Cold weather composting as mentioned is totally doable and I actually use my winter compost bin to heat my greenhouse through thermal exchange during the coldest months. Even with outdoor temps in the mid to upper 20° F range my unisulated greenhouse never drops below 51° F
Thanks for your knowledge man!! Been binge watching your vids trying to learn as much as I can, just bought 25 pounds of bokashi from your site, your the man bro!!
Made my first two compost piles. My first one made it to 150 degrees. Just made the second and haven't taken its temp. Thank you for such a great explanation and demonstration on composting. You made it easy for me to develop my recips sndbit actually worked!
My friend’s backyard compost heap did start a fire. It burnt down their fence and had to be put out by the fire brigade. It is not an unknown occurrence where I live in Australia.
19:45 two weeks ago we had -10 celcius here... i could see smoke coming out of the compost pile... turned the pile today and figured out it was completely dry... will do more experiments with that next year... my guess: in winter you need more water to keep a compost pile hot!
I can't have a compost heap. I only have a small terrasse. On there I have a small greenhouse and a bench for helping seeds along. I harvest stinging nettles and let them ferment in a bucket. Then I strain it and use that in my containers. It works well for me.
Could you put metal( stainless steel) pipes in various spots that have holes drilled in them down into the compost pile in various spots with the tops of the pipes sticking out above the pile. You could then stick your water hose into the pipes and the water would drain out of the holes into the center of the pile keeping it moist.
I am starting an experiment to add Bokashi in my compost pile, but I am confused how this works because bacteria in Bokashi are anaerobic. How do they thrive in aerobic traditional compost pile? Should I not aerate it as much? Thank you for your diligent work! Always enjoy your video.
Have you considered building a Johnson-Sui Bioreactor? It seems like it might be an awesome fit for your new property and a low cost relatively low labor way to compost for high quality product.
Great stuff - i love growing plants, any tree - citrus, fig, pecan, also gardening. i would like to set up worm beds for tea and castings. Very satisfying hobby or, lifestyle. Thanks for the information, good video.
WRT chipping branches, I have a small electric chipper/shredder. 1 inch max diameter. It chips the branches in very small pieces. Over 1 inch diameter, I use for firewood. My view on cat and dog manure is, because they are so closely associated with humans, they can carry pathogens that can effect humans more than other animals.
@Nature's Always Right, in previous video when you were taking materials from the forest floor, I was pretty critical of that (not sure I said anything though) not only because you're taking some material from the forest ecosystem without giving anything back, but because you have a huge audience who will copy you. That being said, I know in other parts of maybe that video and other video you have said you want to take care of the forest and nurture it, help restore it's health, so I actually think it's fine. Because of that. That being said, you still have a huge audience. And I don't think the connection was clearly made in the video between those things. Could I ask you to make mention of giving back to the forest if you are going to take from it, especially when you talk about taking from it? To your viewers. Obviously that forest floor is part of the ecosystem that feeds the trees, the soil, the organisms (micro and macro) in the forest. If everyone starts going into the forest to get that sweet sweet fungal dominant microbrial life and leaf litter, the forests will be negatively affected. And they need all the help we can give them. Thanks for your time. I enjoy your content on composting, gardening, growing vegetables and the like.
I thought i was watching night at the pooseum with Ben stiller aha ! no offence intended , great informative video thanks . liked and already subscribed .
I am very confused because the community in the US mostly promotes aerated compost tea and says its crucial for healthy soil and beneficial soil microorganisms. The son of KNF master cho says aeration is nonsense because soil is mostly anaerobic especially in deeper layers where the roots live. Both seem to get very good results...
Great video. thank you. I have a question that I have been looking for an answer too and I'm betting you are the person who could answer it for me. I have access to a tremendous amount of spent grain used in Brewing. Would you consider that a brown carbon-rich material or a green nitrogen-rich material? I want to make sure to try to get my percentages correct. Thank you in advance!
For calcium, how about using gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate)? At least in SoCal it is very inexpensive as a soil amendment. However, I am noticing that it isn't sold everywhere in the country.
Is the time frame for completed compost about the same in spring/summer in the south? I just started a 4.5'x4.5'x5.5' pile in AL. Thanks for the good info!
I have one question and I know it's not connected with this video but I need help. I'm not sure how to use pig manure in no till garden and I have it a lot. Most of people is using plant based compost or chicken manure. Any kind video or answer is welcomed. Thank you.
I'm composting, mainly to minimize the amount of garbage we contribute to the landfill, but also hoping to use some of it in my garden this spring. Are all these additives necessary? I really was trying to do it cost free.
No, they are not necessary. You can do it totally cost free just by using your waste. He is adding rock dust and kelp meal and bokashi because he wants a very concentrated source of minerals and microbes to mix with more compost later.
I have a hard time understanding what a brown is. Like from where can I find a brown in spring and mid-summer? My compost pile like 80 procent green because there are a ton of greens to cut every weekend but no browns
Wonder if you had a sore throat for a bit after turnin all that compost dust? A mask maybe next time.? I've had a sore throat after moving old soil and manure blends.. just a couple hours..
Would you recommend using horse manure in place of the rabbit manure? Any changes you would make? I live on a horse farm and there is an infinite supply of horse manure, so I'm hoping to figure out how to properly compost it into a product similar to yours.
Horse manure is great for making compost. Just make sure they’re not eating hay that has been treated with pesticides, especially aminopyralids, as these can take a whole year to break down after the compost has been applied to soil. Some plant families (like legumes) are incredibly sensitive to aminopyralids and will grow stunted with distorted leaves.
What i have found when composting it that the areas of higher nitrogen in the pile (grass clump or what have you) will get so hot that it will "burn" and will look ashy. dryer piles tend to do this more. Thats why some wet hay bales actually catch on fire. He did not add ash to this pile, they were likely hot spots/dry spots. As he mentioned, you can add wood ash, it is a great source of minerals!
Is there a way to prevent weed/grass seeds from growing in compost? I have a compost tumbler and made some compost last year with grass/weeds clippings and pinestraw and food scraps. Everything broke down pretty well. I screened it then added to my garden. Later grass and weeds started growing from the areas I put the compost. No sure what I did wrong
It doesnt freeze in winter if its not enough my friend. It can easily maintain thermofilic temps (110° ^) through the winter when insulated with enough cover material.
He means that it is a nitrogen source. Browns = carbon; greens = nitrogen. Nothing to do with actual color. For instance spent coffee grounds are a "green" because they add nitrogen.
Hey brother I love the channel. I don't think you are making true aerobic compost. As you turn I can see too much actinobacteria which is the indicator that you have gone below 6 million parts of oxygen in your pile. Another indicator that you've gone anaerobic is the ammonia smell that you were describing. A slight smell is not terrible but in combination with the amount of actinobacteria, plus your turning regimen you have clearly gone anaerobic. It's s greatly 👍 you are achieving high temperatures with your bokashi something that I am going to start utilizing with SD microbes beer Kashi, however the long-duration of your heat cycle is another indicator that you've gone anaerobic. Dr Ingram uses a model that employs time and temperature to dictate when we turn our piles. Briefly we turn our piles more frequently And the overall thermal composting time is much shorter. Even the old Berkeley method that doesn't use temperature as an integral part of the turning schedule would give you more aerobic results. Just trying to help out a fellow SD native and I've learned a lot from you over the years.
I think you have a fair point here. However I would perhaps suggest that Steven is giving back through the ecological methods of farming he is using, building soil health and ecology, sequestering carbon and all the other benefits that come with this. If you focus on the wood as a separate entity in itself, then it does indeed look like taking without giving back. But when you take a step back, and see the wood as a part of a larger whole, the you see these different aspects working together and benefitting each other, and the wider ecosystem.
🌟NAR EMAIL LIST (My Exclusive Farming Tips) - bit.ly/2PO0ZTf
See Part 1 how to make super compost - th-cam.com/video/r5MU0wURcZo/w-d-xo.html
Hey you should wear a dust mask when turning dry compost. Love your videos man. Shoutout from North Carolina
Yes please!!! Be safe!
The massage therapist in me applauds your body work awareness!
Cold weather composting as mentioned is totally doable and I actually use my winter compost bin to heat my greenhouse through thermal exchange during the coldest months. Even with outdoor temps in the mid to upper 20° F range my unisulated greenhouse never drops below 51° F
Would love to see a video on this...
Thanks for your knowledge man!! Been binge watching your vids trying to learn as much as I can, just bought 25 pounds of bokashi from your site, your the man bro!!
Made my first two compost piles. My first one made it to 150 degrees. Just made the second and haven't taken its temp. Thank you for such a great explanation and demonstration on composting. You made it easy for me to develop my recips sndbit actually worked!
Please do give us updates on the progress of your compost work!! Great info and you explain it effectively!! Great job!
Looking forward to your KNF videos! I love learning through your videos. Keep up the awesome gardening 👍🏽
Glad to hear from you again! Feels like it’s been too long. :)
Ive been using connected geobins to make the pile a lot taller/wider and lock in moisture.
Ryan: Where can we learn about your bin technique?
Thanks for the update. How's Tennessee treating you? Merry Christmas
My friend’s backyard compost heap did start a fire. It burnt down their fence and had to be put out by the fire brigade. It is not an unknown occurrence where I live in Australia.
19:45 two weeks ago we had -10 celcius here... i could see smoke coming out of the compost pile... turned the pile today and figured out it was completely dry... will do more experiments with that next year... my guess: in winter you need more water to keep a compost pile hot!
Wow I learnt so much about building a compost from your videos..,ty so much for doing them.... can’t wait to watch your bochai vid
Appreciate the update - thanks for your thorough answers!
Very helpful. Happy New year, thank you, John G.
I can't have a compost heap. I only have a small terrasse. On there I have a small greenhouse and a bench for helping seeds along. I harvest stinging nettles and let them ferment in a bucket. Then I strain it and use that in my containers. It works well for me.
Could you put metal( stainless steel) pipes in various spots that have holes drilled in them down into the compost pile in various spots with the tops of the pipes sticking out above the pile. You could then stick your water hose into the pipes and the water would drain out of the holes into the center of the pile keeping it moist.
I am starting an experiment to add Bokashi in my compost pile, but I am confused how this works because bacteria in Bokashi are anaerobic. How do they thrive in aerobic traditional compost pile? Should I not aerate it as much?
Thank you for your diligent work! Always enjoy your video.
Have you considered building a Johnson-Sui Bioreactor? It seems like it might be an awesome fit for your new property and a low cost relatively low labor way to compost for high quality product.
Yes I plan on building one.
I enjoyed the whole video as always, but the Rock Lee thing totally cracked me up 😂
Great stuff - i love growing plants, any tree - citrus, fig, pecan, also gardening. i would like to set up worm beds for tea and castings. Very satisfying hobby or, lifestyle. Thanks for the information, good video.
It vapes off so much water while its super hot. You just have to keep re-wetting to keep that moisture content.
I think you should wear a dust mask when you spread powder form minerals
This may have been answered, but does that room have a dirt floor or a concrete floor?
WRT chipping branches, I have a small electric chipper/shredder. 1 inch max diameter. It chips the branches in very small pieces. Over 1 inch diameter, I use for firewood.
My view on cat and dog manure is, because they are so closely associated with humans, they can carry pathogens that can effect humans more than other animals.
@Nature's Always Right, in previous video when you were taking materials from the forest floor, I was pretty critical of that (not sure I said anything though) not only because you're taking some material from the forest ecosystem without giving anything back, but because you have a huge audience who will copy you.
That being said, I know in other parts of maybe that video and other video you have said you want to take care of the forest and nurture it, help restore it's health, so I actually think it's fine. Because of that.
That being said, you still have a huge audience. And I don't think the connection was clearly made in the video between those things. Could I ask you to make mention of giving back to the forest if you are going to take from it, especially when you talk about taking from it? To your viewers.
Obviously that forest floor is part of the ecosystem that feeds the trees, the soil, the organisms (micro and macro) in the forest. If everyone starts going into the forest to get that sweet sweet fungal dominant microbrial life and leaf litter, the forests will be negatively affected. And they need all the help we can give them.
Thanks for your time. I enjoy your content on composting, gardening, growing vegetables and the like.
I thought i was watching night at the pooseum with Ben stiller aha ! no offence intended , great informative video thanks . liked and already subscribed .
Very informative. I prefer °C to °F.
I am very confused because the community in the US mostly promotes aerated compost tea and says its crucial for healthy soil and beneficial soil microorganisms. The son of KNF master cho says aeration is nonsense because soil is mostly anaerobic especially in deeper layers where the roots live. Both seem to get very good results...
Great video. thank you. I have a question that I have been looking for an answer too and I'm betting you are the person who could answer it for me.
I have access to a tremendous amount of spent grain used in Brewing. Would you consider that a brown carbon-rich material or a green nitrogen-rich material? I want to make sure to try to get my percentages correct. Thank you in advance!
For calcium, how about using gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate)? At least in SoCal it is very inexpensive as a soil amendment. However, I am noticing that it isn't sold everywhere in the country.
Is the time frame for completed compost about the same in spring/summer in the south? I just started a 4.5'x4.5'x5.5' pile in AL. Thanks for the good info!
I have one question and I know it's not connected with this video but I need help. I'm not sure how to use pig manure in no till garden and I have it a lot. Most of people is using plant based compost or chicken manure. Any kind video or answer is welcomed. Thank you.
Hi
Thanks for sharing
More follow up question, which day you turn the pile, are you using day or temperature as indication to turn the pile?
Haha ignore my question, already answered on the video
I live in Arizona ,, I have heard of composting piles catching on fire .
OMG you look Ben Stiller
Great video. Very informative.
Should one wear a mask while turning it?
What's the difference between the Azomite and greensand?
I'm composting, mainly to minimize the amount of garbage we contribute to the landfill, but also hoping to use some of it in my garden this spring. Are all these additives necessary? I really was trying to do it cost free.
No, they are not necessary. You can do it totally cost free just by using your waste. He is adding rock dust and kelp meal and bokashi because he wants a very concentrated source of minerals and microbes to mix with more compost later.
Not necessary at all you can just use what you have and free materials.
I have a hard time understanding what a brown is. Like from where can I find a brown in spring and mid-summer? My compost pile like 80 procent green because there are a ton of greens to cut every weekend but no browns
awesome info
Wonder if you had a sore throat for a bit after turnin all that compost dust? A mask maybe next time.? I've had a sore throat after moving old soil and manure blends.. just a couple hours..
Would you recommend using horse manure in place of the rabbit manure? Any changes you would make? I live on a horse farm and there is an infinite supply of horse manure, so I'm hoping to figure out how to properly compost it into a product similar to yours.
Horse manure is great for making compost. Just make sure they’re not eating hay that has been treated with pesticides, especially aminopyralids, as these can take a whole year to break down after the compost has been applied to soil. Some plant families (like legumes) are incredibly sensitive to aminopyralids and will grow stunted with distorted leaves.
Also use manures that the animals haven't been treated for pests, some wormers for instance...
Good info thank you
Question: Was there ash inside the pile (looked like it)? Can ash serve as compost?
You can add a small amount of ash to compost it will add potassium.
What i have found when composting it that the areas of higher nitrogen in the pile (grass clump or what have you) will get so hot that it will "burn" and will look ashy. dryer piles tend to do this more. Thats why some wet hay bales actually catch on fire. He did not add ash to this pile, they were likely hot spots/dry spots. As he mentioned, you can add wood ash, it is a great source of minerals!
Is there a way to prevent weed/grass seeds from growing in compost? I have a compost tumbler and made some compost last year with grass/weeds clippings and pinestraw and food scraps. Everything broke down pretty well. I screened it then added to my garden. Later grass and weeds started growing from the areas I put the compost. No sure what I did wrong
Hit 140-160F to kill weed seeds.
@@NaturesAlwaysRight thanks!
Such physical labour..I couldn't do that..
Even paper won’t catch fire until 451° F
What are the names of the 2 hardware stores that sell vapor seal containers?
I got confused, is bokashi a high nitrgoen source? he says that 2.13 but then at 5.05 says is not high nitrogen ???
Bokashi is high nitrogen
I live in a snowy climate. Can I leave the thermometer in the compost over winter? Will it break? Thank you
Mine is outside in 16 degrees F and its fine.
You would.leave it out so you can constantly check the temp.... what else would you do with it
It doesnt freeze in winter if its not enough my friend. It can easily maintain thermofilic temps (110° ^) through the winter when insulated with enough cover material.
I loooooove your eyebrows - they're amazing! Keep your moustache above your lip for the complete package (} =3
As Paris Hilton would say, that's hot.
If I only use brown material and earthworms, would the compost be high in nitrogen (worm casting) ?
@@garthwunsch so will it be high in nitrogen or in carbon?
Leave it long enough and the worms will add nitrogen (they're in there pooping away while they eat).
-Mentions Biochar
-Cody enters the chat
What do you mean by bokashi is green?
He means that it is a nitrogen source. Browns = carbon; greens = nitrogen. Nothing to do with actual color. For instance spent coffee grounds are a "green" because they add nitrogen.
Hey brother I love the channel. I don't think you are making true aerobic compost. As you turn I can see too much actinobacteria which is the indicator that you have gone below 6 million parts of oxygen in your pile. Another indicator that you've gone anaerobic is the ammonia smell that you were describing. A slight smell is not terrible but in combination with the amount of actinobacteria, plus your turning regimen you have clearly gone anaerobic. It's s greatly 👍 you are achieving high temperatures with your bokashi something that I am going to start utilizing with SD microbes beer Kashi, however the long-duration of your heat cycle is another indicator that you've gone anaerobic. Dr Ingram uses a model that employs time and temperature to dictate when we turn our piles. Briefly we turn our piles more frequently And the overall thermal composting time is much shorter. Even the old Berkeley method that doesn't use temperature as an integral part of the turning schedule would give you more aerobic results. Just trying to help out a fellow SD native and I've learned a lot from you over the years.
I think you have a fair point here. However I would perhaps suggest that Steven is giving back through the ecological methods of farming he is using, building soil health and ecology, sequestering carbon and all the other benefits that come with this. If you focus on the wood as a separate entity in itself, then it does indeed look like taking without giving back. But when you take a step back, and see the wood as a part of a larger whole, the you see these different aspects working together and benefitting each other, and the wider ecosystem.
😀😀😀
Please use celcius
I prefer Celsius also... but, it's not that difficult to figure it out ourselves
baking soda and corn meal 50/50 mix for rodents.
Buys cat for rodent security. Finds cat poop all over compost pile. Well dang 😤
Way too dry……