Can you grow in only compost?

[@happyg8059]

*Wooow this is great and amazing, I love your gardening style, please continue like this, we will not get tired of watching this video, it is very edifying, please do not stop, GO GO GOOOOOO!!!!!*

[@MindandSoil]

Ah thank you so much for your support!! ❤️🙌🏻

[@mcuten]

I planted in 100% compost this season and EVERYTHING came out wonderfully! A special shout out to my cucumbers which THRIVED!

[@MindandSoil]

Love to hear that! It sure has been the year of the cukes!

[@sighmachine_]

Was there any taste difference? I've heard about an increase of bitterness in microgreens when grown 100% in worm castings

[@dana102083]

@@sighmachine_ compost and vermicompost have different qualitied.. I thought bitterness was maturity level and lack of watering?

[@Aniki-ei9de]

Can you grow seeds in compost?

[@cucngmtl-tx5194]

@@Aniki-ei9deIf seeds germinate in your compost, it is supposedly ready to use!

[@cowboys729]

I googled the question, “ Can you plant vegetables from a compost bin only?” It directed me to your video. I was extremely happy to see that I can! I also subscribe for new videos. Thank you for your passion of gardening and sharing your knowledge and trials.

[@mmbagajohn2734]

Mental health and gardening. Mind and soil. I love it.

[@MindandSoil]

Thanks so much John! Thrilled to have ya with us :)

[@Wolf-xu1fj]

Was there a different between the taste of each pile?

[@mrskmonster]

I was full of rage last week because of some bureaucratic nonsense. I didn't know how to get out of that headspace until it was time to tend my garden. I instantly felt peaceful and calm with the sun coming up, the birds singing and my hands in the soil. I actually work in a plant nursery and although it doesn't pay well, it absolutely helps with my mood. The plants inspire me every day.

[@MindandSoil]

Kateeee! ❤️ Thank you for sharing these words. Absolutely hear you on all of this and how much peace and joy they can bring. How did you come across us?!

[@TexasBroskiActual]

This was me today. Birds, a very strong breeze, and gardening!

[@KishorTwist]

Bestest hobby that I wish I fully got into years and even decades ago!

[@petermcfadden9426]

Interesting results. I use 100% compost with chopped comfrey mulch. Happy growing from north Wales, UK.

[@MindandSoil]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing :)

[@honeydew4576]

We started gardening in 2021. We built a greenhouse with three deep raised beds. We filled each bed with manure, grass, leaves, and then we grew in trays on top of the beds - not in the composting beds directly. In only 2 and 1/2 years we were able to fill all of our other garden beds with the homemade compost. This is so rewarding.

[@arianplata1082]

Started to grow with all compost soil because this video. Really helped me understand many things . Thanks so much for the help .

[@lokes2]

Nice video. I think one important point to make is compost doesn't cost anything and soil blends can be $$. Also compost gets better with age where as blends get depleted with age. Keep up the good work.

[@MindandSoil]

Very true! Thanks for watching :)

[@taram4390]

WOW that sunflower is massive!! 🌻🤩 Totally going to try this out.

[@MindandSoil]

Yeah! Love love love going heavy on the Compost and I'm definitely interested in doing some trials with 75%compost, 25% vermiculite :D

[@deepakkakkar7698]

As as beginner i never knew that we can grow in just compost, I was about to buy soil after buying Multipurpose compost. Thanks for the information.

[@MindandSoil]

So glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching :)

[@galactickim]

Thank you for this video! We bought a property in Paradise Valley (Squamish) over a year ago, and I planted a garden from seed for the first time this year. Overall a great success thanks to educational videos like yours. We didn't have enough garden bed space, so I made a bed of pure compost from the Squamish landfill. At first I thought my transplanted seedlings were going to die, but they bounced back and are doing well (other than pests). Winter squashes, zucchini, bush beans, collards, cabbage, cauliflower all grown in the 100% municipal compost have been producing, to my surprise, as the compost doesn't seem finished enough. I've just planted some cover crop seeds for that and another new garden bed, hoping to further prepare the soil for next year's plantings. One of my experiments this year was several container-grown things vs in ground. Containers were fairly equal for potatoes and zucchini, awesome for piccolo eggplant and emperor cukes, not as good for tomatoes (next year will only do determinant in containers). Next year I think my buckets will be mostly potatoes and a couple eggplant. Can't wait to watch more of your videos, thank you! Hoping to watch more of your experiments :)

[@galactickim]

Oh - and I am definitely seeing the mental health benefits of gardening, though I wonder if I am taking it too far (into an obsession 🙃). At least it's a healthy obsession and my family is enjoying the fruits of our labour!

[@MindandSoil]

Oh interesting! I didn't know the landfill did Compost, Ill have to check that out! Compost can definitely be a bit hot when getting it from large suppliers, but over time it will settle and as you mentioned you can definitely build it up over time. Personally what I love to do is anytime I get compost from a large supplier is run it through a 1/2" sift. This gets all the big wood particles out. These wood particles are high in carbon so they end up actually pulling nitrogen from the compost which is probably why you thought the plants were going to die at the beginning. Fun sneaky little hack to improve compost before getting it into the beds!

[@MindandSoil]

Love that you're also connecting with the mental health benefits of gardening!!

[@galactickim]

@@MindandSoil Contact GFL for compost. Unfortunately it is not free… Too bad, I know some other places offer free compost to locals.

[@7Risen7Phoenix7]

I don't garden (though I do have some house plants), but my dad does, and since I work in the local grocer's produce department, I have ample access to compost supplies, something which I take full advantage of. Plenty of scraps and cardboard, as well as coffee grounds from the Starbucks a mile down the road.

[@awkwardbbq8332]

My wife suggested your channel, excellent video. I've experienced myself the benefit of gardening on my mental health !! I'm hooked, mostly composting but like gardening aswell. Subscribed!!

[@MindandSoil]

Ah amazing!! Thanks so much and thrilled to hear the mental health side resonated. Where did your wife come across us? Seems like word is starting to get out!

[@awkwardbbq8332]

@@MindandSoil just randomly showed up in her timeline I think. We're moving to no dig and are huge dowding, Perkins and Weedy fans so makes sense

[@MindandSoil]

@@awkwardbbq8332 love it! Yeah I absolutely love the stuff that Charles puts out and use tons and tons of compost in my beds!

[@awkwardbbq8332]

@@MindandSoil just got home my wife (Clives Conudrum) just showed me your conversation lol heck ya let's do the split pillar!! But I doubt she'll let me away from composting lol. Btw my names not Clive, it complicated bit not awkward ;) hope to see you next Thursday!!

[@vishnumohan6984]

This guy deserves more subscribers... Great vedio bro

[@MindandSoil]

I appreciate that! Thanks for watching :)

[@abdulmubeenmohammed5557]

I really like the way you did experiements, It is like a practical botany class with results. Its amazing video and because of this i subscribed to your channel. 100% thumsup to you.

[@MindandSoil]

Thanks so much! Just wait to see the videos that I launch this weekend with an experiment that I'm kicking off. It's the biggest one yet!

[@bhuvaneswarakumarsavesoil7676]

Wow just today I too want to experiment planting leafy vegetables in 100% compost… luckily watching your video makes me more confident… And there will not be any weed problem also👍

[@Jp18888]

Why will there be no weed problem of growing in 100% compost? Can explain ? Thank u q

[@markuswade2158]

Great experiment!! Thank you.

[@Nehasingh-lq2zj]

thanx a lot this video was more than helpful i can't spend too much money on buying soil but making and growing plants in compost is free so this video works very well for me

[@astralfarmer]

I love the experiment and the message. Gardening has saved my life. Thank you

[@MindandSoil]

Oh wow! Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@irmasanchez5274]

Great experiment. Thank you for sharing.

[@MindandSoil]

My pleasure Irma!!

[@CaliGirl-vx1js]

I love this, because I was going to try this, I don’t want to have to but anything extra from the store

[@christineconklin534]

5/10/23 4:55 pm. Fort Bragg Ca. You’re video was so useful, informative and inspiring, it compelled me to comment, like and subscribe. Keep posting! Thank you, Chris and Bob.

[@Tomtrong-y1b]

Awesome! Love the intelligent, objective away you approached this!

[@MindandSoil]

Thanks Mike! Lots more planned for this year - specifically around rooted crops, potato grow bag sizes, and a few others!

[@gardenhighlightsworm]

I enjoyed watching your experiment 🔬

[@MindandSoil]

Ah thanks so much!! Are there any that are of particular interest to you!? Happy to give some more a try!!

[@gardenhighlightsworm]

@@MindandSoil Differences between adding more P/K or trench composting, or soil enhancers eg. bone meal, mineral rock dust, etc.

[@MindandSoil]

@@gardenhighlightsworm Love the sounds of that! And yes I am going to start playing around with more specific ammendments for specific crops this season and hoping to glean some cool learnings!

[@gardenhighlightsworm]

@@MindandSoil Great!

[@mgguygardening]

Great video, and I like that you mention there are many different ways to garden and each personal experience is different. Gardening is about trying different things and seeing what works best for you!

[@bariaissa1737]

Thank you

[@regularSenseAppeal]

Awesome job!! Very interesting result. The tomatoes lived up to their reputation as being suckers for nutrients.

[@MindandSoil]

They sure love their nutrients!!

[@regularSenseAppeal]

@@MindandSoil Is the followup coming in the fall after the growing season? Any details on the compost that you used? Wormiculture, aerobic/heated compost?

[@MindandSoil]

@@regularSenseAppeal I wish! However I had to move that bed for this season which would mean essentially starting over. I'm getting close to having the garden all setup/structured the way that I want it to be so I'll be able to do more multiyear experiments soon :D. In terms of the compost it was a Hot Composted 100% greenwaste product :D

[@regularSenseAppeal]

@@MindandSoil Many thanks for the kind replies!

[@befrankpls]

Love your ways from Antonio from Goa India. God bless

[@lizz7805]

that's very insightful, i currently grow hydrangeas in container with 100% compost, they are doing fine. i'll try to do an experiment in my raised bed with compost as well.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Really fun video. I love experimentation in all things (I work in the science field). One thing that likely impacted the potatoes... often more fertile soils cause the potatoes to grow a ton of green growth but actually not as much actual potatoes. A trick that many people do with their potatoes is completely withhold water from them for the last month of the season, to trigger the potatoes to make large tubers. If the plants stay happy for too long, then they sometimes don't have enough time to go through their last "survival mode", which is making tubers. The more fertile the soils are, the less stressed out the potatoes get, so it makes sense that they often create very amazing looking plants, but actual poorer yields. I think you may have experienced this in a small way here. So the solution is that for really fertile beds, it's absolutely crucial to "scare" the potatoes at the end of season, and completely stop watering them. Make them stress out and make tubers. Then they can really use all that extra green biomass that they made (from super fertile soils) and put on massive crops. This was a super fun video to watch. I think most of the results are going to be muffled by the small sample sizes used. I know in my gardens, the same crop, same seed, same location, different plants will vary in their production +/- 20% or so. Most of your results seem to be within that "error band". So it's hard to draw any conclusions from small sample sizes like this, but it's still fun to do (and watch)!

[@MindandSoil]

LOVE this response! And I'm definitely going to try that tip out with the potatoes. I've done something similar with peppers in the past where I give them a feed of bat guano (high in phosphorous) and then cut the water about 7 days later and get tonssss of flowers/fruits. And I couldn't agree more with the comment on small sample size. I wouldn't be surprised if even on a larger sample size both perform well and being fairly statistically similar as both environments are quite ideal for growing!

[@kefumanesebekho7355]

Does it apply to watermelons as well?

[@MyFocusVaries]

​@@kefumanesebekho7355 You're supposed to stop watering watermelon 10 days before harvest to concentrate the sugars

[@carollyncheeyen]

I really like this content! Thank you

[@MindandSoil]

My pleasure!

[@lujitsu1251]

Good job. Good guy obviously.

[@mark1952able]

Very smart experiment. Much appreciated.

[@MindandSoil]

My absolute pleasure Mark!! Have you checked out any of the other experiments on our page?

[@mark1952able]

@@MindandSoil YES!

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

Perfect video for what I was trying to solve. I want to spread my compost out more instead of using it full force. I'll start the amending.

[@tiq6877]

this is really really helpful. thank you soo much!

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

Great vid! My yard is perfect for making several yards of compost every year. I also burn newspapers and yard waste for additional carbon and potash to mix in, and biochar I make myself. This coming season, I will be adding some green sand and sifted clay for additional minerals to see if that makes a difference. I avoid peat like the plague, but pumice is great for aerating and water retention. I purchase it by the bag at tack shops. It's used for horse stalls, but I'm trying to find a more cost effective source.

[@MindandSoil]

Love the approach to all this DA! I can tell you're an experimenter like me!

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

@@MindandSoil Yep, but I did make a HUGE mistake the first year out. Before I got a bag for my mower to use my own lawn of mostly weeds, I got the nice green clippings alongside the road in high end neighborhoods. It made great compost, except it contained Weed and Feed, so everything I planted in it withered and died. Now, I use my own stuff exclusively. You can stick a toothpick in it after breakfast, and by lunch it's turned into a 4x4. 😃

[@xaviercruz4763]

It seems that compost encouraged plants to fruit and grow excellent top parts with sunflower 🌻, tomatoes 🍅 etc, but the minerals with the compost favored the roots as 🧅 and potatoes 🥔 grew bigger, which are underground parts. Wao, thanks God!

[@TheSateef]

very interesting, peat moss and perlite is expensive compared to bulk compost

[@orethamillage5108]

Thanks as a new gardener I'm looking for ways to get anything to grow especially tomatoes and peppers and I just started to experiment with compost

[@MindandSoil]

Fantastic! Definitely continue to follow along as we'll be sharing lots on tomatoes and peppers!

[@lwj1013]

Amazing video thank you

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Well presented. Subbed. We're new gardeners and made compost for the 1st time this summer. We trialed it against "premium" bagged compost and compost from a facility. The results are shocking. We did a cost and time analysis but completely left out the health(mental aswell). Love the mental health aspect of your content :) looking forward to you next trial. Btw beautiful garden!!

[@MindandSoil]

Ah thanks so much for this!! Thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the content and are also tapping into the mental health side of gardening. Where abouts are you based??

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@MindandSoil Victoria BC. What about you?

[@MindandSoil]

Beauty! Just across the pond in Squamish! Would you like to join our garlic growing virtual happy hour next week?

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@MindandSoil my husband climbed there in the 90's while he lived in Whistler. If we can make, we'll be there. We had a great garlic harvest this year :)

[@MindandSoil]

@@clivesconundrumgarden Love it! I climb plenty myself - he'll have to get out there with me next time you're through this way :P

[@4heartandmind388]

Thank you! Amazing!🪴🌵🌿💚

[@MindandSoil]

So happy you enjoyed it! We are about to kick off an even bigger experiment this year!!

[@bidkid2020]

Really enjoyed your video on the comparison thank you very much

[@meghdeepdatta7587]

Watching from India 🇮🇳 , I'm your new subscriber.

[@deniseyuen552]

Hey Jordan! I can't remember where I clicked from to get here (VVGG?) Anyhow, it first took me to the video embedded in your page and if I watch from there, I can't like it. Can only do it from KZbin. Not sure wherever you posted the link your intention was to drive traffic to your website or to your vid here! Anyhow, loved this as I love experiments. I'd love to see you do one where you add some of your worm castings to the soil blend!

[@MindandSoil]

Denise!! You are the best! Thanks so much for this - funnily enough we were talking about that internally yesterday! We're playing around and trying to figure out what is the best way to distribute the videos we're making and recognized that same challenge of not being able to get likes and comments when it's embedded in our website :). Please do continue to share any thoughts/feedback on your experience as it's super helpful! And in terms of worm castings - stay tuned! We're going to have lots of videos coming out on all things Garlic over the course of the next few weeks! :D :D

[@elizabethmoore2462]

This video is great, have you done one with 100% compost and the other just plane soil? That would be really interesting!

[@justjoanish]

I'd love to see a side-by-side comparison of the nutrient and water needs of each of those crops to see if that helps explain some of the differences.

[@MindandSoil]

Good point! Thanks for watching :)

[@AngelaThompson1961]

New Subscriber and New Gardner here !! 😀. Since I am new to Gardening, I accidentally purchased’ Only Compost ‘. I have just recently planted and I was in a panic thinking I’ve made a horrible mistake!! I also tried to do some research on the subject matter and couldn’t really find anything on Google. SO, I went to You Tube, found your video and I am SO DELIGHTED to know that both Compost Only and Soil really work!! I do have little sprouts coming up now but, I was still curious to know if I had done things ‘ correctly ‘. Thank you so very much for your very helpful and informative video !!

[@MindandSoil]

Woohoo thrilled to hear it! Since running this experiment my new personal favorite option is to go with 75% compost and 25% vermiculite - I find that to be a match made in heaven!

[@AngelaThompson1961]

@@MindandSoil OK!! Thank you So very much Again for the tips!!!! 😀 I will look for ‘ Vermiculite ‘ on my next Compost Run! If for whatever reason I can’t find it here, I’m sure I can order it on line! Hey…. You’re AWESOME !!!! Sending you a warm, A… LO… HA!!! 🌴🏖♥️

[@aylinayala5686]

Amazing, my brother has a compost and i wanna use his dirt for planting bell peppers

[@MindandSoil]

Yeah definitely add a bunch in!!

[@davidschmidt270]

I subbed as soon as you said "gardening for mental health" .....even before and certainly after I've been a big time loner ....I rub people the wrong way sometimes....and TBH a lot of the people in my neighborhood are pretty much if I didn't grow up with you and know you my whole life then ...so yeah right on......any videos about gardening and being alone??

[@MindandSoil]

Sorry to hear about that David- but thrilled to hear you've connected with gardening in a similar way to me!

[@SimonTheWattopian]

It seems like the in ground crops (onions & potatoes) did better in the soil mix and the above ground crops (sunflower & tomatos) did better in the pure compost. I think that's the most interesting takeaway.

[@MindandSoil]

For sure! We're about to kick off an even bigger and better one 😎

[@caelanwilliamson4284]

New gardener here and that is exactly what I was thinking too. Things like carrots, potatoes, radish, garlic and onions probably need a higher resistance in the ground to get bigger but tomatoes cucumbers flowers and such need the lighter less compacted grow medium so they can get bigger with less root resistance to focus on plant growth and fruiting.

[@johnytakdeep4839]

mineral.... compost is lacking of soil mineral. Add some beach sand into compost then it will do better than soil

[@maryjane-vx4dd]

Will rocks do the same thing as the sand ​@@johnytakdeep4839

[@Bonbob626]

Yes......what you will notice in hot countries in Africa is that root vegetables like yams grow extremely well in very poor grade soil. The reason for this, is presumed to be that compost fuels the growth of healthy leaves and vines and fruit and veg that spring from them however, it does not facilitate the growth of roots or vegetables below the ground very well. You will probly be able to test this yourself if you were to grow yams in compost VS ground soil. The ones in compost will produce lovely leaves but very insignificant yams.

[@DevinTheGardener]

Great video! Loved this experiment. I want to do the exact same. Currently building my own mels mix garden bed. Everything is experimenting!

[@MindandSoil]

Love it Devin! I'm actually in the process of designing an even bigger one myself as well! How did you come across us and where are you growing? Excited to be growing alongside you this season!

[@caelanwilliamson4284]

Thank you!

[@tamaramckeithan3360]

Great video! I'd love to see a full sun vs. partial shade. I have a very shady yard. I know you can grow some full sun vegetables in shade but will the smaller yield be worth the effort?

[@MindandSoil]

I LOVE the sounds of that experiment! I might actually have a perfect little spot for it as well! Definitely keep your eyes peeled on the channel as I just might get that going this year :D

[@xaviercruz4763]

Could you please do this with soil compost mix vs 🆚 compost alone?

[@rebekkaswan]

Can you do an experiment growing in only G and B Harvest Supreme soil amendment, vs soil mix?

[@lesleyhoban6559]

I like this experiment ... I m looking for best for root veg ,, torn up parsnip rutzbaha etc

[@MindandSoil]

My favourite root vegetables are radish, beets, and carrots! Yum!

[@KhabraMusicalTrain]

Great Video, very informative. Thank you for sharing.

[@haleymilko4454]

Thanks for this great video! A question about compost...A year and a half ago I put in some large beds and filled them with an organic bulk soil mixture, which was supposed to be fairly balanced. However, when the soil arrived, it smelled STRONGLY of compost, which dissipated by spring, so I didn't think of it. However, last summer I noticed some interesting things with how different veggies grew. Leafy greens grew very well, as did tomatoes and cucurbits. However, root veggies did not fair well - I got huge tops and these stunted, super hairy roots. Also noticed that my nasturtiums grew incredible amounts of leaves, but very few flowers. I suspect too much nitrogen in the soil, but wonder what you think, and how I might balance the soil this year for better results?

[@MindandSoil]

Great question Haley! What you're describing definitely sounds like a lot of Nitrogen and perhaps a lack of Phosphorous. It sounds like it was good quality compost and by this year would have mellowed out so if you add 1-2" of compost on top and then use a general organic fertilizer for your greens and a separate phosphorous organic fertilizer for your rooted vegetables I think you'll be in a great place!

[@Lochness19]

I'm wondering if intercropping root veggies with heavy feeders could work? Heavy feeders will use up the nitrogen and encourage the root veg to grow downwards?

[@enkhzayabat-orgil9595]

Very informative and well put together video! It almost seems underground types like soil mix, and above ground growth does better in compost? Interesting

[@MindandSoil]

Yeah that seems to be the case from this little experiment, but I'm about to start a much larger one which I'm really excited about!!

[@jasonbuzzard3127]

Moved off grid to farm in N. Central Arkansas, mainly for the mental health benefits!!

[@atnoahshouse]

Awesome video. I really enjoyed this one.

[@MindandSoil]

Ah amazing! So glad to hear that and I believe have you joining us on both Instagram and KZbin today!!

[@clarefoskett9959]

Brilliant.

[@alexpresent8907]

I would assume that the compost bed will only get better next season especially when you add more and so on every season.

[@stevenharness2283]

Greetings from Yorkshire England. Fascinating experiment with some surprising results. If I understand the Charles Dowding method correctly a thin layer of compost is applied to feed the soil beneath. 100% compost would be equivalent to container growing. Does this make a difference?

[@jonmutch]

not enough moisture retention in the blend because it is in a raised bed. Thanks for the video.

[@bwade79]

It would be interesting to know which one had more nutrition.

[@johnnyclemens8118]

What will you add in the compost next year

[@lizbrown900]

Sweet corn indoors what is the best to use as im house bound thankyou

[@gl3nnx]

wonderful, can you compare 100% compost vs 100% vermicast

[@MindandSoil]

I've done this on smaller scales - it is challenging to do in a full bed because of how much worm castings that is. However, the 100% vermicast seed cells performed worst as there's just not enough structure compared to a slightly larger compost

[@gl3nnx]

@@MindandSoil thank you, please keep up the good work ! i have just subscribed.

[@MindandSoil]

@@gl3nnx Thrilled to hear that!! Great to have you :)

[@lm86179]

Did you use regular compost or mushroom compost?

[@marcymcfly2641]

I cannot believe i just found you! This is great! Shall we say that depending on what we grow we need to change slightly the medium we use to grow them? Any tuber like potatoes, onion, garlic and so on will benefit from perlite mix as it is easier to expand in a softer medium. What about carrots and beetroot for example? I am going to check all your experiment videos now :)

[@MindandSoil]

Awesome! Thanks for watching :)

[@rhyothemisprinceps1617]

Would be a better comparison if pH of the mix were adjusted. Good demo of how important pH is.

[@MindandSoil]

Yeah pH would be a super cool one to test at some point in time!!

[@adolphvancoller8721]

A person who plants a garden, believes there will be a tomorrow ❤

[@OoooshetriesSs]

Hey man! I really LOVED this video & it’s couldn’t have come up at a more perfect time! I gotta ask tho.. would u recommend doing the full compost for peppers?? I’m transplanting some stuff in my garden today & was THRILLED to find ur video. I transplanted a few of my tomatoes in 10lb grow bags with some mulberry clippings at the bottom to help take up some room… & I anted to do the same for some heirloom peppers in the 5lb bags. I’m in a weird spot where I actually have more compost than coir/peat/seed starting mix so I’d like to stick to compost if I can. I’m using grow bags to kill the grass/weeds so I can start the no dig method! Once I’m done with these crops(since they’re already months in) , I’m literally gonna just pluck em & toss the soil over, maybe throw some other matter… bAdA bing bAdA boom. Lol But was curious if u have tried full compost on peppers yet & if so what the results were like. Again, awesome video man!💗🙏🏻

[@kentenguio7634]

Good day sir! Can I ask what compost did you use? Thank you!

[@MindandSoil]

G'Day Kent! It was an OMRI Listed greenwaste product. So no animal product in there just greenmatter that has decomposed!

[@no.1Swiftie4Trump]

Was there any noticeable difference in taste or texture between the 2 groups

[@lukeonderko8696]

In terms of moisture retention in pure compost, have you had better luck with drip or sprayers or soaker hoses?

[@stephen6415]

Have you used any fertilizers ?

[@JoeFeser]

I know times have changed, but when I lived in Greenville SC about a decade ago, I was purchasing 4cf bags of Vermiculite for $10 A bag.

[@davidschmidt270]

I like your experiments on the garden....I really like compost...dark rich and earthy .....no chemicals 🤢🤮

[@MindandSoil]

Thanks David! Yup I'm a big fan of going as natural and organic as possible!

[@davidschmidt270]

@@MindandSoil right on man....yeah me too Great minds think a like 🛐✝️💯🏆🐓🌟🧁🤠🎂🎉🍕✝️🍅🎀🧺🐣🐧🐧

[@heatherfigueroa357]

Hi!! New to this channel!! I have been working on my compost bin for about two years now….starting off without much knowledge….now it’s growing stuff….should I wait to se what it produces or pic and cut back into bin??

[@Lochness19]

How deep were the soil blends? Is it possible the plants grew down to beneath the compost or compost/perlite/peat moss mix into your native soil?

[@MindandSoil]

Nicolas this is a greattttt question!! Each box was about 10" deep (as I used 2"x10"s). In this instance they would not have grown into the native soil because I put cardboard down and it wouldn't have decomposed until the following season. But, I am just right now starting a new experiment that will be multi-year and compare three soils (No-Dig, Soil Blend, and a third one incorporating the native soil)! Keep your eyes peeled for those videos launching this weekend :)

[@laurielatour2862]

Would used coffee grounds act somewhat like Perlite to help aerate the soil?

[@MindandSoil]

That is a GREAT question Laurie! Going to provide a bit of a lengthy response to try and answer this for you! So aeration is the process of loosening the soil so that it is not as compact. To improve aeration you generally want to be adding organic matter as it is much larger particle size than sand/silt/clay that you'd find in the ground. So, coffee grounds would help accomplish this as they are organic matter. Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and can be a bit acidic, so personally I prefer to put them into the compost first and then into the garden but if they have been used (in making a coffee) then you could put them directly into the garden. Other organic matter (i.e. Compost, Worm Castings) will all help with decreasing compaction as well. Lastly, perlitedoes help with decreasing compaction (because it's a large particle and very light), but the primary use of perlite is for drainage as it does not retain any water. So if you just added perlite to the garden then you would have looser soil but you wouldn't have very good moisture retention. So to a new in-ground bed adding 4-6" of compost and then 1" of perlite and tilling that in as deep as possible (say 12") to establish the bed would give you a really nice soil that has water retention and is not compact! LMK if this has been helpful!

[@laurielatour2862]

@@MindandSoil Thanks for the info! Yes, the coffee grounds have been used to make coffee so I didn't think they'd be too acid. I recently bought a tall Birdie's bed & filled the bottom with logs, sticks, leaves and such & some old soil to fill in spaces in the bottom half. Now adding compost and put in some worm castings plus leaves and fresh kitchen scraps bc I don't plan to plant for a couple of months. I'm in FL & will wait till Sept. to plant a Fall garden (too hot, buggy & rainy!). I have a daily supply of coffee grounds from a coffee shop & wonder how much should I use? I put some directly in the bed and some in my compost pile (but all the grounds have been used to make coffee). Really appreciate your video & your helpful response! Many thanks!

[@MindandSoil]

@@laurielatour2862 Very cool! Definitely don't overdo it with the coffee grounds, I would say sticking to 10-20% of the total soil volume would be the maximum I'd go with. And then any extra from there (because they are an awesome resource) I would be putting into a compost pile and allowing that compost to break down. Once broken down, that's what I would be using as a top dressing :). Awesome questions and keep them coming through the year (and prepare the spare bedroom for me come Fall when I look to escape the pacific northwest rains :P)

[@jessicageorge9136]

So do you normally harvest all of your tomatoes even if they are green, or was that just for the purposes of the experiment? (I am a brand new gardener, so forgive me if this is a silly question.)

[@MindandSoil]

Jessica! Amazing question and so glad you found us! So normally I would leave those green tomatoes on so that they would begin to ripen. However! Towards the end of the season you can actually harvest off all of the green tomatoes, put them into a cardboard box wrapped in newspaper with 1-2 bananas and they will ripen up and turn red! So at the end of the season don't just toss them into the compost! I'll be doing a video on this is a few months time!

[@GratitudeLove]

Hello! Great video. Would the full compost work in a bigger raised bed like 4’x8’x 2’ high? Would I need to add sand or perlite for drainage? Curios if it will support the plant structure? Thanks

[@MindandSoil]

Hey Filipina! My personal favorite approach for larger beds at the moment is going with 75% compost and 25% vermiculite. I put together a follow up video to this one to run an even bigger experiment and that blend is performing really well! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqrEh6OVZriDl7c

[@yanirisencarnacion04]

I started gardening when the pandemic hit and it was the only way I was able to find calm in the middle of all the anxiety of not knowing if I was going to lose a loved one. My level of anxiety tripled during the pandemic and gardening was like therapy to me. I'm so grateful that I found a hobby I love and enjoy. Thank you for this video I wanted to grow only in horse manure but was afraid to kill all my seedlings. now I can experiment with it.

[@ErwinvanHolten]

Sorry but 1 sunflower in each bed and three onions each, 1 tomato plant each and two seed potatoes each ....that's no base for a comparision. It might just as well be another reason but the soil. I am much impressed with the potatoes though; what variety did you use? Thank you. Love your vids!

[@ahmedkazmi7551]

Do you need to fertilise if you’re growing compost

[@homesci3596]

I grew chillies in pure compost and the results are amazing

[@anujbhatia3337]

Based on other videos you’ve done with soil specialists would you still recommend 💯 compost? I’m thinking about getting a bulk compost delivery and amending with soil.

[@FiascoGames]

What about Compost + Perlite and 100% compost?

[@michellelaclair]

was that leaf compost or ?. what kind of compost was that? I want to plant in leaf litter shredded up and turned into dark material.

[@lenamcneil1693]

I have question: does Basil like total sun?

[@rkp1167]

In my opinion soil blend is good for vegetables which grow below soil and 100% compost is good for those who grow out of soil. Reason might be that soil blend u used gave more space for under soil vegetables to expand and grow bigger.

[@MindandSoil]

Super interesting point! It definitely could be interesting to do a deeper experiment categorizing the plants into specific buckets!

[@irmasanchez5274]

I apologize. The potatoes did indeed grow slightly better in mixed soil, as did the onions. I have been making my own compost since September of last year. I can't wait to start using it this year. I barely have any trash now. It feels very satisfying. I am super interested in how certain fungi can compost plastic. I truly believe we are very close to figuring out how to compost it. We should still use less due to the toxicity of it, but it feels great to figure out that loop.

[@MindandSoil]

@@irmasanchez5274 Absolutely! Compost is so fascinating!

[@Sullivanserves]

Dosent peat moss raise the pH of soil?

[@dear.fern.55]

Jordan, do you have any experience using mushroom manure/compost?

[@MindandSoil]

Hey Johanna! Great Q and it's not one that I have specifically experimented with. Is there a particular element that you're curious about?

[@dear.fern.55]

@@MindandSoil Just in general. How and where. What it’s benefits are. I have a whole bunch of it and I don’t wanna mess it up.

[@MindandSoil]

@@dear.fern.55 Ah! This is perfect. So what's even more important than my experience level with mushroom compost I would say is how do I approach areas that are new to me that I don't want to mess up. And so on this front, I always do it in increments - rather than applying mushroom compost across my entire garden I would start it in different little pockets to see how the garden responds to it. If well, then I expand its use. If not well, then I would pull back and approach it in a different manner once again with an incremental approach. I would say that this is pretty much how I approach all of gardening at this point!

[@Ysai0813]

Thank you for sharing this

[@MindandSoil]

My pleasure!! Thanks so much for joining us - how did you come across us?!

[@LadyTSurvival]

I would like to see a comparison with 100% compost, versus 30% compost 30% soil and 30% manure. And yes I know that only makes 90%, but you get my point LOL. Because the second iteration is what I'm using myself I'm basically going one third one third and one third cuz I have extremely Sandy soil with a little clay in it, very little topsoil. And I'm planting using quite a bit of compost and rabbit manure.

[@MindandSoil]

Haha It sounds like you might have to do that experiment for us!! I think you should do exactly that and then film it and let me know what the results are!! I'd be super curious to see/hear!

[@KishorTwist]

50% garden soil, 30%, peat moss and 20% compost is a decent mix for pots and containers, according to very knowledgeable expert gardener David Pavlis. I’m trying it myself this season! (2023-06-29)