What ingredients can be added to a compost pile, and which ingredients should be left out. All that and more we will be talking about in today’s episode. Check out our new clothing line! http:www.freshpickedapparel.com
I used to add egg shells to my compost until i found they take forever to break down. I now let them sit in the garage until they dry, then run them through the coffee grinder, and then add them to my compost. Great calcium source!
I go a much lazier rout and just put them in my tumble composter and let them get smashed into little bits by the rotating mass. Generally by the end of it I can't even seen them anymore in the rest of the compost.
@@WLyons9856 I'll have to try that. Does that affect the calcium level in them at all? I usually just crush them up and add them to my potting mix / garden soil.
I just crush them in a paper towel and toss the whole things into my compost pail. You can really do a number on them by rolling with a can. They disappear by the time the compost is ready.
LPT: Blend your food scraps before adding them to your compost pile. They are composted exponentially faster than otherwise. Never see this tip mentioned with composting.
I also appreciate that fact that my yard waste can be taken care of with my compost pile. I don’t have to waste money on those enormous paper bags for the fall leaves. I just pick them up with my lawnmower and empty the bag into the pile.
I live in an area with wildlife...bears, among others. I put my vegetable scraps in the blender with water to make a slurry, and mix that into the compost so as not to have chunks in my compost that will attract them. I'm sure it speeds up the process too. Thanks for all your great info. I've learned so much.
RECOMMENDATION TO ALL: check Luke’s, MI Gartner playlist, for ideas on harvesting worms; so that you may use them in your compost - to help with the oxidation - and garden!
Hi Luke, this video was very timely for me. I'm 64 and built my very first compost "bin" with garden stakes and chicken wire. I'm excited to get it filled! Thank you for all your great information.
I compost all material from my garden and kitchen. Includes weeds, seeds and all. I put everything through a mulcher first. Every 2 months I put the compost through the mulcher again. The heat generated in the compost always kills all the seeds so I don’t get volunteer plants. The processing cycle means that I have put the material through the mulcher 6 times. After 12 months I have a completely broken down compost that is safe for the garden. As I’m always turning the material it gets plenty of air and the amount of heat keeps the compost healthy. Our soils are quite acidic, so adding a bit of lime keeps them sweet. Just leaving material to break down naturally means that you run the risk of pockets of stagnant activity. Continued turning and mulching has worked for me. I also live in a hot climate with little rain and no snow.
Good reminders about what to put in the compost bin and what to avoid. Also a really important point about how the leaves will mat up and take years to break down. We spread about 6 inches of shredded leaves on part of our garden last fall and then they were covered with 6 inches of composted cow manure. We planted out potatoes in that area this spring and when we dug them up, we found that although the leaves did allow for better drainage and water soaking in to the ground, it had also created a mat about an inch thick. Although it will be a great brown material that will compost in with the manure that will be added and turned under this fall, the lack of the leaves breaking down like we had hoped did slow down are addition of more organic matter to the soil. Lesson learned.
Heard of the Lawn Care Nut here on YT? he says that's what exactly you should do when cutting the lawn. The top part of the grass contains all those sugars and nutrients.
I found out the hard way that by grinding up my leaves for my compost it increases the density of the carbon and I needed to add a lot more green to get the pile hot.
You have some good points. I think one word would have helped, and that word is "masticate." If you think about cows and deer, which are the worlds best composters, they chew their cud. And that is what we need to do with our compost piles is masticate the material so it will break down faster.
As I have learned a lot about ‘Biochar’ - I have added in a bit of wood coal into my compost bins too so that after a few months, the wood coal will be Biochared ready in the compost!
Thanks Luke. Good advice. From my experience, one way to use meat scraps is to run them through a bokashi process. Since meat is high in nitrogen it is valuable to use. I need it since the bulk of my browns come as leaves in the fall and I compost all winter when greens/nitrogen providers are in short supply. Once meat has been bokashi'd it has no smell that attracts scavengers. And bones compost better after being bokashi'd and are a valuable source calcium.
@@AmazingAutist tons of guides on youtube and the rest of the internet. basically a fermentation process using an added inoculant bran. you can add basically any food scrap, including the ones you are told not to add to regular compost. when it's done, the fermented results are safe to break down in just a couple weeks either directly in the garden soil or added to your compost pile.
@@richards5110 Thanks I figured it wasn't anything bad but I've been trolled before and my internet provider has never looked at me the same since. Never again lol
@@AmazingAutist basically fermenting kitchen and table scraps with EM (effective microganisms) before putting in your garden or compost. . Lots of videos on the subject. Luke mentions it, but I can't find his video.
Luke, I appreciate your gardening information and I trust that you know what you're talking about. Many other gardeners on you tube give information that is contrary to what I have read and heard from your channel. Thank you. Just because it's on the internet doesn't automatically mean it's true.
I compost all things organic. All kitchen scraps, including meat, bones, and dairy, are put in the Bokashi bucket to pre-compost them. After they complete the Bokashi fermenting process, it is dumped into the compost tumbler with the other compost. Within two weeks in the compost tumbler, the Bokashi is completely broken down. The woody garden plants like the sunflower stalks are run through the chipper/shredder and then composted.
Also something that will dramatically improve your compost is co-composted biochar. Mixing biochar with compostable materials, and letting it go through the composting process. You end up with a fully loaded biochar ready to be incorporated in the soil to turn it into a terra-preta in the long-term. You can also add other amendment while building the pile like Azomite, Blood meal etc.
Hi Luke I have been composting for many years I started out with my father at 5 or 6 years old and dad composted a lot of garden waste. His rule for composting was before the table it is ok for the compost and at the table it is good for leftovers or the garbage. As you mentioned salad dressings, butter, margarines, cooking oils, gravy, and meats will have mice and rats coming in trucks and busses for a picnic. Luke the only problem with this is that they don't go home. I have been following this rule for just about 70 years and I have never had a rodent problem yet.
Great video, I was so worried you'd say No citrus or onion, etc. Personally, I add all the tomato cucumber and similar seeds to the compost as they are easy to identify and remove from the garden, And if the compost gets hot enough they are not an issue. Keep on growing!
I brought some new additions to the animal room. Check out today's video to see what I got and a quick update on a few other things I'm working on. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JyOF1gTU4EE.html
Perfect timing for this video! I appreciated the info about the cardboard & cutting it down. I plan on putting down a layer for weed control & was going to layer some on top w/ straw & compost. Thx for verifying my thoughts that I would need to cut it up for the layering! Definitely good timing! ✌
Hi Luke. Avocado husks and seeds don't seem to break down. Peanut shells have been in my compost for years. Twigs and branches don't seem to break down well either. I did have a big pile of wood chips that disappeared in a year. So wood chips and branches are now mulch for me, not compost. I also try to mix leaves and grass clippings together in my compost as they seem to help each other break down. I must say one of my compost bins that I haven't gotten to in a couple years looks like dream soil now. Thanks Luke for all you do. God bless you, Sindy, and Geneva. Keep on growing.
What is your take on David the Good's 'Fetid Swamp Water" as a composting method? It seems like its a great way to feed your plants and seems to work well. For those who don't know, the 'Fetid Swamp Water' is getting a bucket/barrel, filling it up with water and adding a bunch of weeds, meat, other good food scraps, epsom salt and basically anything else. You cover it and let it stew for days/weeks/months (adding and taking from the barrel during this time). You take out some, dilute it, and then use it as a foliar feed for your plants. edit: here's a video on this - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x4pMkLGWes0.html
We get the used grains from our local brewery to add to our compost. Found out that some local farmers were doing the same with their fields. Its free. Its waste product to the brewery.
I have seen aftermath of fires where a house is ruined, but you can still read the book they had on the shelf because it didn't get enough oxygen to burn.
Hi Luke! I know you might have done it before but can you make a video on how to prune herbs for winter? If you have, could you tell me which video I should watch? Thanks! Love your channel so much! Grow big or go home! 👍🏼
I created a new raised bed this fall by laying cardboard, then layers of grass and shredded paper with a layer of paper above it. Was going to do one more layer after the next mowing but now I'm wondering if I should till the whole mess now, add the layer of grass and then put on my plastic until spring. Thoughts everyone?
Don't forget that it will reduce way down in height. I'd add the stuff in and mix it up good, water it, then leave it. But, I'm in a warm climate and what works here might not work for you.
Thx, good tips for this newbie. I have bamboo growing and chopped from last year, can I use in my pile? Also, what about hedge trimmings? Or bread? Or eggs (bad, or hard boiled)? Dandelions grow in my yard, should I not use that grass clippings? Enjoy your straight, simple style. Look forward to more. ...
Last fall I gathered 13 big compressed bags of leaves and used them as the brown in my compost. The act of compressing them broke up the leaves pretty good. But by the time I used them they were real dry. I just crumpled them as I added them. This year I already have 20 big compressed bags for next year and 2 piles for leaf mold in 3 foot wide 4 foot tall circular bins made of chicken wire. I want to see how long they take with only a couple of turnings over the next year. If they are ready for 2022 I will be happy.
Good to brush up on compost info seeing as I'm a new composter. Definitely added some whole leaves before hearing you & others say to chop up. And thanks for the tip on tomatoes. I've been adding them to bin thinking in the end it'll be fine. Sounds like I'll be picking seedlings & sending them to the bin in spring!
you can add tomatoes and be perfectly fine. waste of nutrients not to honestly. weeding "volunteer" vegetables is extremely easy anyways, as they have weak root systems
I let my chickens do most of the work. I spread 3 or 4" of woodchips in the chicken run in the Fall and let the chickens dig through it until the following Fall when I layer it w/ greens and chicken manure to finish off over the Winter.
Regarding weed seeds: I have always been told if your bin gets “hot” enough, the seeds will be non viable. Right or wrong? I’ve never worried about them🤷🏻♀️Maybe I should??
@@steveegbert7429 didn’t even think about the good stuff! Good point. I would imagine it would also depend on the seed? How big? Easy to break down or tough. Thanks!
with my thermometer, I make sure my pile gets 140 for at least a few days. I throw in diseased leaves/plants etc and the heat takes care of it all w/o killing off beneficial stuff. I've learned most of my composting habits from Charles Dowding.
I like to put in my old organic coffee we didn’t drink in my compost pile! Adds nitrogen! I like to put my left over water from cooking vegetables! I mix leaves with the food scrapes! I’m not sure what the mixer is but food scrapes should have paper scrapes or old leaf scrapes with them to break down properly I believe?
Thank you.🙂 A very informative video. Really wished that I had watched this video before starting composting this year. I'm probably going to have a lot of volunteers in my garden next year. Lesson learned, remove seeds.
maybe a separate compost pile for grass clippings that contains grass seed...and use it only on the lawn as a top dressing? Doesn't matter if they germinate there. Or, make sure the pile gets hot enough to kill the seeds.
Luke, what about using grass clippings that have been treated with a preemergent? I had my husband dump the clippings and leaves on my stack but I am now concerned about the spray from the grass. Help!
So this poses an interesting question. I use Epsom salt on peppers and tomatoes. I'm assuming those are safe in soil. This is a first time exploration for me. Also it is said that composting in a very cold environment may not work. We have very hot summers but can hit -20 or -30 in winter. I decided to do a fall till with compost in the ground but would be interested to know if a compost pile can be done in winter with severe conditions.
To compost meats any other things like bread or what gardeners usually tell u not to compost simply visit david the goods channel as he's made a video on a great permaculture like method for composting these sort of materials without risk of drawing animals or pests the guys great at this i highly recommend his channel to all as i do this one where one perspective does not see the eyes of another does never does it mean you lack bro just that you've yet to discover it or it doesn't fit your style everyone has theirs much like your wonderful approach to growing your food
Meat is fine if you don't have animals that dig around in your compost pile (or have a good bin that they can't get into). I've seen several gardeners use them. If I find dead birds/toads in my area, I'll drop it in my compost or bury them by my plants. Self Sufficient Me buried a dead wallaby at the base of some banana trees and they took off.
Can you add coffee filters to your compost pile as long as they are paper coffee filters? My family and I are new to gardening and have been following your channel we are also from Michigan so your channel is a great guide for us. Thank you for all the information it’s been a great help to us Luke.
A couple of times I've added algae from my saltwater reef tank. Do you think there's any real danger in doing this regarding salts? I'm rinsing it well before adding of course, but I just wanted to get another opinion.
from my reading compost is NOT dirt! Compost is great for a side dressing or mixing with dirt but u can't grow food in compost only bc it doesn't have rocks, dirt, micro nutrients, worms that make up dirt. Mixing it with dirt, peat, organic fert and micro nutrients will work fine. I also add pelletized gypsum to break down the hard pan that is 6-12" deep.
Hey Luke, I'm getting into using Soldier Fly Larvae for composting fats and meats. I'm also starting a blattocomposter (a term coined by AntsCanada) using Dubia Roaches for additional composting speed with more typical compostables! :D You can also use ants to compost meats :) Harnessing the power of insects can help fuel the future!
vegetarian pet manures are safe. Meats, oils, and dairy can be composted via bokashi or in something like a melon pit. Citrus and onions are perfectly fine in a standard pile.
I had developed a bad roach problem from my compost pile. I was told they like coffee grounds. I for now have just stopped composting until I can find a solution. I live in the high desert and roaches are a major problem here.
I'm hoping that this gets more responses. Similar problem, but low? medium? desert, mid-city. I do have lots of good insect activity, as well, so diatomaceous earth does not seem like a good idea. (Lots of pill bugs/ isopods.)
A compost tumbler could exclude roaches, Bokashi composting is another option, vermicompost is another. Everyone can and should compost with all the options available these days.
Hey, I have a question!! I for some reason...insulted my tiny garlic bulbs by throwing them into my compost pile because I deemed them inedible and when I came back to my beautifully broken down compost pile....there were tiny garlic bulbs EVERYWHERE. Do you know if I'm able to save these and plant them again for more garlic? lol
I would definitely give it a try - free seed and seed garlic isn't cheap, so worth trying. This channel has a great garlic growing video too, if you've not already seen it. I've never been able to get garlic to grow much, but watched his video a few months ago and realised my mistakes. Good luck.
Are they store bought? Then no. I use garlic in my pesticide I make for organic gardening to ward off bugs, I don't put garlic in my compost pile for this reason, bugs won't break it down, it deters them (most). When I cut the ends off of garlic while cooking, I save them and sprinkle them on top of my garden, bad bugs hate the smell. Good luck!
Great video as always. Could you also talk about the pests and insects that we might find near or in our compost bins? Which ones are good and which ones are bad? Thank you
Just perfect 👍, I’m so glade that I saw this before I’ll get started my composting área haha, but I have a question 🙋🏼♀️, I saw it a video where people used to use carbon 📦 to use as a base for beds, why? I was going to do the same In my composting area, but after this video I don’t think this is a good idea or Am I wrong ? Like using as a base not on composting pile… another question is what about roots of the plants, I’m my yard we take some plants to discharge with roots, to composting is it ok? I’m so new on this, 🙄🫤please help 😅
I came across your video on crop rotation (2019) and you started out by talking about how large scale organic farms are not sustainable. Are you familiar with Korean Natural Farming(KNF) and if so, do you see that as sustainable? And have you tried composting using the bokashi (fermentation) method? I find it fascinating. I would love to see you post videos on it. Thank you.
Very nice video .......without any technical difficult words.... Thanks for all the information..... Would like to ask if I soak the paper in water and then put for composting.... My second question is my gardener sprays water on this heap of leaves grass etc...... Plzz tell is this okk to do or not
I use a tumbler compost barrel for my urban garden. We have a great deal of appropriate kitchen scraps and coffee grounds etc. The problem I have is that this mixture is too wet. Too much green and not enough brown. I have not been adding my leaves because of all the oak seeds. I happened upon the pine shavings for rabbit cages at Tractor Supply. I mixed in some of this and it worked great! I put some in the bottom of the countertop compost bucket and that eliminates the sludge at the bottom. I thought I had a great solution until another Utuber said to "never put pine shavings in the compost." What is your recommendation on the pine shavings and the oak seeds?
you can bury bones, but they will take a lot longer than one winter to break down. we're talking potentially decades. Baking them into homemade bone meal would get those nutrients into the soil a lot faster. plenty of tutorials online on how to do that.
Would you suggest I rinse out eggshells or does that matter disease wise. I’m trying to minimize pests also so I use a few vegetable scraps and more leaves, coffee grounds and wood chips. Thanks for all the info on this channel I’ve learned a lot.
We sift our rabbit feed. The feed dust has nitrogen. rabbit manure has nitrogen and also calcium from the urn...that would be the white coating you see on the manure.
QUESTION: I have many deer that come in our yard which means lots of deer poop. Is deer scat too hot to stir into the garden soil? Can I compost the poop?
Do you know whether horsechestnut conkers can be safely composted? I've added horse chestnut leaves and sorted out the nuts thinking the compost would be fine. But now, I'm second guessing myself and plan on using the compost in my flower beds instead of our veggie garden. Do you have an answer?
When you talked about salts,it made me wonder if our water softener is having any long lasting effects on my garden or compost. Do you know anything about this?
Are oak leaves specifically bad for compost? I have heard that they cause the soil to be to acidic. I have a lot of oak trees in my yard and I can hardly grow grass. Just wasn't sure if I could use the composted leaves for my gardening?
Oak leaves end up neutral after being composted. The one exception is Live Oak leaves. They take forever so I use them as a garden path mulch. Otherwise oak leaves are a great brown for compost