Seriously the BEST composting video ever!! I've been looking at content on this subject for the past 2wks. To actually see it being done is extremely helpful!!! Thank you so much!!
This was fun to watch and Extremely informative! Most of all, I enjoyed the presentation. It was real. A video of an expert sharing what works! Thank you so much!
I bought my very inexpensive, US-made Geobin after shopping around for a while and am very pleased with it thus far. I also bought a US-made Lotech compost stirrer so I don’t have to mess with a pitchfork or move the composter while trying to turn the pile. I also planned ahead and have bagged leaves for spring in my dump trailer courtesy of my grateful neighbors. Happy composting/gardening!
Loved the way you showed how it is done. It seems a lot simpler for a novice urban gardener like myself than some of the other TH-cam videos that got so technical and use fresh manure 💩 . Thank you!
I have found that by building tall piles and covering them to contain the heat, I get a much better result. When you make your pile as tall as possible, it acts like a chimney. Instead of wasting that heat right out the top, it stays in the pile, albeit further up. While it may only be around 125 at two feet, at four feet, it's in the 160 range. It will cook down much quicker. Also, shredding those leaves will make a huge difference, particularly since they are oak, which contains a lot of lignin. You're essentially trying to compost thin wood chips.
I was trying to turn my pile without moving the geobin! Ah this helps explain perfectly! Do you wait to put the broken compost in your garden beds until spring? Or do you take the "ready" compost and distribute it?
I’ve inherited a bunch of shredded leaves from a yard service. I have five hot piles going right now, with a ton of leaves still left. Unfortunately, after turning three of the piles last week I ended up in the ER with chest pain. Will see tomorrow if the cardiologist will let me keep turning my piles. (Tests show it wasn’t a heart attack 😊)
Love your video Danny. Well done. Clearly gives me the next steps I need, now that my 2 Geobins are full of leaves and starting to break down. Thx so much. You might have a career in acting! lol
the hotness needs air or it stinks. it looks like every time you turn it you add more greens to each layer and all the stuff from the original pile is considered browns now. is that right? also, please. do you have a recommendation of where to buy the stakes you're using and what size?
You are right about the greens being mixed in. Coffee grounds is high in nitrogen, and therefor is considered "green". "Browns" are low on nitrogen and high on carbon rich, sawdust, and old leaves are typixal browns. I use rebar in a suitble size for stakes usually. Its really cheap and easy to get from local building material company. But almost anything works, it is not subject to high forces..i sometimes use left over building material, or branches from trees as stakes.
Good idea! It's connected with plastic connector keys, so you probably could if it was supported with enough of those metal fence posts (used in this video) around the perimeter, to prevent sagging. Here is a video that shows the connector keys: th-cam.com/video/s4UMbqamoD0/w-d-xo.html
Let the established pile cook about 5 days, then every 3 days, turn that pile inside out. Dry stuff goes on the inside, wet stuff goes on the outside. Keep everything moist, like a wrung out sponge. In about 30 days, you'll have a pile of compost that you can use. 🤗
Yeah, but woodchips are slow. Really slow to break down. Its not hot composting anynore, it is a fungi dominated process that takes more or less years. Look for " johnson su bioreactor" for more information on breaking down wood chips
Grass is considered nitrogen or the 'green' category. If you want to add nitrogen to your pile then they should be green when you add them. Once it's dried or turned brown it could have less nitrogen to contribute to your compost pile. Hope that helps.
Yes green grass clippings are nitrogen which is what you want for the pile to heat up for about 2 weeks after that it will trun brown and doesn't matter because the pile is almost done
Possible, very tricky and it will end up being too "homogeneous" and not layered as well as. I know it's not actually homogeneous but I think you will get the idea.
No, the pile is left uncovered. It's started just how it's pictured in the video: layers of carbon and nitrogen (or leaves and vegetable waste) mixed with water!
I would like to know what people do to keep tree roots out of their compost piles? I have put plastic down first before but that didn't work for very long.
We'll done @emilymay3228! I teach composting occasionally and this video mirrors the most effective way to supercharge the process for fastest results. Recommend summarizing the key points for short-attention span watchers.
Sticks will break down more slowly than leaves and vegetable waste, so they can slow down the composting process. But some people do use small layers of sticks every so often in the compost to improve aeration, especially if you aren't able to turn the compost pile easily or frequently. So really it's up to your process and your preferences!
@@irenecammuca7112 I would not recommend it. It's possible to compost dog waste, but you'd need to ensure consistently high temperatures (5 straight days with >165 degrees) in order to take care of roundworms and other parasites that can be harmful. Those temperatures can be hard to achieve in a backyard setup like this one.
No Ash comes from trees. It comes from a brown source and is pure carbon. The only nitrogen sources are plants and vegetables, leafy greens. Or something that was originally that way. Coffee was originally a bean which is why it is nitrogen, Ash was wood Which is carbon. Be careful with Ash, too much will raise the acidity level in the bin and kill off all the beneficial bacteria
I used to compost this way... converting to the Johnson Su bioreactor. Lots of info on TH-cam. Oak is also really hard to break down. When it stinks, it’s gone anaerobic, and that kills all the beneficial bacteria and fungi. Compost meds to be aged or matured, not prepared “as fast as you can”. Professor Johnson and his wife, Dr. Su make this point quite clearly. Coffee grounds are good - they are quite high in nitrogen... and the filters are great carbon source.
He said a couple times early in that it needs to be turned once a week. I've been composting for decades and I find that once a month is adequate but if you're aiming for absolute fastest, maybe once a week is better but I don't strive for that, it's back breaking work especially when it starts breaking down. The more broken down it is the heavier it becomes and turning it gets old real fast..... Most of my compost bins now are vermicompost, compost made with worms. They do all the work and enjoy it
@@connecticutwormsgardens Thank you so much. I did not catch that. It is indeed tough work. I had two smaller natural developing compost bins. One with fly worms and one with red worms. My two chickens loved browsing in the fly worms one. I covered the one with red worms. Although the chickens do not really eat the red worms (kind of surprises me) they 'turn over' the compost heavy with their paws, so I am a little protective of that bin and cover it. But I do not know how to 'air' that bin.
Do you have a video of turning the compost without the "geobin"? 🤔 I guess what I am aiming for is trying to get things that are more like "urban composting", where people don't have a lot of space or don't have that much specific materials, but they don't want to waste them. I know I would like to be able to use my green & brown waste in my garden and in my beds to produce healthy compost to help restore my soil. 🤷🏼♀️😮💨 Has anyone been pioneering anything for smaller amounts of composting, maybe design of flip bins or something.. ? 🤔 I know the cities are starting to collect composting materials, that's fine for them, they must have found a way to make money on them, or they probably wouldn't bother. However, I really would like to keep my organic & my biological compounds here to restore my soil... 😒🧐🤷🏼♀️
I get temps over 150 in 2 days by shredding leaves, some grass clippings, coffee grounds and alfala pellets. Urine also helps. This done in Chicago at Thanksgiving in cooler weather. Pile is smoken! 3ft by 3ft by 4 ft
Should be 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. In the spring and summer use cardboard (free) or pelletized animal bedding ($6/40 pound bag at tractor supply) for a carbon source.
I wouldn't compost kitty litter in a home compost that's used for human consumption - it can contain toxoplasmosis, a bacteria that some cats carry that can infect humans.
It's a chemical ratio, not a volume ratio. He's definitely a bit heavy on the browns though. It'll all still breakdown and the ratio doesn't matter as much as some people make it seem.
"Watch out youre stepping on the garlic!" sign of a true gardener. lol
😂😂
Hands down the best compost video on YT. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 🙏 I’ve bought the same geobins as a beginner composter.
Thank you so much for explaining why the pile needs higher Temps.... To kill off seeds! ❤️ No one has explained that part! ❤️
Would love to see more videos from this master gardener I am sure he has lots of wisdom on growing and such ❤❤❤
Seriously the BEST composting video ever!! I've been looking at content on this subject for the past 2wks. To actually see it being done is extremely helpful!!! Thank you so much!!
This was fun to watch and Extremely informative! Most of all, I enjoyed the presentation. It was real. A video of an expert sharing what works! Thank you so much!
I love my Geobin. I didn’t think I would when I first set it up, but now I want a second one. So easy and tidy!
What a pro! I really enjoyed all of the science behind it. Let's get more videos with this guy!
I bought my very inexpensive, US-made Geobin after shopping around for a while and am very pleased with it thus far. I also bought a US-made Lotech compost stirrer so I don’t have to mess with a pitchfork or move the composter while trying to turn the pile. I also planned ahead and have bagged leaves for spring in my dump trailer courtesy of my grateful neighbors. Happy composting/gardening!
Loved the way you showed how it is done. It seems a lot simpler for a novice urban gardener like myself than some of the other TH-cam videos that got so technical and use fresh manure 💩 . Thank you!
I have found that by building tall piles and covering them to contain the heat, I get a much better result. When you make your pile as tall as possible, it acts like a chimney. Instead of wasting that heat right out the top, it stays in the pile, albeit further up. While it may only be around 125 at two feet, at four feet, it's in the 160 range. It will cook down much quicker. Also, shredding those leaves will make a huge difference, particularly since they are oak, which contains a lot of lignin. You're essentially trying to compost thin wood chips.
Yes, run a lawn mower over the leaves to chop them up. Pick up the leaves with a lawn mower bag so they are ready to go into the compost.
Excellent video! Thanks for the help. Those Ecobin setups are huge and affordable for anyone who wants to do this.
He needs to be my gardening role model.
Thank you so much! I never planted anything but I now I have a place to. I'm planting potatoes until I'm good at it.
Thanks, very informative. I've always saved grass clippings, but didn't know for certain how to incorporate food,manure etc. properly.
Very informative, exactly what I was looking for thanks!
Best compost video I have yet seen. Thanks for the great info!
I wish I could follow this guy. Thank you for sharing this video.
Wow 😮 that steam!!!!
Amazing to see, very educational.
Thanks for both of you.
Great explanation 😊
This was a great video. Thank you..
I was trying to turn my pile without moving the geobin! Ah this helps explain perfectly! Do you wait to put the broken compost in your garden beds until spring? Or do you take the "ready" compost and distribute it?
This was very helpful. Thank you!
I’ve inherited a bunch of shredded leaves from a yard service. I have five hot piles going right now, with a ton of leaves still left. Unfortunately, after turning three of the piles last week I ended up in the ER with chest pain. Will see tomorrow if the cardiologist will let me keep turning my piles. (Tests show it wasn’t a heart attack 😊)
I was the guy in the video is in good shape. I'd have been out of breath .
Is there a way to compost smaller amounts?! 🤷🏼♀️
Love your video Danny. Well done. Clearly gives me the next steps I need, now that my 2 Geobins are full of leaves and starting to break down. Thx so much. You might have a career in acting! lol
What about when it rains ,and o did it but it seem like my last year grass looks like is growing roots in my compost
hello，where did you get sticks which can make the GEO bin stabilized
Thank s for the info. I’m working on one or two.
Thanks a lot and no questions 🌼
Great video.
What happens when it snows? Should the pile be covered?
I do love using coffee grounds but it’s as good to use what you have
What size geobin?
the hotness needs air or it stinks.
it looks like every time you turn it you add more greens to each layer and all the stuff from the original pile is considered browns now. is that right?
also, please. do you have a recommendation of where to buy the stakes you're using and what size?
You are right about the greens being mixed in. Coffee grounds is high in nitrogen, and therefor is considered "green". "Browns" are low on nitrogen and high on carbon rich, sawdust, and old leaves are typixal browns.
I use rebar in a suitble size for stakes usually. Its really cheap and easy to get from local building material company. But almost anything works, it is not subject to high forces..i sometimes use left over building material, or branches from trees as stakes.
Hey Emily, thanks for the video. It's about 4 months later, can you post an updated video to see how it looks now?
Hi Matthew, thanks for the comment! I will see if I can make that happen - it's a little trickier now with social distancing in place!
@@emilymay4661 social distancing is bs and covid is too
If you mow over the leaves first it will break down faster.
mowing over several times speeds up the process extremely. you are absolutely right
No mowing over leaves with common bernuda, it will grow in the bin or garden later.
How long does it take to make compost by using this technique ? Thks.
Whats name of black circle thing?
i think you just sold me on a compost tumbler.
Fabulous!!
I Geo Bins. So easy. Has anyone tried connecting two of them to increase the size and get those hotter temps?
Good idea! It's connected with plastic connector keys, so you probably could if it was supported with enough of those metal fence posts (used in this video) around the perimeter, to prevent sagging. Here is a video that shows the connector keys: th-cam.com/video/s4UMbqamoD0/w-d-xo.html
Let the established pile cook about 5 days, then every 3 days, turn that pile inside out. Dry stuff goes on the inside, wet stuff goes on the outside. Keep everything moist, like a wrung out sponge. In about 30 days, you'll have a pile of compost that you can use. 🤗
Good sir I'm form nepal thank u sir
Can you use would chips instead of leaves? I have a tree company that brings me the chips after they have chopped up trees.
Yeah, but woodchips are slow. Really slow to break down. Its not hot composting anynore, it is a fungi dominated process that takes more or less years. Look for " johnson su bioreactor" for more information on breaking down wood chips
Anyone know what those spikes are called?
So are grass clippings considered Carbon, or Nitrogen....? If they dry out from green to brown...do they change from nitrogen to carbon
I was wondering the same thing!
Grass is considered nitrogen or the 'green' category. If you want to add nitrogen to your pile then they should be green when you add them. Once it's dried or turned brown it could have less nitrogen to contribute to your compost pile. Hope that helps.
Yes green grass clippings are nitrogen which is what you want for the pile to heat up for about 2 weeks after that it will trun brown and doesn't matter because the pile is almost done
Hi! Love this video! Can you turn the compost over right in the bin without unlatching the whole thing?
Not easy to get to the bottom where the completed compost material is.
Possible, very tricky and it will end up being too "homogeneous" and not layered as well as. I know it's not actually homogeneous but I think you will get the idea.
I have an apple tree, too many grass clippings and garden waste...do I still need to add cardboard.
Do u cover the pile? Please show how you start it.
No, the pile is left uncovered. It's started just how it's pictured in the video: layers of carbon and nitrogen (or leaves and vegetable waste) mixed with water!
HI!
Good video for composting. Can you tell me where is a good place to buy straws? Thanks!
what if you don't have leaves and grass to begin??
my husband is again composting on the island as he is concerned about rats and or mice- what do you think?
with this open design, not easy to keep the vermins away
Need a sealable compost bin if there's rats.
No meats or dairy. Bury food scraps in the middle of leaves until they break down.
I would like to know what people do to keep tree roots out of their compost piles? I have put plastic down first before but that didn't work for very long.
You don't want to put plastic down because then you don't get worms helping breakdown your scraps and compost
Have you looked into using a Compost Crank? It's a bit less work than turning the whole pile.
He did it the best way. The crank would be good to do a little in January or early February.
could i use grass instead of kitchen waste?
Yes
We'll done @emilymay3228! I teach composting occasionally and this video mirrors the most effective way to supercharge the process for fastest results. Recommend summarizing the key points for short-attention span watchers.
Is it ok to have sticks in your compost?
Sticks will break down more slowly than leaves and vegetable waste, so they can slow down the composting process. But some people do use small layers of sticks every so often in the compost to improve aeration, especially if you aren't able to turn the compost pile easily or frequently. So really it's up to your process and your preferences!
Emily May what about dog waste? I know you can use manure but can I use dog waste?
@@irenecammuca7112 I would not recommend it. It's possible to compost dog waste, but you'd need to ensure consistently high temperatures (5 straight days with >165 degrees) in order to take care of roundworms and other parasites that can be harmful. Those temperatures can be hard to achieve in a backyard setup like this one.
Emily May ok thank you very much
I personal like to put sticks at the bottom of my pile to promote good air flow.
Would ash be considered a nitrogen component?
No Ash comes from trees. It comes from a brown source and is pure carbon. The only nitrogen sources are plants and vegetables, leafy greens. Or something that was originally that way. Coffee was originally a bean which is why it is nitrogen, Ash was wood Which is carbon. Be careful with Ash, too much will raise the acidity level in the bin and kill off all the beneficial bacteria
@@connecticutwormsgardens Thank you for this detailed reply!
I used to compost this way... converting to the Johnson Su bioreactor. Lots of info on TH-cam. Oak is also really hard to break down. When it stinks, it’s gone anaerobic, and that kills all the beneficial bacteria and fungi. Compost meds to be aged or matured, not prepared “as fast as you can”. Professor Johnson and his wife, Dr. Su make this point quite clearly. Coffee grounds are good - they are quite high in nitrogen... and the filters are great carbon source.
How often do you turn the compost?
He said a couple times early in that it needs to be turned once a week. I've been composting for decades and I find that once a month is adequate but if you're aiming for absolute fastest, maybe once a week is better but I don't strive for that, it's back breaking work especially when it starts breaking down. The more broken down it is the heavier it becomes and turning it gets old real fast..... Most of my compost bins now are vermicompost, compost made with worms. They do all the work and enjoy it
@@connecticutwormsgardens Thank you so much. I did not catch that. It is indeed tough work. I had two smaller natural developing compost bins. One with fly worms and one with red worms. My two chickens loved browsing in the fly worms one. I covered the one with red worms. Although the chickens do not really eat the red worms (kind of surprises me) they 'turn over' the compost heavy with their paws, so I am a little protective of that bin and cover it. But I do not know how to 'air' that bin.
Do you have a video of turning the compost without the "geobin"? 🤔 I guess what I am aiming for is trying to get things that are more like "urban composting", where people don't have a lot of space or don't have that much specific materials, but they don't want to waste them. I know I would like to be able to use my green & brown waste in my garden and in my beds to produce healthy compost to help restore my soil. 🤷🏼♀️😮💨 Has anyone been pioneering anything for smaller amounts of composting, maybe design of flip bins or something.. ? 🤔 I know the cities are starting to collect composting materials, that's fine for them, they must have found a way to make money on them, or they probably wouldn't bother. However, I really would like to keep my organic & my biological compounds here to restore my soil... 😒🧐🤷🏼♀️
Is chicken manure nitrogen?
yes
Dumb question, Why can’t you do 4x4x4? Looks like you have plenty of room. What’s up? Thanks
Its because of the total length of the roll of Geobin. You can, however, put two of them together.
The new bins are 216 gallon and I get it up up to just over 140°. He doesn't have enough nitrogen. (grass, coffee, food scraps)
I get temps over 150 in 2 days by shredding leaves, some grass clippings, coffee grounds and alfala pellets. Urine also helps. This done in Chicago at Thanksgiving in cooler weather. Pile is smoken! 3ft by 3ft by 4 ft
I use to think the same thing, more girth = more heat, but that’s not necessarily true.
th-cam.com/video/-VzG1VeYwYM/w-d-xo.html
This guy is funny
Should be 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. In the spring and summer use cardboard (free) or pelletized animal bedding ($6/40 pound bag at tractor supply) for a carbon source.
a few months?.... doesn't it only take one month when you keep flipping it like that?
Thank youu
Can't hear u properly
I have 2 cats that generate lots of dirty kitty litter. Can that be composted?
I wouldn't compost kitty litter in a home compost that's used for human consumption - it can contain toxoplasmosis, a bacteria that some cats carry that can infect humans.
No don't use kitty litter! It will make your produce toxic.
3:1? That's more like 100:1
Maybe the '1' got composted already
It's a chemical ratio, not a volume ratio. He's definitely a bit heavy on the browns though. It'll all still breakdown and the ratio doesn't matter as much as some people make it seem.
3 parts nitrogen to 1 part carbon then and water ....then repeat 3 parts to 1 part and water..hope this helps
Too slow and boring watching you fork the leaf matter in the pile.
Tractor.