the Lord bless you and yours and I sure do love you and all you do.
'I also try to harvest the little guys to keep them in my bins'.......same here!! So glad to see I'm not the only 'crazy' one!! I find keeping the worm numbers high really speeds up the composting process once the initial heating up has died down. Harvesting the worms is a PIA process and slow though - how do you do it please? I just leave a trough of compost in the sun and slowly/gradually take off the top layers and let the worms wriggle down - but it takes FOREVER!
I just try to go through the compost and pluck out as many as I can. I have heard placing a moist paper towel over the compost draws the little guys to the top. Makes sense but have not tried it. This does seem crazy because so many people are afraid of worms. One of the most beneficial creatures on earth. I guess we could remove the top few inches of compost, harvest compost and replace the top layer. That could work, too. I like your reply.
@@craighalle7892 Thanks! I like yours too! My method works ok if there's lots of sun and at the moment here in Sydney (Oz) we're having many rainy and cloudy days as we're in a La Nina weather pattern. They'll still burrow down from the light but just slower than when it's sunny - so REALLY slow! I need to empty a bin so I guess some compost worms will just have to go into the veggie beds. C'est la vie! I harvested some potatoes yesterday and the soil was packed with big earthworms - I'm with you, they're all underrated and essential and I happily do things to keep them around!
@@andersonomo597 I didn't realize you're in Australia. You must be close to fall. I'm in the Midwest of the US (near Chicago)so just getting close to summer. I actually found nightcrawlers when I dug into my raised beds. You would have never seen a bigger smile on my face. They areate the soil and are my favorite fishing buddies. If I get to Sydney we'll have to get together. On my bucket list for a long time along with New Zealand. Good talking with you.
@@craighalle7892 I'm looking out the window at some golden leaves on the ground. Deciduous trees are the exception here, unlike in North America. For you, hot hazy days ahead - hope your garden thrives, especially with food prices going through the roof! You'd love Sydney, lots to do and see and we LOVE tourists! Good talking to you too! Cheers!!
Thanks Juleen When you finish reading or listening to it would you mind leaving an honest review on Amazon? It will help others make a choice to buy or not. It can be good or bad. Honest reviews are more authentic.
I compost myself, finally actually figured out how to harvest without my red wrigglers in the mix. ??what would their “pee” be good for and how to use it????
Grab a handful of it, and squeeze it as tight as you can. if more than a single drop of water comes out its over 60% if no water comes out but forms a ball and breaks up if you try to crumble it its perfect. if it doesn't form a ball its too dry
Hey brian this might not be the right video for my question but whats your opion of this fertilizer mix ( 1 gal water to 2.4g 4-18-38 to 1.2g epsom salt to 2.4g calcium nitrate ) Thanks
Can anyone tell me what causes my beautiful healthy tomato plant stems and branches to turn purple? It happens not long after I plant them. I thought maybe it was the straw I bought last year,. But I tried some in a raised bed soil in a flower pot and it's starting again. I've never seen anything like it. The ones in the flats are still green. I'm afraid to plant after last year. Eventually the leaves turn purplish and look dry and a little curled.
Hello I was wondering if you know anything about cat facing on tomatoes and if you could maybe do a video on how to possibly get rid of it or how to prevent it what causes it because it is new to me and I've never heard of it and never had a problem with it until this year it would be greatly appreciated thank you
This year, I'm keeping a perpetually-hot compost pile. I keep turning it, and when it starts to get near the low side of the red on my thermometer, I add more grass clippings. This last time, it wasn't cooling down, so I let it go for 14 days. The core was still 135F, steaming, loaded with mycorrhizal fungi and almost dry, yet it was still maintaining the hot temps. It was like cement in there and I had to use a mattock to "mine" it out, but it was still hot! I couldn't believe it. This is now my go-to method from here on out.
Thank you! I'll start adding more water and green stuff to my compost. It's so dry here that it mummifies, but I just didn't think it through. Thank you!
This reinforces what you’ve always said and what I’ve always learned, the most important thing is the soil. When I put money into the garden, that’s where it mostly goes. I’m a bit furious on your behalf that they sold you compost that had not been fully cured, but I think we all learned a big lesson from it, in that we always need to ask. For bagged mix or compost, I always ensure it’s ormi certified organic and with big loads, I want to know everything in it, that it’s organic, and how long it’s been aged to ensure it’s fully cured. If they can’t can’t tell me that, I go someplace else. Two good bagged sources are hydroponic stores and landscaping suppliers, which here sell what the good nurseries have at half the cost.
Anne the ratio should be aimed at 30/1 that's 30 parts carbon to every part of nitrogen. now knowing what each ingredient has in it is the key. woodchips can have between 150 to 500 to 1 depending on the trees they came from, so for every pound of woodchip if they were 150 to 1 then you would need 5 pounds of nitrogen like grass clippings. this is the most basic way of explaining it. In the book, I break this down and even provide a list of all the C/N ratios of most of the ingredients you could use. I hope this helps
I try to achieve a 50-50 ratio greens to brown. I do not use wood chips but there is usually a lot of twigs and very small sticks in the grass I collect from unsprayed yards. I collect enough leaves in the fall to mix with the greens throughout the spring and summer. I don’t recommend pine needles as they take forever to breakdown. I also turn the pile a couple of times to aerate it and add water as needed
