I love the chitchat because it makes you more connected with us because we learn more about you and what you are doing. Thank you for all that you share and teach us. Much love from Utah
My two cents in adding plant material to it. Be careful about adding certain old tomato or pepper plants to the compost piles. If they have any plant diseases that affected them last season, it may be transferred to that compost pile and affect peppers or tomatoes next growing season. Old chicken shed straw, or cow poop matter that is not " to green". My parents weren't preppers or homesteaders, but grew up during the depression. They knew the value of a dollar. Gardening was part of my family's life. Even tho I was the hired help, but good gardening is a year round practice. This seasons compost stuff will be next year's garden compost. Good video for breaking down the basics for people starting out. Please keeping coming.
I've been composting forever, but bought a thermometer after watching your last video for myself for fathers day. One of those things I totally didn't feel like I needed, but I definitely like having it.
Really love these chat times. Here on the big island of Hawaii we take our green waste to the dumps which gets hauled to Hilo and on the first Saturday of each month we can get a truck load of mulch, it's supper hot. I do it each month and pile it up. We also go to gravel yard for Mac nut mulch, black gold. Being on a lava island we need to build dirt. Thanks for the info as to how to speed up the processes
I love your videos! Fun to watch and informative. I wish to make a comment about composting, but first a little about me. I grow a wide variety of vegetables and do a lot of composting. I'm in lower NY, zone 7A probably '8' in a couple years. I say '8' because I'm now planting all the lettuce, brassicas, beets, carrots, some onions in early March. I cover my plots with hoop houses (10 ft. 1/2 PVC and covered with dalon (row cover) or plastic depending on the storms that come through). About 2 weeks ago, we had 4 days of 20 degrees. All my plants survived. Composting: I've been experimenting with hot 18 day compost, not all successful. What I did discover, is that a hot aerobic pile is only 1/2 done. Everything is broken down, herbicides from grass are partly broken. It does not make 'Sweet' compost. That takes (2nd phase) another step for the cold aerobic bacteria to level the PH (usually 7) and neutralize the broken herbicides that remain (which will stunt plant growth if mixed into the soil, and the 'raw' compost will suck the nitrogen out of the soil). The good news is (especially when you want to enhance poor soil and ran out of compost) You can use it as 'mulch' around the plants. The microbes at the surface of your soil will 'Love' to dine on this new food, and the worms will carry this neutralized food down through your soil. I know this may be a bit wordy, but I wanted to warn you that 18+ day compost could spell disaster if mixed into a garden bed, it's not 'finished/sweet' compost! If you have any questions/comments, I'd like to hear them. I assume you get me e-mail address with this note. Smile, Its tomato time somewhere in the world!!!
Canning issues! One of the best ways that I know to break jars is to put a hot jar on a cold countertop when you pull it out of the canner. We always let them cool a bunch in the canner and then put them on the counter on a doubled towel, with a little space between jars. Being rough with jars can also create damage that is not obvious to the eye. But thermal shock is the most common culprit. Love your videos!
Carolyn, u ask the best questions!!! Everytime u asked him a question it was exactly what I was thinking! You both r so easy to understand and practical! Thanks so much!!
QUESTION: how and where do you store your materials until you have enough for a pile? Especially wondering about food scraps. Assuming most of yours go to your chickens, but we don’t have livestock yet. Wondering what you would suggest? Love your videos and podcast!! Would love to see more about your livestock
Ditto. Do you need to keep the scraps inside/cool before added to the pile? Is there any case where you wouldn’t want to add them (like if they are moldy)?
I sure hope someone answers this question. How do you store the greens prior to building your pile? We have plenty of brown but need to build up a green supply.
Well, the long and short of it is it really doesn't matter. Just throw all of your material in your pile. Composting does not have to be exact or something you have to wait for this or that. Just add it when you get it to the pile. You may need to work it into the pile a little or try to create some layers of brown and green. Composting is very easy and is not something that has to be exact or cannot be amended when you get more green or brown material. Kitchen scraps should always be buried in the pile. You do have to take some care in the summer hot weather with kitchen scraps in the compost pile. They can be used, you just need to bury them deeper and watch how much water you put on them during the hot weather. I also try to set aside a lot of ground-up fall leaves to use in the garden as mulch but also for the compost bin. You could store the leaves in bags or in the compost bin itself or in a bin just for them to use throughout the season. Lots of creative options here.
Your viewer question about breaking jars took me back to the '70's as a new bride, I used a table knife as my de-bubbler because that's what my mother did. I was a little to aggressive, and boke jars. I've used several things over the years, a chopstick is my favorite now.
Wow-I can finally after years of watching your videos appreciate the time stamp to skip the chit chat. 😂 I have watched this video a number of times in my research to build a compost pile and I am finally ready with all the materials to begin! I am watching your composting 101 playlist once more and I really don’t want to get distracted with the wonderful projects that you guys do! So for the first and probably only time… I skipped the chitchat.❤️😂❤️😂
Thanks for the compost update and the canning tip! I have a counter top compost for daily stuff, egg shells spent coffee, veg trimmings no meat, but I recently made a kitchen compost for the back porch out of two 30 gallon storage bins with a locking lid and handles. I drilled holes in the bottom of one and stacked it inside the other one, there is a two inch gap between the bins at the bottom. I put house plant trimmings, shredded paper, small bits of cardboard like toilet paper rolls, no ink or wax and kitchen scraps. Then I cover with dirt about an inch every so often and throw in a cupful of worms. Its a work in progress so I dont have finished product yet but I found the solution to remove it from the kitchen and household in a reusable way. Carolyn, how do you deal with your kitchen scraps and household garbage? We have to haul ours to the recycle center and burn what isnt recyclable so I have quite a sorting system but Im intrested how you guys deal with yours? Thanks for the videos and both your time and energy teaching your awesome homesteading ways. Always inspiring. Looking forward to the dairy classes! Happy Fathers day Josh!!💙🌎✌
Questions:. I know this may sound like a dumb question, and I have been composting for a few years and trying to learn the most practical way for me to do it...but When ur compost is done, everyone calls it compost, I thought if it is fully composted, isn't it really soil at that point? Can u explain that? And I know they say to take ur finished compost and " top dress" with it. How do u feel is the best way to use this valuable product? Is fall the best time to spread the finished compost on top of my growing beds and leave it over winter? Thanks so much, u both r great teachers!!!
QUESTION at end :) I just want to say THANK YOU! I have goats, chickens, and rabbits and was not prepared for the amount of bedding and manure. So I have been piling it up for 2 years and buying compost for the garden because mine wasn't breaking down. I have started making wire bins and shoveling it in. It has gotten up to 140 in 2 days! I was so excited I literally started Praising the Lord! So my question is: As it is breaking down it loses volume, can I add more compost on top when I turn it? Or is it best to leave it as one original batch? Thanks Again!
If you have odor or smell issues you are not working and maintaining your pile correctly. The two most likely problems would be too much green material and or too much water or moisture. Properly worked compost piles do not smell. Many farmers or country people compost farm animals in their piles and have no issues with that. The hot summer weather can also be an issue if you do not bury things deep enough, which is inches not feet. Animals of course would need to be buried deeper if you compost them or something similar.
So I have been doing this wrong for 50 years? I basically have 2 gardens? One I will grow in this year. The other I will put all the barn and chicken House clean out in Plus dry hardwood sawdust. During the summer I will till with a rototiller about every 2 weeks. We live in the South (Northern Arkansas) so from October till February I leave it alone. By the end of the last freeze I till a couple more times before planting. This is a Mennonite Community farm. We are 6 family’s here on the farm with cattle & poultry, sawmill & furniture factory. We have several fields with wheat, oats, field corn & hay. All off grid and grow almost every thing we eat, about 80% we buy things like sugar, coffee, rice, cooking oils. We can and do our own butchering. Oh, yes we have bee hives and lots of wild game we are able to hunt in season.
if it works for you you're not doing it wrong. As I understand it this was supposed to explain the process and science behind it for newbies, also your higher temps in AR also probably help with breakdown...the method presented is probably offered to give the best odds of success for new people so that they don't become discouraged but if it aint broke don't fix it.
So I have some questions, you said that if something is cut while it was still alive then it is considered a "Green" (Nitrogen-rich) product because it still holds on to its life nutrients (ie..life force). 1.) If my grass clipping pile has been sitting out in the elements for several weeks (my pile sits under a shaded tree line) and it has turned brown and dry, is it still considered "Green"? Should I be starting a new grass-clipping pile every time I mow? I should probably add that I am mowing 1.75 acres once per week, sometimes every two weeks, depending on the amount of rain we get. 2.) You said that everything should be chopped up or shredded as small as possible. But at the end of the gardening season when everything has died off, it would be near impossible to shred up all that garden waste. So what do you do in that situation? I did watch a video once where the guy did a chop and drop, but he was actually leaving his waste on his garden beds to over-winter. I don't usually have that option, so what is the best way to deal with the dead debris from the garden? 3.) In regards to "Carbon" based products, I have a lot of shredded paper waste from junk mail and magazines, but because we get deliveries, we also have a lot of cardboard (we are also still unpacking from a large move across country). Does that cardboard need to be shredded or can we just break it down? and what is the best way to do that since I don't want to break our shredder? 4.) Before we moved, we had a small yard with raised beds along the perimeter of the backyard fence. At the end of the season, in the fall we would rake up all the leaf debris and pile it on our beds. The neighbors that bordered us in the back and one side would rake their yards and just pour their leaves over the fence onto our beds. It was a win, win situation for all of us and I was able to pile my beds sometimes four or five feet high with leaves that would break down over winter (long winters with massive snowfall). I should mention that these leaves were never shredded. By the time spring came we were left with the most beautiful black nutrient-rich soil you've ever seen (literally Black Gold). So here's my question, Our property and our neighbors' property on both sides is bordered with dense tree growth and there will be a lot of leaves if I can get my neighbors to agree to donate their leaves to me. Again, we each have 1.75 acres bordered by trees. Because we don't get anywhere near the level of snowfall here (it does snow some), will I need to shred all those leaves before I compost them, or before I pile them on my beds? or will they break down over a slightly shorter winter season with about a third of the snowfall, and lots of spring rain? 5.) Last question (I promise..lol), Regarding kitchen waste. Should I be chopping our kitchen scraps as small as I can get them? and I recently watched a video where they placed their kitchen scraps in an emulsifier with added water and broke it down that way before adding to the compost. They had a lot of eggshells and coffee grounds. Is this necessary? and what is the best way to deal with compost from the kitchen other than just adding as it is? Thank you so much in advance for your assistance. I really want the best compost possible for next season to eliminate the massive amount I spent in manure and compost this year. Blessings to you and your family ~SuzyJC in Ohio~
Hi there, just getting in to composting and really enjoying your channel. We had to cut down 2 arborvitae in 2020 to make room to build our garage. We ended up piling all the branches in our backyard and now they have sat and dried for 2 years. I was wondering if I am still able to use the dried “leaves” as a part of my compost? Some of them are just that - dry. Some of the parts that were on the bottom of the pile and have turned more of a dark brownish/black and are moist, so I think they may have already started to break down. If I can still use this to get my pile started, would it be considered green or brown material? I know you said if you cut down a live tree and use the leaves it’s green, but I was unsure if it switched to brown since it has been sitting for so long. Thanks for sharing all of your info, it’s been very helpful this far!
Could you apply these methods while using a compost tumbler? That is, I presume you could add your 2:1 mix of materials into the tumbler and then set the thermometer in the pile? When the temperature starts to drop, you could turn the tumbler. Once it breaks down sufficiently, you could remove it from the tumbler and put it in a "traditional" or "finished" pile? I built a long compost area consisting of multiple bins (6, I think). It consists of a "finished" pile, then a pile of softwood chips (more acidic), hardwood chips, wood ash from my wood stove, grass clippings, and finally shredded leaves. When we fill a bucket with kitchen scraps, we put it in the tumbler along with 2 buckets of leaves. To be honest, currently I get mixed results which I ascribe to neglecting the pile, but I think if I was more consistent, this might increase production. Does that make sense?
Hey guys! Love you content and I'm learning so much! Regarding stock piling your "ingredients", how long should things sit separate before combining when you have enough for the cubic yard? Do the components lose their efficacy after so long? I am thinking more about the greens...like if I am using chicken manure. What I've been doing is just making the pile as I go. So it may take 2 weeks to get my cubic yard, but I am mixing as I go. Should I not be doing that?
When you’re storing up your raw materials, how do you manage the kitchen scraps (fruit peels, eggshells, etc.)? Should I keep them in a sealed 5 gallon bucket or an open one?
No, you really should just start your compost pile or bin and add to it as you get other materials. the kitchen scraps have to be buried a few inches into the pile in the hot summer so it doesn't become a smelly mess. Your method would also become a smelly mess in time as well. Some people just go out to the garden dig a hole and bury the kitchen scraps in the garden. They'll break down fast and enrich your garden soil by the next growing season. I am a firm believer in composting in my garden beds while I am gardening. I also try very hard to mimic the forest floor. This means I'm a no til man once the garden is set up. If you have beds, that already means no tiling.
Help! I did your composting method. Watched the videos over & over as I created & worked mine. But the more I turn it, the colder it gets! Started at 147°F. A couple days after turning it was at 120°. So I turned it again. Then it went down to 100°. Couple more days turned again, & it went down to 84°. I threw out my back & so waited several days, checking the temp each day. By today, it had just creeped up to 100°. I don't know what's going on, but turning it seems to destroy the heat, & I don't know how to get it back. I'm concerned to add nitrogen, because I think it just barely had enough carbon to begin with. I don't have any other compost to add, b/c this was my first compost on my new land. I just rewatched this, & you said to put questions here, so here is mine. Please help me!
Since it is best when starting a compost pile to add all the materials at once, how do you store 1) grass clippings and 2) Kitchen waste until you have all your materials gathered?
What did people do in the olden days? Of course the soil was deeper and richer 100 years ago. Did farmers put animal manure in the garden or kitchen scraps? I’m just curious. I understand why we need to today.
My little daughter and I have a garden...we don’t have much strength for turning compost ourselves lol. Do you have any advice for trying a compost tumbler?
I believe he categorized it as a "green" in the first video in this playlist (wherein he makes the layered pile within a wire mesh). ruclips.net/video/3GZ4EgD-0x0/видео.html
I breed parrots. I use pine shavings in the brooders for the babies while handfeed and in the playpen. Can I use the dirty shavings in the compost ir is bird droppings not good?
If you have lots of brown carbonaceous material but not so much green nitrogenous material, is it OK to substitute NPK fertilizer that is high in nitrogen (or urea nitrogen fertilizer) to make up for the nitrogen deficit?
Is heated grain or an old grain pile good to use as greens?( typically oats that were too light to make grade or screenings that have weed seed) also would thermal composting destroy the weed seed in it?
Chickens can be of some help but they only go so deep. There is a million ways to compost. It boils down to; 1. How much? 2. How fast? 3. How much time do you want to spend? 4. How much money do you want to spend?
Well, I have just started trying to do my compost and I have done is all wrong. I have just been adding stuff to my pile as I have it. I haven't added water and now it is this huge mound I can't seem to do anything with. I was looking at it and thinking I have made a huge pile for mice for the winter. I think I need to remove it all and burn it and start over with your directions.
Yes of course. There is one small issue with straw and hay as well, or even more so with hay, that is weed or grass seed in them, So you have to heat it up enough to kill the seeds or let it age long enough to kill the seeds over time.
My compost bin is finally done so this is great timing! But I only have one made from pallets. I’m a backyard gardener so any tips for me would be great!
I’m a backyard composter too. Generally speaking the bigger the pile you can create the warmer it can get. Use a compost thermometer to help track the temperature…you want to kill any seeds that might be in the pile so you want to aim for 140F. Also, the higher the temperature the faster it will break down. Grass clippings are great to help get the temperature up quickly, but it also cools quickly. We collect grass clippings, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds (those count as green), along with garden trimmings. Ideally we run garden trimmings through our chipper to help break it down which in turn helps it compost faster. Then it’s time to layer. Two part brown to 1 part green…make sure that everything is damp (like a well wrung out sponge). I didn’t do this part initially and the pile did not heat up very well. So I rebuilt it and used the garden how to dampen everything along the way. Presto! I got up to 140F! I have found that I need to go in and rotate the pile every week or so in order to keep the temperature up. To help with this I have a second bin and simply move from bin A to bin B, then back again the week after. I also have a black compost bin that we put all the finished compost into.
@@kimberlyiversen Kim, you know what you are doing. You can also just leave it be and or just keep adding layers and keep it moist. The pile will break down over time. I used to turn piles. I manage 40 compost bins in a community garden these days, as well as garden, so I don't turn any piles for the most part. I have way too much other work to do for that. I've set up enough bins so once they are all up and running it's not an issue to turn piles.
I would love to take the dairy class, however I do not have access to raw milk. Illegal to sell it in Michigan. Dairies everywhere not a drop to buy. I have made ricotta with store bought milk and cream.
Any way you want. It would be best to put on your beds in the fall, or spring, or both. Or if you have a way to store it somewhere in a barn, under a tarp, in cans, or whatever.
Are there certain things that should NOT be put into your compost? I have rhubarb and know that the leaves are toxic and can’t be eaten. Is it still ok to put them in the compost pile?
@@HomesteadingFamily is there any kitchen scraps you wouldn't add to your compost pile? My husband doesn't like to put anything processed in our compost like bread that we buy from the store and any scrap leftover dinners in the compost. Should we just have a kitchen scrap pile to decompose but not use on our garden or not use in our compost pile?
What about taking your jars out of the canner and the cool air hits it. I remember my grandmother had one break when she took it out and she explained that it might have been the cool air through her kitchen window.
Does the composting need to happen with a certain outside temperature? I live in the Midwest… wondering if I would need to have mine done before winter comes.
Each season has a purpose and that is so in composting as well. Winter weather does help break down composting material by freezing and thawing. If you could cover a compost pile in the winter and rainy seasons that would help you to keep lots of nutrients in your compost instead of it washing away, but there are variables here. How big is your pile. Are you composting over your garden bed during the non-growing season or a corner of the garden etc?
Now I think I messed up. I have been putting branches and kitchen scraps .I put it in a open wood bins with one side open. Don’t know if it will be any good.
Would some one PLEASE explain where I can find your email address so I can sign up for your cheese making class that you talked about at the start of this video?
I love the chitchat because it makes you more connected with us because we learn more about you and what you are doing. Thank you for all that you share and teach us. Much love from Utah
My two cents in adding plant material to it. Be careful about adding certain old tomato or pepper plants to the compost piles. If they have any plant diseases that affected them last season, it may be transferred to that compost pile and affect peppers or tomatoes next growing season. Old chicken shed straw, or cow poop matter that is not " to green". My parents weren't preppers or homesteaders, but grew up during the depression. They knew the value of a dollar. Gardening was part of my family's life. Even tho I was the hired help, but good gardening is a year round practice. This seasons compost stuff will be next year's garden compost. Good video for breaking down the basics for people starting out. Please keeping coming.
You two are so cute!! Love how educational and down to earth these pantry chats are. Blessings. ❤
I've been composting forever, but bought a thermometer after watching your last video for myself for fathers day. One of those things I totally didn't feel like I needed, but I definitely like having it.
Really love these chat times.
Here on the big island of Hawaii we take our green waste to the dumps which gets hauled to Hilo and on the first Saturday of each month we can get a truck load of mulch, it's supper hot. I do it each month and pile it up. We also go to gravel yard for Mac nut mulch, black gold. Being on a lava island we need to build dirt. Thanks for the info as to how to speed up the processes
I love your videos! Fun to watch and informative. I wish to make a comment about composting, but first a little about me. I grow a wide variety of vegetables and do a lot of composting. I'm in lower NY, zone 7A probably '8' in a couple years. I say '8' because I'm now planting all the lettuce, brassicas, beets, carrots, some onions in early March. I cover my plots with hoop houses (10 ft. 1/2 PVC and covered with dalon (row cover) or plastic depending on the storms that come through). About 2 weeks ago, we had 4 days of 20 degrees. All my plants survived. Composting: I've been experimenting with hot 18 day compost, not all successful. What I did discover, is that a hot aerobic pile is only 1/2 done. Everything is broken down, herbicides from grass are partly broken. It does not make 'Sweet' compost. That takes (2nd phase) another step for the cold aerobic bacteria to level the PH (usually 7) and neutralize the broken herbicides that remain (which will stunt plant growth if mixed into the soil, and the 'raw' compost will suck the nitrogen out of the soil). The good news is (especially when you want to enhance poor soil and ran out of compost) You can use it as 'mulch' around the plants. The microbes at the surface of your soil will 'Love' to dine on this new food, and the worms will carry this neutralized food down through your soil. I know this may be a bit wordy, but I wanted to warn you that 18+ day compost could spell disaster if mixed into a garden bed, it's not 'finished/sweet' compost! If you have any questions/comments, I'd like to hear them. I assume you get me e-mail address with this note. Smile, Its tomato time somewhere in the world!!!
Canning issues! One of the best ways that I know to break jars is to put a hot jar on a cold countertop when you pull it out of the canner. We always let them cool a bunch in the canner and then put them on the counter on a doubled towel, with a little space between jars. Being rough with jars can also create damage that is not obvious to the eye. But thermal shock is the most common culprit. Love your videos!
I have started using thick beach towels across my counters, and taking my hot jar out and place on the towels. This has been working great for me!
Carolyn, u ask the best questions!!! Everytime u asked him a question it was exactly what I was thinking! You both r so easy to understand and practical! Thanks so much!!
QUESTION: how and where do you store your materials until you have enough for a pile? Especially wondering about food scraps. Assuming most of yours go to your chickens, but we don’t have livestock yet. Wondering what you would suggest? Love your videos and podcast!! Would love to see more about your livestock
great question! I've seen people use 5 gallon buckets for food scraps but I would love to hear their answers.
Ditto. Do you need to keep the scraps inside/cool before added to the pile? Is there any case where you wouldn’t want to add them (like if they are moldy)?
Could store greens in the freezer, for example if limited amount of kitchen scraps.
I sure hope someone answers this question. How do you store the greens prior to building your pile? We have plenty of brown but need to build up a green supply.
Well, the long and short of it is it really doesn't matter. Just throw all of your material in your pile. Composting does not have to be exact or something you have to wait for this or that. Just add it when you get it to the pile.
You may need to work it into the pile a little or try to create some layers of brown and green. Composting is very easy and is not something that has to be exact or cannot be amended when you get more green or brown material. Kitchen scraps should always be buried in the pile. You do have to take some care in the summer hot weather with kitchen scraps in the compost pile. They can be used, you just need to bury them deeper and watch how much water you put on them during the hot weather. I also try to set aside a lot of ground-up fall leaves to use in the garden as mulch but also for the compost bin.
You could store the leaves in bags or in the compost bin itself or in a bin just for them to use throughout the season. Lots of creative options here.
Your viewer question about breaking jars took me back to the '70's as a new bride, I used a table knife as my de-bubbler because that's what my mother did. I was a little to aggressive, and boke jars. I've used several things over the years, a chopstick is my favorite now.
How do you store your finished compost? Is there any sort of shelf life to using it?
Wow-I can finally after years of watching your videos appreciate the time stamp to skip the chit chat. 😂 I have watched this video a number of times in my research to build a compost pile and I am finally ready with all the materials to begin! I am watching your composting 101 playlist once more and I really don’t want to get distracted with the wonderful projects that you guys do! So for the first and probably only time… I skipped the chitchat.❤️😂❤️😂
Thanks for the compost update and the canning tip! I have a counter top compost for daily stuff, egg shells spent coffee, veg trimmings no meat, but I recently made a kitchen compost for the back porch out of two 30 gallon storage bins with a locking lid and handles. I drilled holes in the bottom of one and stacked it inside the other one, there is a two inch gap between the bins at the bottom. I put house plant trimmings, shredded paper, small bits of cardboard like toilet paper rolls, no ink or wax and kitchen scraps. Then I cover with dirt about an inch every so often and throw in a cupful of worms. Its a work in progress so I dont have finished product yet but I found the solution to remove it from the kitchen and household in a reusable way. Carolyn, how do you deal with your kitchen scraps and household garbage? We have to haul ours to the recycle center and burn what isnt recyclable so I have quite a sorting system but Im intrested how you guys deal with yours? Thanks for the videos and both your time and energy teaching your awesome homesteading ways. Always inspiring. Looking forward to the dairy classes! Happy Fathers day Josh!!💙🌎✌
This was so helpful in demystifying composting! Thank you.
Questions:. I know this may sound like a dumb question, and I have been composting for a few years and trying to learn the most practical way for me to do it...but
When ur compost is done, everyone calls it compost, I thought if it is fully composted, isn't it really soil at that point? Can u explain that?
And I know they say to take ur finished compost and " top dress" with it. How do u feel is the best way to use this valuable product?
Is fall the best time to spread the finished compost on top of my growing beds and leave it over winter?
Thanks so much, u both r great teachers!!!
Loads of great composting info. Broke it down for novice composters like me!
QUESTION at end :) I just want to say THANK YOU! I have goats, chickens, and rabbits and was not prepared for the amount of bedding and manure. So I have been piling it up for 2 years and buying compost for the garden because mine wasn't breaking down. I have started making wire bins and shoveling it in. It has gotten up to 140 in 2 days! I was so excited I literally started Praising the Lord! So my question is: As it is breaking down it loses volume, can I add more compost on top when I turn it? Or is it best to leave it as one original batch? Thanks Again!
Great question, I would like to know the answer too....
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, JOSH! YOU'RE AN AMAZING MAN! ENJOY YOUR DAY! BLESSINGS FROM CHICAGO! 🏆🙏💗
I think you should address, at some point and in some video (maybe one of Josh's compost series) about odor and smell.
If you have odor or smell issues you are not working and maintaining your pile correctly. The two most likely problems would be too much green material and or too much water or moisture. Properly worked compost piles do not smell. Many farmers or country people compost farm animals in their piles and have no issues with that. The hot summer weather can also be an issue if you do not bury things deep enough, which is inches not feet. Animals of course would need to be buried deeper if you compost them or something similar.
So I have been doing this wrong for 50 years? I basically have 2 gardens? One I will grow in this year. The other I will put all the barn and chicken House clean out in Plus dry hardwood sawdust. During the summer I will till with a rototiller about every 2 weeks. We live in the South (Northern Arkansas) so from October till February I leave it alone. By the end of the last freeze I till a couple more times before planting. This is a Mennonite Community farm. We are 6 family’s here on the farm with cattle & poultry, sawmill & furniture factory. We have several fields with wheat, oats, field corn & hay. All off grid and grow almost every thing we eat, about 80% we buy things like sugar, coffee, rice, cooking oils. We can and do our own butchering. Oh, yes we have bee hives and lots of wild game we are able to hunt in season.
if it works for you you're not doing it wrong. As I understand it this was supposed to explain the process and science behind it for newbies, also your higher temps in AR also probably help with breakdown...the method presented is probably offered to give the best odds of success for new people so that they don't become discouraged but if it aint broke don't fix it.
So I have some questions, you said that if something is cut while it was still alive then it is considered a "Green" (Nitrogen-rich) product because it still holds on to its life nutrients (ie..life force).
1.) If my grass clipping pile has been sitting out in the elements for several weeks (my pile sits under a shaded tree line) and it has turned brown and dry, is it still considered "Green"? Should I be starting a new grass-clipping pile every time I mow? I should probably add that I am mowing 1.75 acres once per week, sometimes every two weeks, depending on the amount of rain we get.
2.) You said that everything should be chopped up or shredded as small as possible. But at the end of the gardening season when everything has died off, it would be near impossible to shred up all that garden waste. So what do you do in that situation? I did watch a video once where the guy did a chop and drop, but he was actually leaving his waste on his garden beds to over-winter. I don't usually have that option, so what is the best way to deal with the dead debris from the garden?
3.) In regards to "Carbon" based products, I have a lot of shredded paper waste from junk mail and magazines, but because we get deliveries, we also have a lot of cardboard (we are also still unpacking from a large move across country). Does that cardboard need to be shredded or can we just break it down? and what is the best way to do that since I don't want to break our shredder?
4.) Before we moved, we had a small yard with raised beds along the perimeter of the backyard fence. At the end of the season, in the fall we would rake up all the leaf debris and pile it on our beds. The neighbors that bordered us in the back and one side would rake their yards and just pour their leaves over the fence onto our beds. It was a win, win situation for all of us and I was able to pile my beds sometimes four or five feet high with leaves that would break down over winter (long winters with massive snowfall). I should mention that these leaves were never shredded. By the time spring came we were left with the most beautiful black nutrient-rich soil you've ever seen (literally Black Gold). So here's my question, Our property and our neighbors' property on both sides is bordered with dense tree growth and there will be a lot of leaves if I can get my neighbors to agree to donate their leaves to me. Again, we each have 1.75 acres bordered by trees. Because we don't get anywhere near the level of snowfall here (it does snow some), will I need to shred all those leaves before I compost them, or before I pile them on my beds? or will they break down over a slightly shorter winter season with about a third of the snowfall, and lots of spring rain?
5.) Last question (I promise..lol), Regarding kitchen waste. Should I be chopping our kitchen scraps as small as I can get them? and I recently watched a video where they placed their kitchen scraps in an emulsifier with added water and broke it down that way before adding to the compost. They had a lot of eggshells and coffee grounds. Is this necessary? and what is the best way to deal with compost from the kitchen other than just adding as it is?
Thank you so much in advance for your assistance. I really want the best compost possible for next season to eliminate the massive amount I spent in manure and compost this year. Blessings to you and your family ~SuzyJC in Ohio~
Hi there, just getting in to composting and really enjoying your channel. We had to cut down 2 arborvitae in 2020 to make room to build our garage. We ended up piling all the branches in our backyard and now they have sat and dried for 2 years. I was wondering if I am still able to use the dried “leaves” as a part of my compost? Some of them are just that - dry. Some of the parts that were on the bottom of the pile and have turned more of a dark brownish/black and are moist, so I think they may have already started to break down. If I can still use this to get my pile started, would it be considered green or brown material? I know you said if you cut down a live tree and use the leaves it’s green, but I was unsure if it switched to brown since it has been sitting for so long. Thanks for sharing all of your info, it’s been very helpful this far!
Could you apply these methods while using a compost tumbler? That is, I presume you could add your 2:1 mix of materials into the tumbler and then set the thermometer in the pile? When the temperature starts to drop, you could turn the tumbler. Once it breaks down sufficiently, you could remove it from the tumbler and put it in a "traditional" or "finished" pile? I built a long compost area consisting of multiple bins (6, I think). It consists of a "finished" pile, then a pile of softwood chips (more acidic), hardwood chips, wood ash from my wood stove, grass clippings, and finally shredded leaves. When we fill a bucket with kitchen scraps, we put it in the tumbler along with 2 buckets of leaves. To be honest, currently I get mixed results which I ascribe to neglecting the pile, but I think if I was more consistent, this might increase production. Does that make sense?
I have ALL your classes, looking forward to this dairy one!
Very informative. Thanks 👍. And happy father's day coming up.
Hey guys! Love you content and I'm learning so much! Regarding stock piling your "ingredients", how long should things sit separate before combining when you have enough for the cubic yard? Do the components lose their efficacy after so long? I am thinking more about the greens...like if I am using chicken manure. What I've been doing is just making the pile as I go. So it may take 2 weeks to get my cubic yard, but I am mixing as I go. Should I not be doing that?
When you’re storing up your raw materials, how do you manage the kitchen scraps (fruit peels, eggshells, etc.)? Should I keep them in a sealed 5 gallon bucket or an open one?
No, you really should just start your compost pile or bin and add to it as you get other materials. the kitchen scraps have to be buried a few inches into the pile in the hot summer so it doesn't become a smelly mess. Your method would also become a smelly mess in time as well. Some people just go out to the garden dig a hole and bury the kitchen scraps in the garden. They'll break down fast and enrich your garden soil by the next growing season. I am a firm believer in composting in my garden beds while I am gardening. I also try very hard to mimic the forest floor. This means I'm a no til man once the garden is set up. If you have beds, that already means no tiling.
I watched your first video about composting. Great! But you didn't explain how to "turn" the composting. Could you please show how to do that?
thank you
So, we compost our animal bedding which is dry hay and wood shavings that is often soaked in manure. Is the hay considered a green or a brown?
Hay is a brown in a lot of cases when you break it down to that 30:1 ratio. But if it’s pretty fresh still I would consider it a green.
@@andreacremeans1055 that’s what I thought and hoped to hear.
Help! I did your composting method. Watched the videos over & over as I created & worked mine. But the more I turn it, the colder it gets! Started at 147°F. A couple days after turning it was at 120°. So I turned it again. Then it went down to 100°. Couple more days turned again, & it went down to 84°. I threw out my back & so waited several days, checking the temp each day. By today, it had just creeped up to 100°. I don't know what's going on, but turning it seems to destroy the heat, & I don't know how to get it back. I'm concerned to add nitrogen, because I think it just barely had enough carbon to begin with. I don't have any other compost to add, b/c this was my first compost on my new land. I just rewatched this, & you said to put questions here, so here is mine. Please help me!
Since it is best when starting a compost pile to add all the materials at once, how do you store 1) grass clippings and 2) Kitchen waste until you have all your materials gathered?
Great timing. I’m just putting together my first compost. Thank you for the info.
Great video! I ordered a compost thermometer awhile back. I was using one of those types that you turn for composting but I do not care much for it.
What did people do in the olden days? Of course the soil was deeper and richer 100 years ago. Did farmers put animal manure in the garden or kitchen scraps? I’m just curious. I understand why we need to today.
My little daughter and I have a garden...we don’t have much strength for turning compost ourselves lol. Do you have any advice for trying a compost tumbler?
Where does animal bedding waste fall? Straw that has been with chickens and goats? Is that browns and greens rolled into 1? Thanks!
Yes! It’s compost gold! I use hemp bedding and it breaks down really fast, especially with the nitrogen of the manure.
I believe he categorized it as a "green" in the first video in this playlist (wherein he makes the layered pile within a wire mesh).
ruclips.net/video/3GZ4EgD-0x0/видео.html
I breed parrots. I use pine shavings in the brooders for the babies while handfeed and in the playpen. Can I use the dirty shavings in the compost ir is bird droppings not good?
If you have lots of brown carbonaceous material but not so much green nitrogenous material, is it OK to substitute NPK fertilizer that is high in nitrogen (or urea nitrogen fertilizer) to make up for the nitrogen deficit?
i seen your youtube video about composting..i remember every detail about making ur own compost 😊👍
Greens? Fall in Texas and not much green grass left, what can I do to satisfy the greens.
Amazing info.
Where do you find these thermometers?
I have a neighbor who uses syrup on his compost pile "to help break it down". Is this a good practice? I have no experience. Thank you
♥️ you guys and all your super helpful advice!
PS. We are enjoying lettuce and greens and radishes from the garden (April 26).
Wood ash from a fireplace - good or no?
Is heated grain or an old grain pile good to use as greens?( typically oats that were too light to make grade or screenings that have weed seed) also would thermal composting destroy the weed seed in it?
Have you ever tried using chickens to turn your compost? How would that affect how often you turn it and how long it takes to make compost?
Chickens can be of some help but they only go so deep. There is a million ways to compost. It boils down to; 1. How much? 2. How fast? 3. How much time do you want to spend? 4. How much money do you want to spend?
Question: If anything that was cut alive from a plant is considered as green material then, how does wood come under the brown category?
Good informative video with tips, even for the experienced gardener.......Larry @ Scoot's Organic
Do you have dairy goats?...i am getting ready to add dairy goats to my mini farm and would love some beginner advice.
We do not.
Well, I have just started trying to do my compost and I have done is all wrong. I have just been adding stuff to my pile as I have it. I haven't added water and now it is this huge mound I can't seem to do anything with. I was looking at it and thinking I have made a huge pile for mice for the winter. I think I need to remove it all and burn it and start over with your directions.
I love the lasagne to layered cake comment.
I love it and I’m new to your channel. You guys are great!
If using sawdust is pine tree dust okay to use?
How do I store my food scraps until I'm ready to start composting?
and about the online course, when all courses or skill training are done, will student recieve a certificate of completetion ?
If it's online they could probably give you something you could print off yourself I guess.
We do not have any certificates.
Hahaha We are the same way. I want to try every variety and My husband is more practical and wants what will give us the most bang for our buck
great summary!
Lots of great info...thx
Will your dairy class be good for goat owners?
That's a good question. If so then I may take it as well. Getting my first goats in a few days
Yes!
I use straw in my chicken coop. Would it be ok to compost the old straw mixed with the chicken manure?
Yes of course. There is one small issue with straw and hay as well, or even more so with hay, that is weed or grass seed in them, So you have to heat it up enough to kill the seeds or let it age long enough to kill the seeds over time.
My compost bin is finally done so this is great timing! But I only have one made from pallets. I’m a backyard gardener so any tips for me would be great!
I’m a backyard composter too. Generally speaking the bigger the pile you can create the warmer it can get. Use a compost thermometer to help track the temperature…you want to kill any seeds that might be in the pile so you want to aim for 140F. Also, the higher the temperature the faster it will break down. Grass clippings are great to help get the temperature up quickly, but it also cools quickly. We collect grass clippings, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds (those count as green), along with garden trimmings. Ideally we run garden trimmings through our chipper to help break it down which in turn helps it compost faster. Then it’s time to layer. Two part brown to 1 part green…make sure that everything is damp (like a well wrung out sponge). I didn’t do this part initially and the pile did not heat up very well. So I rebuilt it and used the garden how to dampen everything along the way. Presto! I got up to 140F! I have found that I need to go in and rotate the pile every week or so in order to keep the temperature up. To help with this I have a second bin and simply move from bin A to bin B, then back again the week after. I also have a black compost bin that we put all the finished compost into.
@@kimberlyiversen Kim, you know what you are doing. You can also just leave it be and or just keep adding layers and keep it moist. The pile will break down over time. I used to turn piles. I manage 40 compost bins in a community garden these days, as well as garden, so I don't turn any piles for the most part. I have way too much other work to do for that. I've set up enough bins so once they are all up and running it's not an issue to turn piles.
Mike, you are doing just fine. You just have to decide the four things I posted elsewhere here. Composting is very easy.
what brand name water sprayer do you use as in your instant garden video
Where are you located? You referenced "up here". Just curious what state
North Idaho
I would love to take the dairy class, however I do not have access to raw milk. Illegal to sell it in Michigan. Dairies everywhere not a drop to buy. I have made ricotta with store bought milk and cream.
If you do the 1st compost how long does it take
How does your compost ever get done if you keep adding stuff to it?
I love the fencing compost me and my son are doing it, now how do we keep it through the winter months for spring?
Any way you want. It would be best to put on your beds in the fall, or spring, or both. Or if you have a way to store it somewhere in a barn, under a tarp, in cans, or whatever.
Are there certain things that should NOT be put into your compost? I have rhubarb and know that the leaves are toxic and can’t be eaten. Is it still ok to put them in the compost pile?
Rhubarb leaves are fine in the compost pile! 😁
@@HomesteadingFamily is there any kitchen scraps you wouldn't add to your compost pile? My husband doesn't like to put anything processed in our compost like bread that we buy from the store and any scrap leftover dinners in the compost. Should we just have a kitchen scrap pile to decompose but not use on our garden or not use in our compost pile?
How long does it take to compost?
What about taking your jars out of the canner and the cool air hits it. I remember my grandmother had one break when she took it out and she explained that it might have been the cool air through her kitchen window.
Yes, also wondered if she was using a rack. Rose Red Homestead did a great video on breakage and likely causes dependent on the location of the break.
what season can i start fermenting, water bath canning, pressure canning ?
Any time of year.
Does the composting need to happen with a certain outside temperature? I live in the Midwest… wondering if I would need to have mine done before winter comes.
Each season has a purpose and that is so in composting as well. Winter weather does help break down composting material by freezing and thawing. If you could cover a compost pile in the winter and rainy seasons that would help you to keep lots of nutrients in your compost instead of it washing away, but there are variables here. How big is your pile. Are you composting over your garden bed during the non-growing season or a corner of the garden etc?
Where can I find sign up for making cheese?
Hi there! It's not open yet, but you can email joshandcarolyn@homesteadingfamily.com and we'll put you on our email list.
And then i like to stack it overwinter to get all the worm action....
How do you get on your email list?
Send us an email at joshandcarolyn@homesteadingfamily.com
wHAT YOU MEAN TURN IT?
Now I think I messed up. I have been putting branches and kitchen scraps .I put it in a open wood bins with one side open. Don’t know if it will be any good.
Kitchen scraps are great
How do I get on your email list for classes?
Go to Homesteadingfamily.com and click on the classes tab!
You can send us an email: joshandcarolyn@homesteadingfamily.com
Would some one PLEASE explain where I can find your email address so I can sign up for your cheese making class that you talked about at the start of this video?
Sure! Send us an email at joshandcarolyn@homesteadingfamily.com
Do you sell your cheese?
We do not.
Thank you