You made me addicted to the science of composting. I am as fascinated of my compost station as I am of my garden. So rewarding to work WITH nature and not against. I had zero knowledge when I started watching your channel 2 years ago, all my plants were dying and I had no idea why, I just kept adding chemical fertilizer. I was not composting I had no idea it was good for plants, I was so far behind... Thank you for all the knowledge you shared with me Charles!
You really should look into Elaine Ingham. She teaches you how to use a microscope to identify and multiply the good guys in your soil/compost. In fact, if it's anything else compost related, she's the lady. If you're a gardening nerd like me, it's some fascinating stuff.
@@larrog8413 She's great! Her and Charles would get along famously she's a soil Biologist; basically, what Charles does practically, she does theorerically, and practically but nowhere near to the notoriety ad Charlss has.
@@larrog8413 Yes I am learning a lot from her as well. I like both, Elaine is more a ''teacher'', teaching you the science while Charles is the one showing you how its done.
Lived and garden with compose from both cities and agree and understand compose is basically a term not a standard product and never the same. Thanks for teaching Sir
You are the reason miracle grow corporates wet the bed at night. A true hero, I love the channel and all of homeacres! Your a huge inspiration to so many and a teacher to all who watch. Healing and feeding the earth one winter compost topping at a time👌
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you Charles, for teaching me so much! I have a compost bin(32 gallons) now, however it's not a hot composter I have it in a shaded spot and have roughly a thousand or so worms working for me. I drilled holes all the way around on 3 levels of the barrel and left the lid on and added roughly 10 gallons of forest soil from my house. Once all the green scraps, banana peels, leaves, small wood bits and approved kitchen waste scraps that I've added are eaten by the worms and turned into worm castings I'll add the whole lot to my garden beds, 3cm on each bed in December. Thanks for all the knowledge Charles it's much appreciated!!
Years ago, Aldi used to sell seriously great organic compost, but then suddenly it was rubbish. At the same time I saw people complaining about compost they'd been using for years from B&Q, and other places. Rather like having to remember that many of the seed companies all buy from the same wholesalers, and 'brand' the seeds they sell, compost can be just the same, so a bad supply can be far reaching. Unlike seed, for much of the time, we do get to at least influence the outcome of a bad batch of compost, so long as we're watching for the signs early enough, and know how to do so. I think videos like this are extremely valuable in teaching people how they can do that, but also stopping a new grower losing heart by thinking they potentially got the growing wrong, by completely trusting the quality consistency of the growing medium, or not knowing the differences in nutrient bio-availability between different ones, at different stages. I love a good experiment!
Thank you for this Suzanne and it's so true. I'm afraid that the recent surge of interest in gardening has created a bigger demand for compost and has reduced the quality available, as suppliers scramble to fill their bags. This as you suggest will discourage some people which is such a pity! I'm working on the information side of things at least 😀
Again thanks for your time and videos. So this test was all in pots. When you have shown how well it went with the compost with just a little of vermicast made me think if I was the plant out of the pot and in the soil, I would love it when the worms would come by and tickle my roots. The worms would aerate my soil and leave channel’s for my roots and I would be able to take in the the food they leave behind. I would be a happy plant. I want to grow out of my diapers (pots) and play with the worms. :) ! Mike from Oregon US
Charles you have inspired me to compost. I just got home with a 20 ft trailer full of horse manure hot and cold and bags of rabbit manure for my raised beds. No dig and I’ve always tilled but didn’t think it necessary after watching you. Your experience and knowledge comes across so easy for me to understand. I really like your trials or experiments and I’m doing my own too. Thank you sir.
Good to see the micro rizzhea working in the pots that have the mushroom + worm compost..been using this for several years with good result combined with bio char and no dig. Thankyou Charles great video!
I put the contents of our hot bed, pure horse manure, in plastic sacks, under cover last August and forgot it for 8 months. Result Vermipost. In the absence of a nice composting shed, sheeting never stays on here, it could be a good thing to do in late summer with other compost maybe adding a bit of old stuff. In a recent online OGA seminar Ian Tolhurst reported using two thirds wood chip, one third vermiculite for the last 18 years. I found vermiculite improved compost trials this year. Lovely series of tests, thank you. Michael.
Cheers Michael and yes Tolly is master of that. His wood chip is from green fresh-of the year wood I believe, and that makes a fantastic difference. This was from old wood which did not help and even so the wood did pretty well for most of the trial. Nice result of your worms!
Your findings with the worm compost bears out my own. I found that once I got above 25% worm compost I would start seeing drainage issues and root issues as well. I feel like the extremely fine nature of the worm compost tends to negate the porousness of the compost by filling in all of those airy spots we need.
I have 50-60% worm compost, bit of mushroom compost and than mix of store compost with regular manure compost and growth is insane. I planted same thing straight into the ground and difference is astonishing. Tomatoes and zucchinis went literally wild, I have to prune suckers from tomatoes daily. I'm really grateful to have found your channel and this method, after years of doing gardening as labor this is first time I'm really enjoying it. And my father who is sticking to traditional method and was laughing at me when I started this project (ah cardboard that is trash, plant will burn in compost, it wont grow to well) is in awe.
I have become somewhat of a compost fanatic also - it is very heartening to see all the comments of likeminded growers out there, we are not alone! This year I did all my sowings in 50% sieved homemade compost, 50% 2-year old leaf compost, and its been brilliant. Huge tomato plants! What a powerful thing, growing food for free. Thank you once more for the inspiration Charles!
Hey Charles,,,I am writing this because all credit goes to you because soon m going to start my no dig vegetable garden,,,I sort of ignored this 'no dig' concept for so long as i used to think it as not practical and a chaotic task but thanks to you tube,it randomly suggested me your videos on no dig and from that day,m binge watching and learning from you,,,looking forward to show you my garden once its established(very much excited about that part) ,,,,loads of thanks,,,your new student from India 😍
A wonderful video. I'll keep it short Charles. I turned my 2 compost heaps today. One is breaking down well but the other held dry grass and rice straw patches after 3 months. After the mixing, things are starting to warm up well, even in our 32 degree heat.
I have 2 raised beds this year that are waist high. I also have 6 plastic half barrels from last year. After reading and watching your videos and blog I felt better prepared. I filled 3/4s with enriched soil and then a layer of compost with lobster, sea kelp and other yummy stuff. So far they are looking good and what really surprised me was the radishes direct planted sprouted the next day. Thank you for all the hard work and love that goes into all your information. PS I am on Cape Cod in Massachusetts US and I believe that I'm in zone 6b but my garden location is actually a 7
I love this... gets me positive to the options! I'm doing a smaller experiment - homemade seems to be the current top! Thanks - your endeavours inspire us!!
I love your excitement in this Charles, the path of discovery is the funnest part of gardening for me. I use and make three different types of compost hot, vermi and from black soldier flies. This video makes me want to put more effort into harvesting castings from my worm beds though.
That's great, thanks Charles. That was a whole heap of learning that I would have never been able to acquire without your good work. I was wondering at the very end how home made compost with top soil might have fared in different proportions. This is, of course, the closest growing medium to our own gardens after all. Thank you so much for your fabulous videos. It was so nice to meet you at your open garden day the other week. Keep up the good work. Henry (all the way from Watford!) 🙏
Great to hear Henry. Lovely to meet you and thanks for the de-tiddleriser :) Having learnt from this video, I would agree that will be worth trying because of how the soil starts so strongly
Good experiment, I'm nearly ready to harvest my first harvest of worm castings, I will be top dressing my peppers and tomato starts with the castings. Gardening is never boring.
I agree on the horizon different quality from last year. This year seems like with less aggregates and less organic matter. It's peat free so I think it's very important to mix it with the right stuff.
very interesting results, I dont have in ground vegie beds being in a Rental property in Australia, I can only grow in large pots so this was very beneficial, seeing how quickly/or not the plants can run out of nutrients without supplemental feedings, thankyou.
Awesome! Wonderful that the homemade did so well. Not only to save, but in an off grid situation it’s the only thing available. With so many variations and times, a pictorial graph would be nice for the website. Thanks Mr Dowding.
What a perfectly brilliant video. I simply love to see comparison videos. Thank you for taking the time to present it in this way. It would have been great to see larger samplings to see if slight differences are magnified or minimized with multiple pots with identical composts produce differently.
Excellent video, again Thank you for taking the time to put this together. All the knowledge you share isn't just for newbies, this old girl has learnt some new tricks too. Hope you're having a wonderful start to your weekend.
Very interesting results! And it’s nice to see that in many cases, the lower ratio of added vermicompost was the winner. I’m working on building up my garden, and adding more soil and compost, so it was nice to see that even though I can’t purchase as much compost as I thought I needed, it still makes a visible difference.
This is fascinating. I am using compost, a mix of homemade and bought and a small amount of worm. My garden is doing much better than usual. Very exciting! Tyvm Charles.
I've tried container gardening, on a smaller scale, for over ten years and didn't have much good results. Direct on-the-ground planting, as in no dig, has been a winner for me. Thank you Charles for all the good information you provide.
I'm guessing that in such a small pot the onion and spinach are competing for rooting space even if they need different nutrients. The root systems they build affects their water uptake and this will affect their resulting nutrient uptake. The plants that get a better start can monopolize root space and stifle root development of the other. Perhaps this is why there is often a discrepancy between the strength of onion growth and spinach growth in the same pot, with almost none of the pots having both plant types doing well.
Very interesting *and* entertaining to watch. I agree, the results were not as expected. Please continue to do future experiments! I'd like to see one plant per pot, repotted to a large container (same medium mix) where it can mature, and then weigh the yield per plant, inspect the quality, and count the days until first harvest, please. Thank you for filming & editing a time compilation video for us!
Fascinating... so many variables... I enjoyed it from start to finish. So much thought and preparation put into making this trial. Gave me some confort on my worms and self-sufficiency. And also so many ideas to explore. Congratulations, its really well made. I've been an addicted fan for some time now, but this one is just great. Thank you
Fascinating results in this experiment. I'm sure it is a bit of trouble to film and produce videos like this that carry over tome, but it is wonderfully to see the whole story. I think my conclusion is I need to encourage my husband to build more compost bays and get busy with a worm farm. The vermicompost is really the next greatest thing for us. Helpful to see the different stages. Thank, Charles. Cheers Colleen and Jason 🌱
Amazing results across the board there. I had sowed seed in compost that seemed to be too rich and was inundated with fungus gnats. We had swarms indoors and swarms in the greenhouse, both from different bags from the same company. The growth was stunted and even transplanting healthy rooted plants into this compost, killed a rose cutting that had super root growth within a week. It also dried hard to a crisp on the surface but very "boggy" wet underneath. I've transplanted everything into the New Horizon and the difference showed within a few days. Much stronger plants, healthy and racing away after being stunted - I did wash the roots prior to transplanting to get rid of the larvae. Annoying as I purchased in bulk, but have now moved the remaining bags and emptied them on the veg patch. The wind is blowing any flies away, the beneficial chompers are dealing with the under the surface pests and the rain washing whatever nutrients deeper into the soil. The winter onions are looking very good in this now. I haven't yet sown into the New Horizon, still transplanting, but really happy with it so far. It was a brand I used to use many years ago with great results. Thank you for the very interesting experiment!
Hi Kerry, wow that is annoying, well done on adapting. You just never know - a bag of New Horizon recently purchased here is growing very poor kale! Best of luck 🌱
Oh dear, I'm hoping I get good results this year with new horizon compost(first time using it) . Newbie here and my 2nd year of growing veg only in pots due to small garden space(living in Northwest) .learning is a process and thank you for your detailed video as always Charles. I am in a process of deciding to make my own compost this yr... Hope for the good crops year to everyone...
Super interesting to see the homemade compost pull through in the long run. I was initially thinking that the soil life thriving in your beds was helping the compost become epic for growth in the ground but then, well as you said the result speak for themselves with that long term result. I have been using your no dig techniques here and did notice this year what you referenced in the video, which is the newest beds take a while to come along. I have a very established garden just a few meters away from a new small garden we put in. Same lettuce, same kale, same municipal compost as a top layer this spring before planting.... and the established beds grew so much better and stronger than the new beds. The new bed is growing, the plants are healthy, just not nearly as healthy and vibrant as those in the more established beds. I think this speaks volumes to the compounding effect of your system as the soil life keeps working on all the organic matter were adding, it just gets better with age. Thank you for continuing to share this great information! I helps me see and understand what is going on here and gives me fun ideas to try in the garden.
Brilliant, I love it! And a fascinating comparison you have there. I wonder also whether the municipal compost was a little fresh and not top quality, but it will certainly be livened up by the microbes you are encouraging. As you say it's all fascinating and increasingly positive for the soil, our plants and for us!
This had me at the edge of my seat with each reveal at successive stages of growth in different compost/worm cast combos! Guess I'll carry on making my own compost and worm bin compost, and will get some mushroom compost for good measure. Would be interesting to look at each compost sample under a microscope to see what kind of biological life is present, as diverse populations help nutrient cycling. Though seeing the plant trials tells us plenty about the quality of biological life in those composts, too!
Hi Charles, My oldest son runs the local compost plant, near the SW Scottish border . It used to be beautiful soft fluffy peaty compost, but now it contains "green waste", their terminology for what I assume is composted green material, it contains wood fibre, which is wood thats pulped into a fibrous material, not composted, which concerns me as it might rob nitrogen as it breaks down, and spent mushroom compost. It also contains composted bark. It is a bit lumpy for the module trays and I put it though a 9mm riddle and leave the lumps for the potting on. The price is rocketing too, not helped by Little Rishi forcing them to use white diesel on site instead of the cheaper red, and paying an arm and a leg for the leccy. You'd almost think they'd like us to stop growing food, but that's a rabbit hole I'll spare you the journey down today. Great video as always. And I love the module trays, I've got more plants as I have room for as I really love pushing the little plugs out, lol.😂
I lighten my mix with perlite for sowing lettuce and peppers by about 30% perlite. Now l will try doing basil. I am now very inclined to do the same soil/compost/potting mix as you are doing.
Thank you Charles! In my own very limited trials my seedlings do best in 1/4 or less of vermicompost. Its almost as if more is too much of a good thing.
I read a book of a local perennial grower (Ms Golob-Klancic). She produces perennials in pots to be planted out in large plantings. She states that the best results are with plants that are slightly hungry, supposedly then they make new roots into surrounding soil immediately after planting. I have planted her plants in extreme conditions (almost pure clay soil on a slope with floor temperature of about 60C in the middle of summer watering only at the time of transplanting.) I had great sucess. Many plants are over 50cm, some even over 150cm tall the next year. She states that plants grown in peat and well fed (which is how plants are commonly sold here otherwise, and the plants look great at the time of buying them) have trouble leaving that area when planted. I have dug out some of such plants that were still with the same 'pot size' root system area 5 years later. I have planted some of her plants with few roots (and a fat earthworm in the pot instead) from a 10cm pot, and they very much outcompeted plants from other growers that were grown in 'better' media, having bigger roots. So good growth in a pot can be a bit misleading if planting out is the ultimate goal.
So happy and grateful you made this experiment! I had an inkling that my potting medium is spent and thus my veges are no longer lush. I’m definitely gonna give the vermicompost a go! Good thing it’s relatively cheap where I’m at. Thanks again Charles 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This is extremely interesting. Its amazing how random veg seeds germinate in my compost heaps and do very well. 40 years ago my first attempts of growing veg I simply used garden soil, with good results. Why do tree seeds prefer to grow in my gravel drive? I always add wood ash to my homemade compost mixes, certainly adds calcium, magnesium and potassium.
That is really helpful, thank you! It would be interesting to know to what degree the biology of the compost makes a difference and not only nutrients.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Yes, that is a trickier one to measure 😊 Maybe using home made compost that is "alive" and compare it to the same compost but sterilised using the oven. Or vermicompost sterilised vs alive. I will have to try it and see 🌱
This extremely interesting video confirms my long term view and observations with regards to growing medium. Generally, healthy homemade compost gives arise to a local supply of living organisms, they work in symbiosis with the plants to provide a balanced slow release of nutrients and minerals. Win win for Homeacres Homemade compost 👍✅
Very informative Charles, really well demonstrated. I’m a novice but I learned enough from that to kind of know what to be looking for in my growing medium... getting it is the challenge though. Thanks for making your experience and understanding so accessible.
Great video, Charles, with extensive coverage of a wide range of variables (may be too wide). I would suggest two small ideas for next experiment: 1) use pots of the same color (because whiter/darker color may alter heat absorbance), 2) choose less conditions to test and use triplicates for each condition (taking into final consideration the average outcome for each condition). In fact, I think that "inter-individual" differences are not negligible and only testing each condition in duplicates or even better in triplicates may help you in drawing significant conclusions. Cheers.
Thank you Andrea. The fact there was not much sunlight on these pots because they were close together and shredded by the leaves. For triplicate, well this is not a scientific test, I do not have resources for that. It gives indications and if one did the same test tomorrow, results will be slightly different. That's the beauty of gardening.
Dear Charles, don't understimate your practice of gardening! How can I define "gardening" if not the attempt to obtain results from the comprehension of natural laws underlying the life of plants and the subsequent application of such understanding? Basic and applied science, indeed (other than that: only superstition). And how I can define your trials of this video if not an experiment to test the validity of various conditions and hypothesis? My suggestion was only aimed to reduce the potential role of biases which may influence the interpretation of the results. In fact, any experiment needs to respond to sufficient scientific criteria to have the chance to be fruitful. And of one thing I am sure: you want to gather "fruits" from your activity! Cheers.
That was a trial and a half! I just use Geoff Hamiltons' sieved home made compost with a light sprinkling of blood,fish and bone (although Geoff liked chicken manure) works well for me, and I use it as a planting mix for larger plants and shrubs
Thank you and I don't know. Possibly my new book with the publishers Dorling Kindersley, who have more resources than me to organise the translation and publication.
Apologies in advance if I missed a similar post. Having written, I believe the next step for your experiment is to chop each pot and take individual soil samples from each; too bad you don't have a baseline. Nonetheless, testing the soil samples for nutrients, minerals, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, etc. will reveal more about why things work the way they work, or do not work in contrast. Then, you need someone proficient with Excel to build linked tables, and etc., for application of use. Otherwise, just use what works and try to replicate it each and every time. Good stuff, and thank you!
Thanks for this. It's exactly the kind of work that a research station should be doing and they would have funds and facilities to enable all those measurements, and people with time to write them up. It's a pity that funding for such trials is scarcely available because there is little money to be made these kinds of results. Science is very market-led now
I use casting extract to start the seedlings so the growth beyond has the biome already begun. My indoor plant definitely benefit from bi-weekly watering with the extract. Like you noticed the vermiculture castings need to be used relatively sparingly. I'm not sure why, but I tend to add banana peels (dried) to my vermiculture composter.
I’m potting up tomato seedlings today with potting soil mixed with worm castings. I expect to plant them out in 4 weeks with great roots since it worked last month with other seedlings, like peppers and heirloom tomatoes
Lovely experiment. Very interesting results. My 'take away' is that home made compost and soil do great (as the worms within it produce a small quantity of cast) and nothing is 'over fertilised', whilst having 'enough'. And 'enough' seems to be Nature's message here - not enough, is not 'enough', and 'too much' is 'too much' for the plants. Just giving them the diet that they might expect from their wild origins seems the best policy. Soil, composted material, and then let nature's own worms add their casts - healthy soil.
Hi Charles, love your youtubes great work 👍. It's been over 25 yrs since I worked in a commercial nurseries. I noticed a flaw in your test! . You are not using all identical black pots. The colour of the pot could affect the growth rates. As a lighter colour reflects more light, but a black pot can absorb more heat. I know these differences might be slight, but it is a test . 🤔
Other, perhaps more telling, variables might include seed quality. I've seen quite a bit of variation in quality among seeds from the big commercial providers in the UK. To their credit, they are perfectly willing to replace them gratis.
thanks so much for this experiment. this was the highlight of a no good for nothing really bad day =) . you have it made my friend . this is the life im working towards at our new property. now i have to figure out how to keep the deers from eating the rest of my freshly planted trees. sigh
Fascinating! So many variables, competently handled as usual. I'm very pleased with your final conclusions, because, for the first time, I've had much larger compost bins this last 18 month's, so now have loads of home made. I've been debating can I use it, in part, at least, to start or pot on seedlings. Thanks for your hard work
Something I’ve done to maybe gain some of the benefits of worm castings without the cost is to mulch with a fine straw and shredded cardboard. I do a lot of growing in raised beds and buying amendments in smaller quantities gets expensive really quick but I live in an area with many worms that really enjoy the shelter and food of decaying soft fiber cellulose. One gains the benefits of a mulch on weed pressure, splash absorption and warmth and water retention but I’m also trying to use it as a lure. Straw is readily available locally and it’s had a massive impact on the early development of my garden where we don’t have a very long growing season at all (4a central Minnesota, USA). I’m hoping to see more stable nutrition in the soil for what has been an incredibly stormy, cold and unpredictable season with people experiencing slow starts, washouts and even some cold damage as late as a week ago. Results so far are looking great, there are just loads of worms in the beds, doing their thing all over the place! If you grow in beds or large containers with exposed bottoms, it may be worth a shot!
That is wonderful Annathika, and so good that you're working out a way to use a common waste material from your area. I'm guessing that the cold winters mean you do not suffer too many slugs, because that would be my reason for not using straw. I know from experience how it can accumulate them underneath. Interesting also your comment on the weather and it's worrying me that warmth is lacking, in many places. Our hottest day so far this year is 73 Fahrenheit! Summer beans are struggling.
Absolutely fascinating compost trial. The nearest I've come to a trial is my potato tubs, which are all 50/50 commercial compost & home made. One tub of Charlotte had blood, fish & bonemeal added & another had Growmore. The tops on the Growmore tub are looking somewhat stunted & deformed compared to the other. It'll be interesting to see which produces the better crop, both in weight & taste.
I used BF&B in my 60 litre tubs, in addition to some well-rotted manure for my second-early potatoes and they are growing like topsy - dark green leaves with substantial stalks. Dunno what the spuds themselves will be like - yet! Main crop are now coming up too! Exciting times lie ahead! What fun gardening is.
Interesting experiment to put a leafy and root .. would also be interesting to add a fruiting plant and see which ratios work for each kind of plant.. what do you think of biochar?
I did a trial the past two weeks, comparing the growth of two small courgette plants. One potted on in pure compost and the other one in 100 % vermicompost, both plants in a two true leaf stage. The vermicompost plant showed much better growth, growing about 1/3 bigger then the compost plant in about two weeks. Also the ‘normal’ compost courgette shows paler green leaves, whereas the leaves of the vermicompost plant are dark green. Ofcourse plants in the Cucurbita family love nitrogen and doing the same trial with another vegetable will probably have a different outcome. There is still a lot to discover.
Hola Charles, yo compro compost de buena calidad y el saco es de 40 lts, mis acelgas, zanahorias rábanos, rucula van bien si tengo que protejer mis plantas en estos momentos aquí en chile tenemos temperaturas de 2 a 5 grados bajo cero y como siempre te agradesco toda tu enseñanza yo adoro mi pequeño jardín 🤗🇨🇱🌷🌷
BC, Canada. We buy bagged compost, potting soil, and potting mix. The latter might not necessarily have soil in it, so it really is like a fluffy, compost. Very confusing.
My perspective as an Ontarian: Compost: plain decomposed organic matter, typically plants Manure: decomposed animal waste Potting soil: often contains dirt Potting mix: for plants specifically, may or may not contain dirt
That took a bit of commitment and discipline to do that trial. I’ve experimented with garden soil, home made compost and worm castings. For plants with larger roots and are faster growing e.g. sweetcorn, sunflowers etc., drainage isn’t as important as I thought it was. One year I went with 100% worm castings in 4 inch pots for sweetcorn and sunflowers. I transplanted seedlings into these pots. I was a bit concerned each time I watered the pots as the top of pots were flooded. Drainage was very slow. Each time it rained, the pots were flooded. However, the plants grew faster and more healthy than I expected. My conclusion is that plants with larger roots can grow well in 100% worm castings. I guess their roots can push through the worm castings faster, absorb more nutrients and make enough space for air. For plants with thinner slower growing roots, they definitely need more drainage in the potting medium. I’m currently experimenting with lettuce seedlings. I’m using 50% garden soil and 50% worm castings in deep cell trays. They are growing incredibly slow and a couple have died which is not a good sign. Earlier in the year, my lettuce seedlings grew a lot quicker in the deep cell trays using shop bought compost. Lettuce definitely needs good drainage. I also have alderman peas and blue lake beans in deep cell trays using 50% garden soil and 50% worm castings and they are doing well which helps to validate my conclusion that plants with fast growing roots don’t need as much drainage as you think they might need.
You made me addicted to the science of composting. I am as fascinated of my compost station as I am of my garden. So rewarding to work WITH nature and not against. I had zero knowledge when I started watching your channel 2 years ago, all my plants were dying and I had no idea why, I just kept adding chemical fertilizer. I was not composting I had no idea it was good for plants, I was so far behind... Thank you for all the knowledge you shared with me Charles!
So heartening, thanks
You really should look into Elaine Ingham. She teaches you how to use a microscope to identify and multiply the good guys in your soil/compost. In fact, if it's anything else compost related, she's the lady. If you're a gardening nerd like me, it's some fascinating stuff.
@@larrog8413 She's great! Her and Charles would get along famously she's a soil Biologist; basically, what Charles does practically, she does theorerically, and practically but nowhere near to the notoriety ad Charlss has.
@@larrog8413 Yes I am learning a lot from her as well. I like both, Elaine is more a ''teacher'', teaching you the science while Charles is the one showing you how its done.
Charles is your teacher and my too.
Lived and garden with compose from both cities and agree and understand compose is basically a term not a standard product and never the same.
Thanks for teaching Sir
Well said!
You are the reason miracle grow corporates wet the bed at night. A true hero, I love the channel and all of homeacres! Your a huge inspiration to so many and a teacher to all who watch. Healing and feeding the earth one winter compost topping at a time👌
Gosh I wonder if that might be the case! Thank you so much for your kind words, and every person I reach makes me happy.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you Charles, for teaching me so much! I have a compost bin(32 gallons) now, however it's not a hot composter I have it in a shaded spot and have roughly a thousand or so worms working for me. I drilled holes all the way around on 3 levels of the barrel and left the lid on and added roughly 10 gallons of forest soil from my house. Once all the green scraps, banana peels, leaves, small wood bits and approved kitchen waste scraps that I've added are eaten by the worms and turned into worm castings I'll add the whole lot to my garden beds, 3cm on each bed in December. Thanks for all the knowledge Charles it's much appreciated!!
@@kuiperbeltdropout8791 Sounds amazing!! 💚
Years ago, Aldi used to sell seriously great organic compost, but then suddenly it was rubbish. At the same time I saw people complaining about compost they'd been using for years from B&Q, and other places. Rather like having to remember that many of the seed companies all buy from the same wholesalers, and 'brand' the seeds they sell, compost can be just the same, so a bad supply can be far reaching. Unlike seed, for much of the time, we do get to at least influence the outcome of a bad batch of compost, so long as we're watching for the signs early enough, and know how to do so. I think videos like this are extremely valuable in teaching people how they can do that, but also stopping a new grower losing heart by thinking they potentially got the growing wrong, by completely trusting the quality consistency of the growing medium, or not knowing the differences in nutrient bio-availability between different ones, at different stages. I love a good experiment!
Thank you for this Suzanne and it's so true.
I'm afraid that the recent surge of interest in gardening has created a bigger demand for compost and has reduced the quality available, as suppliers scramble to fill their bags.
This as you suggest will discourage some people which is such a pity! I'm working on the information side of things at least 😀
From Ukraine with gratitude!!!!
NO DIG !!!!!! PUTTING THE FUN BACK IN GARDENING !!!!!! 👍
Again thanks for your time and videos. So this test was all in pots. When you have shown how well it went with the compost with just a little of vermicast made me think if I was the plant out of the pot and in the soil, I would love it when the worms would come by and tickle my roots. The worms would aerate my soil and leave channel’s for my roots and I would be able to take in the the food they leave behind. I would be a happy plant. I want to grow out of my diapers (pots) and play with the worms. :) ! Mike from Oregon US
Poetic Mike!
Charles you have inspired me to compost. I just got home with a 20 ft trailer full of horse manure hot and cold and bags of rabbit manure for my raised beds. No dig and I’ve always tilled but didn’t think it necessary after watching you. Your experience and knowledge comes across so easy for me to understand. I really like your trials or experiments and I’m doing my own too. Thank you sir.
That is awesome, I'm happy to set you on a good road!!
Thank you Charles for sharing your honest test results. Growing is finding a balance with nature.
Thank you Charles. I'll be making some changes based on your info. Respect from Africa 🇿🇦
I wish you success with that Justus
Good to see the micro rizzhea working in the pots that have the mushroom + worm compost..been using this for several years with good result combined with bio char and no dig. Thankyou Charles great video!
Great to hear Linda
I put the contents of our hot bed, pure horse manure, in plastic sacks, under cover last August and forgot it for 8 months. Result Vermipost. In the absence of a nice composting shed, sheeting never stays on here, it could be a good thing to do in late summer with other compost maybe adding a bit of old stuff.
In a recent online OGA seminar Ian Tolhurst reported using two thirds wood chip, one third vermiculite for the last 18 years. I found vermiculite improved compost trials this year.
Lovely series of tests, thank you. Michael.
Cheers Michael and yes Tolly is master of that. His wood chip is from green fresh-of the year wood I believe, and that makes a fantastic difference. This was from old wood which did not help and even so the wood did pretty well for most of the trial. Nice result of your worms!
Hi Charles it’s been an eye opener for your trials on compost thank you lv Irene 😘 xx
Your findings with the worm compost bears out my own. I found that once I got above 25% worm compost I would start seeing drainage issues and root issues as well. I feel like the extremely fine nature of the worm compost tends to negate the porousness of the compost by filling in all of those airy spots we need.
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I enjoy composting myself. It's really neat and satisfying when you get it right.
I have 50-60% worm compost, bit of mushroom compost and than mix of store compost with regular manure compost and growth is insane. I planted same thing straight into the ground and difference is astonishing.
Tomatoes and zucchinis went literally wild, I have to prune suckers from tomatoes daily.
I'm really grateful to have found your channel and this method, after years of doing gardening as labor this is first time I'm really enjoying it.
And my father who is sticking to traditional method and was laughing at me when I started this project (ah cardboard that is trash, plant will burn in compost, it wont grow to well) is in awe.
How nice that your father is noticing, and yes it's so enjoyable, well done!
Charles you have made a such a difference in my life through no dig that I’m spreading the word to my friends and family in Brasil 😉😊
How wonderful to read this Marister, I hope you can help others 💚
I have become somewhat of a compost fanatic also - it is very heartening to see all the comments of likeminded growers out there, we are not alone!
This year I did all my sowings in 50% sieved homemade compost, 50% 2-year old leaf compost, and its been brilliant. Huge tomato plants! What a powerful thing, growing food for free. Thank you once more for the inspiration Charles!
This is wonderful to hear Jakob and congratulations
Hey Charles,,,I am writing this because all credit goes to you because soon m going to start my no dig vegetable garden,,,I sort of ignored this 'no dig' concept for so long as i used to think it as not practical and a chaotic task but thanks to you tube,it randomly suggested me your videos on no dig and from that day,m binge watching and learning from you,,,looking forward to show you my garden once its established(very much excited about that part) ,,,,loads of thanks,,,your new student from India 😍
Best of luck! Thanks for your feedback and may your garden grow well.
A wonderful video. I'll keep it short Charles. I turned my 2 compost heaps today. One is breaking down well but the other held dry grass and rice straw patches after 3 months. After the mixing, things are starting to warm up well, even in our 32 degree heat.
Nice, one sounds a bit too dry and you spotted it :)
I have 2 raised beds this year that are waist high. I also have 6 plastic half barrels from last year. After reading and watching your videos and blog I felt better prepared. I filled 3/4s with enriched soil and then a layer of compost with lobster, sea kelp and other yummy stuff. So far they are looking good and what really surprised me was the radishes direct planted sprouted the next day. Thank you for all the hard work and love that goes into all your information. PS I am on Cape Cod in Massachusetts US and I believe that I'm in zone 6b but my garden location is actually a 7
Thank you Jennifer and this sounds really encouraging, I wish you many fine harvests
Thank you so much for including worm castings in your experiment!
I love this... gets me positive to the options! I'm doing a smaller experiment - homemade seems to be the current top! Thanks - your endeavours inspire us!!
You are so welcome Vossie
I love your excitement in this Charles, the path of discovery is the funnest part of gardening for me. I use and make three different types of compost hot, vermi and from black soldier flies. This video makes me want to put more effort into harvesting castings from my worm beds though.
Ah great, thanks Matthew 😀
Fascinating to watch, learning how plants evolve over time according to the mix was really interesting. Thanks Charles
Glad you enjoyed it
That's great, thanks Charles. That was a whole heap of learning that I would have never been able to acquire without your good work.
I was wondering at the very end how home made compost with top soil might have fared in different proportions. This is, of course, the closest growing medium to our own gardens after all.
Thank you so much for your fabulous videos.
It was so nice to meet you at your open garden day the other week. Keep up the good work.
Henry (all the way from Watford!) 🙏
Great to hear Henry. Lovely to meet you and thanks for the de-tiddleriser :)
Having learnt from this video, I would agree that will be worth trying because of how the soil starts so strongly
Good experiment, I'm nearly ready to harvest my first harvest of worm castings, I will be top dressing my peppers and tomato starts with the castings. Gardening is never boring.
Sounds great!
I agree on the horizon different quality from last year.
This year seems like with less aggregates and less organic matter. It's peat free so I think it's very important to mix it with the right stuff.
Mine has a lot of aggregates!!
very interesting results, I dont have in ground vegie beds being in a Rental property in Australia, I can only grow in large pots so this was very beneficial, seeing how quickly/or not the plants can run out of nutrients without supplemental feedings, thankyou.
Cool, thanks
Awesome! Wonderful that the homemade did so well. Not only to save, but in an off grid situation it’s the only thing available.
With so many variations and times, a pictorial graph would be nice for the website. Thanks Mr Dowding.
Excellent comparison video. Thank you for spending the time to put it together.
What a perfectly brilliant video. I simply love to see comparison videos. Thank you for taking the time to present it in this way. It would have been great to see larger samplings to see if slight differences are magnified or minimized with multiple pots with identical composts produce differently.
Glad you enjoyed it Dwight. We are working on a shoestring, time wise
@@CharlesDowding1nodig I understand
Thanks for sharing all of the nerdy details about your soil trials, it is SUPER fascinating!
Excellent video, again Thank you for taking the time to put this together. All the knowledge you share isn't just for newbies, this old girl has learnt some new tricks too. Hope you're having a wonderful start to your weekend.
Haha thanks Wende. Busy weekend filming!
Very interesting results! And it’s nice to see that in many cases, the lower ratio of added vermicompost was the winner. I’m working on building up my garden, and adding more soil and compost, so it was nice to see that even though I can’t purchase as much compost as I thought I needed, it still makes a visible difference.
This is fascinating. I am using compost, a mix of homemade and bought and a small amount of worm. My garden is doing much better than usual. Very exciting! Tyvm Charles.
Sounds great Lisa 💚
hello charles I missed many videos my cell phone was broken what beautiful spinach thanks for the video I send you greetings
Glad it's mined and thanks Bertha
Love the scientific approach taken here; I found the variation in onion growth interesting; thank you!
Our pleasure!
Great test, thank you Charles. You've made me start composting last year and I love the sweet smell of a good compost. Thank you for what you do!
You are very welcome Peter, the the scent!!
I've tried container gardening, on a smaller scale, for over ten years and didn't have much good results. Direct on-the-ground planting, as in no dig, has been a winner for me. Thank you Charles for all the good information you provide.
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I'm guessing that in such a small pot the onion and spinach are competing for rooting space even if they need different nutrients. The root systems they build affects their water uptake and this will affect their resulting nutrient uptake. The plants that get a better start can monopolize root space and stifle root development of the other. Perhaps this is why there is often a discrepancy between the strength of onion growth and spinach growth in the same pot, with almost none of the pots having both plant types doing well.
So much fun to experiment with different things!
Very interesting *and* entertaining to watch. I agree, the results were not as expected. Please continue to do future experiments! I'd like to see one plant per pot, repotted to a large container (same medium mix) where it can mature, and then weigh the yield per plant, inspect the quality, and count the days until first harvest, please. Thank you for filming & editing a time compilation video for us!
Shall see, next spring, too busy now :)
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Fingers crossed for spring 2023! Thank you👍
I always keep learning by watching your videos. your such an inspiring teacher. Greetings from Chile 😊
Thanks Gina, nice to hear
Great video! I am motivated to get my vermi-compost going again!
Fascinating... so many variables... I enjoyed it from start to finish. So much thought and preparation put into making this trial. Gave me some confort on my worms and self-sufficiency. And also so many ideas to explore. Congratulations, its really well made. I've been an addicted fan for some time now, but this one is just great. Thank you
Cheers Jose! Grow well :)
Very interesting experiment, I admire your passion, patience and how you enjoy doing all of this. Greetings from Poland, Olga 😄
Thank you so much Olga 😀
Fascinating results in this experiment. I'm sure it is a bit of trouble to film and produce videos like this that carry over tome, but it is wonderfully to see the whole story.
I think my conclusion is I need to encourage my husband to build more compost bays and get busy with a worm farm. The vermicompost is really the next greatest thing for us.
Helpful to see the different stages. Thank, Charles. Cheers Colleen and Jason 🌱
Thank you Colleen and I wish Jason success with those great projects
Very interesting. But it just shows that whatever soil/compost you have, anyone can grow a few veggies. They may not be perfect but perfectly edible!
Yes a lovey conclusion, cup half full :)
Very well thought out and documented experiment. Thank you for sharing this info with the world
Amazing results across the board there. I had sowed seed in compost that seemed to be too rich and was inundated with fungus gnats. We had swarms indoors and swarms in the greenhouse, both from different bags from the same company. The growth was stunted and even transplanting healthy rooted plants into this compost, killed a rose cutting that had super root growth within a week. It also dried hard to a crisp on the surface but very "boggy" wet underneath. I've transplanted everything into the New Horizon and the difference showed within a few days. Much stronger plants, healthy and racing away after being stunted - I did wash the roots prior to transplanting to get rid of the larvae. Annoying as I purchased in bulk, but have now moved the remaining bags and emptied them on the veg patch. The wind is blowing any flies away, the beneficial chompers are dealing with the under the surface pests and the rain washing whatever nutrients deeper into the soil. The winter onions are looking very good in this now. I haven't yet sown into the New Horizon, still transplanting, but really happy with it so far. It was a brand I used to use many years ago with great results.
Thank you for the very interesting experiment!
Hi Kerry, wow that is annoying, well done on adapting.
You just never know - a bag of New Horizon recently purchased here is growing very poor kale! Best of luck 🌱
Oh dear, I'm hoping I get good results this year with new horizon compost(first time using it) . Newbie here and my 2nd year of growing veg only in pots due to small garden space(living in Northwest) .learning is a process and thank you for your detailed video as always Charles.
I am in a process of deciding to make my own compost this yr... Hope for the good crops year to everyone...
Super interesting to see the homemade compost pull through in the long run. I was initially thinking that the soil life thriving in your beds was helping the compost become epic for growth in the ground but then, well as you said the result speak for themselves with that long term result. I have been using your no dig techniques here and did notice this year what you referenced in the video, which is the newest beds take a while to come along. I have a very established garden just a few meters away from a new small garden we put in. Same lettuce, same kale, same municipal compost as a top layer this spring before planting.... and the established beds grew so much better and stronger than the new beds. The new bed is growing, the plants are healthy, just not nearly as healthy and vibrant as those in the more established beds. I think this speaks volumes to the compounding effect of your system as the soil life keeps working on all the organic matter were adding, it just gets better with age. Thank you for continuing to share this great information! I helps me see and understand what is going on here and gives me fun ideas to try in the garden.
Brilliant, I love it! And a fascinating comparison you have there.
I wonder also whether the municipal compost was a little fresh and not top quality, but it will certainly be livened up by the microbes you are encouraging. As you say it's all fascinating and increasingly positive for the soil, our plants and for us!
This had me at the edge of my seat with each reveal at successive stages of growth in different compost/worm cast combos! Guess I'll carry on making my own compost and worm bin compost, and will get some mushroom compost for good measure. Would be interesting to look at each compost sample under a microscope to see what kind of biological life is present, as diverse populations help nutrient cycling. Though seeing the plant trials tells us plenty about the quality of biological life in those composts, too!
Nicely put Sharon and thanks, yes microscopy is a whole 'nother angle
Hi Charles, My oldest son runs the local compost plant, near the SW Scottish border . It used to be beautiful soft fluffy peaty compost, but now it contains "green waste", their terminology for what I assume is composted green material, it contains wood fibre, which is wood thats pulped into a fibrous material, not composted, which concerns me as it might rob nitrogen as it breaks down, and spent mushroom compost. It also contains composted bark. It is a bit lumpy for the module trays and I put it though a 9mm riddle and leave the lumps for the potting on. The price is rocketing too, not helped by Little Rishi forcing them to use white diesel on site instead of the cheaper red, and paying an arm and a leg for the leccy. You'd almost think they'd like us to stop growing food, but that's a rabbit hole I'll spare you the journey down today. Great video as always. And I love the module trays, I've got more plants as I have room for as I really love pushing the little plugs out, lol.😂
Thanks Ian, that is intriguing and I explore the same burrow!
A pity that compost is more expensive, hope he can still make it well
I lighten my mix with perlite for sowing lettuce and peppers by about 30% perlite. Now l will try doing basil. I am now very inclined to do the same soil/compost/potting mix as you are doing.
Best of luck
Thank you Charles! In my own very limited trials my seedlings do best in 1/4 or less of vermicompost. Its almost as if more is too much of a good thing.
Same here! I'm still experimenting, but some is good where more isn't... I'm going to play around with it some more
Cool thanks. Consensus!
Amazing experiment, beautiful information. I am learning so much from you Sir, keep up with the good work.
Thanks, we do!
Very interesting and informative video, greetings from New Zealand, love what your doing.
Thanks Colin
Thanks!
Thanks so much
I read a book of a local perennial grower (Ms Golob-Klancic). She produces perennials in pots to be planted out in large plantings. She states that the best results are with plants that are slightly hungry, supposedly then they make new roots into surrounding soil immediately after planting. I have planted her plants in extreme conditions (almost pure clay soil on a slope with floor temperature of about 60C in the middle of summer watering only at the time of transplanting.) I had great sucess. Many plants are over 50cm, some even over 150cm tall the next year. She states that plants grown in peat and well fed (which is how plants are commonly sold here otherwise, and the plants look great at the time of buying them) have trouble leaving that area when planted. I have dug out some of such plants that were still with the same 'pot size' root system area 5 years later. I have planted some of her plants with few roots (and a fat earthworm in the pot instead) from a 10cm pot, and they very much outcompeted plants from other growers that were grown in 'better' media, having bigger roots. So good growth in a pot can be a bit misleading if planting out is the ultimate goal.
Nicely explained Barbara, thanks. So many ways of looking at this.
So happy and grateful you made this experiment! I had an inkling that my potting medium is spent and thus my veges are no longer lush. I’m definitely gonna give the vermicompost a go! Good thing it’s relatively cheap where I’m at. Thanks again Charles 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Glad it was helpful!
Wonderfully interesting and informative trials! Thanks for your efforts.
This is extremely interesting.
Its amazing how random veg seeds germinate in my compost heaps and do very well. 40 years ago my first attempts of growing veg I simply used garden soil, with good results.
Why do tree seeds prefer to grow in my gravel drive?
I always add wood ash to my homemade compost mixes, certainly adds calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Interesting! Weeds are strong...
That is really helpful, thank you! It would be interesting to know to what degree the biology of the compost makes a difference and not only nutrients.
Great point! If I had the tools and time to measure 😀
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Yes, that is a trickier one to measure 😊 Maybe using home made compost that is "alive" and compare it to the same compost but sterilised using the oven. Or vermicompost sterilised vs alive. I will have to try it and see 🌱
This extremely interesting video confirms my long term view and observations with regards to growing medium. Generally, healthy homemade compost gives arise to a local supply of living organisms, they work in symbiosis with the plants to provide a balanced slow release of nutrients and minerals.
Win win for Homeacres Homemade compost 👍✅
Great and thanks
Very informative Charles, really well demonstrated. I’m a novice but I learned enough from that to kind of know what to be looking for in my growing medium... getting it is the challenge though. Thanks for making your experience and understanding so accessible.
Great to hear Pat!
You’re probably going to reinvent the Amazonian Dark Earths at the rate you are going. Your methods are so awesome.
😅 thanks
Great video, Charles, with extensive coverage of a wide range of variables (may be too wide). I would suggest two small ideas for next experiment: 1) use pots of the same color (because whiter/darker color may alter heat absorbance), 2) choose less conditions to test and use triplicates for each condition (taking into final consideration the average outcome for each condition). In fact, I think that "inter-individual" differences are not negligible and only testing each condition in duplicates or even better in triplicates may help you in drawing significant conclusions. Cheers.
Thank you Andrea. The fact there was not much sunlight on these pots because they were close together and shredded by the leaves.
For triplicate, well this is not a scientific test, I do not have resources for that. It gives indications and if one did the same test tomorrow, results will be slightly different. That's the beauty of gardening.
Dear Charles, don't understimate your practice of gardening!
How can I define "gardening" if not the attempt to obtain results from the comprehension of natural laws underlying the life of plants and the subsequent application of such understanding? Basic and applied science, indeed (other than that: only superstition).
And how I can define your trials of this video if not an experiment to test the validity of various conditions and hypothesis?
My suggestion was only aimed to reduce the potential role of biases which may influence the interpretation of the results.
In fact, any experiment needs to respond to sufficient scientific criteria to have the chance to be fruitful. And of one thing I am sure: you want to gather "fruits" from your activity!
Cheers.
@@andreagatti4830 Thankyou Andrea
That was a trial and a half! I just use Geoff Hamiltons' sieved home made compost with a light sprinkling of blood,fish and bone (although Geoff liked chicken manure) works well for me, and I use it as a planting mix for larger plants and shrubs
😀 nice memory of Geoff
Hello
When will there be a book in Polish ?
Which publisher will publish the first book i Polish?
Best wishes
Thank you and I don't know. Possibly my new book with the publishers Dorling Kindersley, who have more resources than me to organise the translation and publication.
Awesome experiment, thank you.
Apologies in advance if I missed a similar post.
Having written, I believe the next step for your experiment is to chop each pot and take individual soil samples from each; too bad you don't have a baseline. Nonetheless, testing the soil samples for nutrients, minerals, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, etc. will reveal more about why things work the way they work, or do not work in contrast. Then, you need someone proficient with Excel to build linked tables, and etc., for application of use.
Otherwise, just use what works and try to replicate it each and every time.
Good stuff, and thank you!
Thanks for this. It's exactly the kind of work that a research station should be doing and they would have funds and facilities to enable all those measurements, and people with time to write them up. It's a pity that funding for such trials is scarcely available because there is little money to be made these kinds of results. Science is very market-led now
I use casting extract to start the seedlings so the growth beyond has the biome already begun. My indoor plant definitely benefit from bi-weekly watering with the extract.
Like you noticed the vermiculture castings need to be used relatively sparingly. I'm not sure why, but I tend to add banana peels (dried) to my vermiculture composter.
Excellent experiment, thank you 👍
I’m potting up tomato seedlings today with potting soil mixed with worm castings. I expect to plant them out in 4 weeks with great roots since it worked last month with other seedlings, like peppers and heirloom tomatoes
Sounds great Charlie
This is one of your best trials! Thank you!
Cool thanks Jennifer
Lovely experiment. Very interesting results. My 'take away' is that home made compost and soil do great (as the worms within it produce a small quantity of cast) and nothing is 'over fertilised', whilst having 'enough'. And 'enough' seems to be Nature's message here - not enough, is not 'enough', and 'too much' is 'too much' for the plants. Just giving them the diet that they might expect from their wild origins seems the best policy. Soil, composted material, and then let nature's own worms add their casts - healthy soil.
Nice conclusion Gordon
So, the homemade compost if done over many months.... (Say at least 12 months) would have worms in the compost adding their contribution, yes??
Good point. Usually worms thrive in compost which is very moist and that would be difficult to sieve, on the other hand it might not need it!
Hi Charles, love your youtubes great work 👍. It's been over 25 yrs since I worked in a commercial nurseries. I noticed a flaw in your test! . You are not using all identical black pots. The colour of the pot could affect the growth rates. As a lighter colour reflects more light, but a black pot can absorb more heat.
I know these differences might be slight, but it is a test . 🤔
Other, perhaps more telling, variables might include seed quality. I've seen quite a bit of variation in quality among seeds from the big commercial providers in the UK. To their credit, they are perfectly willing to replace them gratis.
Saludos señor dowding,me gustan mucho sus enseñanzas.gracias ❤️
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thanks so much for this experiment. this was the highlight of a no good for nothing really bad day =) . you have it made my friend . this is the life im working towards at our new property. now i have to figure out how to keep the deers from eating the rest of my freshly planted trees. sigh
Oh dear Bobby, not an easy one, I wish you success
Would be interesting to do drainage measurement at intervals to understand how that correlates with growth over time as material breaks down.
Fascinating! So many variables, competently handled as usual. I'm very pleased with your final conclusions, because, for the first time, I've had much larger compost bins this last 18 month's, so now have loads of home made. I've been debating can I use it, in part, at least, to start or pot on seedlings.
Thanks for your hard work
Nice to hear and keep it dry before sifting
Something I’ve done to maybe gain some of the benefits of worm castings without the cost is to mulch with a fine straw and shredded cardboard. I do a lot of growing in raised beds and buying amendments in smaller quantities gets expensive really quick but I live in an area with many worms that really enjoy the shelter and food of decaying soft fiber cellulose. One gains the benefits of a mulch on weed pressure, splash absorption and warmth and water retention but I’m also trying to use it as a lure. Straw is readily available locally and it’s had a massive impact on the early development of my garden where we don’t have a very long growing season at all (4a central Minnesota, USA). I’m hoping to see more stable nutrition in the soil for what has been an incredibly stormy, cold and unpredictable season with people experiencing slow starts, washouts and even some cold damage as late as a week ago. Results so far are looking great, there are just loads of worms in the beds, doing their thing all over the place! If you grow in beds or large containers with exposed bottoms, it may be worth a shot!
That is wonderful Annathika, and so good that you're working out a way to use a common waste material from your area.
I'm guessing that the cold winters mean you do not suffer too many slugs, because that would be my reason for not using straw. I know from experience how it can accumulate them underneath.
Interesting also your comment on the weather and it's worrying me that warmth is lacking, in many places. Our hottest day so far this year is 73 Fahrenheit! Summer beans are struggling.
Absolutely fascinating compost trial.
The nearest I've come to a trial is my potato tubs, which are all 50/50 commercial compost & home made.
One tub of Charlotte had blood, fish & bonemeal added & another had Growmore.
The tops on the Growmore tub are looking somewhat stunted & deformed compared to the other.
It'll be interesting to see which produces the better crop, both in weight & taste.
How fascinating, nice comparison
I used BF&B in my 60 litre tubs, in addition to some well-rotted manure for my second-early potatoes and they are growing like topsy - dark green leaves with substantial stalks. Dunno what the spuds themselves will be like - yet! Main crop are now coming up too! Exciting times lie ahead! What fun gardening is.
Really interesting and honest appraisal.
Interesting experiment to put a leafy and root .. would also be interesting to add a fruiting plant and see which ratios work for each kind of plant.. what do you think of biochar?
Yes it would!
I'm intrigued by its possibilities!!
Fun & interesting experiment!
I will try 75% own made compost and 25% own made vermicompost next spring I think! Thank you for another great viddy, Charles.
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Yo he probado con arena,tierra de hojas y humus de lombriz y me ha resultado bien,probaré esas variantes suyas de pura curiosidad, gracias!
Que asombroso!
I did a trial the past two weeks, comparing the growth of two small courgette plants. One potted on in pure compost and the other one in 100 % vermicompost, both plants in a two true leaf stage. The vermicompost plant showed much better growth, growing about 1/3 bigger then the compost plant in about two weeks. Also the ‘normal’ compost courgette shows paler green leaves, whereas the leaves of the vermicompost plant are dark green. Ofcourse plants in the Cucurbita family love nitrogen and doing the same trial with another vegetable will probably have a different outcome. There is still a lot to discover.
Nice comparison. More that the compost sounds poor!
@@CharlesDowding1nodig You make a good point sir. And ofcourse that the courgette plants like this particular vermicompost very much.
I love watching your videos!! ♥️
I wish you was my neighbor
hop on the 🌈 thanks
So interesting, thankyou for this video, helps tremendously x
So glad!
A graphic organizer would be beneficial… appreciate your efforts! 😊
Hola Charles, yo compro compost de buena calidad y el saco es de 40 lts, mis acelgas, zanahorias rábanos, rucula van bien si tengo que protejer mis plantas en estos momentos aquí en chile tenemos temperaturas de 2 a 5 grados bajo cero y como siempre te agradesco toda tu enseñanza yo adoro mi pequeño jardín 🤗🇨🇱🌷🌷
Encantador de escuchar y wow, eso hace frío, mantente caliente, gracias.
Buen día Charles me interesaria que indiques los tamaños de macetas. gracias.
Si dos litros
enjoyable video charles
Thanks Steven
BC, Canada. We buy bagged compost, potting soil, and potting mix. The latter might not necessarily have soil in it, so it really is like a fluffy, compost. Very confusing.
My perspective as an Ontarian:
Compost: plain decomposed organic matter, typically plants
Manure: decomposed animal waste
Potting soil: often contains dirt
Potting mix: for plants specifically, may or may not contain dirt
Thanks :)
That took a bit of commitment and discipline to do that trial. I’ve experimented with garden soil, home made compost and worm castings. For plants with larger roots and are faster growing e.g. sweetcorn, sunflowers etc., drainage isn’t as important as I thought it was. One year I went with 100% worm castings in 4 inch pots for sweetcorn and sunflowers. I transplanted seedlings into these pots. I was a bit concerned each time I watered the pots as the top of pots were flooded. Drainage was very slow. Each time it rained, the pots were flooded. However, the plants grew faster and more healthy than I expected. My conclusion is that plants with larger roots can grow well in 100% worm castings. I guess their roots can push through the worm castings faster, absorb more nutrients and make enough space for air. For plants with thinner slower growing roots, they definitely need more drainage in the potting medium. I’m currently experimenting with lettuce seedlings. I’m using 50% garden soil and 50% worm castings in deep cell trays. They are growing incredibly slow and a couple have died which is not a good sign. Earlier in the year, my lettuce seedlings grew a lot quicker in the deep cell trays using shop bought compost. Lettuce definitely needs good drainage. I also have alderman peas and blue lake beans in deep cell trays using 50% garden soil and 50% worm castings and they are doing well which helps to validate my conclusion that plants with fast growing roots don’t need as much drainage as you think they might need.
Excellent commitment by you Steve, and thanks. Always, so many variables!!
The spring onions in the pot is catch crop genius.
😀