Great video! Back when I learned composting in the pre-internet days, I learned how to do it by reading library books, and I knew nobody who had substantial compost piles. I built huge piles everywhere I lived, and they've been getting bigger as we add to the herd of horses who feed the compost pile each morning. I always felt like a compost nerd. But I wouldn't have predicted that I'd be watching "TV" types shows about people building compost piles, and enjoying it! I'm glad to know that there are other compost nerds out there! Salut!
Amazing! Thank you for commenting. I really enjoy making them too and now I make them in my chicken coop and let the chickens disassemble the pile for me. I go in and remound it a few times a week and wow that is the best compost I have ever made. The eggs are delicious too because they eat all of the bugs and scraps from the pile.
Thanks so much for this info! I have a chicken coop that I'll be cleaning out for the first time this spring and we have a big pile of leaves we picked up in the fall - so this is super helpful!
That was the best explanation on composting that I have ever watched. Not scary at all. To me, it always seems like posters make composting out to be so difficult. I can totally do this. Thank you for the simple yet thorough explanation.
I am about to start my first attempt at composting. I love watching videos about it so I can pick up tips from everyone out there doing it. I have decided to use large trash cans with holes drilled in the bottom and sides for air flow and excess water escape. I can bungee cord the trash cans to my fencing to keep the wind from blowing them away. I’m in the country, and have access to leaves, pine needles and pine cones. I have lots of access to coffee grinds and my food scraps. I have cow manure from my cousin’s pasture, which I can access from my yard, as well as trampled, pooped on hay. I think I’ve got all I need to get started.
This is the best youtube video about composting I've found. THANK YOU! I actually don't feel overwhelmed now and look forward to starting mine with pallets.
I appreciate this video! I've been composting for almost 3 years now and I always learn something new and its always something small that makes a big difference! Thank you
Great video--very informative. Good enough that I feel like I could now manage a compost pile, something I have never known how to do before. thank you; Fred
Thank you so much, I appreciate all the information and demonstrating you shared. I needed this,. I received about 1000lbs of cow manure and 2 bale of straw that's breaking down. I'm getting busy tomorrow.❤❤❤❤
Sure is! This was all used up and is not being recycled one way or another via my garden beds, chicken run or potted fig trees. I always have a pile going
These are always the best videos because I like most people want to see the complete process. I have been doing Berkeley 18 day compost but I always like to see other ways to compost. Good job. .
I’ve watched about 20 vids today trying to see the process from coop to compost. Most were “how we clean out our coop” Yours was the only one that gave the details needed to do it myself! Love the time lapse!
Its nice to have all that chicken manure to add to your pile , speeds it up. I dont have that but still do ok just takes me longer. I usually add rabbit pellets which has alfalfa to initiate my piles. Once your pile quits heating up its time to let it sit and the worms will come up into it to help finish the pile.
The worms love to seek shelter in the cooler but still warm piles over winter. I will leave the pile be and let the bugs and critters seek refuge. They provide some mixing of material and their waste helps the pile. It’s a symbiotic relationship :)
Thanks for sharing! So far best video I’ve seen on RUclips, you go step by step and day by day which helps out a ton. My problem is I have no access to that much green material and definitely not that much chicken poop if any. So other than grass clippings and food scraps, weeds and garden litter I get kinda stuck. My question to you is what to do when I feel like I can’t get to that end goal as I have given up on several occasions, some times it seems like it takes forever! TIA.
Great video, last year I was my first attempt at compost/leaf mold production. I used spent grains from a local brewery. Worked well. I enjoyed watching.
Good job and good video! Thank you! We don't have chicken so I do cool compost by just putting one layer of food scrap, one layer of leaves or grass clippings, water, in a compost container and let it sit until whenever... 😄
@@twiggshomestead6497 Hehe.. Thank you!! This is my second year learning and trying to create compost. I bought 3 metal containers from Tractor Supply designed for compost but they're small, not even 3 ft in diameter, but they weren't too expensive when I bought them, and I got them for convenience and privacy so neighbors can't see compost or they might think we're hoarding trash.. I wish I could have a compost system with 3 bins like what you have... Anyways, last summer we dumped out one container in a flower bed, the compost was not quite finished but it was good, we grew several types of flowers in there and a huge bush of lemongrass... that lemongrass was so awesome and smelled so great, thanks to that pile of compost! I love it! 😁
@@cheesekake1841 Great work! the beauty of compost is, even if not 100% complete, as long as most of the material is broken down, it will still do wonders for the plants and continue to break down on the soil surface.
I have SUCH a better understanding now! Thank you very much for this video. Can you add to the video? A little blip on what exactly to do with compost would be super helpful 😅
I always thought it had to break down far more than that to be considered ready for use. I mean i know in nature there is no time limit and the material that falls to the ground begins the process and older stuff under that is already giving back so guess i could have been spreading my compost far sooner than i do. Thanks for that 🤩 Gonna go turn my pile again and add it to my garden.
They did and man the worms that live in the pile get HUGE fat and healthy. When I turn a complete pile, I’ll collect some and give the chickens a healthy treat.
I have a similiar setup, also with chicken beddding and leaves as main source (and alot of horsemanure). Ive added vertical air pipes, and cut down on turning it alot. I remove the pipes after 10 days, it will create a vertical void that transport air into the pile without turning. As a final step, after i consider it finished compost, i move it into the out door area of my chickens. They will remove any weed seeds from the finished compost, and feast on all worms and insects.
Great video Twig thanks for uploading I really did enjoy that.. Only one thing You did forget to mention though was how obsessive composting can become LOL
Great to compost the chicken manure/hay/leaves. Good to turn @140F as you mention, high temps like 160 can be tough on biology we want to encourage. Food for thought: might want to add grass clippings, kitchen waste, fine wood chips, etc. for even greater diversity, yielding an even greater nutrient rich compost.
Too hot compost is a myth. In mine, I regularly reach 165 f without any problems. It is true that at that point the thermophilic bacteria start to die, but their dying means that the thermophilic process is dying down, i.e. the compost heap is partially cooling down. Once it has cooled down sufficiently, the bacteria multiply rapidly again. This balances the process itself. Very hot compost means that it has ideal nitrogen-carbon ratios and it is a shame to turn it at that point. The bacterial count and temperature will balance themselves. This can be seen by the temperature fluctuating between 165 and 145 f. Only when the temperature starts to drop below 130 f without rising again is it time to turn.
Not sure about the ‘myth’ bit. I am a horticulturalist in Sydney Australia and I have seen the middle of compost heaps become grey ash. Take it or leave it😊
Very interesting information. My go-to source of info, Cornel University's composting website, says to turn the pile if it exceeds 165F. It needs turning again every time it drops to 135F. But your explanation sounds plausible. I think I'll try it your way. Thanks!
So you can make compost without greens? Does the chicken manure replace the greens? I'm just learning to and it's seems very difficult and really scientific but everyone says it's in easy process
awesome video! thank you for doing your video across the whole line and including the thermometer link, which i’m buying. This made compost 101 make more sense to me. Just subscribed and will binge watch all your videos today. Thanks again and happy new year!
Thanks for the gold star. Good looking compost. I was doing the grass clippings, kitchen scraps and leaves which has been working great. This year I added quail and rabbits to the homestead. Their waste really kicked my compost into high gear. Really enjoy turning my pile these days.
160 is perfect. Thats how hot the pile gets.....no problems there, here in South Africa we call 70 deg C, The working temperature. thats when stuff starts breaking down to make quick compost.
Thank you! Once the compost is complete, the heating process will stop. Even if the compost is not 100% complete before use, it will not heat in thin application. It is the mass of a pile that retains and generates heat.
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation in your video. I have all it takes to make compost in my farm but I have not started because of lack of knowledge on how to go about it. All I used to do was to collect the chicken drops and wet and dry them and start applying to my plants after some months. I hardly put enough grasses. But very quickly... I can see your 3t Lmao tiers compost bin outside.. my question: is there any problems when the compost is beaten by rain? I'm asking this question because I do move my dried chicken manure inside to avoid rain. Your response will be highly appreciated!
I just saw the video you published and am now watching your older videos. I personally like videos like this where you see the job through to the end. I don't care for the way many just show a step or two and then you have to remember a few months later what you were up to. I watch to many videos for that. Let me see the show from start to finish please. Just like this one. Mike Kincaid does his like that. He's very inaging. It looks like your old pile needed a little turning too. Are those weeds growing out of it? If so you might not have gotten it hot enough long enough, lol.
Hi! Yes I do agree and that’s what I’m working towards. The problem with those kinds of videos is they take months to produce and very strict organization to take update clips and add them into an unfinished project in the video editor software. I’ve done this with the blackberry video too. The end product is a lot of fun though! Mike Kincaid does an amazing job, I’m a big fan of his. I’m going to do a lot of these types of videos this spring but they won’t be finished and uploaded until the fall so stick around :D That old pile had not been turned in some time and the weeds from the wind landed and grew on top of it. It’s since been turned and combined with this newer pile. It will be made into a new raised bed this year. Thanks for the comment! I’m excited to show you what’s coming this spring :)
You could do this method on a smaller scale but not too small. It's the mass that helps generate the thermo effect that's composting the material. You can always compost somewhere local to where you live, load it into a bin, and bring it to your garden when you are ready to use it!
tnx i will try to do that because we have a rice field, husk of palay/rice, i want a vegetable garden in our backyard, but first thing to know how to make a good soil to put seed. tnx for sharing tips
Great video, thanks for posting it and the time lapse was very helpful. Also just curious as to why you didn't cover the pile to help it heat up or keep out extra moisture? Alot of other channels seem to suggest you have to cover it. Love to hear your thoughts or ideas on covering the pile 😊
Covering it will not help heat it up. Its the green:brown ratio and the microbiology in combination with the moisture that is going to cause it to heat up. While yes, covering it might help keep moisture in, it might also prevent the pile from exhausting excess heat in the form of steam thus bringing temps too high. In short, if you have an issue getting the pile to temperature above 120. (Common in late fall and winter here in the northeast) then covering it might help but in this case, covering is just an extra step, using extra resources for very little gain if any at all. Please try both and let me know what your conclusion is! Id love to know and learn with you. Thanks for watching!
I want the pile to breathe and take in moisture from the environment via rain, dew, etc. I turn the pile so often that the exterior finds its way to the middle and the middle to the exterior
Thank you for the comment! I actually did purchase a 4 tine fork with a full length handle this summer for my more recent compost piles. Great observation though! I was just using what I had. Always learning and improving!! :D
Lazy man composting. Raise beds 3-5 deep. 2 feet down, 3 above. Uses the principles of hugelkulture. Wired cloth lining the bottom to keep gophers out but allow worms in. Layer of woodchips or logs, branches on bottom. Acts as a sponge when breaks down, helps with making your plants drought proof and don’t need to water as much. Layer of chopped leaves above the wood, helps the pile from shrinking a little, your other nutrients or garden waste, a little starter from finished compost. Layer up accordingly until near the rim. It will sink. At the top last 2 layers is compost then wood chips. Thrown in some worms into your bed. They will multiply and add worm castings into your bed. Only thing you need to do is add more organic material on top as insulation because the pile keeps shrinking as worms eat at it and it degrades. Never need to buy fertilizer and don’t need to turn your pile and adds a little heat to the roots and protects from frost. You can put a cover to give it a green house effect as well. Will protect your plants in winter and give you an early Spring start. Make different bed Ph balance styles for plants that like slightly acidic soil such as Tomatoes or Blueberries. Turning your beds often will give you almost finished compost 3 weeks. My method don’t need to turn, just keep,adding new layers as it shrinks. Done on a yearly basis. Especially helpful if you got Perennials. If you start new beds just need turn top 1st foot and mix with compost and shredded leaves. Sorry, I am old gardening is a hobby, least amount of physical labor fits my style of gardening. The 2 things you need to understand hugelkultur and layering for worms to live in, and how hot you want your pile. If you dig out your bed for the compost, maybe 6-8 years later. Why dig it out, worms keep a cool bed, a hot compost bed gives off heat. Need a layer for worms to migrate to if you use both. Some people want the heat for really cold weather, greenhouse heat. There are different lazy man gardening, timing when to turn your compost pile to get heat, August, September, October. If you got chickens, and use deep litter method, clean out then when you get a lot of leaves. Saves the time of building a compost pile, turning the pile, place to dump your organic waste and usually starts to rains so you don’t need to water your pile. Also use this time to build a new bed so you layer it the way you want. If you use worms, leave about 1 foot migration layer on top of compost. This allows you to plant immediately too. As your pile begins to shrink you add new layers of grass, woodchips, kitchen scraps, eggs, seaweed, leaves etc etc. You can customize your bed to be the most nutrient dense bed and soil. Since your bed lasts for a long time, concrete block is easiest and cheapest. If you want insulated then you need to make your own forms and use aircrete, very light concrete paneling. Will last 20 years plus. Keeping out rabbits and deer, cattle paneling as the frame for your green house. Either stick it on hinges so you can lift it or make it large enough to be a walk in greenhouse. Size of your raised beds, greenhouse, budget and how much work you want to put into it varies for everyone. My personal preference is an herb garden, lemon and lime trees, garlic and onions, potatoes and carrots and root vegetables and leafy greens, just cut everything fresh from the garden as I need it. Controlling temperature and light dictates if my plants bolt to seed or not. Less waste.
I never worried about spreading out the straw in the chicken coop. I would just put the whole bale in, cut the lines off, and the chickens would go to work spreading that straw out all by themselves. There would sometimes have some bugs or wheat in there, and they were determined to find it. I'd check back a while later, and they would have that straw spread out perfectly throughout the coop. My father told me that I probably didn't even need to cut the ties on the straw.
No not when the pile is active. Once it is complete and all broken down, I will throw a tarp over it. In most cases, I use it all up before I run into that problem though lol.
I think it would have been beneficial to add more carbon when your temp was high. That leaf mold would have been perfect to add. As Long as you had ample nitrogen add more carbon and cover to maintain the moisture and heat.
If your pile doesnt reach those temperatures can we put a tarp over it to trap the heat? Or what do we do to get the temp up? Also you turn it if the temp is to high and to low???
The pile will always get to the high temp so long you have the right amount of nitrogen or “green” material. If it’s not getting hot enough you need to add more nitrogen. A the heat will come from within the center of the pile so trying to wrap it won’t be doing much to the temp inside. If anything it will cause harm because it will prevent rain water from keeping the pile moist and encourage the pile to dry out. Yes when the pile gets very hot above 160°F, you turn it. If it drops below 100°F you can add moisture and turn it.
So thank you for this video. One question that I would have, if you should use a mask and gloves to clean out the chickens, why not use at least a mask to put it into the compost pile? You are still moving the poop and straw, yes, it is a little more open. The dust would still be there, correct. Not trying to be rude, just trying to ask to understand. I am looking to do compost at the house.. Thank you.. Good video best i have seen this explained..
It is MUCH more open lol. I went from being inside a tiny 6x10 closed space with very little ventilation to outside, wide open air. I also wet the pile down rapidly when outside which eliminates the dust.
The chicken poop was actually already mixed with straw so the leaf mold was extra carbon. In many ways leaf mold is fungally superior to bacterial garden compost but the great nitrogen source is the chicken poop. How many times do you clean the chicken coop because that is the main factor in your garden compost.
That's a really good amount - and with leaf mold free and easy it's a perfect combination. Add in kitchen stuff, coffee and cardboard and you are cooking man!!!❤
How do I restart a pile that I made 6 months ago, to heat it up again, ? It was made in the winter, and heated up really fast, but I never maintained it.. I’d like to try and restart the pile, or make a new one, and use the materials .. any advice ??
The best way to heat it back up is to turn and wet it really well. If it still doesn't heat back up after that, then the ratio of carbon to nitrogen (browns to greens) was off. In your case too many browns; which makes sense for a winter pile. All good though! What you can do to heat it back up and continue the compost process is simply add more greens and mix/ wet it really well. Grass clippings are a great easy nitrogen source you can add to a cool pile to heat it back up. Lots of coffee grinds will work too! Let me know how it goes and if that helps
Yes, you will probably have to get your hands dirty though. The process is the same you will just have to dig a hole with your hand to try and get as close to the center as you can feel for temperature. If it begins to get uncomfortably hot, its time to turn.
Thanks, Just starting out with compost bins. Thinking of using horse manure. I know it is not as hot but it is what I have available. Would this work as well even if it would possibly take longer? Great instructions!
It might take a bit longer, I do not have experience with horse manure however I do know it makes for a wonderful product at the end of the composting process. Id say, do the exact same thing, monitor the temps and keep turning it until its done! Cant go wrong!!
Great question! Absolutely! Changing the ratio is a great way to control heat. Adding greens = more heat. Adding browns = less. Turning it and adding water will help as well.
I'm makings compose with store bought soil, leaves & vegi & fruit scraps 4 about 1 month been only at 70 F° can I still add grass clippings 2 heat it up more & so it kills harmful bacteria, ect.?
Yes, you can add more "greens" like grass clippings and nitrogen-rich components. Just make sure to turn the pile well after using grass clipping and wet it down!
Thats a great question, i would think yes, but you might want to rinse it out really well before piling it. I don't know if the salt will inhibit the bacterial process.
Very good compost worth a hundred of dollars if you buy it from local shop I’m about to give it a try,but I’m not sure about few things like What time of the year is good to start and what kind of leaves are best for this job?
Good time to start is fall, when the leaves fall, but depending on how cold your winter is, your pile might not start breaking down until spring when your pile thaws. My winters get down to -30C, and my pile freezes rock hard. For reference, my piles are in those black standing containers with the lid in the top, so don’t get exposed to as much rain as an open pile like this youtuber’s. I’ve had decent results with leaving the leaves in a pile on the ground over winter, they break down some with the moisture in fall and spring. But if you are going for leaf mold, I’ve seen people just put the leaves directly on their garden beds and let it break down that way. Any leaves that are from deciduous trees should work.
Can you throw your kitchen scraps in there? Also i can't have chickens so would it work to use chicken manuer in bags from the garden store? Also....how often did u turn the leaf pile over winter? Thank you.
Yes kitchen scraps are great! Anything green and organic can go into a pile like this. I wouldnt use bagged chicken manuer because that means it either has been composted already or cooked to kill bacteria. We want the bacteria here! The best thing I can suggest for animal inputs is call a local farmer or horse ranch and ask if they can give you a few buckets of the manuer. This can be done without manuer too. you can do this with 100% kitchen scraps, grass clippings, straw, woodchips or whatever you can get your hands on. The key is the ratio of green to brown and mass. Turn it once a week or when the temps get above 140.
I use alfalfa. It's primarily used as feed for horses etc. I like to get alfalfa because it has a great little microbe called protozoa which is a predator in the microcosm and helps cycle quicker. Choosing alfalfa versus other bedding has nothing to do with the chickens and everything to do with the compost!
No, just whatever is around my area. I’ve experimented with IMO (indigenous micro organisms) before. It’s a Korean natural farming technique. Chris Trump on RUclips is the guru on that topic.
Check out one of my recent videos on the topic! Basically, in short, pile leaves up and turn them. They decompose slowly but turn into a wonderful product.
My garden soil is mostly clay I've been Working on for last couple yrs I toke my tractor dug holes filled them with rotten wood tin cans leafs kitchen waste Then put grass clippings Burn tree limps added top soil mix it up Best I could then done it all agian maybe Three times Now my soil is beginning to change Was yellowish now getting brownish Looking for dark colors Now has worms great ! Also I've been putting bones an anything I can think of lots of kitchen compost I just dig hole pour it in cover with leafs An dirt Any more ? Oh yeah I put several bags Of sheared paper card board Few dead things
This is hands down the best compost video on RUclips. Finally someone that goes step by step and not just stopping at the beginning set up. Well done!
This really means alot to me, thank you!
Great video! Back when I learned composting in the pre-internet days, I learned how to do it by reading library books, and I knew nobody who had substantial compost piles. I built huge piles everywhere I lived, and they've been getting bigger as we add to the herd of horses who feed the compost pile each morning.
I always felt like a compost nerd. But I wouldn't have predicted that I'd be watching "TV" types shows about people building compost piles, and enjoying it! I'm glad to know that there are other compost nerds out there! Salut!
Amazing! Thank you for commenting. I really enjoy making them too and now I make them in my chicken coop and let the chickens disassemble the pile for me. I go in and remound it a few times a week and wow that is the best compost I have ever made. The eggs are delicious too because they eat all of the bugs and scraps from the pile.
One of the best videos I’ve seen on composting.
Wow, thanks!
Very good on communicating what composting is and how to compost easily.
Thank you!
Great job. This is the first multi day video I have seen
Thanks!!
Thanks so much for this info! I have a chicken coop that I'll be cleaning out for the first time this spring and we have a big pile of leaves we picked up in the fall - so this is super helpful!
That was the best explanation on composting that I have ever watched. Not scary at all. To me, it always seems like posters make composting out to be so difficult. I can totally do this. Thank you for the simple yet thorough explanation.
Tara, thank you so much for the kind comment. It means a lot! This hobby is not meant to be scary or out of reach for anyone. It's for everyone!
Thanks for the video, it was exactly what I was looking for!
Glad I could help!
Thank you so much for this. I was dancing through out while watching. 👍
So much fun! Thanks!
Merci from Montreal, Canada.
I am about to start my first attempt at composting. I love watching videos about it so I can pick up tips from everyone out there doing it. I have decided to use large trash cans with holes drilled in the bottom and sides for air flow and excess water escape. I can bungee cord the trash cans to my fencing to keep the wind from blowing them away. I’m in the country, and have access to leaves, pine needles and pine cones. I have lots of access to coffee grinds and my food scraps. I have cow manure from my cousin’s pasture, which I can access from my yard, as well as trampled, pooped on hay. I think I’ve got all I need to get started.
You sure do! Just pile all of that up and add water. You will be off to the races!
Make sure to get water and air in there. Try PVC pipes to get water and air to the middle. Turn if it’s not getting hot anymore.
This is the best youtube video about composting I've found. THANK YOU! I actually don't feel overwhelmed now and look forward to starting mine with pallets.
Amazing! Thank you for letting me know! I enjoyed making this one. Anyone can do it!
I appreciate this video! I've been composting for almost 3 years now and I always learn something new and its always something small that makes a big difference! Thank you
That is so awesome to hear! Thanks :D More videos coming soon. Currently wrapping up a big home renovation so that has most of my time these days.
Beautiful compost looks easy enough appreciate all of the details and energy that went into teaching us the basics…stay blessed
Thank you!! You too.
Great video--very informative. Good enough that I feel like I could now manage a compost pile, something I have never known how to do before. thank you; Fred
Great! You got this! Good luck lmk if you have any questions :)
Thank you so much, I appreciate all the information and demonstrating you shared. I needed this,. I received about 1000lbs of cow manure and 2 bale of straw that's breaking down. I'm getting busy tomorrow.❤❤❤❤
Great! Glad you enjoyed! Good luck!
Now that is a compost pile to be proud of.
Sure is! This was all used up and is not being recycled one way or another via my garden beds, chicken run or potted fig trees. I always have a pile going
The best I’ve seen on this subject so far! Very thorough and explained so well. Thank you!! ❤❤❤
Glad it was helpful!
These are always the best videos because I like most people want to see the complete process. I have been doing Berkeley 18 day compost but I always like to see other ways to compost. Good job. .
You got this! I originally wanted it to be the 18 day but life got a hold of me and I missed a few days lol.
Great points. Found very interesting.
Glad it was helpful!
"Microbes are aquatic creatures".. informative and fun to watch! Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise
Thanks! Stay tuned for more videos like this :D
loved the video thank you
I’ve watched about 20 vids today trying to see the process from coop to compost. Most were “how we clean out our coop” Yours was the only one that gave the details needed to do it myself! Love the time lapse!
Thank you! Im glad you enjoyed :)
Great video. Watched to the end.
Wow youre a trooper! Thank you :D
Its nice to have all that chicken manure to add to your pile , speeds it up. I dont have that but still do ok just takes me longer. I usually add rabbit pellets which has alfalfa to initiate my piles. Once your pile quits heating up its time to let it sit and the worms will come up into it to help finish the pile.
The worms love to seek shelter in the cooler but still warm piles over winter. I will leave the pile be and let the bugs and critters seek refuge. They provide some mixing of material and their waste helps the pile. It’s a symbiotic relationship :)
Thanks for sharing! So far best video I’ve seen on RUclips, you go step by step and day by day which helps out a ton.
My problem is I have no access to that much green material and definitely not that much chicken poop if any. So other than grass clippings and food scraps, weeds and garden litter I get kinda stuck.
My question to you is what to do when I feel like I can’t get to that end goal as I have given up on several occasions, some times it seems like it takes forever! TIA.
I'm here for my gold star.. enjoyed
Thank you!! Im glad you did. More to come :D
Realy good. I'm Brazil and make compost in my farm. I use in many plants and i heve good results. Tanks for explanation
You are welcome
I like that you mentioned it has to have something to burn. Never thought of it that way before.
Thanks! I always try and simplify when learning something new!
Awesome video.
Thank you!!!
Great video, last year I was my first attempt at compost/leaf mold production. I used spent grains from a local brewery. Worked well. I enjoyed watching.
Thank you for the nice comment. I am glad you enjoyed this.
Hey there. Nice channel. Full of useful tips. Thanks for sharing. Just started mine and found your channel, very helpful. Keep up the good work.❤
Thank you very much! I just subscribed to yours. Looking forward to your content! Keep it up :)
Good job and good video! Thank you! We don't have chicken so I do cool compost by just putting one layer of food scrap, one layer of leaves or grass clippings, water, in a compost container and let it sit until whenever... 😄
Hey, if it works, it works!! Great job figuring out something that works for you.
@@twiggshomestead6497 Hehe.. Thank you!! This is my second year learning and trying to create compost. I bought 3 metal containers from Tractor Supply designed for compost but they're small, not even 3 ft in diameter, but they weren't too expensive when I bought them, and I got them for convenience and privacy so neighbors can't see compost or they might think we're hoarding trash.. I wish I could have a compost system with 3 bins like what you have... Anyways, last summer we dumped out one container in a flower bed, the compost was not quite finished but it was good, we grew several types of flowers in there and a huge bush of lemongrass... that lemongrass was so awesome and smelled so great, thanks to that pile of compost! I love it! 😁
@@cheesekake1841 Great work! the beauty of compost is, even if not 100% complete, as long as most of the material is broken down, it will still do wonders for the plants and continue to break down on the soil surface.
I have SUCH a better understanding now! Thank you very much for this video.
Can you add to the video? A little blip on what exactly to do with compost would be super helpful 😅
Thank you so much!! I made a video on compost tea which is my favorite application. I can make a video on all of the applications of it this summer!
I always thought it had to break down far more than that to be considered ready for use. I mean i know in nature there is no time limit and the material that falls to the ground begins the process and older stuff under that is already giving back so guess i could have been spreading my compost far sooner than i do. Thanks for that 🤩 Gonna go turn my pile again and add it to my garden.
good job, thanks for bringing this video right tot the end. hopefully worms will move in if it sits for a while.
They did and man the worms that live in the pile get HUGE fat and healthy. When I turn a complete pile, I’ll collect some and give the chickens a healthy treat.
Thumbs up for the gold star. 😊 Now out to the coop and pig pen.....
⭐️ Thank you for watching! Good luck!
I have a similiar setup, also with chicken beddding and leaves as main source (and alot of horsemanure).
Ive added vertical air pipes, and cut down on turning it alot. I remove the pipes after 10 days, it will create a vertical void that transport air into the pile without turning.
As a final step, after i consider it finished compost, i move it into the out door area of my chickens. They will remove any weed seeds from the finished compost, and feast on all worms and insects.
I'm sold
Get after it!
Great video Twig thanks for uploading I really did enjoy that.. Only one thing You did forget to mention though was how obsessive composting can become LOL
Omg you’re telling me! I’ve been making compost for years now. I love making it almost more than I love using it
Great to compost the chicken manure/hay/leaves. Good to turn @140F as you mention, high temps like 160 can be tough on biology we want to encourage.
Food for thought: might want to add grass clippings, kitchen waste, fine wood chips, etc. for even greater diversity, yielding an even greater nutrient rich compost.
I agree! Thanks for the comment :D
Too hot compost is a myth. In mine, I regularly reach 165 f without any problems. It is true that at that point the thermophilic bacteria start to die, but their dying means that the thermophilic process is dying down, i.e. the compost heap is partially cooling down. Once it has cooled down sufficiently, the bacteria multiply rapidly again. This balances the process itself. Very hot compost means that it has ideal nitrogen-carbon ratios and it is a shame to turn it at that point. The bacterial count and temperature will balance themselves. This can be seen by the temperature fluctuating between 165 and 145 f. Only when the temperature starts to drop below 130 f without rising again is it time to turn.
Amazing info thanks!!
Not sure about the ‘myth’ bit. I am a horticulturalist in Sydney Australia and I have seen the middle of compost heaps become grey ash. Take it or leave it😊
I just learned this as well! I was experimenting and I got the same results! I even have it timed! If it’s not meeting that timeline, something is up!
Very interesting information. My go-to source of info, Cornel University's composting website, says to turn the pile if it exceeds 165F. It needs turning again every time it drops to 135F. But your explanation sounds plausible. I think I'll try it your way. Thanks!
So you can make compost without greens? Does the chicken manure replace the greens? I'm just learning to and it's seems very difficult and really scientific but everyone says it's in easy process
awesome video! thank you for doing your video across the whole line and including the thermometer link, which i’m buying. This made compost 101 make more sense to me. Just subscribed and will binge watch all your videos today. Thanks again and happy new year!
Thank you so much!! I am working on getting better at video creation to bring out even better videos! :D
Hi watching from glecious tv your new friend
Welcome to the homestead!
Excellent vid. Thanks for sharing sir.
Great video - educational. Detailed easy steps to follow
Thanks :D
great info. I love the 3 segment structure made with pallets. Do you have a video of how you put it together?
Hi, I do not have a video on how I put it together but that’s a great video idea! I will plan to make a video on that asap. Thanks!
You can also purchase a bag of compost starter pellets from any big box store. They really speed things up.
Great content
Thanks!
Love this! I like to reuse everything expecallly if it’s freee! And then ts so much better to use!
Great informative vid !! Thanks for sharing !!
Glad you liked it! Thank you for the support!
Nice !
Thanks!
Good job!
Cool......Hi from Long Branch. NJ
Hey! Middlesex county here
Thanks!!!
Thanks for the gold star. Good looking compost. I was doing the grass clippings, kitchen scraps and leaves which has been working great. This year I added quail and rabbits to the homestead. Their waste really kicked my compost into high gear. Really enjoy turning my pile these days.
Amazing! Animals are really the best way to fertilize your plants. Thanks for the comment
160 is perfect. Thats how hot the pile gets.....no problems there, here in South Africa we call 70 deg C, The working temperature. thats when stuff starts breaking down to make quick compost.
Good process. What about sprinkling blood meal on the pile in the fall to keep the temperature above the cold temps caused by lower temperatures.
I am sure that will help and if you have access to affordable blood meal, that's a great source of nitrogen to keep the pile active!
very solid information. well done but how does the compost now not heat up after use when watered
Thank you! Once the compost is complete, the heating process will stop. Even if the compost is not 100% complete before use, it will not heat in thin application. It is the mass of a pile that retains and generates heat.
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation in your video. I have all it takes to make compost in my farm but I have not started because of lack of knowledge on how to go about it. All I used to do was to collect the chicken drops and wet and dry them and start applying to my plants after some months. I hardly put enough grasses.
But very quickly... I can see your 3t Lmao tiers compost bin outside.. my question: is there any problems when the compost is beaten by rain?
I'm asking this question because I do move my dried chicken manure inside to avoid rain.
Your response will be highly appreciated!
You can do this!! No the rain will not hurt anything. you need the moisture to activate the compost and get it going.
arigato. very useful. yes. indeed.
I just saw the video you published and am now watching your older videos. I personally like videos like this where you see the job through to the end. I don't care for the way many just show a step or two and then you have to remember a few months later what you were up to. I watch to many videos for that. Let me see the show from start to finish please. Just like this one. Mike Kincaid does his like that. He's very inaging.
It looks like your old pile needed a little turning too. Are those weeds growing out of it? If so you might not have gotten it hot enough long enough, lol.
Hi! Yes I do agree and that’s what I’m working towards. The problem with those kinds of videos is they take months to produce and very strict organization to take update clips and add them into an unfinished project in the video editor software. I’ve done this with the blackberry video too. The end product is a lot of fun though! Mike Kincaid does an amazing job, I’m a big fan of his. I’m going to do a lot of these types of videos this spring but they won’t be finished and uploaded until the fall so stick around :D That old pile had not been turned in some time and the weeds from the wind landed and grew on top of it. It’s since been turned and combined with this newer pile. It will be made into a new raised bed this year. Thanks for the comment! I’m excited to show you what’s coming this spring :)
@ Twiggs Homestead, Great content..How would I do the same in order place it in a small bin 1/2 hour to my garden.?
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You could do this method on a smaller scale but not too small. It's the mass that helps generate the thermo effect that's composting the material. You can always compost somewhere local to where you live, load it into a bin, and bring it to your garden when you are ready to use it!
tnx i will try to do that because we have a rice field, husk of palay/rice, i want a vegetable garden in our backyard, but first thing to know how to make a good soil to put seed. tnx for sharing tips
You can do it!
Thanks for the video! Btw, how did you stabilize your skids so that they wouldn’t topple over? Did you bolt them to the ground?
I ran 2x4 along the back and screwed them all together. The weight of them hold everything together.
I'm gonna compost in my garden spot by using straw, leaves,cardboard, and various litters. Once it's done I can just spread it out.
Great video, thanks for posting it and the time lapse was very helpful. Also just curious as to why you didn't cover the pile to help it heat up or keep out extra moisture? Alot of other channels seem to suggest you have to cover it. Love to hear your thoughts or ideas on covering the pile 😊
Covering it will not help heat it up. Its the green:brown ratio and the microbiology in combination with the moisture that is going to cause it to heat up. While yes, covering it might help keep moisture in, it might also prevent the pile from exhausting excess heat in the form of steam thus bringing temps too high.
In short, if you have an issue getting the pile to temperature above 120. (Common in late fall and winter here in the northeast) then covering it might help but in this case, covering is just an extra step, using extra resources for very little gain if any at all. Please try both and let me know what your conclusion is! Id love to know and learn with you. Thanks for watching!
@@twiggshomestead6497 thank you so much for you quick reply, I will try both and let you know 😊
Hi have learned alot. How come you dont cover the top with black polythene?
I want the pile to breathe and take in moisture from the environment via rain, dew, etc. I turn the pile so often that the exterior finds its way to the middle and the middle to the exterior
you might appreciate a 4 or 5 tine fork. The fork you are using is better suited to wood shaving work. I like the video. thanks for taking the time.
Thank you for the comment! I actually did purchase a 4 tine fork with a full length handle this summer for my more recent compost piles. Great observation though! I was just using what I had. Always learning and improving!! :D
Lazy man composting. Raise beds 3-5 deep. 2 feet down, 3 above. Uses the principles of hugelkulture. Wired cloth lining the bottom to keep gophers out but allow worms in. Layer of woodchips or logs, branches on bottom. Acts as a sponge when breaks down, helps with making your plants drought proof and don’t need to water as much. Layer of chopped leaves above the wood, helps the pile from shrinking a little, your other nutrients or garden waste, a little starter from finished compost. Layer up accordingly until near the rim. It will sink. At the top last 2 layers is compost then wood chips. Thrown in some worms into your bed. They will multiply and add worm castings into your bed. Only thing you need to do is add more organic material on top as insulation because the pile keeps shrinking as worms eat at it and it degrades. Never need to buy fertilizer and don’t need to turn your pile and adds a little heat to the roots and protects from frost. You can put a cover to give it a green house effect as well. Will protect your plants in winter and give you an early Spring start. Make different bed Ph balance styles for plants that like slightly acidic soil such as Tomatoes or Blueberries. Turning your beds often will give you almost finished compost 3 weeks. My method don’t need to turn, just keep,adding new layers as it shrinks. Done on a yearly basis. Especially helpful if you got Perennials. If you start new beds just need turn top 1st foot and mix with compost and shredded leaves. Sorry, I am old gardening is a hobby, least amount of physical labor fits my style of gardening. The 2 things you need to understand hugelkultur and layering for worms to live in, and how hot you want your pile. If you dig out your bed for the compost, maybe 6-8 years later. Why dig it out, worms keep a cool bed, a hot compost bed gives off heat. Need a layer for worms to migrate to if you use both. Some people want the heat for really cold weather, greenhouse heat.
There are different lazy man gardening, timing when to turn your compost pile to get heat, August, September, October. If you got chickens, and use deep litter method, clean out then when you get a lot of leaves. Saves the time of building a compost pile, turning the pile, place to dump your organic waste and usually starts to rains so you don’t need to water your pile. Also use this time to build a new bed so you layer it the way you want. If you use worms, leave about 1 foot migration layer on top of compost. This allows you to plant immediately too. As your pile begins to shrink you add new layers of grass, woodchips, kitchen scraps, eggs, seaweed, leaves etc etc. You can customize your bed to be the most nutrient dense bed and soil. Since your bed lasts for a long time, concrete block is easiest and cheapest. If you want insulated then you need to make your own forms and use aircrete, very light concrete paneling. Will last 20 years plus. Keeping out rabbits and deer, cattle paneling as the frame for your green house. Either stick it on hinges so you can lift it or make it large enough to be a walk in greenhouse. Size of your raised beds, greenhouse, budget and how much work you want to put into it varies for everyone. My personal preference is an herb garden, lemon and lime trees, garlic and onions, potatoes and carrots and root vegetables and leafy greens, just cut everything fresh from the garden as I need it. Controlling temperature and light dictates if my plants bolt to seed or not. Less waste.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing. Make sure to stick around because I am going to be doing this exact method this spring with 4 new raised beds.
I never worried about spreading out the straw in the chicken coop. I would just put the whole bale in, cut the lines off, and the chickens would go to work spreading that straw out all by themselves. There would sometimes have some bugs or wheat in there, and they were determined to find it. I'd check back a while later, and they would have that straw spread out perfectly throughout the coop. My father told me that I probably didn't even need to cut the ties on the straw.
Amazing! I’m going to try this next time. I appreciate the comment!
I like your method it helps a lot my question in do you cover it all when the rainy season
No not when the pile is active. Once it is complete and all broken down, I will throw a tarp over it. In most cases, I use it all up before I run into that problem though lol.
Love it
Thanks!
Can you put ur compost bins or piles in the shade?
yes, I find it does better in the shade!
I think it would have been beneficial to add more carbon when your temp was high. That leaf mold would have been perfect to add. As Long as you had ample nitrogen add more carbon and cover to maintain the moisture and heat.
Thanks for the video. I’m attempting composting for the first time. Should I be worried about rain in the forecast?
Not at all, rain is a good thing!
If your pile doesnt reach those temperatures can we put a tarp over it to trap the heat? Or what do we do to get the temp up?
Also you turn it if the temp is to high and to low???
The pile will always get to the high temp so long you have the right amount of nitrogen or “green” material. If it’s not getting hot enough you need to add more nitrogen. A the heat will come from within the center of the pile so trying to wrap it won’t be doing much to the temp inside. If anything it will cause harm because it will prevent rain water from keeping the pile moist and encourage the pile to dry out.
Yes when the pile gets very hot above 160°F, you turn it. If it drops below 100°F you can add moisture and turn it.
So thank you for this video. One question that I would have, if you should use a mask and gloves to clean out the chickens, why not use at least a mask to put it into the compost pile? You are still moving the poop and straw, yes, it is a little more open. The dust would still be there, correct. Not trying to be rude, just trying to ask to understand. I am looking to do compost at the house.. Thank you.. Good video best i have seen this explained..
It is MUCH more open lol. I went from being inside a tiny 6x10 closed space with very little ventilation to outside, wide open air. I also wet the pile down rapidly when outside which eliminates the dust.
The chicken poop was actually already mixed with straw so the leaf mold was extra carbon. In many ways leaf mold is fungally superior to bacterial garden compost but the great nitrogen source is the chicken poop. How many times do you clean the chicken coop because that is the main factor in your garden compost.
About 1x per quarter. 4x per year. If lazy, I will skip the summer cleanout and have a hearty deep clean in fall going into winter.
That's a really good amount - and with leaf mold free and easy it's a perfect combination. Add in kitchen stuff, coffee and cardboard and you are cooking man!!!❤
How do I restart a pile that I made 6 months ago, to heat it up again, ? It was made in the winter, and heated up really fast, but I never maintained it.. I’d like to try and restart the pile, or make a new one, and use the materials .. any advice ??
The best way to heat it back up is to turn and wet it really well. If it still doesn't heat back up after that, then the ratio of carbon to nitrogen (browns to greens) was off. In your case too many browns; which makes sense for a winter pile. All good though! What you can do to heat it back up and continue the compost process is simply add more greens and mix/ wet it really well. Grass clippings are a great easy nitrogen source you can add to a cool pile to heat it back up. Lots of coffee grinds will work too!
Let me know how it goes and if that helps
@@twiggshomestead6497
This is great info. Thank you..
Can we do this without the themometer?
Yes, you will probably have to get your hands dirty though. The process is the same you will just have to dig a hole with your hand to try and get as close to the center as you can feel for temperature. If it begins to get uncomfortably hot, its time to turn.
Thanks, Just starting out with compost bins. Thinking of using horse manure. I know it is not as hot but it is what I have available. Would this work as well even if it would possibly take longer? Great instructions!
It might take a bit longer, I do not have experience with horse manure however I do know it makes for a wonderful product at the end of the composting process. Id say, do the exact same thing, monitor the temps and keep turning it until its done! Cant go wrong!!
@@twiggshomestead6497 thanks.
Can you add more browns in order to reduce the heat?
Great question! Absolutely! Changing the ratio is a great way to control heat. Adding greens = more heat. Adding browns = less. Turning it and adding water will help as well.
I'm makings compose with store bought soil, leaves & vegi & fruit scraps 4 about 1 month been only at 70 F° can I still add grass clippings 2 heat it up more & so it kills harmful bacteria, ect.?
Yes, you can add more "greens" like grass clippings and nitrogen-rich components. Just make sure to turn the pile well after using grass clipping and wet it down!
Thank you for a simple and great tutorial. Only question. How long are your pallets?
Thanks!! Standard-size pallets. 48" x 40"
@@twiggshomestead6497 thanks again! We are switching to no till in spring. Starting with compost this fall. So this makes it easy to understand!
Great! I love notill @@36kenizzle
Does the pile have to be in the sun ? My pile is in the shade almost all the time
Negative. It can be anywhere. It’s all the same underneath where the magic is happening!
I live close to the beach in South Florida. Is it okay to collect seaweed and put it in my composting pile?
Thats a great question, i would think yes, but you might want to rinse it out really well before piling it. I don't know if the salt will inhibit the bacterial process.
Very good compost worth a hundred of dollars if you buy it from local shop I’m about to give it a try,but I’m not sure about few things like What time of the year is good to start and what kind of leaves are best for this job?
Good time to start is fall, when the leaves fall, but depending on how cold your winter is, your pile might not start breaking down until spring when your pile thaws. My winters get down to -30C, and my pile freezes rock hard. For reference, my piles are in those black standing containers with the lid in the top, so don’t get exposed to as much rain as an open pile like this youtuber’s. I’ve had decent results with leaving the leaves in a pile on the ground over winter, they break down some with the moisture in fall and spring. But if you are going for leaf mold, I’ve seen people just put the leaves directly on their garden beds and let it break down that way. Any leaves that are from deciduous trees should work.
Can you throw your kitchen scraps in there? Also i can't have chickens so would it work to use chicken manuer in bags from the garden store?
Also....how often did u turn the leaf pile over winter? Thank you.
Yes kitchen scraps are great! Anything green and organic can go into a pile like this. I wouldnt use bagged chicken manuer because that means it either has been composted already or cooked to kill bacteria. We want the bacteria here! The best thing I can suggest for animal inputs is call a local farmer or horse ranch and ask if they can give you a few buckets of the manuer. This can be done without manuer too. you can do this with 100% kitchen scraps, grass clippings, straw, woodchips or whatever you can get your hands on. The key is the ratio of green to brown and mass. Turn it once a week or when the temps get above 140.
Does it spontaneously combust?
Never, it’s too damp. However, I’ve seen it dry out if I don’t turn it enough.
Looks like your maure from your coop looks much darker than mine . Why, what kind of bedding are you using.
I use alfalfa. It's primarily used as feed for horses etc. I like to get alfalfa because it has a great little microbe called protozoa which is a predator in the microcosm and helps cycle quicker. Choosing alfalfa versus other bedding has nothing to do with the chickens and everything to do with the compost!
Do you add other types bacteria ?
No, just whatever is around my area. I’ve experimented with IMO (indigenous micro organisms) before. It’s a Korean natural farming technique. Chris Trump on RUclips is the guru on that topic.
did u use city water?
I am using untreated well water. pH 6.8 and Hardness about 35ppm.
@@twiggshomestead6497 Thank you!!!
'add some. . Milk? Full cream!'
Oh yes! I love cream
How do you make leaf mold?
Check out one of my recent videos on the topic! Basically, in short, pile leaves up and turn them. They decompose slowly but turn into a wonderful product.
"Chicken Poop Lasagna" has my 3year old laughing.
haha wonderful!! Glad to hear. Thank you for the comment :D
My garden soil is mostly clay I've been
Working on for last couple yrs
I toke my tractor dug holes filled them with rotten wood tin cans leafs kitchen waste
Then put grass clippings
Burn tree limps added top soil mix it up
Best I could then done it all agian maybe
Three times
Now my soil is beginning to change
Was yellowish now getting brownish
Looking for dark colors
Now has worms great !
Also I've been putting bones an anything
I can think of lots of kitchen compost
I just dig hole pour it in cover with leafs
An dirt
Any more ? Oh yeah I put several bags
Of sheared paper card board
Few dead things
Thats the way to do it! Add "Organic matter" which is everything you just mentioned minus the tin cans. Dont put tin cans.
Never saw compost steam holy hell
‘Chicken Poop Lasagna’ 😂 😂 😅 😂 😂
Basically lol works like a charm!
Good sh- t