Compost That Doesn't Need Turning! -- Johnson Su Bioreactor Build

[@randalljarnigan5897]

Enjoy the family relationship you all have.

[@GreenLove1]

I do no turn by sticking a long metal rod down to the bottom of the pile, and then every week or so I pull it and stuck it in a different place. Works great. Will be keen to see how your Johnson Su reactor works. Check out Diego Footer's channel, he has done lots of experiments on it. Oh, and good job getting your kids to enjoy raw veggies ! He is adorable!

[@DC-rd6oq]

I have 4' piece of re-bar in the middle of each of my Geobins. Got the idea from Patrick at One Yard Revolution a few years ago. Works great.

[@LazyDogFarm]

@Green Love I actually watched Diego's video before we decided to make our own. His design was much more complex than ours, but I think the general concept is similar enough to work.

[@AngieCathcart]

Ty Ty is a rockstar! Made me think of my childhood on a farm. It's sad to think of how few children have ever eaten directly from the garden or from a fruit tree. Love following your compost journey too!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Angie! We're just glad that he's adventurous with what he will try. Can't say that for our oldest. lol

[@apiecemaker1163]

It’s actually great that your first one is front and center. It will break down first and be accessible. You’re going to miss your Little Rock star helper when he’s in school full time. Lovin the new style rock star.⭐️ Love y’all’s dynamics!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Yeah he'll be in school 5 days a week come August. Now he's just two days a week.

[@apiecemaker1163]

@@LazyDogFarm He is a fine young man. 💙👩‍🌾👍

[@nancywebb6549]

I am a 78 year old woman and I just got one of those and put it together by myself and filled it. I really like it and like the fact that it will be so easy to take it apart to turn it.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Awesome! Enjoy your composting journey!

[@amilynnstapay796]

Your son has made my day! Lol! The cauliflower; mouth full; shaking his head no! Quality entertainment! Peace on your doorstep!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Glad you enjoyed it Amilynn!

[@loriea1785]

The world could sure use a good ol long haired Rock star ! Way to go Titus ! (He even has the name for it ! )

[@LazyDogFarm]

Haha!

[@RafaelUnplugged]

The thought process of more is there should be access to air within 14" I believe so bigger ones the gap from center to the wall is greater than 14"

[@backwoodsbaby9729]

Come on dad! Let the boy run circles and pack down the compost bin! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@LazyDogFarm]

Now that the pipe is secured in the middle, we might could do that. I was trying to keep that pipe upright. lol

[@suepatterson2702]

This composting project will be fun to follow.

[@LazyDogFarm]

It's been a lot of fun for us so far, even if we just make a little bit.

[@timfetner8029]

And there he is, right on queue, the one and only Titus. Enjoy them while they’re young. I remember when my son was that age and now he is a Pharmacist out on his own. Where did the time go?? Great video on composting and very glad to see you doing it. The pipe will certainly help with the air flow through the bin and will speed up the composting process. The straw is a great base not as a support for the pipe, but to allow air flow from the bottom. I have a Starbucks that saves coffee grounds for me, and I think the brewery and distillery grains are a brilliant idea. A warning about citrus peels - that stuff is near impossible to compost and it takes FOREVER to break down. You are well on your way to making some great compost. Between my worm farm and compost bins, we compost about 90% of stuff we used to throw away. Keep up the great work and can’t wait for Friday’s vid!!

[@LazyDogFarm]

The grapefruits were probably not that great an idea in hindsight, but I've just been on a roll of throwing anything I can find in there. lol

[@jeaniepartridge6701]

Good job Titus those veggies are making you strong.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Growing boys gotta eat!

[@DavidBrown-vx6fb]

I like the claw gloves! They are good to use when scratching around plants like potatoes when you want to steal a few!

[@LazyDogFarm]

I'm sure Brooklyn will enjoy them come tater time!

[@karenzorn773]

Can't wait to see how your composting experiment goes. So good to see you and your sweet family.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Karen!

[@justinbukoski1]

I've been using those bins for about 5 years to compost and they work great. Seeing the straw I thought I'd mention something I'm going to be doing this year: growing edible mushrooms. You can grow some really tasty oyster mushrooms in straw.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I'd like to try growing mushroom one of these days.

[@Sssanbo]

@@LazyDogFarm spent grain is a good medium for mushrooms

[@deborahtheodore5407]

I’m glad you are back to full strength. Enjoy the cauliflower monster

[@LazyDogFarm]

Feeling good and blessed! Thanks for joining us Deborah!

[@ronaldcummings6337]

I saw these about a year ago, thanks for the reminder

[@LazyDogFarm]

Our pleasure!

[@bennywalsh2038]

I was so excited when I saw the title. So close!! You're toying with my achy breaky heart, kemosabe.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Haha! Just for you!

[@dorothyrhodes4657]

You will love composting. I like it more than gardening. So cool to take leftover scraps and produce something good for the garden. Nothing goes to waste. Nice video!

[@LazyDogFarm]

So true!

[@karigranger3120]

This was so helpful and fun to watch as well! I'll be buying one a few of these for my compost.Thanks a bunch😊

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Kari!

[@michellebatista9702]

Water each layer as you go. Great job! Love my geobin

[@LazyDogFarm]

Been doing that too. Forgot to mention that part.

[@garden_geek]

Your kids are so darn sweet! I like your simplified version of the Johnson-Su Bioreactor. I love composting but I’ve never made a bioreactor because it just seemed too unnecessarily complicated for my tastes. But you managed to come up with a method that I can actually see myself trying lol

[@LazyDogFarm]

Some of the versions I saw online looked quite complicated. I wanted to try this simplified version first to see if it worked before doing all that extra stuff.

[@themcfarlandteamatremax2341]

Good info. Poor Boys Little HomeStead sent me over to check out your channel. Looking forward to your gardening competitions this year.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Glad you came to see us! Should be a fun competition for sure!

[@terryduprie6313]

Love the compost. Geaux Dawgs - congratulations!!!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Terry! GO DAWGS!

[@davidmarshall2297]

Love your videos, good to see the little guy likes being in the garden. I'm excited to see how much my pile composts, a local guy who cuts lawns has a shredder that the leaves go through, combined with the grass should be a recipe for a quick decaying pile. After the snow here melts of course. Keep up the great work 👍

[@LazyDogFarm]

Sounds like you've got some good sources of compostable material!

[@82Julian]

Romanesco its ready to eat Travis!!!Same story of cauliflower, when the head is completely uncovered.,done!! Great spot for compost,I think it will be a success👍👍

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Julian!

[@dsr8223]

I spend a good bit of time chopping my compost materials into small pieces before adding to them pile, and it definitely speeds up the decomposition process. I'm intrigued by the Johnson Su pipe and will give that a try. Thanks!

[@LazyDogFarm]

The kids like to go out there in the afternoon with scissors and chop all the green stuff in the pile. So I'll leave that task for them. lol

[@bennywalsh2038]

The Johnson Su is about fungal dominated compost. Use it where you grow in no till to create a mycelium net work that helps the plant roots and bacteria work better; the way nature intended. In regenerative growing you plan to cut out the need for additives to the soil that are killing the life in it over time. And use it to make a slurry which you can coat seed in to kick start germination better. It is a high carbon method with little nitrogen included. Moisture is CRITICAL as is the air. Fungi and not bacteria will break it down and once the initial heat drops below 80f, youcan add some red wiggler type worms to work on your reactor. I just collected a 16ft trailer and truck load of bagged leaves from the kerbs at peoples houses. Plus a Worx leaf shredder. Using just leaves and not the 3/8" woodchios as well gives you a final product in closer to six months. Diego Footer has taken a relatively simple design THAT WORKS and invented other designs, to create KZbin content, that fail miserably. Here's the vid of Dr Johnson building the real reactor. If it works, why fix it? I've also spoken with a farmer in the mid west, Young Red Angus, where he is using the reactor and getting awesome results on a farm scale. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqm4eJ5na5Z_r5o

[@imaprepper1866]

Loved this video. Wasn’t really sure what all you could put in the compost . So this was great.

[@LazyDogFarm]

From what I understand, you can put just about anything in there that will naturally biodegrade.

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

That was fun to watch! I like the idea of the air tube! I have mostly used paper products as my carbon source in the past couple of decades, I shred, or rip up what is too thick for the shredder to increase the surface area for microbes to work. Paper product decompose a little slower than most carbon sources because of the lignins from their origins as wood, lignins break down slowly. I also think the layers of whole cardboard will make it harder for rain to penetrate the pile, of course they will break down in time🙂. I went through a phase when I was doing all grain brewing and had lots of spent barley for the compost. Spent barley added straight to the compost is about the stinkiest smelling thing ever, I’m not exaggerating! At one point I tried mixing coffee grounds in with the barley, the problem was solved, there was no bad smell and it heated up beautifully! Klaus

[@LazyDogFarm]

The cardboard does probably make it harder for rain water to penetrate, but I also think it helps preserve moisture between the layers once it's wet. Good to know about the coffee and the brewery leftovers. We've been adding enough coffee so hopefully it won't stink.

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

@@LazyDogFarm you need to mix the spent coffee grounds in with the spent grains to prevent the stink. I have always had lots of coffee grounds in my compost, they only work to prevent the stink when mixed with the grains! It can smell so bad that it really really upsets the women folk and you can get into a lot of trouble😬!

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

@@LazyDogFarm sorry to be a nuisance but it just occurred to me that the tube in your compost will allow you to water the centre of your pile easily, if need be.

[@dmartin4295]

Very interesting composting video. Years ago we tried the rotating barrel type composter and it was a big failure. Thankfully, we always have a huge pile of composting cow manure and green waste that serves all our garden needs. 😀 And Titus, you are a rock star already! 🤩

[@LazyDogFarm]

Bet that's some good compost!

[@jksatte]

Do you have cows or do you know a farmer? That stuff is kinda scary now with all the pesticides in things. I'm in NE FL and I can't find straw or hay to use for mulch and or compost.

[@melissac3313]

Composting is so easy, layer brown, green, spray with water 💧. Repeat. Water is essential to composting. I use a paper shredder for paper bags, junk mail, and toilet paper rolls. I have a basket in the bathrooms for the rolls. Getting back to the old ways, use a coffee maker with a stainless steel craft. Toss out the plastic single cup coffee makers. Use leftover coffee in the craft to make iced coffee. Welcome to composting 😊

[@LazyDogFarm]

I do need to get away from the single serve coffee cups, but they're just so quick and easy when I'm rushing in the morning.

[@melissac3313]

@Lazy Dog Farm Mr Coffee has a great programmable with a stainless steel craft. My husband loves it. I have a bowl under the sink for the coffee grounds for the compost.

[@zinnia3190]

I first saw the PVC pipe used by Paul James, "The Gardener Guy" on his show back in the early days of HGTV. It does help with air circulation, but I've found the pile does still need occasional turning.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Good to know!

[@RafaelUnplugged]

It's meant to be set for like 1 year but I would love to do it with set 1. Remove geo bin (it will hold shape) then reset it into the geo bin again so the top is now bottom. Repeat every quarter or so. But yea after a while the shape will set and you can reuse the geobin to set another one up

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

It's usually recommended that you fill the Johnson Su up all at once because after 1 day, you remove pipe(s). (With the traditional setup) After a week or 2 when the material starts to break down and the level drops down, I will top off the bin a 2nd time. After topping it off, I leave it go for a year. Within a few days the pile heats up to 140 to 160 F and will stay there for a week or 2 then start to drop. I made my bins using pallets because I get them free from work. :)

[@LazyDogFarm]

I can see where filling it all at one time would be beneficial. Might have to find some leaves and other stuff to try that compared to the way we did it this time.

[@Lochness19]

How long does brown material like pine cones, pine needles and dried leaves usually take to break down? I started a pile (no a bioreactor, just a regular heap on the ground) in October and I'm wondering if I'll have something useable by the time I plant out my summer garden in May. I'm in zone 6 though so that means I'm trying to keep it going through winter. Some times I've been able to get temperatures up to 140F, but currently the north side is only 50F and the SW side is 125F (outside air has been mostly in the 10-35F range, with a couple nights down to 0F). I did notice the bottom of my pile was very dry when I was digging into it so I added something like 100 gallons of water, hopefully that helps...

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

@@Lochness19 It really depends on how much nitrogen materials (greens) are mixed in and how often you turn it. Keeping the pile moist but not wet is important too. If half the pile is getting above 120 and the other half is around 50, it means the pile needs more mixing. ie mixing some of hot side materials with the warm side materials. Or mix in more green materials into the warm side to heat it up. It gets tough working the compost pile during the winter but once it starts warming up in spring (mid March?) you should be good. If you're turning it every 3 to 5 days, you should have finished compost by May. If needed, you can sift out the chunky browns and put them into a new pile to continue breaking down. The pine cones can take 18+ months but the leaves and pine needles should be good by May with temps above 120.

[@Lochness19]

@@stevefromthegarden1135 I haven't been doing full turns of the pile because I'm worried it'll get exposed to too much cold outdoor air that way and be disruptive to the organisms which might have a hard time bouncing back in our great lakes winters once they've been knocked back. But if I notice one side is cool, I'll dig a hole into that side and mix in some kitchen scraps and coffee grounds. Sometimes that worked in bringing temperatures back up, sometimes not. I'm now starting to think water might've been the factor in whether the temperature rose after mixing in more greens, which is why I added a lot of water. We're going to get some very cold weather this weekend, which might make it hard for it to warm up, so we'll have to wait for that to ease off (ie 20F-35F rather than the -5F to 20F temps that'll prevail for the next few days) to see if the added water helps. I was able to get 140F temps without too much trouble in December, when temps were mostly in the 30s, and that kind of weather usually returns in the 2nd week of March here.

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

@@Lochness19digging a hole and adding coffee grounds is a good idea. I live in the greater Chicagoland area and am with you on the challenges of composting through the winter. I'm not going to try turning the pile when the outside temps are below 30, much less near 0 😱. I will let it sit until March when it starts warming up again. If we get the rare 50 degree day in Feb, I might go turn the pile. 😀

[@tommathews3964]

It's good to know the local booze purveyors.......;) Interesting design! I could see adding some water via the pipe as well, let it leach out into the middle of the pile instead of just perk from above. I'll be watching!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Yeah the pipe does seem to help keep it more consistently wet.

[@tommathews3964]

@@LazyDogFarm So, you're already filling the pipe with water as well as watering from above? That's what I was referring to. Curious to see how that would affect the moisture content.

[@LazyDogFarm]

@@tommathews3964 The pipe won't necessarily fill with water because of the holes and the fact that it's not glued to the concrete. But when watering the bins with my fire hose nozzle, the pipe does help get some water penetration deeper into the middle of the pile.

[@CattywampusAcres]

Super excited to see how this works!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Us too!

[@FrontYardGardener]

A few years ago when I brewed beer at a local brewpub, I use to donate my spent grains to a customer of the pub. The customer made the mistake of leaving his tiller next to the compost pile and it caught on fire from the amount of heat generated from the spent grains. They are very bioactive, full of lactobacillus and pediococcus bacteria.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Dang. Didn't realize it would get that hot. But it sounds like all those bacteria should be great for getting it going.

[@allenhickman5914]

Good timing…. Just got my compost bin like yours …BUT since you said that more than one can be put together, decided to order another one before putting this one together. Plus since I got the paper shredder, I’ve been shredding cardboard boxes too…something to do with Amazon boxes instead of them going to the burn barrel. I think paper and cardboard shredded will break down faster. I like what you showed with the plastic pipe….i’ve got some left over from a project in one of our barns.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Just got a paper shredder as well. It's been fun doing all this recycling!

[@BARBSCOUNTRYHOME999]

Nice Job... Your composting will be fun to follow! We just started a new compost too but we used chicken wire and shaped like a big circle! 😉

[@loganyoutube4818]

Unfortunately you’ll find that the chicken wire doesn’t really stand up to composting…cattle panels or hog panels are best

[@BARBSCOUNTRYHOME999]

@@loganyoutube4818 Just using what I have and it worked ok last year! 🥺

[@susanpayne5592]

TyTy is going to be a great philosopher. He is already asking the right question...."Why?????"

[@LazyDogFarm]

He asks lots and lots of questions ... lol

[@finagill]

This is my second year using Geobins as a Johnson-Su bioreactor. I'm horrible at remembering to water the pile but the middle still breaks down nice. I have mine on the ground and left the tube in. Since 90% of the time the wind blows the same direction, I added an elbow on top to help force more air into the pile. In a few months I will see if the elbow helped over the previous year.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Neat idea with the elbow. Our wind doesn't seem to consistently blow in the same direction.

[@finagill]

@@LazyDogFarm Living in the mountains has its advantages. I came up with a design that would essentially be an elbow that allows air to enter from 360°. I'm planning on having it 3D printed and I'll start using it come spring.

[@ritalr15]

For a co.post starter, u can add a mix of 1 beer 1 soda 1 cup of ammonia Mix together and spray it in layers. Works great

[@LazyDogFarm]

Sounds great!

[@jimt6151]

Titus is getting to be an expert in "self-sufficiency", cutting his own hair!

[@LazyDogFarm]

The finesse of his technique could use some improvement, but he's getting there ... lol

[@nancytharp8213]

Thanks for sharing 🙏 😎 🏖 🏝

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for watching Nancy!

[@lindapearson6928]

Amazing 😻

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Linda!

[@720MJW]

Romanescos are pretty good. I think they taste like cauliflower more than anything. Weird looking suckers! Going to look into the compost with the aerator in the middle. Might be moving my bins this year (pallets with hardware cloth) and might be able to add something like that. I think for my size rolled up hardware cloth with landscape fabric might work

[@LazyDogFarm]

When I was researching the topic, I saw quite a few folks making them with hardware cloth or fencing and landscape fabric.

[@joeyl.rowland4153]

You can put blood meal and bone meal on those compost piles and make SUPER SOIL. But you must use caution your compost will become super strong and will burn plants. Azomite will ensure that you have all minerals. Azomite is good for your garden too.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I might consider adding a scoop or two of the Nature Safe fertilizer we've been using. It has plenty of blood meal and bone meal.

[@joeyl.rowland4153]

@@LazyDogFarm That is why it works so well. Blood meal, bone meal, and fish meal are what our forefathers used for fertilizer. They were smart people.

[@marywilliams3847]

Great video and I am definitely going to try this technique. My guess is that the compost bin should be kept damp? Or am I wrong about that? Just would like clarification. Thank you!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Yes, it should. I usually water mine at least once every couple days.

[@tommyschrader8096]

I really enjoy watch your videos. There is always a lot of good information. This is my first year to plant a “real” garden. I have had raised beds in the past. When you say mustards as a cover crop do you mean mustard greens or mustard plants? Thanks for sharing.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Mustard greens. The spicier the variety, the more effective they are as a natural biofumigant when you till them into the soil.

[@tommyschrader8096]

@@LazyDogFarm that’s what I thought but wanted to make sure. I love me some mustard greens. Especially the pot liquor. Thank you.

[@scottwhite4645]

I use three Geo-Bins for compost, between the price and setup ya can’t beat ‘em. My gardening club built a JS-Bio reactor following all the plans. Thirteen months later the general consensus?? it’s a big ole worm bin. If I could get quality compost like you do, I wouldn’t bother making my own..

[@LazyDogFarm]

I won't be mad if I just end up with a big worm bin. lol We're enjoying the waste-reduction portion of the process as much as anything. If we make a little compost, that's just a bonus.

[@jettyeddie_m9130]

Titus i love your hair buddy !! I wish my hair was silky smooth like yours , #teamlonghair 😎

[@LazyDogFarm]

It's straight as an arrow. That's why we leave it long. He looks like Lloyd Christmas when it is cut short.

[@jettyeddie_m9130]

@@LazyDogFarm His mane is majestic! 🙂

[@Jeremiah--gr8ve]

Without watering the layers as you go to start the breakdown, it won't compost properly, you have to water the bins occasionally to help the worms to be able to breakdown the cardboard and everything else you put in it, also the water run-off at the bottom of the bins will help attract the worms to your bins from the soil to the concrete pad to find the bins!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Forgot to mention the watering part in the video, but I've been watering them daily when I go to water the greenhouse.

[@Jeremiah--gr8ve]

@@LazyDogFarm I figured you knew that, but forgot to mention it! I'm going to try this method, thanx for the info. and vid, anything to make your life easier gardening definetely helps! Thankyou Travis!

[@scottstewart6260]

that brand is the same as I have, i started the compost a couple months ago by raking up dead leaves from around trees. now im mixing in mown grass every couple of weeks. hopefully i’ll eventually get it to where i can use the compost for the second gardening season here in kentucky. cold composting the worms find it fast when on the ground. hot composting though all those worms will just die in the bio-brew

[@LazyDogFarm]

So far the pipe does seem to help speed up the process a little.

[@michelemenard8364]

This was a very interesting idea. How did it work out for conpost? I didn't see an update, unless I missed it. Need to make a compost set up myself and was wondering if this was the way to go. Thanks.

[@LazyDogFarm]

It wasn't a miracle solution, but it did seem to speed up the composting process a bit.

[@michelemenard8364]

@@LazyDogFarm Thanks for letting me know! I love your videos - they are filled with good information and it is a pleasure to see your gardens and family grow.

[@fnancy630]

I need the link to that cauliflower!!! Gotta see if my kids like it as much as he did 😅😅

[@LazyDogFarm]

Here it is: territorialseed.com/products/cauliflower-veronica

[@jdollar5852]

We bought a PTO driven wood chipper and have several large piles that I allow to compost over time. In about a year it generally has turned into good soil. I run 2 smaller piles for trash that I keep turned. I think I'll try this pipe method and see how it goes.

[@LazyDogFarm]

If we ever move to a place with more land and I can justify a tractor purchase, I'd definitely like to have one of those.

[@mking3219]

Check out Diego Footers version bro!

[@LazyDogFarm]

I did actually before I built mine. His version was a little too much for my liking. I wanted to keep it simple.

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

This Gnarly old Titus looks like a Lapland Scandinavian miniature version of Grizzly Adams.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Lots of wisdom hidden among all that gnarliness ... lol

[@chadstrutzenberg9171]

He was wrestling that plant!

[@LazyDogFarm]

That plant was almost as big as him. Took some grunting to get that one up.

[@bobfrye8879]

8A (Arkansas) had no chance for winter greens or anything else...I'll start earlier next year but too many 20 degree days I guess

[@LazyDogFarm]

Ours got stunned a little in late November, but a record warm December helped them recover nicely.

[@DonnaLorenzen2009]

Ti Ti the Rockstar Cauliflower Monster 😂 I hope my Romanesco turns out that good. Just leaves so far.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Ours was a complete surprise, but a nice one!

[@MissZ1KCMO]

Spent grains plus leaves equals quality compost.....

[@LazyDogFarm]

Can't wait!

[@johncoody9947]

Do you have a video on the results with the 4 inch pipe? I'm thinking about doing this but I'm trying to get some more information before starting

[@LazyDogFarm]

It doesn't dramatically change things as some folks would suggest, but it does appear to speed up the composting process a little. If you have some extra pipe laying around, it's worth the effort.

[@johncoody9947]

Thank you

[@small-timegarden]

Did this ompost bin ever have a come today conclusion? Like, did you do a video of the result? Thanks

[@LazyDogFarm]

We've done a few updates here and there. Almost have our first batch of finished compost ready.

[@markware7748]

I would counsel to keep the potato, pepper and tomato foliage out of the compost bins after their seasons are over. The risk of reintroducing pathogen spores is not worth the little bit of compost that they would yield. I'm still holding out for the Georgia wiggler worm bins.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Definitely not putting any potato or tomato plants in there. My peppers are usually not that ridden with issues, so I might add those. But I would add squash, cucumbers, and basically any cucurbit to that no-compost list as well. Don't need any mildew spores in there.

[@shirleyk623]

Travis,. Off topic question..... I'm in central Florida, and I'm wondering if I should harvest my sweet potatoes? I'm going to have kryphoplasty (a type of back surgery) this month. I'm not sure what I will be able to do in the garden afterwards. I also recently fractured a few lumbar portions of my vertebrae for a second time. We haven't had any frosts or even any cold weather to speak of. I don't want them to start growing or get those bugs that dig into the potatoes. Please advise. Thanks. By the way vermicomposting is a lot of fun, your kids would probably like it. I love seeing your little one eating his veggies, so cute.

[@LazyDogFarm]

If they've been in the ground 100 days or so, I'd go ahead and dig them. Mine will split and get too big if I leave them in the ground too long. There's also the chance of rotting if you were to get a lot of rain. Hope your surgery goes well!

[@shirleyk623]

@@LazyDogFarm Thanks for the information and well wishes. How about an update on your back injury on a future video.

[@grandmaatthefarm125]

LOVE the mouth FULL of cauliflower! LOL

[@LazyDogFarm]

He just kept eating and eating ... lol

[@candacethompson2521]

Tituss is thinking he wants a boy cut...lol...

[@LazyDogFarm]

He can't make up his mind. He always tells us that he doesn't want his hair cut, yet he grabs scissors when we ain't looking.

[@lawrencebeeles6738]

Now its chop and carry

[@LazyDogFarm]

Chop, load, drive, and drop ... lol

[@usamom]

Omg.. my youngest is named Tyler and I've always called him TyTy. After he completed his Doctorate program, i called him Dr. TyTy... hmmm, not as appreciated as I hoped. Anyway, has the pipe in the geo composter worked? And do you have a discount coupon?? Many thanks for all your educational and entertaining videos!

[@waveoglesby2920]

Does this put off a bad smell. I’m looking to put a compost site in and was wondering where to put it. Do you have to pour a concrete pad like you have?

[@LazyDogFarm]

Ours hasn't gotten smelly yet. Supposedly if you put enough "brown" (leaves, cardboard, etc.) in there, it won't stink.

[@jeaniepartridge6701]

Yes you should remove the tape I know from experience.😁

[@LazyDogFarm]

Lots of lessons to be learned from our mistakes here.

[@sislertx]

Crazy...i just ordered one of those composters....one came with a temp gauge...lol..aint ever.gonna get that hot.

[@windstorm7756]

Are you supposed to put water to each layer o f material?

[@LazyDogFarm]

It helps to do that. We just water ours in the afternoon when we water the greenhouse.

[@garyschmelzer]

How can I find this on Amazon I cannot find your link

[@LazyDogFarm]

Here you go: amzn.to/3rr6tHb

[@mutantryeff]

Just remember that hops are poisonous to chickens, but shouldn't be a problem once composted.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Good to know!

[@UrbanWhiteBuffaloFarm]

Hey y'all, I am gonna be using the mustard greens before the potatoes. I have some 25 gallon grow bags that i'm going to grow potatoes in. I will grow the mustard greens in there first and the get the potatoes in there afterwards. So when I go to harvesting them I'll let you know how I did with it. Come next fall I will fill the grow bags new compost and then grow the mustard. put the grow bag up for the winter and then plant the potatoes in the spring. I should get the same results again. I am looking up seed potato now and I will harvest my own seed potato next fall like you did. take care bye for now

[@LazyDogFarm]

Sounds like a great plan! Keep us updated on how it goes.

[@thesmirkinggrape]

Is there an update to this?

[@wwsuwannee7993]

Cauliflower leaves have more than TWICE the protein, minerals etc. than the heads. Most brassicas are the same(brussle sprouts, brocolli, kohlrabi, rutabaga etc.) I saw in your past vids that you have tried the rutabaga greens and liked them. They are ALL delicious if your in a pinch and hungry, or just tired of collards and mustard. They provide two crops if your inclined, and are a highly seasonal treat. Sweet potatoes do the same for an easy no effort summer green(home grown summer greens in the south are like gold as you know). Even radish greens are delicious, I like mine pickled. Anyway...FY and everyones I.....gg

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for all the good info!

[@sislertx]

Lol...there doesnt seem to be ANY "STRAW" in south texas..people look at me like im crazy

[@Coastal.Redwood.Homestead]

Lol I also can all the leafs from cabbage it’s yummy

[@LazyDogFarm]

Nothing better than fresh slaw from the garden!

[@janetlavoie2441]

I dont think it would survive my neighborhood black bears!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Probably not. Thankfully we don't have many of those down here.

[@loganyoutube4818]

The fungal dominant compost makes the biggest difference as agricultural practices and thermophilic composting favors bacteria. Fungi to bacteria ratio is the main determining factor of what will thrive in a soil. It will benefit almost anything except cole crops. To stretch the high quality stuff the farthest you should make a compost extract NOT a compost tea. Compost teas are better used when there is an issue such as pest pressure or disease. After you make the extract or tea you still put the organic matter in the garden as well.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for the tips Logan.

[@malcolmt7883]

My problem with compost bins, is that the outside and the top part dries out and doesn't break down as quick as the inside.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I get that. Hopefully the airflow in the middle will help with that.

[@miltkarr5109]

These things end up msking a ton of mold spores.

[@Coastal.Redwood.Homestead]

I compost my animal poop lol and feed all my scraps to are animals. My poop compost is chicken,cow, and Goat. I would add some wood chips around your pipe it might help with air circulation

[@LazyDogFarm]

I plan on dumping some of the shavings from the chicken tractor in there from time to time to kick it up a notch.

[@susanangelo7737]

Worms don't like grapefruit.

[@bennywalsh2038]

Bacteria and fungi will and that's the point.

[@shirleyk623]

@Susan Angelo. Worms will tolerate grapefruit and other citrus just not a lot at a time.

[@thomptcy]

Your wife is so beautiful, she keeps that lipstick popping 😍 & the boys are gonna be big & strong eating all the veggies.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks!

[@lawrencebeeles6738]

Be better if only 2ft from outside to edge of pipe air only gets in 1 ft from edges i use fencewire to make inside tube no turning

[@LazyDogFarm]

Noted. I might have to experiment with the pipe placement and number of pipes.

[@ladyryan902]

Oh my gosh gardening with Leon did this year's ago..i wonder if he got it from the guy or vice versa i do this in barrels but I put kitchen scraps in the tube and put worms in the dirt is that the same concept? This looks way cooler and neater...im looking where to get it now the for the info.

[@loganyoutube4818]

There’s a video of dr Johnson su explaining how to build it and how to care for it and the science behind it

[@LazyDogFarm]

@lady ryan I'm not sure when the idea was born. But I watched the video of Dr. Johnson first, then saw several variations from other KZbinrs.

[@maryrose6229]

You need to put them on the ground so worms can get in.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Most of the bioreactor designs I've seen are sitting on pallets. I think the goal is to let it get hot and cook first, then add the worms so they're not killed by the heat of the compost.

[@loganyoutube4818]

The chickens will appreciate grain from the distillery…not the brewery tho, allegedly hops are bad for chickens

[@LazyDogFarm]

Did not know that. The chickens won't be getting any of this compost, so shouldn't be an issue.