*TIP* - A compost screw like the Tumbleweed Compost Mate makes turning a full bin super quick and easy. You just screw it down into the pile and pull up, do that several times and the whole pile is turned in minutes with much less effort, which means turning a pile isn't a dreaded PIA chore. I've had mine for over 20 years and it's the tool I use more than any other. Hope this helps someone. Cheers from Oz.
If you’re flipping compost or moving wood chips, invest in a 4 tine manure fork. Theres a bit of a learning curve with it, but once you figure out how to use it, sooooo much easier than using a shovel.
great hints! one thing I found that was by soaking alfalfa pellets before adding them to the pile helped keep the pile moist. i fill a 5 gallon bucket about 3/4 full of pellet then fill the bucket with water. Stir it a few times and after a couple of hours its a goopy mess that I pour over the pile.
Or simply spray water as you add layers to the compost. (non-chlorinated) Layer of greens (alfalfa pellets) (nitrogen),...Layer of Browns (Carbon), Sprinkle water,...repeat. No need for the 5 gallon bucket. (extra work) The pellets will absorb water from the carbon (leaves) and whatever else is is the pile quickly. Nature is simple, no need for extra steps.
We don't turn our compost, mainly due to age, but after about a year, it's ready for use. We begin a new compost pile in the spring, incorporating a significant amount of grass clippings. During the fall, we add leaves, and by the following spring, we have composted soil at the bottom. We scrape off the top layer to access the well-composted material, and any leaves that didn't fully break down over the winter become the starting point for the new season. To boost nitrogen levels, we add used coffee grounds sparingly throughout the compost. For calcium, we include finely ground eggshells (which can be processed in a blender), mollusk shells (like clams and mussels, but we don't blender these, crush them), and occasionally crab shells (predominantly blender-friendly, not king crab) after baking and grinding. However, we place these deep in the pile to avoid any fishy odors. Additionally, we incorporate Epsom salt (magnesium) and rust dust, which contributes iron to the compost. We sparingly add potash obtained from the fire pit to provide phosphorus and potassium. We also create biochar for the garden in the spring. Most of these amendments are added to the old soil since it tends to be nutrient-dense and can potentially harm plants if used in excess. Our composting area is located on cement, making it easy to access the composted soil at the bottom, allowing us to evaluate the yearly progress. We are mindful of pH management: unused coffee grounds, rust, and sulfur can be used to lower pH, while lime-based compounds like dolomite lime and agricultural lime can raise it. Other methods, such as using baking soda, crushed eggshells, or wood ashes, can also be effective in adjusting pH levels. Regarding rust, it works for our extended composting process, but it's important to note that iron in the form of rust needs time for conversion. Natural weathering, microbial activity, and soil chemistry gradually transform rust into soluble iron forms, which may not meet the immediate iron needs of plants. We caution against overdoing it with additives, particularly in a large compost area. It's easy to add too much of certain materials, like coffee grounds, so moderation is key, also when adding ash from burning. Clean ash is essential; burning treated wood or painted materials is not advisable. We use hardwood and sometimes green wood for burning, and we even toss partially eaten fruits and vegetables into the fire to introduce additional nutrients not typically found in wood. While rust can contribute to iron content, it's often more effective to use iron supplements or fertilizers containing chelated iron or water-soluble forms of iron for meeting the iron needs of plants. Birds will eat the egg shells if there not mixed in the soil well. But you can spread them on top of soil to deter slugs, but the birds will eat them.........
However, be cautious not to use potash derived from pine wood. Pine wood and other coniferous materials can contain resins and compounds that may not be suitable for composting.
If you are doing it on concrete, are you adding worms from the garden? We do basically the same thing, only all at once in the fall. Our last grass cut we bag, which has the leaves already incorporated in, coffee grounds, ash from our fall bonfire, and egg shells from Thanksgiving breakfast, but ours is on the ground so the worms break it down and bring their castings with them.
I have in past but its not needed either they find it or it degrades anyway with the bacteria fungus and moisture. And when i say added in past i mean if im working on garden in a rain and i see them i will toss a few over there however i never actually make a point into putting a certain amount. Some years we had dry i prob didnt get any over there that would survive cause its not always deep enough to support healthy moisture in dry season Its a big slab behind the fence that was ment for a car we also put branches that fall there to let the leaves fall off naturally and just remove them in spring before taking what soil is there on bottom. I do know they find it cause i see them in there, but in a rain you will see worms all over sidewalks so of course they find it there too. But if your only doing it at end of year your not getting a years worth of composting in before using it. @@ellencox8415
"Alfalfa (Lucerne), is actually neither hay nor grass! It is in fact a legume and is also grown as a richer type of animal feed. Alfalfa hay has a much higher protein level than grass / hay" Alfalfa, Beans, Peas (legumes) can fixate Nitrogen from the Air.
Good point about leaves. In my MN yard, the leaves plus grass plus kitchen scraps, garden clean up, sticks, even pulled weeds are making compost as I go along, season by season. MiGardeners composting in place video is working for me, holistic and more manageable on natures own time. My garden is feeding itself, feeding itself. Size does matter for sure!
Question about the alfalfa pellets. Alfalfa is a hay grown to feed livestock. Some hay (and straw) is treated with herbicides like Grazson to prevent broad leaf weeds but is safe to livestock to ingest. Are these alfalfa pellets herbicide free?
Be careful, GMO Alfalfa is being grown by farmers and used in these pellets. google it..not sure about it! I stopped getting bunny berries from neighbor's rabbit because they use it for feed. Now I'm gonna have to test my compost come spring
Besides kitchen scraps being added to our compost piles, we add dirt, yes dirt. Taking a post-hole digger I dig down as far as I can and add the material to the piles. Never added "extras" to the pile, these always went directly to the gardens. good video.
I've noticed that if you leave some of the finished compost in the bin and add new waste to it that seems to get the compost machine going a lot faster
If you have the right ratio of Greens (nitrogen) and Browns (Carbon) it should not make much difference by adding finished compost . (for bacterial compost) If the pile is big enough (minimum 4 x 4 x4 feet) and kept the right moisture with enough Nitrogen it will heat up and break down (bacterial compost) For a cold compost (fungal) it should help by adding finished compost though.
I made a series compost bins. I live in the desert so my compost dries out pretty quick. I added a branch to my drip irrigation so I only had to turn the pile occasionally and keeping it moist was done automatically.
I love your videos, they are packed with information! I haven’t watched one in a hot moment and I would say that you have improved your teachings. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos and providing such invaluable info for everyone!
I live in the desert and I don't want to use a lot of water on my compost pile so I just add captured rain water. Unfortunately it was a pretty dry year. It makes the composting process a little slower but I have a pile going year-round anyways, so no rush.
I live in the desert too. Something to consider potentially...I save my captured rain water for plants, because there's such a noticeable difference in their performance vs city water. For the compost, I really only need a couple of gallons once to twice a week, so it's not much water. That said, if you have a huge capacity then it probably doesn't matter. I only have about 180 gallon capacity so I try to save it for plants since we don't get a ton of rain, and when we do, the barrels overflow rather quickly.
Do you actively use vermicomposting? I have a five gallon bucket with 3/4 inch holes. Throw kitchen scraps Some garden scraps and the worms compost it. They pass through the garden and fertilize with their scat. Works well especially in my small garden
I had a couple piles of compost that was loaded , I mean loaded with worms this summer. I usually do hot compost but those piles I never worked it like hot compost and the worms did a great job.
Great episode! I started composting this summer in a 100 gallon #SmartPot Compost Sak and have now ordered some Alfalfa pellets to see if it will move along a little faster.
I am finally getting the hang of composting. I actually have a hot pile and I flip and water fairly often. Much of my pile, however is grass clippings and it clumps. I will try alfalfa too. We put all our leaves in the compost as well. I will go to the pile on a day it is dry and use my hands to break up some of the clumps then water the pile.
If you have some room, spread the grass clippings over an area at about 3-4" deep. where it will dry nicely in a few days to-a week. Then add the dried grass to your compost pile. This will prevent the clumping you are experiencing. Of course, how you're doing it works just fine too.
Always interesting with videos on compost. A combined trash can and life giver all in one. Personally, I would skip the alfalfa. You seem to have a lot of grass-clippings in there already, which is all the nitrogen you need. In my mind these are the important steps: - Water, keep it moist - Air, don't let it get anaerobic (poke holes, aerate from below, etc, you decide) - Keep particle size manageable - Use a fork instead of a spade - Flip a few times - Wait Hopefully I'll have time to post some videos at some point, but I really don't think anyone with a garden should buy anything in for compost. Not alfalfa, not stone meal, bone meal, fish meal... It's all in there, and a lot of what is in there is life!
I added a couple of bags of dry chicken manure and it heated up nicely. It's cheaper and has twice the N. I'm going to try fish feed pellets next time. It has even more N plus its fish and fish is great for gardening as most of us here already know
@@bobalman Be careful. Worms like red wigglers etc. are for Cold Compost (fungal compost). (CARBON) (leaves, cardboard, newspaper etc., browns) Too much nitrogen (greens) will heat up the pile (bacterial compost) and will kill the worms. Generally Trees like Fungal compost, and vegetable's like Bacterial compost, but you can mix them after they are composted for best results.
We turn our pile with tractor loader about once a month depending on the moisture. Haven't used any purchased products yet. I don't use my compost until it is dark brown or black in color and it is broken down into small or fine particles. Normally we just mix in a 3" cover into the raised beds. This year I want to experiment, make a row mound on the in-ground garden 10" wide, 10" tall, and 10' long for sweet potato slips. Another row of 8" wheat straw on the ground, then 10" x 10" of compost on top of the straw.
I am gathering chestnut tree leaves and chicken manure along with a variety of wood chips, kitchen waste like pumpkin rinds and egg shells. I live in Oregon so I only need to water it in the summer time. I throw and larger woody bits behind the pile because they take longer to break down. Have a happy thanksgiving. Thanks for the good information. I didn't know that leaves had a lot of minerals, but it makes sense.
Other good sources of nitrogen include livestock manure, household urine, and biodegradable cat litter clumps. There are organic clumping cat litters made from nut shells, wood fibers, or plant husks. The urine clumps that you scoop out are loaded with nitrogen. You just have to separately scoop out the solid cat waste, as it's not a good idea to compost that due to the diseases it can carry.
I add bio char to mine...over time it absorbs the "goodies" from the pile and when added under plants and druit trees, it acts as a time release source of those goodies.
I bring out some warm water in a milk jug, when I bring my kitchen scraps out. I rinse my compost bucket and add that water to the bin, which is on the ground. Then I cover the pile with several inches of leaves saved from the fall. I save enough to last all summer. This way i never have odor or flies. I dont turn much because of the work involved. I turn once, when the pile is full, then once it further decomposed, i move the compost into a tumbler to finish and store.
I mix it into my beds when reammending them. i also soak them first. Then mix it in with the dirt. Because the first time i did it. i just mixed in the pellets. They absorb and swell but stay there like pellets. And I had a coon go through the bed. When I soak and mix it in I don’t have that problem. It breaks down and mixes into the soil better. And it doesn’t take 30-45 min to break down in the water. Then i just throw it around and mix it in with my compost etc and throw on beds.
Luke, can you add some tips as you go for those who may have some physical limitations. There are a lot of seniors who LOVE to garden but sometimes give up or severely reduce what they grow because they don’t know how to adapt what they used to do to make it more physically feasible.
During the summer I add a five gallon pail of water mixed with one cup of ammonia and one can of non diet soda (or Beer) every month. After mixing, it heats the pile right up. I mix the top every week after. Whether it’s just leaves or a mix of green or brown the pile starts getting noticeably smaller 6 weeks after the first application.
My massive heaps are 8 medium squares in size, take one year to make, weeds,, vegetable scraps, old hay, balage, tiger worms, daggy wool and leaves, some times grass clippings, second year topped off with a layer of old hay or balage then planted with up to ten pumpkins/squash which produce 60 to 80 pumpkins/squash. Only time its turned is as i dig it out. But this year am bucket making in 10, 20 and 40 litre bucket/bin, turn each month, have 3 of each the oldest bucket is only 3 months old and looks like it will be ready soon. The first set of three have more leaves in them.
We just have two large black garbage cans with holes drilled into the bottom and sides. We add garden stuff, kitchen stuff, 3 parts brown and one part green keeping it like a wrung out sponge and a shovel of dirt. In a year without any turning everything is composted. We just start another garbage can when one is full. I am going to add alfalfa pellets because I always have them. Somewhere in the year I add a compost accelerant mixed in water. This is really a lazy effective method.
First time watcher, and instant subscriber! Very informative and I can’t wait to have my own little compost pile. I was actually thinking about a huge barrel that I could spin every now and then… Just thinking out loud now.
So glad you just decided to join the community! We’re happy to have you and hopefully you will enjoy all the content we put out. My goal is to help you have a better time in the garden and to share experiences together. 🤩
brother has a "spinner". works Really well !!!... ( I was envious )....annual volume will be a problem though if you have acreage....but u can make/buy more !
My experience is a 55 gallon barrel compost tumbler is near impossible to get hot enough because the volume is not nearly enough. And that includes using more than 50% grass clippings. 3' × 3' × 3' minimum works a lot better for me.
Hi, I have a question regarding one of my plants, I hope someone can help :). The plant is "Purple Queen"/"Purple Heart" ground cover perennial. I have a lot of it spread out in various garden beds around the yard but one zone (in full sun) is dying with leaves turning *red*. I can't find anything online about what kind of malady is affecting this bed, normally the leaves turn either green-ish with less sun, or brown when dying. I've never seen them turn *red* before. Thank you all!
grass clippings ought to be left on the lawn, leaves should be just raked up around the base of the tree they came from...This year I have an extremely small area of grass I am just piling leaves on simply to see what happens over the winter. this stuff only takes a couple of months to break down it seems. I'll know more nest spring...I have been finding that leaving things alone is generally the best thing to do.
Yup. We have a mulching mower that breaks down grass as it's cut. We gather some leaves to use throughout the year in vermicompost bins and mulch mow the rest right back into the lawn.
I’ve got a lot pine needles & when I gather leaves they can’t be avoided so is pine needles okay for the compost pile? It seems like they would be beneficial for aeration
I don't have any trees on my property As of now, so Is there any alternative. I'm still composting whatever I can, thinking of investing in a paper shredder.
If you live near other people. Steal their yard waste. I’ve literally been mowing my neighbors yards using the bagger on my mower to collect their leaves and grass. Restaurants throw out food waste all the time. If you have any near you, work out an arrangement with them and you should be able to get all the compost materials you need.
Save money by distributing all the compost over you lawn, then mow it all back up and the mower will have mulched and blended in lots more nitrogen, the grass collector can then be tipped into the compost area making a perfectly mixed and turned pile, all that new nitrogen will turbocharge the process, no need to buy alfalfa pellets.
This would not count as turning or mixing a pile completely. You really want to get in there and mix it well. A pitchfork is a great tool for this. (I'm sure a thorough turning/mixing is difficult to do while making a video at the same time.)
Stuff on the inside to the outside and vice versa. If you have space, move the outer layer to one side to form the new inner and then cover with the old inner layer, done.
Yes, you can use wood chips in compost. I have three arborist in town so I can get all the free wood chips I can handle. I’ve been using wood chip compost for 4 years now without issue and my flowers and vegetables are good and healthy with virtually zero additional inputs. If you want to put them straight in your garden, use woodchip as a mulch or put in your garden pathways. They break down and will feed your soil.
@@scoobydoo5447 okay thank you for the reply I am so ready to try and make it work for my garden starting right now for next spring planting 🌽 corn and have not been able to get a crop two years in a row Thank you
How do you know if the alfalfa has been sprayed or not? I've been avoiding anything that might negatively affect my garden soil. It's getting so complicated.
I flip my compost ones a year in spring and sift it with a one inch screen Everything that goes through the screen goes in an old rainbarrel with a broken bottom The rest goes back on the compost pile
luke, what do you do with the more difficult stuff like sunflower and tomato stalks? do you put them in their own pile to breakdown? chop them up first? take them to the landfill?
@Disabled.Megatron i did that this year with the one raised bed we built but it doesn't solve my yearly dilemma. unless... do you pull the top layer of soil off every year and add the material and then put the soil back?
@@5points7019 I use sunflower stalks as next year's trellis stalks. For other big stalked veg... let them dry out on the ground then take a shovel and chop into approx one foot sections then dump in the compost. Or on the beds and top with leaves and compost. A good pair of shears garden work so much easier.
I cut my tomato stalks and the smaller sections of the stems of sunflowers nto chunks with a regular bypass pruner. For the bigger sunflower stems or if my tomato stems are too big towards the bottom, I use a hatchet to chop them up. (An axe would work too.). I would think large loppers would be even easier to use than a bypass pruner on the thicker parts. I've also dried out the the thick sunflower stems and used them as kindling in our fire pit. Hope this helps!
I bought some compost from a local nursery and it came with a lot of roly poly’s! They are now everywhere and eating my seedlings, I’ve sprinkled killer dust and it seems to work but just around each plant, on them but my question is how can I get rid of them in bulk like they came in on?
Luke, I have questions. From my own experience and from watching this video. By the time my compost has gone through the hot phase (130-170 degrees) and I have turned it monthly, like you, it cools down to ambient temps and the worms move in. From that point, I start a new pile because I consider that pile finished. (Worms don't live in hot, composting, compost) Finished, but, I let the worms have it for the next few months. I love the alfalfa pellets idea. Adding to the diversity from nearly anywhere I can think of, as long as it is local. Forest floor, edge of pond, various plants and their roots. If you can use rain water, vs. Chlorinated city water, which kills good and bad bacteria. You say this is all you know about composting. Me thinks you know much, much more than you offered here. Watch it again and tell me I am wrong brother. Just my 2 cents, I love you and your channel.
I’ve seen people in my city offering their bags of leaves to anyone who wants them. You can check around in your area and see if people have any to get rid of.
As mentioned, there are leaf piles or bags of leaves that almost anyone would happily let you cart off this time of year in almost any city. But alternative brown (carbon rich) materials are shredded or torn up paper, brown grocery bags, or cardboard. (If you need more cardboard, ask neighbors who get deliveries or check with your local grocery store). Used plain white or natural colored napkins and paper towels will also add some brown materials to your pile.
Plant peppermint along the margins of your pile. Rats (& most rodents) HATE peppermint. Good for applying in the engine compartment of your vehicles ... liquid peppermint extract also works well; but, has to be reapplied often.
Only put in leaves, veggie and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, tea grounds, einsed eggshells. No meat or dairy. Keep it turned weekly when it warm weather. Keep compost in a container with lid.
@Disabled.Megatron boiling it will remove the chlorine pretty quickly, but that's a pain and energy expensive. You can also just let it sit for a while (about a week I think) in an open container and the chlorine will naturally outgas slowly.
Are you fraid that "grazon", a broad leaved herbicide has been sprayed on the alfalfa and will impact your soil for years? I don't know if you cn find organic alfalfa pellets or not.
What I have done in the past is grabbed a big garbage bag and went to a wooded area where I know they don’t sprays and grabbed a bunch of leaves to put on my compost
Adding alfalfa pellets will just add more green (nitrogen rich) materials. If you aren't using fall leaves, you can shredded paper, grocery bags, and/or cardboard (or just rip it into chunks), to mix in your pile instead. Plain white or natural color napkins and paper towels can also add some brown (carbon rich) ingredients. Mix it all up well, make sure you add water if it's dry, and your pile will heat up and be finished sooner. Also, the more often you mix it the faster it will be finished. If you'd prefer to use fall leaves, I bet if you asked people in your neighborhood (if you live in town) if you can take the leaves they've set out to be p[icked up, they would happily let you take them. If you live in an area where leaves are picked up in bags, it's even quicker to transport them back home. I have a neighbor that uses a riding lawmower to pick up his leaves, and he drives them over and empties the bags where I've instructed. We also help a neighbor with physical difficulties gather her leaves, and I drag them back to my yard on a tarp.
The reason why I compost is so I have healthy fertilizer for my soil without buying it. I don't use just grass, don't even have just grass but a large variety of vegetation including dandelions, clover, etc. and leaves are added in fall as well. When all gets mixed, turned about once a week, additives are a waste of money.
One thing I've noticed in all the composting videos that I've been watching, is that none of them say what to do if you don't have access to leaves. My yard is completely surrounded by conifers, and bordered by river rock. Makes it hard to get leaf matter.... What can I use instead?🤔 Edit, typo. Oops 😬
@@agood1 guess so since I put aged chicken manure chopped up corn stalks, coffee grounds, grass clippings, and leaves. I'll leave it be turn it next month.
Do you ever just hit up Starbucks for used coffee grounds ? Will get you nitrogen up and heat up your pile fast.. never used pellets I try and make my compost as free as I can.. I seen I a old video you covered your compost pile.. did you get any mold on top when you did that ?
I’mI’m not one of those people that don’t flip their compost. But I have a compost bin that spins and I have a add side and a knot inside but takes forever for my compost to compost. Any ideas?
I find starting the compost on the ground is better. Decomposers (worms etc move into the pile). When it's almost ready I move it to the tumbler. This finishes the compost, but also safely stores it. Compost that is left on the ground for over a year gets claimed by roots.
I put layers of dirt and dry leaves in a container , add worms, and make sure it gets watered regularly, and it turns into compost in a few months. I just dumped some out on my herb garden spot this morning and mixed it in.
*TIP* - A compost screw like the Tumbleweed Compost Mate makes turning a full bin super quick and easy. You just screw it down into the pile and pull up, do that several times and the whole pile is turned in minutes with much less effort, which means turning a pile isn't a dreaded PIA chore. I've had mine for over 20 years and it's the tool I use more than any other. Hope this helps someone. Cheers from Oz.
Thanks for the info!
an auger attachment for a battery operated drill works, too
Sounds like a perfect Christmas gift for my husband!
@@denisepigarelli6300dude that’s so smart I’m going to start doing that
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
You could try getting a gutter on your shed and saving it to a rain barrel right beside your compost pile. Then you’ll have some water right there.
If you’re flipping compost or moving wood chips, invest in a 4 tine manure fork. Theres a bit of a learning curve with it, but once you figure out how to use it, sooooo much easier than using a shovel.
Personally I like the 3-tine straw fork with needle-sharp tines, but to each his (or her) own.
great hints! one thing I found that was by soaking alfalfa pellets before adding them to the pile helped keep the pile moist. i fill a 5 gallon bucket about 3/4 full of pellet then fill the bucket with water. Stir it a few times and after a couple of hours its a goopy mess that I pour over the pile.
Or simply spray water as you add layers to the compost. (non-chlorinated)
Layer of greens (alfalfa pellets) (nitrogen),...Layer of Browns (Carbon), Sprinkle water,...repeat.
No need for the 5 gallon bucket. (extra work)
The pellets will absorb water from the carbon (leaves) and whatever else is is the pile quickly.
Nature is simple, no need for extra steps.
We don't turn our compost, mainly due to age, but after about a year, it's ready for use. We begin a new compost pile in the spring, incorporating a significant amount of grass clippings. During the fall, we add leaves, and by the following spring, we have composted soil at the bottom. We scrape off the top layer to access the well-composted material, and any leaves that didn't fully break down over the winter become the starting point for the new season.
To boost nitrogen levels, we add used coffee grounds sparingly throughout the compost. For calcium, we include finely ground eggshells (which can be processed in a blender), mollusk shells (like clams and mussels, but we don't blender these, crush them), and occasionally crab shells (predominantly blender-friendly, not king crab) after baking and grinding. However, we place these deep in the pile to avoid any fishy odors.
Additionally, we incorporate Epsom salt (magnesium) and rust dust, which contributes iron to the compost. We sparingly add potash obtained from the fire pit to provide phosphorus and potassium. We also create biochar for the garden in the spring. Most of these amendments are added to the old soil since it tends to be nutrient-dense and can potentially harm plants if used in excess.
Our composting area is located on cement, making it easy to access the composted soil at the bottom, allowing us to evaluate the yearly progress. We are mindful of pH management: unused coffee grounds, rust, and sulfur can be used to lower pH, while lime-based compounds like dolomite lime and agricultural lime can raise it. Other methods, such as using baking soda, crushed eggshells, or wood ashes, can also be effective in adjusting pH levels.
Regarding rust, it works for our extended composting process, but it's important to note that iron in the form of rust needs time for conversion. Natural weathering, microbial activity, and soil chemistry gradually transform rust into soluble iron forms, which may not meet the immediate iron needs of plants.
We caution against overdoing it with additives, particularly in a large compost area. It's easy to add too much of certain materials, like coffee grounds, so moderation is key, also when adding ash from burning.
Clean ash is essential; burning treated wood or painted materials is not advisable. We use hardwood and sometimes green wood for burning, and we even toss partially eaten fruits and vegetables into the fire to introduce additional nutrients not typically found in wood.
While rust can contribute to iron content, it's often more effective to use iron supplements or fertilizers containing chelated iron or water-soluble forms of iron for meeting the iron needs of plants.
Birds will eat the egg shells if there not mixed in the soil well. But you can spread them on top of soil to deter slugs, but the birds will eat them.........
However, be cautious not to use potash derived from pine wood. Pine wood and other coniferous materials can contain resins and compounds that may not be suitable for composting.
Thats almost exactly like my parents do it. They also do cold composting and do not turn it.
If you are doing it on concrete, are you adding worms from the garden? We do basically the same thing, only all at once in the fall. Our last grass cut we bag, which has the leaves already incorporated in, coffee grounds, ash from our fall bonfire, and egg shells from Thanksgiving breakfast, but ours is on the ground so the worms break it down and bring their castings with them.
I have in past but its not needed either they find it or it degrades anyway with the bacteria fungus and moisture. And when i say added in past i mean if im working on garden in a rain and i see them i will toss a few over there however i never actually make a point into putting a certain amount. Some years we had dry i prob didnt get any over there that would survive cause its not always deep enough to support healthy moisture in dry season Its a big slab behind the fence that was ment for a car we also put branches that fall there to let the leaves fall off naturally and just remove them in spring before taking what soil is there on bottom. I do know they find it cause i see them in there, but in a rain you will see worms all over sidewalks so of course they find it there too. But if your only doing it at end of year your not getting a years worth of composting in before using it.
@@ellencox8415
Never thought of adding alfalfa to the pile. Great tip!
"Alfalfa (Lucerne), is actually neither hay nor grass!
It is in fact a legume and is also grown as a richer type of animal feed. Alfalfa hay has a much higher protein level than grass / hay"
Alfalfa, Beans, Peas (legumes) can fixate Nitrogen from the Air.
Good point about leaves. In my MN yard, the leaves plus grass plus kitchen scraps, garden clean up, sticks, even pulled weeds are making compost as I go along, season by season. MiGardeners composting in place video is working for me, holistic and more manageable on natures own time. My garden is feeding itself, feeding itself. Size does matter for sure!
Question about the alfalfa pellets. Alfalfa is a hay grown to feed livestock. Some hay (and straw) is treated with herbicides like Grazson to prevent broad leaf weeds but is safe to livestock to ingest. Are these alfalfa pellets herbicide free?
Be careful, GMO Alfalfa is being grown by farmers and used in these pellets. google it..not sure about it! I stopped getting bunny berries from neighbor's rabbit because they use it for feed. Now I'm gonna have to test my compost come spring
probably not because Alfalfa is a Gmo product. So it is very likley laden with herbicides if its not organic. Which his was not. Whoops.
Besides kitchen scraps being added to our compost piles, we add dirt, yes dirt. Taking a post-hole digger I dig down as far as I can and add the material to the piles. Never added "extras" to the pile, these always went directly to the gardens. good video.
I pick up a bit of loose dirt from the molehills, lol, and add it to the compost.
I always learn something new & helpful in your videos Luke!
Good information on this subject, which keeps me guessing
I've noticed that if you leave some of the finished compost in the bin and add new waste to it that seems to get the compost machine going a lot faster
I concur! The left over finish compost acts like a starter to the fresh waste going in.
I sieve my compost and add the big stuff to new waste and wormery.
If you have the right ratio of Greens (nitrogen) and Browns (Carbon) it should not make much difference by adding finished compost . (for bacterial compost)
If the pile is big enough (minimum 4 x 4 x4 feet) and kept the right moisture with enough Nitrogen it will heat up and break down (bacterial compost)
For a cold compost (fungal) it should help by adding finished compost though.
thanks for the reminder to turn my piles!!
Comfrey leaves are great in compost
I purchased a reasonably priced small chipper/shredder just to breakdown sticks and things to thrown into my compost. It really helps.
I made a series compost bins. I live in the desert so my compost dries out pretty quick. I added a branch to my drip irrigation so I only had to turn the pile occasionally and keeping it moist was done automatically.
I love your videos, they are packed with information! I haven’t watched one in a hot moment and I would say that you have improved your teachings. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos and providing such invaluable info for everyone!
I live in the desert and I don't want to use a lot of water on my compost pile so I just add captured rain water. Unfortunately it was a pretty dry year. It makes the composting process a little slower but I have a pile going year-round anyways, so no rush.
I live in the desert too. Something to consider potentially...I save my captured rain water for plants, because there's such a noticeable difference in their performance vs city water. For the compost, I really only need a couple of gallons once to twice a week, so it's not much water.
That said, if you have a huge capacity then it probably doesn't matter. I only have about 180 gallon capacity so I try to save it for plants since we don't get a ton of rain, and when we do, the barrels overflow rather quickly.
Thanks, Luke!! 😁
I have not thought about adding alfalfa to my compost, but to sprinkle them to my raised beds after I cover them w/ leaves for the fall season.
I have no problem with a hot pile. My chickens already did the dirty work lol. 😊
Wow! That shovel of compost tho!.. gave me goosebumps! Lol, beautiful!😂
Do you actively use vermicomposting? I have a five gallon bucket with 3/4 inch holes. Throw kitchen scraps Some garden scraps and the worms compost it. They pass through the garden and fertilize with their scat. Works well especially in my small garden
I had a couple piles of compost that was loaded , I mean loaded with worms this summer. I usually do hot compost but those piles I never worked it like hot compost and the worms did a great job.
What are you composting that you think might have attracted rats?
Really a great video Luke, thanks.
Always so informational. Thanks Luke ❤
That means so much! I’m so glad you found it informational.
Great episode! I started composting this summer in a 100 gallon #SmartPot Compost Sak and have now ordered some Alfalfa pellets to see if it will move along a little faster.
I am finally getting the hang of composting. I actually have a hot pile and I flip and water fairly often. Much of my pile, however is grass clippings and it clumps. I will try alfalfa too. We put all our leaves in the compost as well. I will go to the pile on a day it is dry and use my hands to break up some of the clumps then water the pile.
If you have some room, spread the grass clippings over an area at about 3-4" deep. where it will dry nicely in a few days to-a week. Then add the dried grass to your compost pile. This will prevent the clumping you are experiencing. Of course, how you're doing it works just fine too.
Always interesting with videos on compost. A combined trash can and life giver all in one. Personally, I would skip the alfalfa. You seem to have a lot of grass-clippings in there already, which is all the nitrogen you need.
In my mind these are the important steps:
- Water, keep it moist
- Air, don't let it get anaerobic (poke holes, aerate from below, etc, you decide)
- Keep particle size manageable
- Use a fork instead of a spade
- Flip a few times
- Wait
Hopefully I'll have time to post some videos at some point, but I really don't think anyone with a garden should buy anything in for compost. Not alfalfa, not stone meal, bone meal, fish meal... It's all in there, and a lot of what is in there is life!
Only a gardener can get EXCITED about compost.
Or a worm!
Getting chickens is the best thing I ever did for my compost, not that I got them for that reason, but what a great side benefit!
I added a couple of bags of dry chicken manure and it heated up nicely. It's cheaper and has twice the N. I'm going to try fish feed pellets next time. It has even more N plus its fish and fish is great for gardening as most of us here already know
@@bobalman Be careful.
Worms like red wigglers etc. are for Cold Compost (fungal compost). (CARBON) (leaves, cardboard, newspaper etc., browns)
Too much nitrogen (greens) will heat up the pile (bacterial compost) and will kill the worms.
Generally Trees like Fungal compost, and vegetable's like Bacterial compost, but you can mix them after they are composted for best results.
We turn our pile with tractor loader about once a month depending on the moisture. Haven't used any purchased products yet. I don't use my compost until it is dark brown or black in color and it is broken down into small or fine particles. Normally we just mix in a 3" cover into the raised beds. This year I want to experiment, make a row mound on the in-ground garden 10" wide, 10" tall, and 10' long for sweet potato slips. Another row of 8" wheat straw on the ground, then 10" x 10" of compost on top of the straw.
I am gathering chestnut tree leaves and chicken manure along with a variety of wood chips, kitchen waste like pumpkin rinds and egg shells. I live in Oregon so I only need to water it in the summer time. I throw and larger woody bits behind the pile because they take longer to break down. Have a happy thanksgiving. Thanks for the good information. I didn't know that leaves had a lot of minerals, but it makes sense.
Other good sources of nitrogen include livestock manure, household urine, and biodegradable cat litter clumps. There are organic clumping cat litters made from nut shells, wood fibers, or plant husks. The urine clumps that you scoop out are loaded with nitrogen. You just have to separately scoop out the solid cat waste, as it's not a good idea to compost that due to the diseases it can carry.
I add bio char to mine...over time it absorbs the "goodies" from the pile and when added under plants and druit trees, it acts as a time release source of those goodies.
I bring out some warm water in a milk jug, when I bring my kitchen scraps out. I rinse my compost bucket and add that water to the bin, which is on the ground. Then I cover the pile with several inches of leaves saved from the fall. I save enough to last all summer. This way i never have odor or flies. I dont turn much because of the work involved. I turn once, when the pile is full, then once it further decomposed, i move the compost into a tumbler to finish and store.
Thank you! Great tips!
Love how informative your videos are Luke! I like where,what,why and when’s explanations😁🙏🏻🙌🏻🌻🍁🍂
Out of curiosity tho..
Do you need to worry about Grazon in it ???.. because there's a lot of alfalfa in hay.. 🤔
So... That's why I ask..
Thanks
We use straight urine for nitrogen in our composting pile, and dilute it to 10% for early season plant feedings...best cost/returns ratio.
Flipping is difficult, so I learned to be patient.
Great info!
I was going to add my alfalfa pellets to my beds. 🌿
I use alfalfa pellets on my lawn. The worms seem to like them.
I mix it into my beds when reammending them. i also soak them first. Then mix it in with the dirt. Because the first time i did it. i just mixed in the pellets. They absorb and swell but stay there like pellets. And I had a coon go through the bed. When I soak and mix it in I don’t have that problem. It breaks down and mixes into the soil better. And it doesn’t take 30-45 min to break down in the water. Then i just throw it around and mix it in with my compost etc and throw on beds.
Any blighted stuff goes into the burn pile, gets turned into bio-char (it works as kindling), then mixed with the healthy compost!
Careful of one thing fungus as the spore can leave in the smoke and spread it. The convection current of the heat is enough to send them flying.
Luke, can you add some tips as you go for those who may have some physical limitations. There are a lot of seniors who LOVE to garden but sometimes give up or severely reduce what they grow because they don’t know how to adapt what they used to do to make it more physically feasible.
My son built me raised beds waist level. I've also heard something about a Compost Screw that oxygenates the pile same as turning.
Excellent video! Lots of good points here.
I use (free) duckweed and urea on my leaves and woodchips (chipdrop). Someone suggested eggshells in compost help the worms.
During the summer I add a five gallon pail of water mixed with one cup of ammonia and one can of non diet soda (or Beer) every month. After mixing, it heats the pile right up. I mix the top every week after. Whether it’s just leaves or a mix of green or brown the pile starts getting noticeably smaller 6 weeks after the first application.
My massive heaps are 8 medium squares in size, take one year to make, weeds,, vegetable scraps, old hay, balage, tiger worms, daggy wool and leaves, some times grass clippings, second year topped off with a layer of old hay or balage then planted with up to ten pumpkins/squash which produce 60 to 80 pumpkins/squash. Only time its turned is as i dig it out.
But this year am bucket making in 10, 20 and 40 litre bucket/bin, turn each month, have 3 of each the oldest bucket is only 3 months old and looks like it will be ready soon. The first set of three have more leaves in them.
Luke, I have put shredded maple leaves on my raised beds for the winter. Would mixing in some alfalfa pellets be beneficial?
Do tree leaves add pesticides from the lawn being sprayed. Or are they okay to use
Great video
Thank you! Happy gardening.
We just have two large black garbage cans with holes drilled into the bottom and sides. We add garden stuff, kitchen stuff, 3 parts brown and one part green keeping it like a wrung out sponge and a shovel of dirt. In a year without any turning everything is composted. We just start another garbage can when one is full. I am going to add alfalfa pellets because I always have them. Somewhere in the year I add a compost accelerant mixed in water. This is really a lazy effective method.
We all do it differently, but I think what you're doing is smart. I would skip the alfalfa and accelerant, but if you like it then do it :)
First time watcher, and instant subscriber! Very informative and I can’t wait to have my own little compost pile. I was actually thinking about a huge barrel that I could spin every now and then… Just thinking out loud now.
So glad you just decided to join the community! We’re happy to have you and hopefully you will enjoy all the content we put out. My goal is to help you have a better time in the garden and to share experiences together. 🤩
brother has a "spinner". works Really well !!!... ( I was envious )....annual volume will be a problem though if you have acreage....but u can make/buy more !
My experience is a 55 gallon barrel compost tumbler is near impossible to get hot enough because the volume is not nearly enough. And that includes using more than 50% grass clippings.
3' × 3' × 3' minimum works a lot better for me.
????Do you compost bacterial wilt plants? Thanks for another great video!!!
Luke,
Can you use alfalfa pellets for core gardening?
Thank you. 😊
Hi, I have a question regarding one of my plants, I hope someone can help :). The plant is "Purple Queen"/"Purple Heart" ground cover perennial. I have a lot of it spread out in various garden beds around the yard but one zone (in full sun) is dying with leaves turning *red*. I can't find anything online about what kind of malady is affecting this bed, normally the leaves turn either green-ish with less sun, or brown when dying. I've never seen them turn *red* before. Thank you all!
Tap water ok to use?
grass clippings ought to be left on the lawn, leaves should be just raked up around the base of the tree they came from...This year I have an extremely small area of grass I am just piling leaves on simply to see what happens over the winter. this stuff only takes a couple of months to break down it seems. I'll know more nest spring...I have been finding that leaving things alone is generally the best thing to do.
Yup. We have a mulching mower that breaks down grass as it's cut. We gather some leaves to use throughout the year in vermicompost bins and mulch mow the rest right back into the lawn.
i put leaves on my totes of dirt in the winter, do i keep them in the tote when im ready to plant?
I never move anything . LAZY Compost ....but i am in florida so its Hot always 😂 decompost quickly also have soldier larva that eats snything
I’ve got a lot pine needles & when I gather leaves they can’t be avoided so is pine needles okay for the compost pile? It seems like they would be beneficial for aeration
I purchased a compost tumbler that makes composting easier.
I don't have any trees on my property As of now, so Is there any alternative. I'm still composting whatever I can, thinking of investing in a paper shredder.
If you live near other people. Steal their yard waste. I’ve literally been mowing my neighbors yards using the bagger on my mower to collect their leaves and grass. Restaurants throw out food waste all the time. If you have any near you, work out an arrangement with them and you should be able to get all the compost materials you need.
First comment! Woot woot! I see Luke, I click.
Ha ha! I love it. Keep growing big!
Good information
Save money by distributing all the compost over you lawn, then mow it all back up and the mower will have mulched and blended in lots more nitrogen, the grass collector can then be tipped into the compost area making a perfectly mixed and turned pile, all that new nitrogen will turbocharge the process, no need to buy alfalfa pellets.
I see you digging at the top and the bottom edge of the compost pile. Is that all there is to "flipping" it?
This would not count as turning or mixing a pile completely. You really want to get in there and mix it well. A pitchfork is a great tool for this. (I'm sure a thorough turning/mixing is difficult to do while making a video at the same time.)
Stuff on the inside to the outside and vice versa. If you have space, move the outer layer to one side to form the new inner and then cover with the old inner layer, done.
Can wood chips from stump grinding be added to the compost pile or ben
We have a stmpgrinding business, and stumpgrinding chips have acid in them usually up to 2 years until it neutralizes. Hope this helps.
@@lauriemayne9475 thank you for your reply I kind of had that thought good to hear about it👋
Yes, you can use wood chips in compost. I have three arborist in town so I can get all the free wood chips I can handle. I’ve been using wood chip compost for 4 years now without issue and my flowers and vegetables are good and healthy with virtually zero additional inputs. If you want to put them straight in your garden, use woodchip as a mulch or put in your garden pathways. They break down and will feed your soil.
@@scoobydoo5447 okay thank you for the reply I am so ready to try and make it work for my garden starting right now for next spring planting 🌽 corn and have not been able to get a crop two years in a row Thank you
is lime a mineral that i can add to my compost ?
How do you know if the alfalfa has been sprayed or not? I've been avoiding anything that might negatively affect my garden soil. It's getting so complicated.
I flip my compost ones a year in spring and sift it with a one inch screen
Everything that goes through the screen goes in an old rainbarrel with a broken bottom
The rest goes back on the compost pile
Most of the time I have compost left in spring
that I put in my raised gardenbeds before sifting the new stuff
But I'm a lazy gardener 😅
luke, what do you do with the more difficult stuff like sunflower and tomato stalks? do you put them in their own pile to breakdown? chop them up first? take them to the landfill?
@@79PoisonBreaker my lawn mower isn't a wood chipper and i don't have that big of a tool... ill consider using a maul and do it manually
@Disabled.Megatron i did that this year with the one raised bed we built but it doesn't solve my yearly dilemma. unless... do you pull the top layer of soil off every year and add the material and then put the soil back?
@@5points7019 I use sunflower stalks as next year's trellis stalks. For other big stalked veg... let them dry out on the ground then take a shovel and chop into approx one foot sections then dump in the compost. Or on the beds and top with leaves and compost. A good pair of shears garden work so much easier.
I cut my tomato stalks and the smaller sections of the stems of sunflowers nto chunks with a regular bypass pruner. For the bigger sunflower stems or if my tomato stems are too big towards the bottom, I use a hatchet to chop them up. (An axe would work too.). I would think large loppers would be even easier to use than a bypass pruner on the thicker parts. I've also dried out the the thick sunflower stems and used them as kindling in our fire pit. Hope this helps!
I bought some compost from a local nursery and it came with a lot of roly poly’s! They are now everywhere and eating my seedlings, I’ve sprinkled killer dust and it seems to work but just around each plant, on them but my question is how can I get rid of them in bulk like they came in on?
Alfalfa is a legume, that's why it's so high in protein/N.
Alfalfa is a legume. It is not a grass. Legumes make their own nitrogen. Higher nitrogen than grass.
Luke, I have questions. From my own experience and from watching this video.
By the time my compost has gone through the hot phase (130-170 degrees) and I have turned it monthly, like you, it cools down to ambient temps and the worms move in. From that point, I start a new pile because I consider that pile finished. (Worms don't live in hot, composting, compost) Finished, but, I let the worms have it for the next few months.
I love the alfalfa pellets idea. Adding to the diversity from nearly anywhere I can think of, as long as it is local. Forest floor, edge of pond, various plants and their roots. If you can use rain water, vs. Chlorinated city water, which kills good and bad bacteria.
You say this is all you know about composting. Me thinks you know much, much more than you offered here. Watch it again and tell me I am wrong brother. Just my 2 cents, I love you and your channel.
If you don't have access to leaves (new development) , can you suggest a good replacement?
I’ve seen people in my city offering their bags of leaves to anyone who wants them. You can check around in your area and see if people have any to get rid of.
As mentioned, there are leaf piles or bags of leaves that almost anyone would happily let you cart off this time of year in almost any city. But alternative brown (carbon rich) materials are shredded or torn up paper, brown grocery bags, or cardboard. (If you need more cardboard, ask neighbors who get deliveries or check with your local grocery store). Used plain white or natural colored napkins and paper towels will also add some brown materials to your pile.
I never turned mine but I used a lot of bamboo to get air down into the middle
Alfalfa pellets "Dirt Cheap"????? WHERE?
Wood ashes are a good source of potassium
Does it matter where your compost pile is? Should it be in the shade? Full sun or somewhere in between?
We place ours in shade area (or ventilated container) to control excessive water evaporation and maintain more even moisture to help in decomposition.
Urine is also a great compost additive.
I stopped composting because rats had found my pile. Have you dealt with that? Suggestions? Thanks for the great videos…and seeds!!!
Keep food scraps buried. The pests are hungry and they will smell it.
Plant peppermint along the margins of your pile. Rats (& most rodents) HATE peppermint.
Good for applying in the engine compartment of your vehicles ... liquid peppermint extract also works well; but, has to be reapplied often.
We used tubs with lids to start. Then we got a turnable composter. So nice. Got it for Christmas s few years before covid.
Try a Bokashi Compost for foodstuffs that the rat's like maybe
Only put in leaves, veggie and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, tea grounds, einsed eggshells. No meat or dairy. Keep it turned weekly when it warm weather. Keep compost in a container with lid.
Is city (chlorinated) water okay to use on the compost pile?
I have not found a tremendous difference when it comes to composting, it does have a big difference in the garden, though.
😭@@MIgardener
@Disabled.Megatron boiling it will remove the chlorine pretty quickly, but that's a pain and energy expensive. You can also just let it sit for a while (about a week I think) in an open container and the chlorine will naturally outgas slowly.
Are you fraid that "grazon", a broad leaved herbicide has been sprayed on the alfalfa and will impact your soil for years? I don't know if you cn find organic alfalfa pellets or not.
Grazon is sprayed on grass pastures, not alfalfa. Be cautious of sprayed hay and manure from animals that eat the contaminated hay. Peace
I have no trees. So, no leaves. I wonder if that’s why my compost is taking so long? Thanks! I’ll go to the feed store for alfalfa pellets today.
What I have done in the past is grabbed a big garbage bag and went to a wooded area where I know they don’t sprays and grabbed a bunch of leaves to put on my compost
Torn up brown cardboard works as well, and it's free, and saves it from going to landfill or the energy needed to recycle it..
Adding alfalfa pellets will just add more green (nitrogen rich) materials. If you aren't using fall leaves, you can shredded paper, grocery bags, and/or cardboard (or just rip it into chunks), to mix in your pile instead. Plain white or natural color napkins and paper towels can also add some brown (carbon rich) ingredients. Mix it all up well, make sure you add water if it's dry, and your pile will heat up and be finished sooner. Also, the more often you mix it the faster it will be finished. If you'd prefer to use fall leaves, I bet if you asked people in your neighborhood (if you live in town) if you can take the leaves they've set out to be p[icked up, they would happily let you take them. If you live in an area where leaves are picked up in bags, it's even quicker to transport them back home. I have a neighbor that uses a riding lawmower to pick up his leaves, and he drives them over and empties the bags where I've instructed. We also help a neighbor with physical difficulties gather her leaves, and I drag them back to my yard on a tarp.
@@tannerfrancisco8759 some care needs to be taken with paper. No glossy, avoid colour ink for example
The reason why I compost is so I have healthy fertilizer for my soil without buying it. I don't use just grass, don't even have just grass but a large variety of vegetation including dandelions, clover, etc. and leaves are added in fall as well. When all gets mixed, turned about once a week, additives are a waste of money.
One thing I've noticed in all the composting videos that I've been watching, is that none of them say what to do if you don't have access to leaves. My yard is completely surrounded by conifers, and bordered by river rock. Makes it hard to get leaf matter.... What can I use instead?🤔
Edit, typo. Oops 😬
Just turned my pallet compost today but have a Fire ant 🐜 problem any solution to get rid of them?
Keep them, they are working
@@agood1 guess so since I put aged chicken manure chopped up corn stalks, coffee grounds, grass clippings, and leaves. I'll leave it be turn it next month.
The Amazon link is dead 😔 Can you check please?
4:23 hey Luke, love your channel, alfalfa is not a grass, it's a legume, k luv u bye
I believe that alfalfa is mostly GMO, if it is not listed as organic. I no longer use it iny garden.
Do you throw wood ash in compost or not?
Just got over a seasonal detox
Do you ever just hit up Starbucks for used coffee grounds ? Will get you nitrogen up and heat up your pile fast.. never used pellets I try and make my compost as free as I can.. I seen I a old video you covered your compost pile.. did you get any mold on top when you did that ?
Add Compost Tea
I’mI’m not one of those people that don’t flip their compost. But I have a compost bin that spins and I have a add side and a knot inside but takes forever for my compost to compost. Any ideas?
I find starting the compost on the ground is better. Decomposers (worms etc move into the pile). When it's almost ready I move it to the tumbler. This finishes the compost, but also safely stores it. Compost that is left on the ground for over a year gets claimed by roots.
I put layers of dirt and dry leaves in a container , add worms, and make sure it gets watered regularly, and it turns into compost in a few months. I just dumped some out on my herb garden spot this morning and mixed it in.