@@downunderfulla6001 interesting good to know. I guess long as it gets hot enough to make sure it kills off everything. If I'm going to get salmonella I want it to be from uncooked brownie mix . Lol
Tip 6. Don't let perfection become the enemy of good. Composting "wrong" is still better than getting overwhelmed with rules and not composting at all.
I agree. I throw in anything I have. In the summer there are lots of grass clippings and watermelon rinds. In the winter there are fallen leaves and potato peels.
I made a composting mistake this season that I haven't seen anyone talk about. I have a three bin system and used the compost from the third and final bin to top up all my raised beds this Spring. Apparently my compost was full of sow bugs and they took down almost all of my seedlings. In doing some research I learned that I should have spread the finished compost out on a tarp in the sun (all the sow bugs will either dry up or run away) before adding it to my raised bed.
You can easily do this with just four pallets. I was lucky that the local appliance store was throwing out 2x4 s screwed together with particle board. I simply unscrewed them then built three side that could be simply screwed together. I made a fourth side with the slats connected which can simply slide up like you individual slats. Didn’t even have to cut anything and was able to reuse the screws I took out. Cost of building 5 of them was around 10 dollars. Some Tips 1. Only use heat treated wood (HT) not chemically treated lumber 2. You can use cardboard on top to check rain out or moisture in 3. A pitchfork forks better than anything 4. If you have a rodent problem just don’t add food scraps 5. My bins sit on the ground with no bottom. Keeps from getting to wet in the bottom and the worms love it 6. Coffee grounds, egg shells, and ash from your fire place are excellent to add. Just don’t to heavy on the ash. Determinate tomatoes planted with a cup of ash in the bottom of the whole will love you 7. Turn frequently 8. Give your neighbors a bucket and a list of things they can save for you 9. Shredded newspaper and cardboard are great 10. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Things will breakdown differently depending on where you live 11. Try to repurpose materials for your bin and garden. This is my favorite part when I make something for the garden at no cost 12. Add some finished composite to your new compost pile to kick start the process 13. Adding old potting soil to the compost will recharge it 14. You can take a five gallon bucket of wAter and add grass or weeds to it. Let it sit for a couple weeks. This is better than any water you can use especially if it’s collected from rain water. It can also be directly applied around plants when watering. 15. Be patient and let Mother Nature do her job
My dad built something like this when I was a kid. A couple of design tweaks I learned from him. 1) mesh sides for more air. 2) hinge 2 corners and latch the other 2 corners so you can "unwrap" the box from the pile, set it right next to it and flip the whole pile back in.
Thank you for this. We got a Lomi and will make compost all winter, but I've come to the conclusion that I need a good sized bin. I like the open sides idea.
@@artwillvideos It's only a dollar, but it's a waste of a dollar. Compost doesn't need dirt, but if you want to anyway, dirt is freely available under your feet.
As cold composters, we don't add a lot of weeds, but happily toss in whole pumpkins at the end of halloween, pepper cores, etc. The next season's 'volunteers' are always a fun surprise, and we make space to transplant them into different areas when they come up.
Jeannine Hadid FUN! I used my cold compost in a newly created seating area and the entire area is now a field of tomatoes with two squash. I'm leaving them to see if those buds will turn into tomatoes and squash. I was surprised. Don't think I'll repeat that though...not for an area I want to look a certain way. But it has been interesting to see where those tomatoes pop up. 😆
I've a bunch of tomatoes that I certainly didn't got out to buy this year. The collard greens trying to take over the yard were less of a fun surprise.
@@JackrabbitCrafts One year I tossed the seeds of a spaghetti squash in my compost. It took over my back yard the next year. I was giving it away to everyone.
@@loriekey5860 This year we have mystery tomatoes all over the yard, all in places amended with homemade compost. A welcome and positive surprise during a weird time.
Hehe ... out of desperation for compost, I took some not fully composted soil out of the bin for my rhubarb...and pumpkins (ran out of ideas on where to put them). Yes, Hmm.,, it’s now a tomato, cucumber, courgette bed too with some additional pumpkins and butternut squash 🤣🤣 ... no weed seeds though, winning 😁👍
Hi, I'd like you to know that your videos helped me through these pandemic times in so many ways! I really want to thank you and I hope you know how appreciated and valuable you are! All the best 🥰🥰
Regarding your 'in a perfect world you'd turn the pile every day' comment. From what I've read (I'm no expert) you can turn it too much. Here's a random excerpt off a quick search: _Turning too often (every day) disrupts the formation of the fungi and actinomycetes that do much of the composting work and may prevent the pile from heating up completely._ If I'm wrong please correct me. I used to turn mine every day but noticed slow results so now I do it twice a week and it's gone much faster.
@@gardencookeat22 Turning it weekly, you won't have a lot of that and it will only take a fraction of the time to finish. I use to turn monthly myself and I was lucky to get a bin or two a year. This year I started turning at least once a week and I'm on my fifth bin now, had to find more resources for the compost though. Next year, I'm going to be recording the temp daily and turning it when it reaches 130F for at least 3 days in a row. This has allowed me to grow my garden exponentially as well.
@@matthewhauserman4755 hey, do you have tips to think on for composting during the winter? im in the PNW and its just a lot, a lot, a lot of rain here for the next...5 months or so. then slightly less. right now i have a loose tarp covering my pallet compost bins, but they are staying pretty dry for now. should i still turn it weekly? i know theres lots and lots of worms in there.
@@ambert.3792 It really depends. 1) are you going for a hot or cold compost 2) are you concerned about the worms or not 3) do you want to be more labor intensive 1) if a hot compost (aeroobic) you have to be turning it at least once a week. The air from turning it allows the good bacteria to thrive and temps can exceed 160 degrees in the center. cold compost (anaerobic), leave it as is and the worms will do the work. turn it only if it starts to smell 2) if you are concerned for the worms, just let the pile be and turn it at most once a month if at all. a regularly turned pile (more than monthly) gets too hot for the worms and would force them out. 3) Obviously the more you turn, the more labor intensive it gets. Aerobic piles are great for a fast product in the middle of the season. For winter though, many go to an anaerobic pile to avoid being out in rains and snow. Since you have lots of worms, and you are entering winter, I would just leave the pile as is. Maybe turn it if the day is particularly dry and nice, otherwise you don't have to unless it starts smelling. You say it rains heavy, but do make sure the pile isn't too dry or too wet. Too dry and bacteria won't break it down. Too wet and you'll get smells and worms can drown.
I recently built a double bin compost bin with pallets and it came out great. It's super efficient to use a pitchfork and move the compost to the adjoining bin which is same as turning. However I now realize I need 4 bins so I can always have a finished compost ready while making a new.
Oooooh, im diggin that compost aerator. My neighbors are 10ft away so i compost in old soil bags with tiny holes punched in to manage the odor. Doesnt give u much room to mix. Thanks for sharing.
So excited third year composting. Have one turning bin I’ve had since beginning which gives me a small amount, but now I’m six months in with three large black bins. I lifted the lids to add something the other day, and they are heating. I’m so excited - compost made my day 🤣🤣🤣. So my hubby ordered me a compost aerator for my birthday - what a great gift seriously 😃.
I built this exact dimension for a compost bin with cedar, which it looks like you used as well. I built with slats in the side too, but wasn’t getting quite hot enough. So I tried Charles Dowding’s technique of putting cardboard in the sides to help maintain heat and moisture. It also takes way more material than you think to fill these dimensions to the appropriate size to get them cooking. It’s taken me a couple of tries, but now am able to get it consistently to 150 Fahrenheit after watching numerous composting videos 🤣🤯 thank you and Charle’s for all of your tips!
I highly recommend diving into your composts with a pitchfork so all the lil red wigglers remain in one piece. The shovel edge is quite an effective slicing blade. The pitchfork can also make the turning process a little more friendly in the weight-&-strength department as you can often go deeper into the pile, move materials, but not necessary have to lift all the materials up.
I add a lot of clay in my compost barrel (roof gardening) and the results was amazing I use it as my potting mix It hasn't the best texture but if you choose the right plant it will be great My tomatoes can't stop producing Greetings from Greece
Thanks for making this! I had a mistake in mine of not enough water in my hot box compost. So much to learn. Glad channels like yours are around to learn from
Just want to let you know I just discovered your channel today and really enjoy it. This is my first year having a garden so there was a lot of trial-and-error but it actually came out really good. I did a lot of research last winter to gain as much knowledge as I possibly could. Some mushroom compost, plant food that contains mycorrhizae, organic fish and seaweed plant food, compost tea, and some tender loving care. It's been a really hot summer where I live with not much rain so I've made sure to water it when needed. I'm happy with how everything is growing. Glad I discovered your channel cuz your channel seems very informative.
I REALLY appreciate these videos. My state began requiring households to compost as of this July (2020) so I have a bin and have put stuff in it but man. I've watched 4+ webinars and I still don't fully get it, lol.
Lovely tips my friend. I recently started growing a HUGE watermelon plant from my compost from not tending to properly lol. Thanks for sharing the tips...super helpful! 😁✌
I turn my compost ONCE, a month after the bay is full. Each bay (I have three) is then left for 6 months to fully mature (oceanic, temperate climate - north western UK). What comes out looks like commercial potting compost. As for moisture: I use "recycled" beer to add moisture as well as to boost the decomposition process (temperature can increase 20ºF within 12 hours of adding it).
@@juliewilliamsnewzealand818 I know of someone who has a composting toilet, though yes, the end product is used on his herbaceous borders, rather than his food crops. The "beer really speeds up the composting process, especially when the material is 50/50 grass clippings/brown cardboard, both of which I have in abundance every summer.
I'm about to start my new composting bin. I'm building it out of pallets. I seen a couple videos and all i am going to do is place it in the sun add two part brown and 1 part green. Give it water and add some food scrapes every so often
Charles Dowding only turns it once, and that is good enough for me. It remains hot for almost a year as long as moisture level is ok. And although I get some weed seeds surviving, diseased material is cured by the heat.
Pallets are perfect, you dont even need to do anything apart from nailing three together and having the 4th front one loose just held in place with a couple of stakes
I use a few T-posts to hold the pallets up and some twine to hold the corners together. Very simple. It can be spruced up with plants in the open slots or paint if a more aesthetic look is desired.
Ay man hopefully you see this but I recently started gardening I’m only 18 so I’m learning you really gotta kill all your plants to learn how to make them live but you’re videos are extremely informative and enjoyable keep it up
I made a compost bin out of of a 50 gal barrel, made a stand with a pipe through the barrel, put a trap door on hinges and used cheap handles to make the turning of the barrel much easier it works JUST FINE. Put a wheelbarrow underneath open the trap door and empty the compost, I turn the barrel once a day or when I remember. Its off the grounds so no worries if Animal getting into it. No cook food scrap, bones, oils,grease. No grass that's been treated with pesticides of any kind. I use weeds from garden, but no weeds with seeds, and I set them aside to dry till dead then put them in the compost barrel. Add good soil once in a while to help the soul from getting fungus, I dont put water in it for that reason too. I used my compost for my vegetable garden this year and my neighbors cant believe the healthy garden I have, nothing added to it just home compost ONLY. I LOVE garning and love listening to others idea, thanks to all and God Bless...
I got tired of vermin getting into my pile, so I bought some 32 gal black trash cans, drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom edges, and kick-started it with cheap store bought compost. The black absorbs heat and helps it faster, and the trash can lid keeps out vermin and in water. It also blocks sunlight for winter sprouting seeds.
Awesome video!!,.. good to check my knowledge, our compost pile is rockin, hot food paper bags and I even add in worm grow and fertilizer, and I probably stir about 1-2 a week,..thanks👍🏿🙏🏿
I use a cement mixer to pulverize my leaves into small pieces, I fill the mixer with leaves then add some brick chunks and run the mixer. I turn my compost based on the temperature in the center of the compost heap. I use organic alfalfa pellets for nitrogen in the winter time to raise the compost temperature and keep it in the 140 to 160 range for several weeks. A layer of leaves, then one or two handfuls of alfalfa pellets scattered over the leaves. The pulverized leaves can be used as mulch in the garden and flower beds to add organic matter, retain moisture and prevent weeds and I use them for bedding in my worm bins.
I live on 12 acres I'm trying to learn to compost. I have not have much luck because I have difficulty getting Browns other than breaking up small branches and twigs. I know I was not turning enough because it's burning enough because my tomatoes began to sprout. But I love this channel I watch it I learned from it and I hope to be better at composting.
Great tips! I compost bones and meat (in small portion cause we don't eat a lot of it) and it does fine but we have to be extra diligent about keeping the pile full of dry material all around to avoid pests.
I also add sawdust in the compost and it's an a-mazing brown layer! Thanks for all your great videos and advice on growing, I really love your channel so much!💓love you're new space too. I am really into composting and have 2 bins that i maintain regularly. I compost all year round and I live in the city in Milwaukee, WI where it gets below zero in winter yet my compost stays hot as I continue to feed it. My worms are very happy😃
Im working on building up my compost pile, its not big enough to get hot yet but thats okay Im not in a rush for it to be done...and I just started it last week so its got a ways to go.
Excellent Video on Composting. I have made 3 side by side out of Pallets. The only thing I'd change is I'd make it Larger .. almost 4X4' and I'd staple plastic chicken wire to the sides so that the Material doesn't fall out. As others have said, a Pitch Fork is a Great Tool for Moving the Compost and a Compost Thermometer is Essential so You know when to turn the pile.
I failed at hot composting but was able to get two garlic plants growing from my cold pile so I replanted them. They’re doing fantastic right now lol. It looks like I have a sweet potato growing out of my compost pile too. I will likely plant that then haha. Maybe cold composting isn’t so bad. Haha
I was going to go/try pvc piping with small holes drilled in then push the pipe into the soil. 3-5 pieces in my small compost container. Will still turn it, but my thought is this will increase airflow.
Nice vid, thanks you 😁 I’m gonna make one of those compost turners, got some steel bars I could bend in the garden from an old building project. That would be so much easier than turning with my fork 😁
I usually will keep some plants that lasted the compost and grow in the garden. But I watch what seeds go in since I usually will harvest my own seeds from plants I grow.
About #5, Knowing what seeds you put in there can be a bonus. Volunteers are an amazing thing and you can transplant them to where they need to go. I had dozens of cantaloupe volunteers this year. Thought the seeds had been irradiated but I guess not.
When I was a young lad, we just had a pile of scraps in the backyard, we would occasionally turn it with a pitch fork, but that was it. Nothing fancy, then we would till it into our garden bed. No problems.
I have three open piles. I'm adding to pile 1, turning pile 2 and using pile 3. When pile 3 is empty I turn pile 2 into that space, put 1 where 2 was and start a new pile 1.
I have 2 bins for that purpose. When one bin is full, I take the compost from the other, then start filling it. Because the full one will settle down after a couple weeks, I will often take the beginnings of the second and mix them in on the top of the first, then restart the second. Hoping to add a third, because I sometimes run out of space in the second before the first is fully composted.
Kevin, Thank you for another great educational and informational video. 1. Where did you get the spiral tool to drill into your pile? 2. I chop everything as small as possible to make it easier to turn every 3 to 4 days with a shovel. (Work!) 3 I made a barrel compoeter that is less volume than the bin but A. it finishes much quicker because I turn it more often. B. I roll it around in the backyard [very easy turning]. C. I can roll it out-of-sight if necessary. Please keep making more great videos. 07/15/2021
i dont have this wooden thing you have some of my family members and i have bins going. like ones from walmart you find with a top. could you do a video for family's trying composting in a bid dos and dont on REAL things family have in there house hold with or without kids and how to take care of it? Thanks! Happy gardening!
IF your compost gets hot enough (145-150ºF) for at least a week & the compost stands at least 6 months before use, then this isn't an issue. I routinely compost everything, including potato haulm showing blight & leek/onion leaves with rust. Never yet had any sign of problems
Bought a couple compost tumblers from Walmart. Seemed a good idea till realizing they aren't big enough for an actual garden supply of compost. Though in their design they have a good idea not only having a unit that can be tumbled(easy tilling) but also having perforated tubes running through the box. I think this might be a great idea for others to use in their piles...to take a wood or metal tube with holes along the length of the tube/pipe with the ends opened sticking outside the pile on both sides. Just push(hammer) a pipe through your pile to aerorate it. This with some kind of box that can be flipped would make for a no till process. Could possibly use 55gallon barrels, pop some perforated pipe through them in areas and just roll them around once a week. That's pretty much what the tumblers you can buy online are, its only they're on stands. Anything bigger than 55gal drums and you'd need some kinda of device or tractor to spin the compost bins.
Can you show the sifting process to create “finished” compost? Also, a video showing all of the varied decomposers...rhinoceros beetle grubs, pill bugs, earthworms, earwigs, ants, centipedes, etc.?
I’m no expert by any means and this my reply is pretty late anyways, my opinion of finished compost is nice nutrient rich, black fluffy soil is the best. My reasoning, you’re using it for the garden or potting mix right? If so throw a bag of perlite in their as well as native soil and compost. I believe this is the perfect mix… again just my two cents I have experience in sifting pure sand by hand my only concern is with such fine material without any filler would compact to much rendering it as just extra ground enhancement. I hope I made sense. The process would be nice to see as well Your comment needs more attention. Sorry if this come off as a poorly structured rant.
My grandfather and I used a barrel on its side with a hatch to load it. We added a Dr pepper every week. It was the only reason they kept Dr pepper at all lol. But it was GOOD compost
yeah. the seed issue. as you know, i have a field of tomatoes and two squashes up in the middle of that field. a LOTTA germination. 😆 thinking back, i think my problem began by taking compost from my unfinished winter pile in my garden, not from my finished compost bin near my driveway. lotsa learnin' going on up here. 👍🏻
I don't turn my pile. I have pvc tubes drilled with holes that i shove horizontally at the base of the pile and 1 or 2 that I have going down into the pile from the top. This allows air to get through the pile. My temps get up to about 176 degrees F, sometimes a little higher. once it starts dropping in temp, around 75-80 degrees, i'll take a look and its usually finished at that point. takes about 14-18 days, depending on the amount I started with. Usually its 3x3x3 but sometimes it gets a little higher than 3 feet
I have 2 compost piles that are huge. One is over 6ft by 6ft by 4ft tall. The other is about 4×4×4 . It takes a huge amount of material to make a big pile. Luckily I have a huge 2 acre yard and live next to a 500 acre forest. I have unlimited material just time and labor are the factors that limit how much compost I can make. This is my first time composting but both piles are heating fast. I'm turning about every 5 days because I just don't have enough time to do it more often. I have 3 gardens so I need an immense amount of compost.
I personally love when little tomato plants start growing from my compost. I try to keep the ones I can. They usually turn out to be naturally strong robust plants.
If we only have a small amount of organic matter available at any given time, sometimes the best option is to throw it on the ground and use it as mulch, to protect the existing soil from blowing away in the wind and to keep the sun from degrading it, causing the nitrogen in the soil to evaporate, not to mention that a fast composting process breaks away the nitrogen in the composting material at a massively accelerated rate, in a bin with no plants to catch the nitrogen before it escapes into the air. I'm pondering that fast composting turns out to be extremely wasteful of available materials, but it's touted as the goldenboy of gardening in most places.
I make about 5 cubic yards of compost each year using mostly mowed leaves and grass clippings. In the fall I collect about 40 contractor size bags of mowed leaves and store them under a tarp over winter. When the grass starts growing I start composting. I layer 3 baskets of leaves and one basket of grass clippings OUTSIDE of the compost bin. Repeat two times and then pitch the entire pile into the bin. Repeat until the bin is full. Add water and the pile heats up above 130 degrees in less than two days. (Layering is good to keep the proportions even throughout the pile, but composting is quickest where leaves and grass meet, so why wait to mix it? And the leaf/grass mixture doesn't mat down like a layer of grass will.) Leave the bin alone for three weeks, and the pile cools down due to lack of air and sometimes water. I then turn the pile into an adjacent bin, which adds new air to the pile, add water if necessary and the pile heats up again. I let the pile sit for another three weeks, then turn it into a third bin. After three more weeks the compost is ready for the garden. My 4 compost bins are 3 ft high, 3 ft wide, and 4 ft deep, and sit side-by-side, so its easy to pitch compost between bins. Duane Smith
One mistake I've made is having a very long narrow compost bin (about 2 ft x 8 ft x 2 ft or .6 m x 2.4 m x .6 m). It struggles to get hot enough and as a result many weed seeds didn't die and ended up in my beds. Also, I didn't break down branches enough and had to hand sift my compost to get out the larger pieces before using it.
The composter I built myself has two compartment if 1 meter so it is easy to turn it from one to the other weekly I also insulate it and cover it This way I can get a compost ready in 6 weeks and I reach 60 degrees Celsius
I have had a large plastic compost bin for almost 6 years and I have never turned it the only time it would have ever been turned ish was when I moved it from One side of my garden to the other side
you can make a compost bin with 4, same sized wooden pallets; cut the fourth pallet in half to make a "gate" ...paint with a nice yellow ochre colour .....
Any other compost topics you want to see more of?
What about composting in a cooler region?
Would you recommend composting hair or dog fur?
The OverWorked Gardener a mate of mine throws whole chooks that have passed on. They break down really quick
Sir, sorry out of this topic. Can you teach us on how to give fertilizer using drip irrigation? Thank you in advance.
@@downunderfulla6001 interesting good to know. I guess long as it gets hot enough to make sure it kills off everything. If I'm going to get salmonella I want it to be from uncooked brownie mix . Lol
Tip 6. Don't let perfection become the enemy of good. Composting "wrong" is still better than getting overwhelmed with rules and not composting at all.
Aww thank you, really needed that rn😂
Me too ty
Me three.
Thank you! I was not even going to try after seeing this video but then I read your comment! ❤️
I agree. I throw in anything I have. In the summer there are lots of grass clippings and watermelon rinds. In the winter there are fallen leaves and potato peels.
I made a composting mistake this season that I haven't seen anyone talk about. I have a three bin system and used the compost from the third and final bin to top up all my raised beds this Spring. Apparently my compost was full of sow bugs and they took down almost all of my seedlings. In doing some research I learned that I should have spread the finished compost out on a tarp in the sun (all the sow bugs will either dry up or run away) before adding it to my raised bed.
Thank you, I hope your next go will be better!
As a newbie I appreciate the suggestion.
@Susan Parker Thank you! How long do you leave the compost in the sun?
Oh wow great tip! Never heard before. Thanks
Yoooo thank you for this great advice
You can easily do this with just four pallets. I was lucky that the local appliance store was throwing out 2x4 s screwed together with particle board. I simply unscrewed them then built three side that could be simply screwed together. I made a fourth side with the slats connected which can simply slide up like you individual slats. Didn’t even have to cut anything and was able to reuse the screws I took out. Cost of building 5 of them was around 10 dollars. Some Tips
1. Only use heat treated wood (HT) not chemically treated lumber
2. You can use cardboard on top to check rain out or moisture in
3. A pitchfork forks better than anything
4. If you have a rodent problem just don’t add food scraps
5. My bins sit on the ground with no bottom. Keeps from getting to wet in the bottom and the worms love it
6. Coffee grounds, egg shells, and ash from your fire place are excellent to add. Just don’t to heavy on the ash. Determinate tomatoes planted with a cup of ash in the bottom of the whole will love you
7. Turn frequently
8. Give your neighbors a bucket and a list of things they can save for you
9. Shredded newspaper and cardboard are great
10. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Things will breakdown differently depending on where you live
11. Try to repurpose materials for your bin and garden. This is my favorite part when I make something for the garden at no cost
12. Add some finished composite to your new compost pile to kick start the process
13. Adding old potting soil to the compost will recharge it
14. You can take a five gallon bucket of wAter and add grass or weeds to it. Let it sit for a couple weeks. This is better than any water you can use especially if it’s collected from rain water. It can also be directly applied around plants when watering.
15. Be patient and let Mother Nature do her job
My dad built something like this when I was a kid. A couple of design tweaks I learned from him. 1) mesh sides for more air. 2) hinge 2 corners and latch the other 2 corners so you can "unwrap" the box from the pile, set it right next to it and flip the whole pile back in.
Such a good idea!!
i think the slot boards are the substitute for the hinge but ilike the mesh idea, ill add chicken wire to mine! thank your dad for me
Thank you for this. We got a Lomi and will make compost all winter, but I've come to the conclusion that I need a good sized bin. I like the open sides idea.
I would suggest mixing in a shovelful of soil occasionally to supply the necessary bacteria to aid with decomposition.
Yep, good suggestion. I’ve just tried adding some pretty old beat up soil, hoping to rejuvenate it as well
A handful of finished compost, casting or composted animal manure works well too.
I add my awful clay dirt and manure above my green then add more brown atop.
I found small bags of “topsoil” (?🤷🏽♂️) at the dollar store...for $1!...and I dump that in the compost bin!
@@artwillvideos It's only a dollar, but it's a waste of a dollar. Compost doesn't need dirt, but if you want to anyway, dirt is freely available under your feet.
As cold composters, we don't add a lot of weeds, but happily toss in whole pumpkins at the end of halloween, pepper cores, etc. The next season's 'volunteers' are always a fun surprise, and we make space to transplant them into different areas when they come up.
Jeannine Hadid FUN! I used my cold compost in a newly created seating area and the entire area is now a field of tomatoes with two squash. I'm leaving them to see if those buds will turn into tomatoes and squash. I was surprised. Don't think I'll repeat that though...not for an area I want to look a certain way. But it has been interesting to see where those tomatoes pop up. 😆
I've a bunch of tomatoes that I certainly didn't got out to buy this year. The collard greens trying to take over the yard were less of a fun surprise.
@@JackrabbitCrafts One year I tossed the seeds of a spaghetti squash in my compost. It took over my back yard the next year. I was giving it away to everyone.
@@loriekey5860 This year we have mystery tomatoes all over the yard, all in places amended with homemade compost. A welcome and positive surprise during a weird time.
I had pumpkins as decorations at my wedding, my MIL added some to her compost bin and a year later we had awesome wedding pumpkins. 😍
Hehe ... out of desperation for compost, I took some not fully composted soil out of the bin for my rhubarb...and pumpkins (ran out of ideas on where to put them). Yes, Hmm.,, it’s now a tomato, cucumber, courgette bed too with some additional pumpkins and butternut squash 🤣🤣 ... no weed seeds though, winning 😁👍
Nexus 🤣
All my tomatoes plants have come from my cold compost XD
My compost pile is growing some lovely butternut squash seedlings at the moment.... lol
Ditto. I had a spaghetti squash growing in my flower bed😄
Awesome responses, nature is marvellous 😊
It can be fun to find the mysterious seeds sprouting though ;) 🌱 We often let them grow a little and replant somewhere in the garden.
Thats so fun I have to try it!
That's how my sister gets most of her tomato plants.👍
Cool! We got surprise sunflowers, pumpkins and a potatoe plant this year.
Greenishapples17 Yeah do try that :) it gamifies gardening haha. Good luck
Yes that’s how we get all of our tomato plants!! It’s fun!
Hi, I'd like you to know that your videos helped me through these pandemic times in so many ways! I really want to thank you and I hope you know how appreciated and valuable you are! All the best 🥰🥰
Thank you so much, glad to be of help!
Regarding your 'in a perfect world you'd turn the pile every day' comment. From what I've read (I'm no expert) you can turn it too much. Here's a random excerpt off a quick search: _Turning too often (every day) disrupts the formation of the fungi and actinomycetes that do much of the composting work and may prevent the pile from heating up completely._ If I'm wrong please correct me. I used to turn mine every day but noticed slow results so now I do it twice a week and it's gone much faster.
Yeah I think I was being a little aggressive there, I more meant that 'perfectly managing it is of course better' but a good amount is once a week
I turn my once every 3 months. At 9 months in i sifted and almost all was nice black gold. Had a lot of pits and sticks and shells and avacado skins!!
@@gardencookeat22 Turning it weekly, you won't have a lot of that and it will only take a fraction of the time to finish. I use to turn monthly myself and I was lucky to get a bin or two a year. This year I started turning at least once a week and I'm on my fifth bin now, had to find more resources for the compost though. Next year, I'm going to be recording the temp daily and turning it when it reaches 130F for at least 3 days in a row. This has allowed me to grow my garden exponentially as well.
@@matthewhauserman4755 hey, do you have tips to think on for composting during the winter? im in the PNW and its just a lot, a lot, a lot of rain here for the next...5 months or so. then slightly less.
right now i have a loose tarp covering my pallet compost bins, but they are staying pretty dry for now. should i still turn it weekly? i know theres lots and lots of worms in there.
@@ambert.3792 It really depends. 1) are you going for a hot or cold compost 2) are you concerned about the worms or not 3) do you want to be more labor intensive
1) if a hot compost (aeroobic) you have to be turning it at least once a week. The air from turning it allows the good bacteria to thrive and temps can exceed 160 degrees in the center. cold compost (anaerobic), leave it as is and the worms will do the work. turn it only if it starts to smell
2) if you are concerned for the worms, just let the pile be and turn it at most once a month if at all. a regularly turned pile (more than monthly) gets too hot for the worms and would force them out.
3) Obviously the more you turn, the more labor intensive it gets. Aerobic piles are great for a fast product in the middle of the season. For winter though, many go to an anaerobic pile to avoid being out in rains and snow.
Since you have lots of worms, and you are entering winter, I would just leave the pile as is. Maybe turn it if the day is particularly dry and nice, otherwise you don't have to unless it starts smelling. You say it rains heavy, but do make sure the pile isn't too dry or too wet. Too dry and bacteria won't break it down. Too wet and you'll get smells and worms can drown.
I recently built a double bin compost bin with pallets and it came out great. It's super efficient to use a pitchfork and move the compost to the adjoining bin which is same as turning. However I now realize I need 4 bins so I can always have a finished compost ready while making a new.
Immediately after watching this I went and gave my big smelly bins so love and attention, cheers mate!
I definitely guilty of overfilling my compost pile and forgetting to turn it.
Does it smell bad?
@@billyg0338 if you're doing it right, it shouldn't
I’m really considering getting a compost bin for my garden but I don’t have the space for one at the moment these tips was very helpful thank you 🙏🏾.
Use a big empty pot... It'll be a cold compost so it will take longer but it works, always top it with a small layer of soil so it doesn't smell
Worm bins don’t have to be so big either
Me: Oh hey, I have a compost bin. “Turn your compost.” I’ve already failed lol
Consider it a learning process and not a failure.
I have a fork with a really bent tine which is quite good at mixing up the compost layers. I put it in the heap deep down and rotate .
Oooooh, im diggin that compost aerator. My neighbors are 10ft away so i compost in old soil bags with tiny holes punched in to manage the odor. Doesnt give u much room to mix. Thanks for sharing.
So excited third year composting. Have one turning bin I’ve had since beginning which gives me a small amount, but now I’m six months in with three large black bins. I lifted the lids to add something the other day, and they are heating. I’m so excited - compost made my day 🤣🤣🤣. So my hubby ordered me a compost aerator for my birthday - what a great gift seriously 😃.
I personally compost in place. I do the natural compost process but in pots. I just do layers of greens, browns and the top layer is native soil.
I built this exact dimension for a compost bin with cedar, which it looks like you used as well. I built with slats in the side too, but wasn’t getting quite hot enough. So I tried Charles Dowding’s technique of putting cardboard in the sides to help maintain heat and moisture. It also takes way more material than you think to fill these dimensions to the appropriate size to get them cooking. It’s taken me a couple of tries, but now am able to get it consistently to 150 Fahrenheit after watching numerous composting videos 🤣🤯 thank you and Charle’s for all of your tips!
I highly recommend diving into your composts with a pitchfork so all the lil red wigglers remain in one piece. The shovel edge is quite an effective slicing blade. The pitchfork can also make the turning process a little more friendly in the weight-&-strength department as you can often go deeper into the pile, move materials, but not necessary have to lift all the materials up.
I add a lot of clay in my compost barrel (roof gardening) and the results was amazing
I use it as my potting mix
It hasn't the best texture but if you choose the right plant it will be great
My tomatoes can't stop producing
Greetings from Greece
Of course the texture it not like clay soil's but it s not like compost
Yes, please. I would like to have a video on building your compost bin.
Thanks for making this!
I had a mistake in mine of not enough water in my hot box compost. So much to learn.
Glad channels like yours are around to learn from
Just want to let you know I just discovered your channel today and really enjoy it. This is my first year having a garden so there was a lot of trial-and-error but it actually came out really good. I did a lot of research last winter to gain as much knowledge as I possibly could. Some mushroom compost, plant food that contains mycorrhizae, organic fish and seaweed plant food, compost tea, and some tender loving care. It's been a really hot summer where I live with not much rain so I've made sure to water it when needed. I'm happy with how everything is growing. Glad I discovered your channel cuz your channel seems very informative.
I REALLY appreciate these videos. My state began requiring households to compost as of this July (2020) so I have a bin and have put stuff in it but man. I've watched 4+ webinars and I still don't fully get it, lol.
Out of curiosity which state requires that you compost?
@@DurdensVision California
Lovely tips my friend. I recently started growing a HUGE watermelon plant from my compost from not tending to properly lol. Thanks for sharing the tips...super helpful! 😁✌
Mistakes to avoid: Not chopping things smaller. More surfaces equals quicker composting.
Agreed, so long as everything isn't the same exact size
Leaf Chipper and paper shredder (cardboard) have been invaliable!
Work smarter not harder!
The compost turner is silly. Pitch fork all the way.
I really enjoy your videos.
I use a hand blender and shred my kitchen scrap with water to make a rough sludge.
When you chop things, you have more surfaces, I think. No?
I turn my compost ONCE, a month after the bay is full. Each bay (I have three) is then left for 6 months to fully mature (oceanic, temperate climate - north western UK). What comes out looks like commercial potting compost.
As for moisture: I use "recycled" beer to add moisture as well as to boost the decomposition process (temperature can increase 20ºF within 12 hours of adding it).
It would just work faster If you turned it more often
Recycled beer lol?
thats really funny! I am surprised you dont put recycled food in there too though :0 just dont put it round your veges for a couple of years!!!
@@juliewilliamsnewzealand818 I know of someone who has a composting toilet, though yes, the end product is used on his herbaceous borders, rather than his food crops.
The "beer really speeds up the composting process, especially when the material is 50/50 grass clippings/brown cardboard, both of which I have in abundance every summer.
You're the best! I love how simple you make it sound.
I'm about to start my new composting bin. I'm building it out of pallets. I seen a couple videos and all i am going to do is place it in the sun add two part brown and 1 part green. Give it water and add some food scrapes every so often
I use a pitchfork to turn my compost. It works really well. Once the compost gets to a more soil like consistency I switch to a shovel.
Charles Dowding only turns it once, and that is good enough for me. It remains hot for almost a year as long as moisture level is ok. And although I get some weed seeds surviving, diseased material is cured by the heat.
Building plans would be good. I have access to pallets.
Pallets are perfect, you dont even need to do anything apart from nailing three together and having the 4th front one loose just held in place with a couple of stakes
@@eyecatcher1509 Cool! Thanks!
I use a few T-posts to hold the pallets up and some twine to hold the corners together. Very simple. It can be spruced up with plants in the open slots or paint if a more aesthetic look is desired.
Ay man hopefully you see this but I recently started gardening I’m only 18 so I’m learning you really gotta kill all your plants to learn how to make them live but you’re videos are extremely informative and enjoyable keep it up
I put my veggie scraps with some water in a blender to make a compost smoothie. Works pretty good.
I made a compost bin out of of a 50 gal barrel, made a stand with a pipe through the barrel, put a trap door on hinges and used cheap handles to make the turning of the barrel much easier it works JUST FINE. Put a wheelbarrow underneath open the trap door and empty the compost, I turn the barrel once a day or when I remember. Its off the grounds so no worries if Animal getting into it. No cook food scrap, bones, oils,grease. No grass that's been treated with pesticides of any kind. I use weeds from garden, but no weeds with seeds, and I set them aside to dry till dead then put them in the compost barrel. Add good soil once in a while to help the soul from getting fungus, I dont put water in it for that reason too. I used my compost for my vegetable garden this year and my neighbors cant believe the healthy garden I have, nothing added to it just home compost ONLY. I LOVE garning and love listening to others idea, thanks to all and God Bless...
Oh wow, that's awesome and slick lol.
Cement mixer bit for drill works very well for mixing compost
I got tired of vermin getting into my pile, so I bought some 32 gal black trash cans, drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom edges, and kick-started it with cheap store bought compost. The black absorbs heat and helps it faster, and the trash can lid keeps out vermin and in water. It also blocks sunlight for winter sprouting seeds.
Awesome video!!,.. good to check my knowledge, our compost pile is rockin, hot food paper bags and I even add in worm grow and fertilizer, and I probably stir about 1-2 a week,..thanks👍🏿🙏🏿
I use a cement mixer to pulverize my leaves into small pieces, I fill the mixer with leaves then add some brick chunks and run the mixer. I turn my compost based on the temperature in the center of the compost heap. I use organic alfalfa pellets for nitrogen in the winter time to raise the compost temperature and keep it in the 140 to 160 range for several weeks. A layer of leaves, then one or two handfuls of alfalfa pellets scattered over the leaves. The pulverized leaves can be used as mulch in the garden and flower beds to add organic matter, retain moisture and prevent weeds and I use them for bedding in my worm bins.
Great video, something that help a lot is to have thermometer for the compost
I would love a video on how you built this bin!
I live on 12 acres I'm trying to learn to compost. I have not have much luck because I have difficulty getting Browns other than breaking up small branches and twigs. I know I was not turning enough because it's burning enough because my tomatoes began to sprout. But I love this channel I watch it I learned from it and I hope to be better at composting.
Great tips! I compost bones and meat (in small portion cause we don't eat a lot of it) and it does fine but we have to be extra diligent about keeping the pile full of dry material all around to avoid pests.
I also add sawdust in the compost and it's an a-mazing brown layer! Thanks for all your great videos and advice on growing, I really love your channel so much!💓love you're new space too.
I am really into composting and have 2 bins that i maintain regularly. I compost all year round and I live in the city in Milwaukee, WI where it gets below zero in winter yet my compost stays hot as I continue to feed it. My worms are very happy😃
Sawdust is so good!
Im working on building up my compost pile, its not big enough to get hot yet but thats okay Im not in a rush for it to be done...and I just started it last week so its got a ways to go.
Excellent Video on Composting. I have made 3 side by side out of Pallets. The only thing I'd change is I'd make it Larger .. almost 4X4' and I'd staple plastic chicken wire to the sides so that the Material doesn't fall out. As others have said, a Pitch Fork is a Great Tool for Moving the Compost and a Compost Thermometer is Essential so You know when to turn the pile.
I failed at hot composting but was able to get two garlic plants growing from my cold pile so I replanted them. They’re doing fantastic right now lol. It looks like I have a sweet potato growing out of my compost pile too. I will likely plant that then haha. Maybe cold composting isn’t so bad. Haha
😂😂😂
I particularly liked the heat needed to sterilize the seeds. For example, I have potato sprouts and weed sprouts.
Thank you for this video. Great job. I'm a beginner and this video gave me lots of confidence. I'm starting today!
I was going to go/try pvc piping with small holes drilled in then push the pipe into the soil. 3-5 pieces in my small compost container. Will still turn it, but my thought is this will increase airflow.
Nice vid, thanks you 😁 I’m gonna make one of those compost turners, got some steel bars I could bend in the garden from an old building project. That would be so much easier than turning with my fork 😁
I usually will keep some plants that lasted the compost and grow in the garden. But I watch what seeds go in since I usually will harvest my own seeds from plants I grow.
About #5, Knowing what seeds you put in there can be a bonus. Volunteers are an amazing thing and you can transplant them to where they need to go. I had dozens of cantaloupe volunteers this year. Thought the seeds had been irradiated but I guess not.
Truth!
When I was a young lad, we just had a pile of scraps in the backyard, we would occasionally turn it with a pitch fork, but that was it. Nothing fancy, then we would till it into our garden bed. No problems.
I always add torn up cardbaord and water it in and mix well every week.
You are such a great teacher. Your content is extremely helpful and informative. God Bless you and thank you!!!
How do you know when to stop adding material to a compost pile? Like if I start 1, but then a week later I hv more kitchen scraps etc?
Good question. For me, when I get my 3X3X3 filled I start a new bin. If I keep adding to a full bin, then it never completely finishes.
Once you've filled it up, that's a good point to stop, it'll settle a bit and you can add some more but otherwise start a new bin
If you are just making an open pile, you should probably stop when you can't reach the top.
I have three open piles. I'm adding to pile 1, turning pile 2 and using pile 3. When pile 3 is empty I turn pile 2 into that space, put 1 where 2 was and start a new pile 1.
I have 2 bins for that purpose. When one bin is full, I take the compost from the other, then start filling it. Because the full one will settle down after a couple weeks, I will often take the beginnings of the second and mix them in on the top of the first, then restart the second. Hoping to add a third, because I sometimes run out of space in the second before the first is fully composted.
Kevin, Thank you for another great educational and informational video.
1. Where did you get the spiral tool to drill into your pile?
2. I chop everything as small as possible to make it easier to turn every 3 to 4 days with a shovel. (Work!)
3 I made a barrel compoeter that is less volume than the bin but
A. it finishes much quicker because I turn it more often.
B. I roll it around in the backyard [very easy turning].
C. I can roll it out-of-sight if necessary.
Please keep making more great videos. 07/15/2021
Tall, cute AND smart and informative!?Total win. 🙌
Shovel is good to use for turning. I use a pitchfork myself to help aerate the compost when I jab it in and dig up the bottom to the top. Great tips!
Pitchforks are better, I need one at the new place!
Epic Gardening I see them often on apps like next door or garage sales so keep an eye out!
Thanks, because I really wasnt turning my compost enough!
My new chipper shredder made composting so much easier. I have piles of the stuff cooking.
Video on your design for the composter? Yes please!!
would love for you to do a video on making the compost container
I’d love a video on how to make this! Thanks for all the info! :)
Just three or four spadefuls from the bottom, placed on the top gives good mixing and creates an air gap at the bottom.
i dont have this wooden thing you have some of my family members and i have bins going. like ones from walmart you find with a top. could you do a video for family's trying composting in a bid dos and dont on REAL things family have in there house hold with or without kids and how to take care of it? Thanks! Happy gardening!
For the love of all gardening, DON'T PUT DISEASED PLANTS INTO YOUR COMPOST.... had an issue with this last year.
IF your compost gets hot enough (145-150ºF) for at least a week & the compost stands at least 6 months before use, then this isn't an issue. I routinely compost everything, including potato haulm showing blight & leek/onion leaves with rust. Never yet had any sign of problems
Not thermophilic enough
Need to check your compost temperature. It might not be hot enough. Goodluck!
I would love to see a video on building that bin.
Bought a couple compost tumblers from Walmart. Seemed a good idea till realizing they aren't big enough for an actual garden supply of compost.
Though in their design they have a good idea not only having a unit that can be tumbled(easy tilling) but also having perforated tubes running through the box. I think this might be a great idea for others to use in their piles...to take a wood or metal tube with holes along the length of the tube/pipe with the ends opened sticking outside the pile on both sides. Just push(hammer) a pipe through your pile to aerorate it. This with some kind of box that can be flipped would make for a no till process.
Could possibly use 55gallon barrels, pop some perforated pipe through them in areas and just roll them around once a week. That's pretty much what the tumblers you can buy online are, its only they're on stands. Anything bigger than 55gal drums and you'd need some kinda of device or tractor to spin the compost bins.
I am loving your compost bin. I think I may build a few for myself and my parents
If you haven’t already can you talk about compost tumblers and what they are used for??
Your video helped me a lot, thank you, watching from Philippines
Liked and subscribed as a thank you, so much good basic info clearly enough even for an adhd case!😊
Can you show the sifting process to create “finished” compost? Also, a video showing all of the varied decomposers...rhinoceros beetle grubs, pill bugs, earthworms, earwigs, ants, centipedes, etc.?
I’m no expert by any means and this my reply is pretty late anyways, my opinion of finished compost is nice nutrient rich, black fluffy soil is the best. My reasoning, you’re using it for the garden or potting mix right? If so throw a bag of perlite in their as well as native soil and compost.
I believe this is the perfect mix… again just my two cents I have experience in sifting pure sand by hand my only concern is with such fine material without any filler would compact to much rendering it as just extra ground enhancement. I hope I made sense.
The process would be nice to see as well
Your comment needs more attention.
Sorry if this come off as a poorly structured rant.
My grandfather and I used a barrel on its side with a hatch to load it. We added a Dr pepper every week. It was the only reason they kept Dr pepper at all lol. But it was GOOD compost
yeah. the seed issue. as you know, i have a field of tomatoes and two squashes up in the middle of that field. a LOTTA germination. 😆 thinking back, i think my problem began by taking compost from my unfinished winter pile in my garden, not from my finished compost bin near my driveway. lotsa learnin' going on up here. 👍🏻
It would be great to see one of these videos for worm composting :)
I would also add that things break down faster the smaller the pieces. I know you have mentioned that in other videos as well.
Great , clear and informative... looks like i am going to mix up my home and school compost tomorrow ! never done that before
I have a compose Turner thing too. Best thing ever:)
Love your compost bin. Time to dig out my chopsaw to make another bin instead of pallets
I don't turn my pile. I have pvc tubes drilled with holes that i shove horizontally at the base of the pile and 1 or 2 that I have going down into the pile from the top. This allows air to get through the pile. My temps get up to about 176 degrees F, sometimes a little higher. once it starts dropping in temp, around 75-80 degrees, i'll take a look and its usually finished at that point. takes about 14-18 days, depending on the amount I started with. Usually its 3x3x3 but sometimes it gets a little higher than 3 feet
I have 2 compost piles that are huge. One is over 6ft by 6ft by 4ft tall. The other is about 4×4×4 . It takes a huge amount of material to make a big pile. Luckily I have a huge 2 acre yard and live next to a 500 acre forest. I have unlimited material just time and labor are the factors that limit how much compost I can make. This is my first time composting but both piles are heating fast. I'm turning about every 5 days because I just don't have enough time to do it more often. I have 3 gardens so I need an immense amount of compost.
Make a video on that compost bin diy !!!!!😻😻😻
Kevin - I’ve got mounds of grass clippings from last year. Can I use last year’s as a brown layer with a layer of this year’s grass clippings.
I personally love when little tomato plants start growing from my compost. I try to keep the ones I can. They usually turn out to be naturally strong robust plants.
If we only have a small amount of organic matter available at any given time, sometimes the best option is to throw it on the ground and use it as mulch, to protect the existing soil from blowing away in the wind and to keep the sun from degrading it, causing the nitrogen in the soil to evaporate, not to mention that a fast composting process breaks away the nitrogen in the composting material at a massively accelerated rate, in a bin with no plants to catch the nitrogen before it escapes into the air. I'm pondering that fast composting turns out to be extremely wasteful of available materials, but it's touted as the goldenboy of gardening in most places.
I am also going to try the beer, soda, ammonia technique to speed up composting.
I like your compost bin. We want to build one. I’d love it if you can produce a DIY video
I make about 5 cubic yards of compost each year using mostly mowed leaves and grass clippings. In the fall I collect about 40 contractor size bags of mowed leaves and store them under a tarp over winter. When the grass starts growing I start composting. I layer 3 baskets of leaves and one basket of grass clippings OUTSIDE of the compost bin. Repeat two times and then pitch the entire pile into the bin. Repeat until the bin is full. Add water and the pile heats up above 130 degrees in less than two days. (Layering is good to keep the proportions even throughout the pile, but composting is quickest where leaves and grass meet, so why wait to mix it? And the leaf/grass mixture doesn't mat down like a layer of grass will.) Leave the bin alone for three weeks, and the pile cools down due to lack of air and sometimes water. I then turn the pile into an adjacent bin, which adds new air to the pile, add water if necessary and the pile heats up again. I let the pile sit for another three weeks, then turn it into a third bin. After three more weeks the compost is ready for the garden. My 4 compost bins are 3 ft high, 3 ft wide, and 4 ft deep, and sit side-by-side, so its easy to pitch compost between bins. Duane Smith
Did you read my mind when you posted this? I’ve been researching composting the past few days lol thank you for this video!
;)
One mistake I've made is having a very long narrow compost bin (about 2 ft x 8 ft x 2 ft or .6 m x 2.4 m x .6 m). It struggles to get hot enough and as a result many weed seeds didn't die and ended up in my beds. Also, I didn't break down branches enough and had to hand sift my compost to get out the larger pieces before using it.
The composter I built myself has two compartment if 1 meter so it is easy to turn it from one to the other weekly I also insulate it and cover it
This way I can get a compost ready in 6 weeks and I reach 60 degrees Celsius
I have had a large plastic compost bin for almost 6 years and I have never turned it the only time it would have ever been turned ish was when I moved it from One side of my garden to the other side
I love that compost aerator! I'll have to get one. Thanks!
you can make a compost bin with 4, same sized wooden pallets; cut the fourth pallet in half to make a "gate" ...paint with a nice yellow ochre colour .....
A pitchfork is my go to for turning my compost pile.