Compost making and results from varied sizes of heap

Speed of decomposition. heap heat and eventual results can vary a lot! See a range of possibilities for making compost.
This is May and already there is a decent amount of new growth. I show you how we add it to heaps of varied types and dimensions here.
A key tip is to balance green and brown. Often this can automatically regulate moisture levels - you want it moist but not wet.
There is no obligation for heaps to be hot. We see how red worms (Esenia fetida) arrive as heaps cool down, naturally.
We finish with a look at my new wormery.
00:00 Intro
00:17 What is compost?
00:34 I show you my largest compost bays, and explain how to generate heat
02:12 How the compost looks after 5 months, and some info on worms
02:47 Compost at 7 months, with a brief mention of sieving, and when that might be useful
03:18 How I use compost on no dig beds
03:52 Some smaller heaps, made with pallets, and what we add to these heaps
05:06 Adding weed roots to heaps, this is fine!
05:28 A look at compost materials - grass cuttings, cauliflower leaves, kitchen waste (including rhubarb leaves!), old potting compost
06:22 How to compost woody brassica stalks, and other woody materials
07:30 I explain the three-bay system - both outer heaps go into the middle when turned
07:57 A word on finding wildlife in compost!
08:29 I talk about having woody material in compost - which types aren’t good, which are, and the reasons why
09:13 Some info on green material, and eventual sieving to remove large pieces of wood
09:57 A look at a pile of wood chip
10:27 I show you a compost bin suitable for a smaller garden
11:13 A brief word on stage of decomposition for using compost
11:28 Something completely different! I show you my new wormery, including a slow worm, and explain how we will use the compost from it
14:05 Further resources on compost making
I spoke a new audiobook for my course book about no dig gardening which has a chapter on making compost, www.audible.co.uk/pd/Charles-...
Events of MAY:
Workshop to make a no dig bed with Charles at Riverford Farm, Devon - 12th May fieldkitchen.riverford.co.uk/...
Evening talk from me and an excellent supper at Riverford Field Kitchen - 12th May fieldkitchen.riverford.co.uk/...
Carey’s Secret Garden - 16th May 2022 - Master Class bookings.careyssecretgarden.c...
Carey’s Secret Garden - 16th May 2022 - Evening Talk bookings.careyssecretgarden.c...
Filmed 6th May at my no dig market and teaching/trials garden. Homeacres, Southwest England, temperate oceanic zone 8 climate.
You can join this channel by paying a monthly fee, to support our work with helping gardeners grow better, and to receive monthly videos made only for members:
/ @charlesdowding1nodig

[@tedbastwock3810]

I love watching your videos over and over, I simply cant get enough of Charles Dowding.

[@stevenbp101]

Hi Charles, my uncle and his family came over Mother’s Day to see my mom (his sister) and they wanted to see the garden, well one question they asked was how I got my soil so black? I said a little trick I learned from a dude in the UK. Adding compost every year has helped my garden so much. Thanks Charles. God bless y’all. (Old guy from Arkansas)🇺🇸

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That is so nice Steve to imagine you having that conversation! I'm happy to be the dude supplying your information 😅

[@EliMacalikova]

I might have an idea for video, but it would be a LONG one. How about going through the insects that are in compost piles? It always amazes me how much life there is, it would be great to learn what it is, what it does.. :) But thank you for all your videos and your books. Love my Salad leaves for all seasons, Organic gardening, Vegetable garden and Gardening Myths

[@insAneTunA]

Compost is all about micro organisms.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks for the idea Eliska, and I'm happy you like the books 🥬

[@stepheneastwood4524]

@@insAneTunA And woodlice, ants, earwigs, millipedes, mites, beetles... they all help the decomposition process in their own way.

[@insAneTunA]

@@stepheneastwood4524 Very true, but it all starts with the micro organisms. If they do well and when they are happy with the conditions where they live, all the other living creatures will do well too.

[@K4HLER]

Let's not forget about Fungi. My favorite. I am doing a hack using Forrest compost in small amounts which has a very dense Fungi/ microorganism food web. That seems to simulate compost piles.

[@Chris-pv2ht]

I do the no dig method now and I can honestly say its so much easier. In early Spring I get compost from the bin and just apply on the beds and rake it so all areas are covered. I dont think it matters too much if there are still decaying matter, the worms in the soil will do rest of the work. Worms are a barometer of the health of your soil, they will carry any matter down into the soil. Worms are just as important as bees are, they get little credit when both species are just as important

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great to see this Chris and I so agree with you, such noble creatures

[@waynesell3681]

Hello Charles! Im excited to say my compost pile is at 100 degrees with air temp 50. Glad i bought a nice compost thermometer.

[@billybowen3023]

"And now for something completely different"😂 made me lol. Thank you for doing a audio book, now I can listen and garden👍

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

You're so welcome Bily, hope you like the book

[@eyes4eve]

Been enjoying your videos for years now. I've been keeping a worm farm for a few years now and thought I'd share a tip that works well for me. When you are ready to harvest the compost and you want to separate the worms to start again, pick a bright sunny day. Take the black plastic you are using for a cover and uncover all but one corner of the worm farm. The worms hate the light and will all migrate away from the sun. Within a very short time, they will all be huddled up under the plastic in the corner.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

What a lovely tip and thank you so much for sharing this!

[@ginnyross7289]

Geoff lawton talks about this. 👍

[@ferniek5000]

Good Idea!

[@Flippin_Crazy]

Thank you for that helpful hint!

[@pascalxus]

Wow. Your 5 week old compost looks better than my 1 year old compost.

[@jenbear8652]

I know- me too!

[@janetkrehbiel5799]

I want to thank you again for all you teach us! I'm so grateful to have a no dig garden, especially this week. We've had so much rain this week, it caused flash flooding in our area. Because of no dig, I've been able to walk in my garden and plant (I plant even in the rain as there's so much to set out right now) without sinking into mud. The beds were squishy and saturated with water (8 inches of rain in two days), but if I had been doing traditional gardening with bare soil, I wouldn't have been able to walk in there at all. We didn't have mud caking on our boots! I rejoice often over this method, and I just taught my first gardening class two weeks ago. I suggested my class learn from your KZbin videos as well. Keep up the good work. Dane and I appreciate you! God bless you Charles!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Hello Janet and Dane. Thank you so much for sharing this. It's an amazing thing isn't it, how doing this one simple thing of no dig has such amazing results. That's a huge amount of rain you've had and I'm so happy that you've been able to continue planting. It could be the difference between harvest or no harvest. Thank you also for recommending my videos, and I hope they help your students.

[@nickyboy825]

The GOAT, no filler, no nonsense just good content

[@leslienichols5268]

So interesting! Watching for the 3rd time!

[@gudgengrebe]

Thanks for all you do Charles.

[@gbp3616]

"It's early May such a lovely time of year" Me - *looks outside to assess the amount of snow left on the ground*

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Ah nooo, hope it goes today!

[@gbp3616]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig more is gone today! The weather is looking good 🌞🇨🇦 appreciate it and the content

[@EliMacalikova]

6:23 i am so enchanted, that mistletoe is incredible!

[@matthewmoore9911]

Love this ! Thanks Charles 💚

[@herdisbergset3001]

Always something to learn from your videos!

[@carolinegathercole8473]

Saw a guy in the US chopping up leaves and veg waste in a bucket with a garden strimmer, works really well, can’t wait to try it!

[@NanasWorms]

Yay! A wormery! You can also sink buckets with holes into a garden to create worm towers. I have four and they work very well to create castings in a growing garden.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks for the tips!

[@raydel5732]

Thank you Charles

[@JagdgeschwaderX]

I needed a composting video so much and here it is

[@mudoh2131]

Fascinating, as always Charles. Thank you

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jennyjohnson9012]

Love your composting vlogs Charles, always something new to learn about making the black gold!! Thankyou.

[@kebunidebermain_ku8313]

thaks for sharing

[@ievamillers9383]

Charles, you’re brilliant!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚! thanks

[@k-2so392]

Your videos are relaxing me. Greetings from poland

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Awesome! Thank you!

We are also from Poland, we bought a plot a year ago and we are setting up a garden, vegetable garden and fruit orchard. We run a family channel, generally about a healthy lifestyle, about relaxing with nature and spending time with the family :) Unfortunately, in the garden we have a problem with voles and snails, so we decided to make raised beds :) We invite you and greetings :)

[@thenodiggardener]

I love how creatures find a way to be somewhere that is habitable for them. Even my containers are no dig, and I never change the compost. I just add to it, and amend it each year. Even though some of them are on very thick pavers, or concrete, I still find that worms have managed to move in to them. I'm constantly puzzled by what drives them to move out of the ground, over the surface, and into a tub. Obviously, one could assume a bird had dropped a catch, but it's all of them. Still, I'm always happy to see them there! Edited to add that I would be thrilled if I found a Slow Worm had moved in. Apparently, we do have them around here. It's wonderful that your gardens are so rich.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes it's a great feeling Suzanne :)

[@compostjohn]

I do love your compost videos. You're almost as enthusiastic as me about composting!!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

😂!

[@olgasmile6977]

Спасибо, сэр Чарльз!👍 Много полезных знаний преобретаю, просматривая ваши видео!

[@hexmonkog1762]

so valuable vids u make Charles! thnx a lot!

[@etiennelouw9244]

My grandfather had big giant compost heaps on the farms where he worked, this was just on the open ground and easily measured 8m by 30m and 5m high. He would just pile it on one side and add to it on the other side. He turned where it started once a month and just carried on this way using what he put in first and then just starting over.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

How amazing, I love this, he was fit and strong :)

[@PHUNPhakdey]

Good job 👍.

[@sjk7314]

Thank you, Charles. Always love your videos on compost. From a fan in Wisconsin, USA.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚 You are very welcome

[@nickthegardener.1120]

I bought some worms 14 years ago, 3 house moves and a move to the allotment, all good.👍 Tiger worms reproduce in 3 months.👍

[@cumla]

I love how detailed your videos are. I get so much inspiration from each one of them. I’m thrilled about the audiobook. Going to buy it right away. 🙂

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I'm so glad and thank you Anna

[@ourcozygarden]

This is great! Can't wait to check our container compost which we over-wintered. I hope we get good compost out of it just like yours.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Best of luck!

[@Florestinhadamontanha]

You are always perfect in your teachings.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thank you! 😃

[@irenesmith5676]

Hi Charles I always enjoy your videos compost is very interesting thank you lv Irene 😘 xx

[@BlackDogDesigns]

Year 3 of making my own compost and No Dig Gardening, thanks to you! Thank you for all that you do and that you share, have a great week🌿

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Wonderful!

[@geirbalderson9697]

Charles, your garden is amazing! I have watched since your early time on KZbin and enjoyed how you have transformed your parcel into abundance. Bravo and compost forever!!!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

So nice of you Geir, thanks

[@LorraineG123]

Thank you Charles, your composter are awesome, and really are great compost producers. Ive started a made up hot composter. Thanks for sharing this.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Lovely, and best of luck with that Lorraine

[@bfgt]

I'm happy to see you're starting a worm composting pile. I've been running an indoor bin to process kitchen scraps and it's a fascinating but relatively simple process.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks, sounds good

[@robertevans8024]

"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now".... 🎼🎶🎵😎Love your compost videos SOOOoooo much ! 💟👍👍

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

😀 It's just a spring clean for the May queen Thanks! Love that song, just put it on

[@LilA-zl6tf]

Loved the slow worm. I have only seen one in the wild in real life. How cute that he has found a home there.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@olgasmile6977]

Как всегда - прекрасное мотивирующее видео о здоровом земледелии👍.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks so much Olga

[@thepeculiarcat6086]

This inspired me to create more compost pile for my backyard garden. Take good care of your health Sir! Stay safe.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Happy to hear that and thanks!

[@stepheneastwood4524]

I find that my composting worms stay in a hot heap, even when it reaches 70 degrees - as the temperatures rise, they just move to the very edges of the (lined, four- pallet) bay where it's cooler, or (more commonly) the very bottom of the heap (the base of each bay is also lined, with sheet metal, to keep the roots of nearby trees out). As soon as the temperature drops, they begin to repopulate the entire pile and, once it's fully cooled, they congregate on the surface, under the tarp that covers the compost. At that point, it becomes a massive wormery, enriching the heap further with worm castings as the compost cures.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice explanation 😀

[@GARDENER42]

I've three bays connected together & the worms seem to move into whichever one is at the stage they find most attractive, either heat or decomposition wise.

[@pattiday431]

A hot heap of earthworms. Just what I need to lighten up my red clay soil.🐉🐉🐉😆(couldn't find a worm)

[@afriendtoo6971]

I had a bag of manure with a few holes in it laying off to the side of garden for 6 months and when I just cut it open to spread it it was full of worms. A new way of collecting worms !

[@wendyburgess2962]

I started a compost heap quite some time ago. I added some clay and some heavy soil. The soil was the base. So as I’m back into my composting, I’ve created a free standing pile using the soil from that heap against a Cyclone mesh fence. I find I don’t have a lot of Muscle Power when it comes to turning the pile, I do however managed to turn the top of the pile and move it from side to side. At the bottom of the pile is rich humus which I scrape away to use as Potting mix. I always say with Gardening, you find your own style and your own method.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

So true, nice job Wendy

[@Iringe1]

Спасибо 👍🏻

[@sandrafuentes3449]

Hola mi amigo que gusto de verlo. Gracias por sus enseñanzas ❤️

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@Spiritof48]

Very nice composting station there , Charles ! I think that our crawly friends are smart enough to escape the heat , and the enter when it cools down .Cheers 🍻🌱

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks and this makes sense :)

[@farmyourbackyard2023]

You had me at audiobook… 🎉

[@juniorcustodio4366]

Perfect lesson... thanks for sharing knowledge

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@ulaw2711]

Good morning 🙂 I am collecting materials for my new compost so your video came in perfect time, thank you 😊. And of course have more greens than browns like always 😀. Have a great day in your beautiful garden, Charles 🙂💚💚

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Ula, enjoy that

[@gawain8000]

Great stuff! I’m going to think about building one of those wor art compost hybrids you’ve created, looks great!

[@ritadejesusarellanocastill8965]

Super interesante el vídeo. Gracias por ayudarme con su explicación. Felicidades.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@sergioolcese6766]

Grazie della traduzione, sempre interessanti ì suoi video

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice thanks

[@ximenaisabeljimenezgalindo9044]

Hola Charles, estoy agradecida de tus videos preciosos he aprendido y los he puesto en práctica y me ha dado resultado en varias ocasiones, muchas gracias por tu enseñanza 🌷🇨🇱

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Me alegra mucho escuchar esto ximena y tambien me ayuda saber que vale la pena pagar por los subtitulos en español

[@mariaculmer1565]

Really interesting regarding how decomposed the compost needs to be before using!!! I sieved all my compost for 5 X 19' beds this year😂 Next year I'll be a little more gung ho!!! I really look forward to your videos, I learn something every time!! 😀

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice to hear Maria!

[@jamesf3283]

Whilst I agree that it shouldn't be necessary to turn compost heaps, I suspect that in a normal "domestic" situation turning the pile once helps with both the speed and quality of composting because in a home garden situation we tend to have lots of similar material going in at once meaning the heap gets a bit "layered". I'm coming to think that turning once helps to mix everything up a bit better than might otherwise be the case, giving the microorganisms involved better access to all the nutrients they need. My favourite animal to visit one of my compost heaps was a grass snake that used it (presumably because it was warm and she could hide away) to incubate some eggs. I only found out when I finally emptied the bay and discovered the empty egg cases (probably just as well because I'd not have wanted to frighten her off).

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

How lovely, and good points James

[@jamesf3283]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig I forgot to add and then was reminded because I've been doing exactly this myself today... As you have bees, you'll presumably at some point be cycling out frames of brood comb then they get old and black. A few may be useful to keep if you want to set up bait hives, but otherwise I extract the wax from mine. The remains of the comb (which is mostly a mixture of wax, propolis and pupa cases) then composts very nicely, though I'd recommend burying it under other a few inches of other material so the bees aren't attracted to it.

[@StayPrimal]

I'm very excited about the wormery! (11:37) Can't wait to know how the experiment went :) Thank you Charles for your dedication.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

It's looking good so far, thanks

[@robertling9872]

Thank you Charles for sharing this informative video. Compost is the food for soil life, which in turn nourishes the plants. Every day I enjoy the NoDig knowledge in my own vegetable and herb garden. The food is delicious and my body remains healthy and vital.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Another amazing video from the no digging guru 😎

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks 👍

[@Flippin_Crazy]

In Florida where I am-you have to buy worms. Earth worms that is. Worms are not attracted to sand. 😊 So I was planning on incorporating a few hundred to help my composting out.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sorry to hear that. The terminology is interesting because I wonder whether you mean Lumbricus terrestris, which are earthworms and they live in soil, eating and excreting and moving up and down, but they do not live in compost heaps. The compost worm is Esenia fetida (tiger worm), and that one is smaller, bright red, and does a great job of decomposing.

[@cliverutherford5836]

I have a similar set up with different compost bins and piles in various states etc. The plastic compost bin is great for a small garden if you can manage your garden waste effectively and get the mix right. If you get the mix right you’ll be surprised how quickly you can generate compost. I have more than one plastic bin to help manage various states of decay.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great tip!

[@jenbear8652]

I have 3 plastic bins, shaped the same as the one he showed. I’m still figuring out my proportions of green & brown to prevent pockets of stinky clumps. But usually I mostly fill one & then turn it, twice a year: spring I turn it and again in fall. I’m hoping this year, by adding more weeds & general garden clippings, the yellowing lower leaves of vegetables, etc, to maybe speed it up and fill & turn a third time (creating more compost). I usually have to turn each pile twice, before it’s broken down enough to not have slimy stink pockets. So it’s difficult to make enough to cover my garden. I usually have enough to sprinkle a thin layer over 1/4-1/3 of my garden. But I did find a friend with safe manure this year, so that helped. Still wasn’t a thick enough layer, but plants are growing decently- I just have plenty of weeding to do ☹️. We’ve had so much rain, I’m having a hard time keeping up! But I’m determined not to give up this time (I’ve done no-dig several years in the past with straw/hay -the source of many of my grassy weeds now!). But after watching a few of these videos with me my husband agrees to give it a chance to have gardens as beautiful & productive as these and not make me till it again, like before. I just need a thicker layer of compost/manure in the future.

[@cliverutherford5836]

Jen Bear you know you are getting really deep into composting when you start eyeing up other People’s waste and looking at things in the form of it’s carbon nitrogen value (c:n)😂 but we can never have enough compost.

[@rickthelian2215]

Thank you Charles for another compost tour, looking wonderful. The worm bin would definitely benefit from some added food like banana peels and household waste to feed on those microbes and the composting materials. Charles please try an experiment put 3 banana peels spread apart on top of the worm bin under the plastic and check in weekly to watch the worms go crazy on them.😀🇦🇺

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Rick, shall do, just ate a banana!

[@hands2hearts-seeds2feedamu83]

I sure NEED a big fat load of beautiful compost. I have SO much that NEEDs done around here, I just can NOT seem to do it ALL in a timely manner. I do way more than I should NOW, do to my auto accident injury, its been yrs but it is still healing. Graphs take a very long time to fully heal. Ohoo... And I NEED a wheelbarrow/wagon to carry the heavy stuff. Right NOW I am using 5 a gallon bucket to carry mulch, dirt, soils and such.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Wow good luck with all that

[@k.l.5940]

Not seen. Thank you in advance. Greetings from Germany.

[@9catlover]

i am experimenting with leftover food, worms and some soil - then another bucket with soil, bokashi compost and worms. will add some grass and leaves as well. it's just fun to see what does well and what doesn't

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Excellent!

[@Flippin_Crazy]

Thank you Charles. I’ve been very nervous by all the so called rules for compost. It just seemed so difficult. You have taken the difficulty right out of it.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Glad it was helpful Pamela and that is my aim!! 😀

[@reggiesarno1755]

I have a couple of trellises in my garden that I bought years ago.

[@gardengirl7446]

Beautiful compost! Can we have more garden tours please charles?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Haha thanks, they are coming

[@gvwa100506]

🙂👍soy mecanico, no huertero, pero compostar se vuelve una manera de vivir. Crear nueva tierra pa plantas, y estos videos ayudan mucho Saludos desde patagonia Sir Charles.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@ekaterinan9097]

Спасибо огромное🙏🙏🙏 очень познавательно😊🌷🌸🥬🌱🥦🥒🌾🌿

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great!

[@josie_posie808]

What makes this content such high quality is the bioecological reasoning behind what he has happening in the garden. And getting to see results that can't be translated in words or pictures. Really helpful. I love that you don't mind the mice as part of the compost biodiversity, makes sense. But how to make sure I'm not handling unsanitary material or encountering rodents is a pretty high priority for me at this stage. For now, I make sure the food scraps are well to the interior so nothing furry is drawn by smell.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Alicia and I wish you health

[@kensearle4892]

Never too much compost:-) Lost of ways to do it! I think it is good to try a few ways and treat the first couple as learning experiences.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Very true!

[@littlesuzie6672]

Another great video, thank you Charles! I think you need to get a few chooks! They would love those cauliflower leaves! And you could add their bedding, egg shells and manure to your compost piles!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Haha - but we have foxes here

[@littlesuzie6672]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig so do we! (Imported from England with the first fleet haha). A sturdy enclosed run with a wire skirt with bluestone pitchers around the perimeter means they can’t dig in or under 😊 Food for thought!

[@lmrandlette]

Here in the US Pacific Northwest we have literally hundreds of large, native sword fern on the property. I’ve started including the old trimmed-off fronds in our compost heaps. They break down quicky with the rest of the ‘greens and browns’. They seem more brown than green after a short drying period and so far I haven’t had fern spores germinate out of the end product.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds highly worthwhile!

[@dianeladico1769]

Here in the US Midwest I am insanely jealous of your bountiful ferns.

[@lmrandlette]

@@dianeladico1769 While we do have an amazing amount of rain (including temperature rain forests), we’re challenged by months and months of gray (grey) skies and a very cool maritime climate…

[@dianeladico1769]

@@lmrandlette This is where I'm the odd one out-my favorite weather is 60 and cloudy/drizzle. 80s and sunny is boring. The only good thing about our hot summers is how well tomatoes, peppers, and corn grow. I relish our cool, overcast days. I was born on the wrong side of the country. Glad you are able to compost your ferns so you don't have too much of a good thing. Happy Gardening.

[@beauvaisboy]

Thankyou for the tips,such perfect timing.I shall be rethinking my compost. Ps The salad picking is working a treat 👍

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Excellent!!

[@rafa106900]

Charles, I learned from you that I can compost weeds and everything you recommend on your videos. I adjusted my bin and added cardboard sides and reduced the size to make it more tighter. I access the bin and dig from the bottom and a treasure of black gold. I usually bag it with old bags to have them ready to use as the summer progresses. I am covering my bin with black plastic to keep the rain off it, but slowly getting more organize and efficient. I can never get enough videos from you about composting. Thank-you! Rafael

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

How wonderful Rafael 😀, thanks for sharing

[@joeboudreault2226]

Thanks, Charles. Gardening season just beginning here in Alberta (mid-May). Much of this kind of composting doesn't work well here because the summer is short although very hot, and it means we don't have time to 'cook the compost' in one year ... but I still bins. Will have compost maybe for next year. Plastic barrels are an answer too. Compost is an excellent way of getting rid of household waste and making new soils. Your work is admirable.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds great Joe, hope summer lasts a bit!

[@jackdubois5564]

I am in Manitoba, also short season but find that if you turn the piles weekly and pay some attention to the brown/green ratio you can get compost in one season. Cheers

[@joeboudreault2226]

@@jackdubois5564 Yep. But we had to wait until late April for our compost to thaw out before we could stick a fork in it. Oh well.

[@sinntax1647]

I just divided my worm farms and to make them build back up faster I’ve added besan flour so maybe you could give that’s a go Charles! Can’t wait to see how yours goes. X

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚

[@trojjer]

Appreciated that. "For many gardens, these would be too big"--looks like those bays take up more half of a typical British garden, especially a terraced house :') Would love to be able to do that some time. Got my large plastic bin with mixed success, started ripping up the cardboard and cutting up the banana peels now... Lots of coffee grounds, leaves and tree blossom. It seems that there are a lot of weed seeds within, although I am keeping weed clippings in a separate pile.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Ruby, good to hear

[@andrewperkin2179]

Composting is as much fun as growing veg. Love the science of it. Also its interesting how small growers are really pushing no-dig with compost as a way to save money and not use peat. Its hard imagine commercial farmers producing and spreading enough compost that's cost effective, but maybe this will change. I saw a huge mechanical composter at a restaurant with its own veg growing area called 'the rocket'. It looked like an old steam engine.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes so interesting. Rockets are intriguing, need careful managing.

[@fionagrows1848]

Always love a good compost video! I had a beautiful little stoat bounce over my compost heap the other day, lovely to see. I spotted your magnificent mistletoe. Don’t know if I’ve ever seen mistletoe in real life.....maybe it doesn’t grow in the north!🤔

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Hmm I wonder! Thanks Fiona

[@HelenRullesteg]

It's funny with the worms, because I have a compost container where we put all our kitchen scraps and some cardboard as brown material, and it is full of compost worms. I have never bought a single worm, they somehow managed to find it by themselves. Very odd as all gardens around here are lawns with leylandii hedges and not much else.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

What a wonderful result!

[@tedbastwock3810]

13:24 Charles, there were tonnes of worms in there! I think you siked yourself out due to the camera ... we saw 'em, though, we saw the worms. Mate, thanks a billion for continuing to produce and share this amazing content, I've turned on so many people around me to the CD way of doing things, and I'm always amazed at how many haven't heard of you yet (they must not be as sincere of gardeners as I'd assumed), but they always come back to me later grateful for me pointing them to you 👍 👊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Hi wonderful Ted and thanks so much for this really reassuring comment. I guess it's because I'm not on television, that there are not huge numbers of people who know about me, but we are getting word out!

[@Benboy1980]

I have a bin with grass and cuttings etc and a separate food bin I put everything from the kitchen in. It gets smelly, but the worms love it and I take out the most decomposed parts once a year and mix it in to the beds and the plants seem to love it 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks for sharing your worm bin secrets!

[@anniecochrane3359]

Not only do I always learn something new from each new video - but the celebration of gardening, altogether, feeds me anew!!! A question: If you are building new compost bins, but not using pallets, I'm assuming you wouldnt leave the gaps between planks, and so wouldnt need to use the cardboard to keep the warmth in? From memory I think you have already taken us through that process.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thank you Annie, and yes exactly I would not use cardboard in that case.

[@berthaperez8010]

hello charles how nice I composed in different compositions a wonder for the plants I send you greetings

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Wonderful!

[@gypsygem9395]

😍 Wow your mistletoe is fabulous! I've tried previously to get some to take on a few different trees but without success 🙁. I know it grows abundantly in Cheltenham high up on the limes and other trees, but perhaps it's not so keen on Lincolnshire!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes it is amazing! Possibly likes our more humid air

[@pamelalittlechild2923]

Ive just emptied my first compost heap after two years, definitely did not get hot enough as the weed seedlings are coming up by the hundreds, luckily I bagged it up for future use so hopefully they will all die of x

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I am sure it's good

[@MrLaking123]

I got some tiger worms last year to put in my compost bin they all left lol tbh i should have collected some to keep for this year but thought they wouldn't leave the bin you live and learn

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Ah so sorry, worm migration

[@monique4048]

I cannot imagine throwing away kitchen scraps. It's like gold for a gardener! 😂 Thank you again for such a useful video with many tips. ❤ I have a small bin so it was nice to also see that in your garden. 😁 Maybe an idea to try out a tumbler bin? Insects or rodents cannot get in so maybe useful for people who want to make compost in a city garden? 🤔

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

You are so welcome Monique. Tried a tumbler, was not impressed!

[@minglebong]

I'm trying to imagine the amount of materials you need to make to fill up a bay. I'm so curious about it and hope you will make a vlog of this one day. Even if it a timelapse one!!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That is quite a thought and would be interesting indeed!

[@kirstinetermansen3227]

My the way, rabbit, genius

[@GARDENER42]

I have 'wildlife' in my compost heaps, as that's where the occasional rat carcase is disposed of, along with rabbit skins, pheasant & pigeon remains (after I've eaten the rest), fish bones & heads. Buried in the centre of one of my 1m³ bays, there's rarely anything left & certainly nothing more than bones. In my last garden, the bank behind was full of slow worms & also grass snakes & a nesting area for skylarks.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That sounds fantastic

[@stefflus08]

Ah, another channel was mentioning feeding his compost to worms, but we didn't get to see it. Very interested to follow this trial, how long it takes, how much it shrinks, how much goodness is in it, etc. I'm thinking it might be a good option for me in the wet, cold coastal arctic, because I'm having patches with lumps of grass or leaves where the mix was uneven or some water got in.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds promising Steffen

[@dimpletoadfoot8631]

Drinking game: Take a drink every time Charles says "woodchip"

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Cheers Jamie, no woodchip though 😀

[@mummytoben]

Always love your videos. We're helping some community composting sites to get set up where their main source of browns is fresh woodchip. Do you see any issue with that? Wondering whether you think they should leave their compost to mature for longer or just sieve it to get out bigger pieces of wood. Really grateful for your thoughts. Best wishes.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Well done. It depends on the size of chips because if they are large, they certainly will not decompose within the cycle of making compost and yes I will save them out before using it. Compost is better for being not too old so sieving say 12mm is best option, compared to leaving for a very long time, which would also mean you need more space to store it.

[@rosstemple7617]

If you can get some forest floor. Just a little bit of leaf litter with a little soil it will have good fungi to brake down wood fibers. More so than dirt from a field