Dangerous Composts and How to Avoid Them

With more and more people getting into gardening and farming, we're seeing more and more people complaining about bad compost. In today's video we discuss some of the issues we've seen pop up in compost and how to address them. Huge Shoutout to Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea for his help (livingrootscomposttea.com/)
Follow Troy on IG: / livingrootscomposttea
This video covers: mulching with compost, dangers of planting into compost, PFAS in compost, persistent herbicides in compost, immature composts, how to shop compost, bioassays, and more.
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[@markthompson6139]

PFOAs are not simply in compost, but in nearly every drop of water on the planet. They even travel in the water cycle into the air and back down as rain so avoiding them is even harder than isolating good compost. The only good news ive seen on this front recently came out this week from UCLA where they were able to start decomposing these chemicals at relatively low temps with simple reagents, meaning water treatment plants (with some upfront investing) could start rapidly reducing the problem in our water. Then comes the marathon of getting it out of the soil. Great video!

[@presterjohn1697]

Wow that's a real interesting development.

[@aenorist2431]

Yup, a little drop of hope in a terrible mess. Not that removal is worth a damn as long as we still allow production by the megaton, thats like fishing a few bits of plastic out of the ocean.

[@sarahtrew9331]

@@aenorist2431 I agree finding a solution to this incredibly damaging issue should not become an excuse to keep producing these harmful chemicals. We need to phase them out globally & for once learn from our mistakes & not repeat this!

[@jamesgrover2005]

Yes I heard last week that they are found in rain across the planet.

[@markthompson6139]

Well, we stopped making PFAs in the US in 2006, and other countries phased out the older and more toxic PFOS but the newer PFAs are only marginally better and as they are “forever” we still are dealing with the massive amounts produced in the past.

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

When I first started making my own compost, I was getting grass from high end neighborhoods which in all likelihood contained Weed'n'Feed and insecticides, and caused some issues the first season. AVOID GRASS FROM MAINTAINED YARDS! Last year, I bought a bagger for my mower as well as a wood chipper,, and now make all I need from my own grass, leaves and yard waste, and I know it is all herbicide free. I also add fresh clippings each time I turn the pile, and can keep it at 145F for months.

[@christophersmith8014]

I use just yard clippings that I mow myself as well. I thought about getting some from lawn services that bag but couldn't think of how to guarantee that I would avoid precisely this problem. It's better to attach a value to the clippings and give poor people a discount on mowing their weedy, neglected yards. The "anything grows" yards also have more diversity of plant matter and generally make a better compost.

[@dustyacres]

Thanks for reminding folks of that not getting grass and such from high end neighborhoods. I myself used to do that. Never again

[@johnharvey5412]

That's a good point, and I hadn't really thought of it. The only places I *ever* see bagged lawn clippings are in these subdivisions full of millionaires with HOAs, so you can pretty well guarantee that they're putting some awful stuff in the grass to maintain the aesthetic.

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

@@christophersmith8014 Exactly!

[@michaellippmann4474]

Yep...we have about 1/2 acre of lawn and only reason I have it is to get grass clippings for vegetable garden. I do cruise the neighborhood for bagged leaves in the fall and I do have a few friends with similar sized lawns who give me their clippings but seeing the amount of weeds and stuff growing in their lawns I know it is safe to use! In any case it is about as good as it gets but this constant fight against all these damn chemicals we keep coming up against is really wearing on this 65 year old gardener!!! Thanks for the video Jesse! Mike 🇨🇦

[@FloridaGirl-]

This issue can’t be talked about enough! Am glad people are finally talking about it. Nothing like putting in all the grunt work for great soil, and having a contaminated garden. It’s sick seriously!

[@bearwill4737]

Corrupt a-holes running the corrupted system, any form of petroleum is always toxic, lab monkeys don't have the technology to remove the toxic effects, but still deemed edible by the corrupt to the core system. I could puke, I'm so pist off at these vile s.o.b.s. in business. Who else smells cockroaches in the kitchen...haha

[@margareth1504]

I even try to redirect the dog from walking on beautiful lawns, aware the weed killers may end up inside my home after getting on the dogs paws. We dont use our own footpath lawn clippings anywhere but on the footpath, because dogs wee and poop on that strip, so no thanks dont want that on my garden. A few things to think about.

[@dancooper6002]

It can definitely be talked about too much. These guys worry about everything and its not very credible.

[@FloridaGirl-]

@@dancooper6002 You’ve never had a garden ruined by grazon from straw or contaminated manure then. Good for you. Because it is real and does happen. And many don’t know about it. 👍

[@dancooper6002]

@@FloridaGirl- Not sure why my garden would be ruined by that when commercial agriculture has it all over the place and manages to feed us

[@pamclark6686]

I almost feel, as hard as I try to compost and garden organic, it's a losing battle. Sooo much to take in. Thank you. Be blessed.

[@CyberSERT]

Yeah. I'm dismayed.

[@steverobinson5492]

Thank you for this!!! It is a very important subject. We are in New Hampshire, where a lot of "municipal sludge" is still used openly on farms. That I believe was the source of the PFAS contamination on the farm in Maine that was mentioned. It is a huge problem in our area. More awareness is needed. So to put it in your words.......you are awesome!!! Thanks for putting this vid out there. Cheers!!!

[@joshhickson7551]

What part of maine are you from? My friend just got some property there from his family

[@nigeltechnz]

I bought 1.5 tonne of compost to establish my no-dig garden 4 years ago. It contained used mushroom compost which was contaminated with aminopyralid. It wasn't the compost suppliers fault, he was let down by his supplier. I helped him in his defence of the lawsuit which resulted from him refusing to take possession of the mushroom compost, refusing to pay, and asking the supplier to remove it from his yard. I supplied my bioassays to help his case. We grew it out using corn and mustard, which we sent to the landfill on harvest. since grew potatoes on the plot and they appeared fine. this year I planted broad beans, it is now fully flowered up and ready to pod, and yesterday I noticed a plant right in the middle of the patch showing signs of aminopyralid contamination. Sigh, not quite gone yet I guess.

[@betty8173]

I just saw another gardener say he had to rehab his contaminated soil with corn, and ither monocuts, thar mustard is a dicot, and doesn't work. Previously I was told mustard greens do work. So, glad to see this, thank you.

[@aarondavidson6409]

Legendary effort. You're on the home straight. Hope this season brings a bumper crop.

[@MaxWest-yk5li]

Maybe plant sunflowers to draw out the toxins and… what would you do with the sunflowers plants after that

[@user-cv1xe9yf3f]

I tested some soil from my horse corral by mixing it 50/50 with known good compost. I put 3 bean seeds in and the rest of the bean seed in good soil.2 of the seeds germinated and the plants looked normal for about a month. The leaves never curled but they yellowed and the plants were not nearly as good as the ones in soil known to be uncontaminated. So as of now I will not use the corral soil in my garden beds. You buy hay for the horses you might be getting aminopyralid in their manure. Getting it out of your soil with corn and mustard may work, but the trick is keeping it out. Any hay, compost, even straw you buy may have it and it only takes a tiny bit to ruin some garden plant while others are immune to it.

[@nigeltechnz]

@@user-mi3up7ws1f The compost guy I was dealing with would buy in mushroom compost and construct his own mixture, using peat and pumice sand. It was good looking stuff, and grew corn very well. Unfortunately the mushroom compost was contaminated with aminopyralid herbicide from one of its source materials, probably wheat straw, or possibly maize stems or could even have been cow manure. The nature of that herbicide is it kills broadleaf plants such as peas, beans and tomatoes, but allows grasses like corn, wheat etc to flourish.

[@franknoge]

I was told by a University of FL agricultural extension agent that commercial compost (at least the kind created by the industrial composter used by Orange County FL gov't on collected yard waste) generates significantly higher temperatures than my backyard pile, high enough to break down the complex molecular chains of any herbicides or pesticides in the yard waste (a function of the temp plus the amount of time the compost cooks). This was six or seven years ago - his opinion was that it was completely safe to use any compost generated by the county w/out fear of hidden herbicides, pesticides, etc. If people are seeing problems with commercial compost do you think this is a problem with how the company is composting (not hot/long enough) or have we learned since then that not all chemicals are destroyed by the heat levels in a commercial composter?

[@derekwood8184]

"you probably want to buy your compost from the nerdiest person you can, if they want to geek out on the phone that's probably a good sign". That is excellent actionable advice... Thank you.

[@FunkyKiwi7]

Thank You so much It explains soooo many things about what's going on in my garden. After years of just trusting that I'm doing the right thing by growing my own food... and having to deal with this issue totally makes sense. Unfortunately it's a huge worldwide problem in the soils the water the air. Humans have really made a TOXIC MESS of the Earth.

[@behr121002]

Truer words were never spoken. You're so on point!

[@rickjay4639]

Very informative. Thank you for all the work you do.

[@robertling9872]

Thank you guys for sharing this important information and knowledge.

[@PermieIslandBird]

I would really appreciate a video on your fav podcasts and regular information dips. Thanks so much!

[@StacksUrbanHarvest]

Love your videos! I've learned a lot from you and I enjoy your style of presentation. 🌿

[@susanjohnke3575]

FINALLY! I’ve been waiting for you to make a video about this and you did not disappoint. Our nonprofit has been doing research on this for months and you hit all the important points. Why did we research this - well because we got a whole truck load of contaminated compost in the spring and unknowingly spread it across at least 30 different sites with garden beds 😢 We have now spent the better part of the hot Texas summer, digging part of the beds back out and trying to remediate the soil. It’s so frustrating when you’re trying to do good (our organization builds and helps people maintain gardens so they have access to fresh food if they otherwise can’t get it for financial or physical reasons). I would love to hear more ideas on remediation if you have any as I feel we’re still tapping in the dark a bit and this issue isn’t likely to go away anytime soon.

[@mgfofoklahoma4018]

Susan Johnke, love to speak to you about your non-profit program. We just obtained our non-profit and wish to join hands with other's that are like minded.

[@Simply_Eden]

I spread aquatic activated charcoal (that’s all I had on hand) in water, and did a week of compost tea to remediate my soil. I had some sort of herbicide contamination and it killed all of my tomatoes (except some suckers I saved) and severely stunted other plants. I did legume bio assays and found I had at least some contamination in every bed/container. I’d rate it about a 3/4 - 6 (worst spot, my tomato bag) on a scale from 1-10, 10 being the worst. After remediation I found no contamination and now have plenty of jalapeños and chilies that were on the verge of death, and have plenty of butternut squash in the same beds the tomatoes had died in, but were remediated. From the suckers, planted in brand new soil and my awesome compost, I have tomatoes showing lots of fruit. I can’t believe it! I’m now growing grasses and corn in the beds that are winding down for the year. Corn is the in ground beds so I don’t have to chase down the grasses that could take off, and grasses in the containers as it will be easier to control therein. I’m eager to see how well my efforts will have taken care of everything 🙏🤞🙏. I thought my entire garden was doomed. I didn’t get the harvests from many of my crops that I expected, and I don’t know for sure if it was related to the contamination or just an off year. I’ll tell ya though, when I saw those baby tomatoes (Cherokee purple) set on my suckers I squealed because something worked and I needed that victory after the year I’ve had (in unrelated incidents I also had battles with a massive grub army, aphids on so many plants, earwigs (ongoing), ants ants and more ants, grasshoppers, squash bugs that I hand picked off twice a day and got rid of their eggs, and last but not least, vine borers). Anyway, that’s what I did for remediation and it worked when I ran bioassays again, there was no more contamination. I don’t know if that helps or not as I did not have the full on baddy grazon in there. Good luck! 🙏🙏🙏

[@susanbonds88]

I have seen people adding shredded office paper to compost, and it makes me cringe. Most likely that "black on white" paper has gone through a photo copier. My husband had a career as a business machines tecnician and work primarily on large office copiers the majoritu of his career. The toner in those copiers is microfine plastic, and he inhaled it on a daily basis. He developed COPD from his lungs being ruined. He dropped dead of a pulmonary embolism several months ago. One man he worked with had a lung transplant. My warning, keep printed matetials out of your compose.

[@redhen689]

@@susanbonds88 Wow, I didn’t realize office paper was a problem. I’ve been putting shredded paper, including junk mail, in my chicken coop and then composting it. My plants are doing great.

[@susanjohnke3575]

@@susanbonds88 I’m SO sorry to hear that and can’t even imagine your pain! 😢😢😢

[@parriska]

I used a biological product called OP8 that's good for digesting chemical residues to remediate the soil in my high tunnel. Saved my tomato crop from pyralid contaminated compost. I had crinkly small leaves with little to no fruit set. Two weeks after my first application I saw larger flat leaf development and fruits setting. I've applied OP8 three times now and my plants look fantastic!

[@behr121002]

Please explain, ... what is OP8?

[@parriska]

@@behr121002 it is a biological soil inoculant produced by Tainio Biologicals Inc. I purchased from Advancing Eco Ag. I applied just 20 grams of the product per application (soil drench) in my 3k Sq ft high tunnel. So while it is expensive, it goes a long way.

[@DeborahRosen99]

@@parriska That still doesn't explain what OP8 (why would someone name their product "Opiate?") does or how it works. Is it inhibiting pyralid uptake? Is it neutralizing it in the soil in some way?

[@sappir26]

This appears to be a good toxic soil digesting natural microbe that is considered Organic but a regular soil test would be required to determine if it has removed the specific toxins in your soil. Seems to be effective on most toxins. 👍 the question is, what kind of guarantee does the company that produces it support?

[@kadecastle3830]

I’ve been utilizing chickens to shred my piles, and just layering. I have to rake it up a lot until i build a cage around them but so far its produced phenomenal compost

[@kadecastle3830]

Also to add, i got this idea from Bill Mollison in his Permaculture design manual ,Perma Pastures farm and Geoff Lawton, i can take no credit! Its a sweet set up, either stationary or mobile

[@jonathanellis8921]

Yup. That's the main reason I have chickens. I have them in a 75'x35' section that I have chip trucks dump in. They love that and all the food scraps. I swear that they play king of the hill on the chip piles. It's amazing compost

[@andyourlittledog]

Edible Acres also has a very extensive chicken compost operation with lots of great info. It’s fantastic that you’re having success!

[@kiqnkf]

Troy was awesome. Get him back ASAP please!!!

[@moniquechurchill6857]

I saw Paul Stamets (well known mycologist) talk about a mushroom he seeded on contaminated dirt in order to remediate the soil ( I don't remember what the contamination was). I believe he used oyster mushrooms. Well the shrooms broke down the toxins in the soil. Maybe that can work with the persistent herbicides.

[@bearwill4737]

Nothing kills petroleum, petroleum kills everything, just look around the planet, they've turned it into a toxic waste dump & still not held Accountable, but don't you or I try it, we'd be under the prison.

[@anonymousanonymous7304]

I get fungal infections (aka yeast) and they completely mess up my blood sugar. Plus they're hell to get rid of without killing us. It appears to come from food (some drugs). Do we really want more fungus? I know i don't. That said...it probably works. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it myself. I'm not a mycologist. I would love to know the answer. Lifelong questions for me. Chase to save my own heslth.

[@anneg8319]

Paul Stamets is the expert in the capabilities of mushrooms (fungi). I will check this out. It makes sense that fungi could help heal the soil since it's such a necessary component. Would be interesting if it could be used as a cover crop? Thanks for mentioning this.

[@bearwill4737]

@@anonymousanonymous7304, I had the same problem in 2013, I was dying, server RA, when my Dr. checked my bloodwork they also found Lymphoma & Bone cancer, scared the bejesus out of me. I pounded the net for answers. I totally changed my diet, I went gluten free & Organic only foods & throwout 3/4 of the kitchens toxic foods. 6 months later bloodwork results, Dr. says your RA marker is gone, & smiles & says so is the lymphoma & Bone cancer markers. I laughed with a sigh of relief, & said Doc, GF & Organic foods is all I did. 3 months later bloodwork, still clear & Doc laughs & says I've changed my diet to yours, sure after he seen me completely change my blood work. I dropped over 45 lbs, as my metabolism changed, with No gym time, zero toxic medications, we no longer get any infections of any kind, zero colds or flues, the dogs are now on the same diet & healthy, no more psycho-drama-queens for nothing. Wheat, barley & rye gluten is toxic to all mammals & it does cause Psychosis, now exacerbated by all of the multiple petroleum toxins now being used & crammed down our throats by the corrupted system. I want all these jerks off our dinner plates forever, as no life forms can consume petroleum as a food source.

[@anonymousanonymous7304]

@@anneg8319 yes, research it thoroughly. Personally I did not find health care helpful (could be a clue). I remember my grade school teacher telling us that some mushrooms can kill you. I read a book that said all mushrooms will kill you some are just faster than others. So...there's that. I would seriously research before I get near them. Maybe they're ok, but I'm not convinced yet.

[@nigellablossom]

Ack!! That is so frustrating.. PFOAs being intentionally applied to food service products that are labeled as compostable.. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Thanks for covering this. First time I am hearing about it!

[@GimmeADream]

I have horses..., and a cow and..., chickens, ducks and turkeys. I allow their woodchipped stall manure set for a minimum of three years, turning the piles a couple times a year before putting it in the garden. Everything grows so I haven't questioned the compost. I think sometimes I tune in for your humour more than what I can learn from you about gardening but that doesn't say that I don't learn a lot too. This is my first year no-till so I do have a lot to learn.

[@tanyita5846]

With our animals, including horses, I wonder what to think about paste wormers being a part of the compost?

[@GimmeADream]

@@tanyita5846 I'm using organic powders (pumpkin seeds and thyme) and oils (mallow and sunflower) in their grain that discourage parasites, or so I'm told. I avoid the chemical pastes as much as possible and then I only use them if the animals are out on the field grass. It is rare that I use the pastes (I think twice in 10 years) but ivermectin is used for Covid in some places so I'm less concerned than medication used a sick animal. I do use chickens to clean up the pastures a couple times a year. I would think after 3 or 4 years the medication would be washed away from weathering also.

[@doncook3584]

Back yard gardener learned that my issues this season were result of using my own compost not fully decomposed. I moved a bed in backyard and needed fill so went to pile that I knew wasn’t ready. School of hard knocks great teacher.

[@przybyla420]

The forever chemical discussion reminds me of a quote from Ianto Evans “The Hand Sculpted House” that stuck with me. Something like “Anything chemical with seemingly unnatural qualities should be regarded with suspicion as potentially toxic to living systems.”

[@gardeninggalagain]

Such as eating 🦗.

[@peterv3216]

Love your videos and looking forward to getting my hat finally. Thanks Jesse!

[@krisranney150]

Saw herbicide damage 3 years ago from horse manure I bought. Really noticed it on my tomatoes! Finally, two years later it has cleared up!

[@0rganicall3Produced]

Our sources for ingredients to create our homemade compost are almost all sourced here on land; 1. Cattle for manure, 2. Pond Algae, 3. Grass, 4. (Being brought in) Wood Chips - including varying amounts of pine needles, grass clippings, and leaves. The last compost bought was filled with weed seeds we’d rather not have again. Making our own has become a necessity. Using it sparingly has also become vital as the gathering and creating compost is time consuming. Thanks for this video. It has reassured us that creating our own is better and cheaper. Labor costs to make compost actually saves money versus spending on commercial compost which may harm our plants and damage production as well as our soil on the farm. May we all remain productive and healthy from soil to table. Cheers.

[@jksatte]

I can't imagine how I would make enough compost for my small back yard garden.

[@0rganicall3Produced]

@@jksatte If it helps, know this. I am one person on a three acre farm. I have three compost bins holding 27 square feet per bin. I use my compost sparingly. I cover most of the beds with leaves or grass clippings then make small thin rows or holes depending on crop planted, add compost there then plant and irrigate. Once sprouts show, I surround them with mulch. Think possibilities. You can do it. 👍

[@barronriverblues4462]

Yeah this is a sad one , even some of the nop complaint compost we have seen herbicide contamination and almost all of them still extremely hot and very unbalanced in the mineral balancing side. 99% of the time you will have better results just using your native soil and mineral balancing it for such little money and adding compost extracts. Id say focus more on making a small pile of very good inoculating compost and save your money!

[@markm1514]

I'm here for the dad jokes, the gardening knowledge is just icing on the cake. 🍰😜

[@steghanie7927]

Last year I came across a KZbinr named Scott Head who seems to have found success remediating persistent herbicide contamination by planting (ornamental) corn in the beds that killed his tomato plants. By seasons end, he was able to grow healthy beans in the same bed so it seems as though the corn drew most of the herbicide out of the soil. While he did lose his summer crop, he didn’t have to wait the 3, 4, 5 or more years it takes for some of these herbicides to break down on their own.

[@ale347baker]

Don't sunflowers also draw out things as well?

[@nosajsamaniego4512]

Ornamental corn??? Can you post a link to what you mean?

[@nosajsamaniego4512]

@@ale347baker Really?

[@emilykelly2815]

Cool! So are the chemicals in the ornamental corn after they uptake it then? If so, then how should the corn be disposed of so it doesn't get back in the soil? I'm pretty new to this so I don't know much about remediation yet.

[@steghanie7927]

@@nosajsamaniego4512 Sorry, ornamental corn was confusing. Just meant to say he planted corn that he didn't intend to consume because if it did it's job (which it seemed to do), it would then be full of the herbicide.

[@nekomancer9157]

actually compost that has too much carbon is fine to use as a thick layer of mulch that will slowly decompose and help fungal development mainly because it will reduce water loss to evaporation. i have tried many things in my veg garden and it wasnt until i put down mulch that almost looked more like compost than the compost i had also put down that i found the mulch doing what my agricultural plastic didnt do. i almost completely stopped the weeds and i just rake aside a small layer and theres moisture there

[@DeborahRosen99]

Can compost that has too much carbon in it be screened out and the carbon chunks put on top to act as mulch while the elements finish breaking them down?

[@harriettejensen479]

As backyard grower, I do not have access to compost makers to find out what their sources are, so I test the compost I buy by planting a single tomato or bean plant in it. If you already have these persistent chemicals in your soil, you can remediate it by using oyster mushroom spawn mixed in with the soil. It has even been used to mitigate radiation from uranium spills in Japan and Russia and, when packed in long hessian bags to prevent pesticide runoff into streems and rivers.

[@odeon-2000]

You don't have access to compost makers? You're a backyard gardener? May I suggest something you should try? Take any large plastic bucket with a lid and drill as many 1/2 holes as possible on the side and bottom that do not violate the integrity of the bucket. In /near your garden, dig a hole and put the bucket in it. Ensure the outside of the bucket is filled with dirt. Put your kitchen waste in the bucket and cover with the lid.. top off with leaves. Repeat. For me, after a year I have worm castings and compost! Hope this helps.

[@carolexo7269]

Charles Dowding from UK ran into this problem with horse manure some time back. He's famous for 'no dig' and has many videos on composting.

[@greenthumbpatriot3295]

I used horse manure to start my beds and I never had an issue. Buuuuut I composted them 6 months- 1 yr before growing anything in it. Never had bigger sunflowers 14’ tall, watermelons8lb, or pumpkins 72lbs. Horse manure is a fantastic fertilizer just make sure it’s composted enough to be safe to grow in.

[@Kittens_Cats_Karma]

Love the Kitty Cat assistant! Thanks for the great video

[@manolopapas]

You are doing amazing videos. Thank you.

[@rickthelian2215]

A great topic of compost, have heard of recently on KZbin.

[@krisbaker9427]

I feel equal amounts of fear and disgust. Thanks for the information.

[@lauracampbell8907]

Add moisture until a handful of compost when squeezed releases a drop of water...perfect 👌

[@jeffkolp3526]

Comments unrelated to compost but we shared earlier this year about garlic and growing in hoop house in 6a zone. Success!! Great bulb size. Sorry haven’t weighted them.

[@bretburt7317]

Speaking of lead and asbestos...I'm a Contractor and I've seen "compostable materials" diverted at dumps that are turned into compost for the community. Unfortunately this includes all kinds of things I wouldn't want in my compost: painted drywall (gypsum) that can have lead in the paint or asbestos in the drywall compound, painted fence boards (again possible lead), plywood and OSB (think the glue is safe for you?), etc.

[@stevem815]

In Australia we have a 'green' household bin that is supposedly only to be filled with gardern waste that then gets sold on to large composting operations. Of course now if you go to the less scrupulous landscaping suppliers the compost is filled with rubbish that has been shredded and mixed through the organic matter.

[@yarriorourke6694]

You are bang on. I'm a garbage collector, mainly doing "green" cart collection. Glass plastics, clothing, shoes, tin cans, steel gas bottles, you name it, it's in there. I would never put that product on my yard, seeing what I've seen.

[@chriskimber7179]

Buddy of mine running a greenhouse operation for annuals got a load of contaminated compost. Was a bark mulch operation from a sawmill. Contamination was diesel fuel, or possibly hydraulic fluid from the machinery loading and turning it. Killed everything, quite a mess.

[@gchrom]

thanks for sharing. on PFAs, we can only do what we can, considering RAIN WATER is unsafe (see "Rainwater everywhere on Earth unsafe to drink due to ‘forever chemicals’, study finds")

[@cyrusjulian187]

Thanks for tip! I’ve actually been looking into water security solutions and rainwater harvesting was an obvious solution but if it’s not safe, what to do? Thanks

[@gchrom]

@@cyrusjulian187 For drinking/cooking I have a point-of-use activated carbon block filter to reduce pollutants, 1 micron is not enough but still helps. These unfortunately have a trade-off: increasing certain bacteria in the filtered water (see article: The microbial colonization of activated carbon block point-of-use (PoU) filters with and without chlorinated phenol disinfection by-products) For irrigation I don't see what can be done

[@cyrusjulian187]

@@gchrom Thank you for the knowledge and info. I'll look into incorporating those ideas into my setup. Much appreciated

[@onarandomnote25]

Weirdest thing I ever found in some "mushroom compost" mixed with "garden soil" was broken bottles, broken glazed kitchen tiles and some chunks of drywall... think their soil feed stock was from somewhere a little trashy.

[@garybrohard3144]

Sounds like its best to just stick with making my own. Thanks for the information.

[@robertcook9264]

And still you have to be careful of the inputs!

[@skittlesskittles7577]

Very helpful info. Tfs!!!! 👏🏻❤️

[@janemonroe921]

Excellent video, thank you!

[@presterjohn1697]

Damn this was good. I'm privy to a lot of the material in this video but it was great seeing it all condensed into one easy to digest feature. Salute.

[@irritadad1848]

I always had a bad feeling about that idea of "better living through chemistry"... didn't know it should have been this bad of a feeling, sheesh. Talk about horror stories! Regardless, thanks for the info.

[@648Roland]

The 5 compost heaps in my garden come from it, being lawn-clippings, leaves, pruning's and kitchen scraps. It's not hot compost so takes longer but it works very well for my vegetable garden beds. Only throw very weedy plants into the trash-bin or plastic containers to cook in the sun.

[@lonpowley]

WOW! I'm not an expert, I have a modest 1250sqft backyard garden in Colorado. I was researching 'how to use a MOSFET as a switch', and No-Till growers showed up on my feed. Being the curious person that I am I watched quite a few videos from you, and now I believe that I can make my garden much better. I've never used chemicals on my garden (some fertilizer). The forever chemicals scare me quite a bit; I also think and believe that the chemicals are killing off the honey bees, so I have always planted flowers for all of the pollinators.

[@lisamcdonald1415]

Awesome as always

[@GarnetReign]

16:28 University of Maine is studying PFAS now. Several farms across the state of Maine were shut down for PFAS and are now being used to research remediation of PFAS.

[@esmysyield2023]

Ranchers and farmers need to come together and stop buying hay that has been sprayed. When hay makers start loosing money because they cant sell contaminated hay anymore they might stop.

[@digsindirt4490]

So what we need is mandatory labeling so we know what compost has ingredients that have been treated (or fed hay) with persistent herbicides. It needs to be put back on the compost company to find out what farmers are using the herbicides. Same for hay retailers.

[@FloridaGirl-]

I totally agree! It’s horrible! You can destroy your garden for several years. !!! I’ve been making my own hot compost this summer from grass clipping (of course I don’t treat the lawn with chemicals) , leaves, shredded paper etc. i just don’t trust manure or straw anymore either. It’s sick. I’ve seen some horrid vids on youtube from this . All that work and then ruin. !

[@emac1177]

@@FloridaGirl- Im still dealing with a ruined garden bed. Its been almost 2 years since I spread tainted hay on my beds and the herbicide is still active in those beds.

[@FloridaGirl-]

@@emac1177 Yes! I’ve read it can take 3 yrs to dissipate! 😱. Here’s some info I found to try and get rid of it. Good luck! More work! But ugh! Makes me mad what it’s doing to gardeners. First of all, remove all the manure you can. Get it out of your garden beds. Scrape it and throw it somewhere at the edge of your property or in an empty lot where it won’t hurt anything else. Take out the plants that have already been affected and throw them away. Don’t compost them, because that will just add the toxin to your compost. Throw them out or chuck them where you chucked the manure. After doing all the cleanup you can, try adding some crushed charcoal to the beds. Activated charcoal dust would be really good. And throw in compost-NOT aminopyralid-laced compost-when you do, knowing that the charcoal is going to suck a lot of the nutrition out of the soil along with the herbicide. A friend of mine had some of her tomatoes live through Grazon-contaminated manure thanks to the ashes and charcoal she had planted them in. The ones that got the manure without the charcoal were destroyed. Another option is to plant members of the grass family for a couple of seasons. They are not affected by the toxin as it’s targeted at broad-leaf plants, not grasses. You can plant corn and grains and they’ll produce. Again, though, don’t compost the stalks. 🤷‍♀️ Good luck!

[@pappy-o2370]

This raises an interesting question regarding the use of teflon plumbers tape to seal NPT joints, which we all likely have SOMEWHERE (if not everywhere) in our irrigation systems. Are we actively spraying PFAS around the farm when we water? Is UMHW tape a safe(r) alternative?

[@wesleycallison5593]

I use cover crops instead for both fertilizer and mulch. Good results.

[@KD-ug4jp]

Uuuggh. I've been collecting Amazon boxes to prep new garden areas. Thank goodness you guys put this info out otherwise I'd be adding PFAs right to the garden.

[@retrask8981]

As a new father and new viewer I appreciate the dad jokes! Great vids man.

[@WinkTartanBelle]

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but it gets even worse. If you purchase feed for your livestock and use their manure in your plantings, you'd best know EXACTLY where the constituents of that feed came from and how it was grown. Then look to see if the place milling that feed also mills things that could be contaminated and end up mixed (inadvertently) into YOUR feed. Also consider the potential issue of drift or run-off in your homegrown feed and forage. If your neighbor sprays their fields and the wind blows it into your pasture or the run-off from their fields crosses into yours . . . . possible introduction of a chemical you are trying to avoid. I sadly had a good friend lose two entire greenhouses full of spring plants due to drifting of herbicides from the next-door cornfields over a thousand feet away. There was zero doubt about the cause. The beans and peas planted between the corn and the greenhouses literally pointed to the origin of the herbicide application upwind. Another thing to remember to consider: Where do you source your livestock bedding and how is it grown? I've seen cut Christmas trees that are marketed as being treated to be more fire resistant and to stay fresh longer, presumably via some treatment to maintain the moisture of the tree. I wondered at the time about the consequences those trees being put into municipal compost and mulch.

[@susanjohnke3575]

Totally agree! I used straw as mulch in my garden and ruined some beds because of it 😔 Thought I was doing good, mulching my beds in the Texas heat. I finally ran a test on that straw to know for sure. If anyone is interested: I soaked the straw in water and then watered beans with it. The beans came out with their first true leaves but never even produced a second set! Easy home test anyone can do to protect yourself.

[@aylahughes9185]

@@susanjohnke3575 i just use unsprayed 1 year old alfalfa. its easy to tell if it got drifted or not cause the outside of the bails stays too green for too long. if that happens i just pile it up, get it wet so its gets hot, then use it later on. its easy to get rid of the contamination- 18 days at 155-165 deg is the Swedish(all of Europe too im not sure tho) standard for converting contamination back to organic input.

[@susanjohnke3575]

@@aylahughes9185 Where do you purchase it?

[@gardeninggalagain]

@@susanjohnke3575 I'm interested in your non-profit. Can you share?

[@jericox1813]

My thoughts exactly.

[@Slipping_thru_the_Seams]

wow. thanks for the video!

[@maryrekar2150]

Great informative video

[@anthonyromano8565]

Mandatory composting will be a nightmare. Everyone throwing in what ever they feel like. I have been geeking out on compost and worms for about a year now. I could do this as a side hustle no problem.

[@chargermopar]

I was dealing with a banana planting that was completely destroyed by Picloram contamination. Horse manure applied to the banana plants caused them to look like they had sigatoka. Eventually most of the plants died. The area had to be cleared and the soil removed. Getting rid of the contaminated soil was not possible so it just sat there, for several years. Even after 5 years the soil was still contaminated. Now as an experiment I put some of the soil in the burn pit and that seemed to break down the herbicide. It appears that oxidizing some of these persistent organic chemicals actually works.

[@johnkings2030]

Awesome info

[@tomasosorno266]

I thought Alfalfa, being a legume would not be a source of broad leaf herbicides since it can't be grown in the presence of those chemicals. The real sources are monocot material like Hay/Straw.

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

Monsanto herbicide company has genetically bio engineered expensuve alfalfa seeds varieties that can tolerate the hormone disruption agents. It won't be able to reproduce itself but it grows under spray.

[@FrankHurt]

that was my thinking too; most herbicides hit broadleafs in particular. Milestone, for example, is effective on rangeland for controlling thistle and wormwood and specifically NOT killing prairie grasses--however it'll devastate any desirable broadleaf plants like alfalfa (and sadly, trees). The joys of living in an area surrounded by conventional farm operators.

[@ksbrook1430]

Thank you for the information. A lot to think about. (Love the puns.)

[@Kriskat6]

After watching this and reading some of the comments I am now sure that some of the compost I purchased this year was contaminated. I had some scarlet runner and blue lake beans as well as one of my tomato plants develop oddly colored or curled leaves. I did not have this last season and the only change was the new compost I was trying. It looks similar to aminopyralid damage. One question I do have. I occasionally have my prairie plants show signs of odd growth and it is usually after someone in the neighborhood nearby has their yard treated. With these plants, should I dispose of them or compost them for a few years?

[@KTheGuy]

Compost is the major component/ remediation to soil we at The Soil Food Web (Dr Elaine Ingham’s) are taught to master. Our recipes follow a strict schedule of heat/turning ranges from 131F to 170F. Our ability to assess that biological activity is the next tool employed using our microscope and identification of beneficial classes of microorganisms: nematodes (beneficial and detrimental), protozoa (also ben. vs detr.), and the like for bacteria and fungi that breakdown all the elements in soil and organic matter with their enzymes as well as balancing PH with their Alkaline glues and Fungal Acids: humic, fulvic, ulmics. Great video to help bring awareness!

[@susanjohnke3575]

I’ve been doing some amateur soil microscopy on our own homemade compost and love what Dr Elaine is putting out on KZbin and her website. I’ve been wondering if the microscope can be used to assess compost for contamination? Can PFAS be seen on the slide? Can herbicide damage be observed somehow? It would be amazing if we the consumers had more ways to protect ourselves.

[@KTheGuy]

@@susanjohnke3575 the only organisms that could or can remediate chemicals including arsenic or lead into a small enough particles to be safe on any level are microorganisms (bacteria & fungi) which some are known to digest plastics. Dr Elaine recently shared with us that Scientists have now been able to capture microorganism activity in molten lava. What we are taught is the discovery of the best microorganisms to perpetuate more life in plants, trees and native ecosystems. Measurements of biological numbers growing and reproducing or diminishing.

[@susanjohnke3575]

@@KTheGuy So you’d recommend healthy compost (we want to start working on making our own!) and perhaps compost tea as the main remediation? Have you ever been able to see pesticide damaged compost under the microscope though? I’m wondering if something unusual would be detectable so we could check for things ourselves. We had lab tests run on the bad compost and nothing showed up…

[@KTheGuy]

@@susanjohnke3575 if you knew what to look for in characteristics, in theory yes. PFAS are typically 4-7 micromoles in size. Not sure if the type of microscope we use (compound shadowing microscope) is ideal for that type use. But if I were to work with a client that has had any chemicals known to be present in soil I would be able to see the effects of it on the biology present in testing, after an inoculation.

[@susanjohnke3575]

@@KTheGuy I think that would be extremely worthwhile research given the state of things. The old saying “you can’t change, what you can’t measure “ comes to mind. And in this case we need to add: we can’t change what we can’t see. We need to be able to identify these things easily, so we don’t spread something so harmful accidentally.

[@itsnotthesamething]

We bought some property back in 2018. A large area was a hayfield for many years, and a flower farm before that. My question is, if bad chemicals were used to fertilize both the hayfield and flower farm, are these chemicals still stuck in the soil? I've planted a few fruit trees, and none of them look particularly healthy after two years, and they aren't growing like I expected. I've been using organic fertilizer and compost. But I don't know what previous owners have used. We have also been adding grass clippings to our own compost pile.

[@krisztiangyurko4534]

What do you think about growing hemp on a contaminated soil? It can grow very deep, and you can use the plant as hempcrete, which wouldn't be eaten by anyone and pretty useful

[@dertythegrower]

Yep, i covered it many moons ago. They do that at chernobyl also.. it cleans bad soils, yep. Hemp Bioremediation it is called

[@greenthumbpatriot3295]

Sunflowers are great soil detoxifiers grow as many as you can then pull them and throw them in the trash this will clean all of your soil. Proof they are using sunflowers to remove radioactive particles out of the soil in Russia. Research it.

[@myfishisbubbles]

Cannabis and hemp are both great crops for bioremediation

[@emilyfoster2576]

Oh man... I got a load of compost recently that is very carbonaceous and wood chippy.. I plan to leave it mostly for next year. However I did spread it on as a mulch around my tomatoes and squash. My tomatoes look fine, more growth even, but the squash leaves are looking suspiciously strange. Now I'm paranoid its contaminated. I am going to start a test like Troy described today! Thanks for this video.

[@beckypetersen2680]

Could your squash plants looks like this because it's getting to be the end of their lives?

[@leemichaeljenkins7060]

Jessi What if you put holed piping through the whole compost pit Open from One side to the other! They do this with dry toilets with great effect . Maybe it’s the way forward to put 10 airways through a compost hill so it can pull its own oxygen supply so it can keep warm and clean . Sorry I do not have the space to work on this and try it out myself .

[@FloridaGirl-]

And when we see how devastating this is to the soil. Just think, the animals we eat are eating this stuff!! No wonder there is so much cancer etc!

[@MommaLousKitchen]

Yup

[@c.a.greene8395]

Let's not forget the rocks put in weighed dirt and compost to increase the weight... I find tons of small rocks in any commercial soils and compost I have purchased... I find it greedy and it angers me greatly!! Now, I make my own and I have no more stones

[@robertcook9264]

I buy soil by the bulk, not weight. But indeed i did find a very large ( basketball sized) rock in the middle of my pile. Thats a head scratcher. But I happened to need a rock, so a win!

[@NilsElHimoud]

I learned that the feedstock for recycled paper for cardboard also contains forever chemicals.

[@xaviercruz4763]

Very Good!

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

I’m sure glad I make all my own compost for my small but productive garden!

[@Mikha335]

Does anyone know about the potential problems from chemicals in manure from chickens fed on commercial layer feed?

[@Fizzbann]

Currently have a compost pile that was supposed to be plant based material only going. Found out the neighbors have been throwing their bad Qual eggs into it when I put a dark tarp over it for the winter months to help heat it up during the cloudy weather we usually have and the occasional snow twords the end of the winter months. I'll have to turn it heavily when I go to turn it since I usually sit it and forget it, but the eggs will need to be deeper to decompose. Starting another I intend to throw some chicken manure in from some family members. Also got your book not too long ago and reading in my free time.

[@ericakusske3321]

Those eggs will compost a whole lot faster if you bust them open. That's one of the ways I dispose of extra eggs from our chickens. But my pile is built to handle that. It gets a lot of fish bones and bits and egg shells and frequently busted up larger bones so at this point it handles them with ease. I'm also not a market farmer. I grow what I want and share and trade the excess with friends.

[@Fizzbann]

@@ericakusske3321 fixing to build a fertilizer tank. It consists of a plastic barrel filled with water with different layers of mesh screen or wire to prevent large objects reaching the bottom. Meat, plants, ect that is biodegradable will go into it. Once it reaches about a year the fertilizer is ready to be used for the garden. The older it gets the better it is. I put meat and bones in my compost pile, but find dogs like to dig into when I do. So I'm going to try this method above to allow for organic fertilizer that won't attract animals. My piles are wide open. 1 covered for over wintering to attract heat while the others allow for more air flow. Eventually I intend to lay pipes under the piles for air circulation using a blower. 1st pile I did on our home just about filled a hole in our yard that was there when we first moved in. Relocated for more sun exposure due to the 1st was under a tree. Hopefully we will have a no till year round garden setup once everything is said and done.🤞

[@rodneyjack3309]

Our #1 compost method is a non chem straw mat 3' deep. Leave it a year to 3 year. Remove the straw cap and harvest the vermi compost. If you use greens put them on the bottom.

[@westvane]

There is some research being done into mycelium strains to break down PFAS and PFAO chemicals, I'm sure there are some strains that would also be effective against herbicides.

[@nuancematters]

This is something I am very curious about but I am also curious about residual chemicals that might be left in the manure of horses and cows who have come from an organic environment but perhaps may have been treated with medication. Is it safe to compost manure from animals that have been on medication? Because most animals (agricultural I mean) as well as our pets and us humans, are regularly ingesting medicines so I am curious about how safe it is to compost animal manure...does it just eventually become absorbed during the composting process and thus not a major problem?

[@dowsingtechniquesfromdivin1217]

I wonder how much vermicomposting would help? It would be a good idea to check the worm castings after feeding a batch of contaminated compost...

[@workinprogress3609]

I lost most of my spring crops due to bad compost.

[@terrihalligan1657]

Same here. Very disappointing harvest. I'm on a limited budget , trying to stock for winter

[@robertaylsworth4716]

Can some please comment on spent grains from the brewing industry in regards to possible allelophatic properties? I can get lots of grain and try to produce all my own garden compost.

[@Jacques.Bodaire]

Hi Jesse, off topic for this video but I'm hungry for a professional's opinion. I will shortly have the ability to buy either 2 caterpillar tunnels or 1 tunnel and a BCS tractor. I have very rocky compacted soil which is a nightmare to clear by hand so the BCS is very appealing. Having both, what would you suggest?

[@joanies6778]

I made a narrow bed outside my tunnel and planted scarlet runner beans, first time trying them. In the bed I reused soil from pots (from organic bagged), plus some fresh bagged organic soil and mushroom compost, all mixed together. I noticed some of the leaves are doing that funky curling, although most look normal. However, I am not getting any beans. If this is a chemical issue... I don't know how it got there. I have used the same bagged organic soil and mushroom compost elsewhere in my garden... and the plants seem normal. Not sure what to think about the beans.

[@notillgrowers]

Not flowering or fruiting is usually a sign of one of these: too little light, too much nitrogen, too little nitrogen, some other nutrient imbalance, or poor pollination. That said, if you are seeing a lot of curling, funky leaves then it could potentially be contamination. Not sure from where unless it was already in the soil (or potentially the mushroom compost if they grow the mushrooms on manure as opposed to straw or wood chips and got a contaminated batch).

[@Jacques.Bodaire]

Anecdotally, I have never had worse performance than scarlet runner beans. I tried growing them for years both in containers and in ground. Variety of soil composition. Either had poor flowering or poor set. I switched varieties and had no issues. Maybe try a more tried and true variety and see if you get similar results.

[@joanies6778]

@@notillgrowers They are flowering but not as fully as I anticipated. I had not put any fertilizer on them until this past week, thinking maybe that was what they needed. I am pretty sure I did put azomite in the soil because I did everywhere else, and used the same compost elsewhere. They are getting more sunlight now because I moved the tunnel shade cloth. Fingers crossed these changes work. My property has had only organic gardening for decades. I am wondering if a neighbor could have sprayed something that drifted. Bummer.

[@joanies6778]

@@Jacques.Bodaire Thanks. Other people online raved about them and their pictures of beautiful blooms made me want to try them. The bees seemed more interested in the pollen from corn stalks, though I have seen a couple bees around the runners. Well, I may just grow them as a screen next time.

[@rosehavenfarm2969]

@@Jacques.Bodaire our scarlet runners never do a well as any other bean. But the hummingbirds love them, so I will plant them every year, more for beauty and bird food than for people food

[@kelliegross360t]

Any recommendations on water filters for drip irrigation? I garden on about 3,700 sq. ft.

[@anibaldamiao]

He seems to say that cover crops improve the contaminants. The specific issue with forever chemicals is that they don't go away with organic processes.

[@cyrusjulian187]

How about food recycling programs that collect food scraps to make into compost? Thanks in advance!

[@krzysztofflis1847]

❤ why no ebook version of your book, sir!

[@btagg2024]

My main problem is with herbicide drift. When I moved to my home we thought the neighboring farm was a cattle operation. It turned out to be soy and corn and cattle. Every year for the past 4 years my garden gets nuked. It is so disheartening. Hoping to move in the future to an area with less big ag.

[@mar1video]

I know what you are talking about. Neighbor is making sure there are no unwanted “weeds” on his field by spraying something that is killing half my crops. It’s super scary what goes into those big fields !

[@gardeninggalagain]

Similar with a small farmer I used to buy CSA from. When I found out she farms next to a big corn production and across the street from a natural gas well, I started a backyard garden instead.

[@dancooper6002]

@@gardeninggalagain A natural gas well has nothing to do with food

[@gardeninggalagain]

@@dancooper6002 Primary concern: the owner did not like the crop dusters (for the corn) starting their spraying runs right over her small farm. (I guess they figured they were doing her a freebie!) Secondary: the fracking literally across the street from her field. Tanker trucks kicking up dust everytime they brought loads of fracking liquid, and that toxic brew being offloaded, spilling onto the dirt, while the well was being drilled and built; heavy equipment for months, and she was downwind. The fracking well wasn't there when she bought the farm and started the CSA; it went in while I was a customer. Feel free to do whatever you want for yourself, and I'll do the same.

[@dancooper6002]

@@gardeninggalagain Fracking happens thousands of feet below the surface. The wind brings dust too, but people live with that. Sounds more like a NIMBY.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

I had a bed in 2019 that I topped with about 1/2 inch of cow manure and my tomatoes started to grow wonky and curled, a little burnt looking, certainly herbicide, although the production was OK and the fruits were fine…. I did chop and drop with the resids and added another layer of different compost next season and never had any more issues, so I guess they got digested. Interesting though that year my cherry tomatoes were resistant and perfect, I guess they were more resistant.

[@FrankHurt]

We've experienced that too; it might be nitrogen burn you experienced. If the manure isn't fully composted it can absolutely "burn" your plants. I'm not a fan of tillage, but the best solution in this case is to work the manure into the soil substrate. Or: lots of watering and cover cropping to leech out and eat off the excess N. But that'll take a couple years.

[@allthingsgrowing]

If I have a large amount of manure, cow and horse. Firstly, how do you get that to break down and get ready for use in compost? And when will I know when it's ready to go in?

[@rayah_v_dc]

Thanks for the informative video and more cat-meos please!!!

[@murraycowie9234]

I bought a truckload of compost (which smelled like the dump) and found roofing materials in it; when I called the outfit he told me it contains "recycled materials". I put a free sign on it and neighbors scooped it up.

[@BigWesLawns]

I am a novice, but I see lots of experienced people making compost or vermiculture videos, and they use Newspaper as worm food, or carbon source for a compost, or leaf mold. The ink in the newspaper is toxic. I would be glad to be educated otherwise, but I used to work at a newspaper and saw some stuff. Maybe today they use better product, but I doubt it. Dont use newspaper. 🇨🇦👊🏻👨🏻‍🏭✨💖🙏Good Video!!

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

Since 1980 very inexpensive soybean ink is used. Prior to 1980 ink was made with lead and chemicals that are now too expensive.

[@rockclimbingrules]

have had this experience with mushroom compost when i first started. because i was just starting out i thought it was me, wrong timing, or not watering correctly. took me a while to realize that it was the compost all along. plants were yellow and twisted, looked like they were being tortured! now a collect horse manure and let it sit for at least a few months before using. soil is full of worms now and plants are loving it. only i am just in my backyard. small scale.

[@wendyeames5758]

So, you can't wait put the persistent chemicals or do the bean test on compost to test for it? Does it affect plant growth or only health?

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

We had a terriable issue here in the UK with weed killer in the compost! which made a LOT of issues with gardeners.

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

That is an increasingly common problem with compost and manure in the USA

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

@@inharmonywithearth9982 completely

[@joeeigo9820]

We have some mouse in the garden. As I put chopped branches all around some olive trees, neighbors told me it's not a good idea as the mouse likes to build their palace inside the mulch and feast on the roots. Secondary I lacked in a Nitrogen source. So I checked my natural resources around, and found a genius solution which could result in a win win Situation. By mixing sheep wool in the mulch, which is considered as a waste product nowadays, It keep the mouse away, while adding nitrogen to the mulch for better compost

[@DeborahRosen99]

Sheep's wool is not a waste product if you have a knitter or a spinner in the area! But I'm confused as to how that would be a mouse repellent - they like building nests out of fibrous materials, and putting camphor or cedar in the closet or the dresser (or the cedar linens chest) is ubiquitously understood to repel both moths and mice.

[@joeeigo9820]

@@DeborahRosen99 so far it worked well, but it might not be mouse breeding season here. I use the wool cutoffs the Shepard's are throwing away ( around the feet i.e.) this wool is pretty dirty and smelling strongly until mixed with mulch. This smell is what should in theory repell the mice.

[@LivingSoilSociety]

Would also recommend humid acid to remediate potential contaminants. Water soluble, so no tilling-in required like bio char, and is great to capture/sequester pollutants like herbicides/pesticides.