Dr Elaine Ingham talks about the Compost Crisis & What You can do about it!

Learn Composting in-depth with Matt Powers and Dr. Elaine Ingham in Matt's The Permaculture Student 2 which is edited and reviewed by Dr. Ingham (the longest chapter is on soil!) and it's FREE FOR YOU to download for a limited time only - get it here: www.thepermaculturestudent.com...

[@fabiantechnician2797]

Elaine Ingham for President

[@ctna211]

Let us make the earth great again!

[@timwragg4702]

Right?

[@Michael_McMillan]

I like that you are always smiling! Keep up the videos!

[@TheKlink]

Michael McMillan makes me wonder "doesn't that hurt??" But then, I'm rather bitter...

[@Horse237]

Important point: Keep the temperature 131 degrees and above. That is 55 degrees Centigrade.

[@banes4848]

At what temperature one should turn the pile?

[@monicacruz4407]

Nice little lesson 🙏

[@vivekcode]

good video on composting

[@bigonorganics5753]

does the compost pile need aeration underneath I see there's pallets with hardware cloth over them to create a breathable floor.

[@edelinabacani4552]

Did she say how long you have to keep the temp above 131 degrees F to kill weed seeds?

[@ZE308AC]

Where can I buy some native legume plants or trees?

[@erbauungstutztaufgnade1875]

Does a fungal (long term) compost kills all pathogenes except the weed seeds after approx. 1 year? Because the sac. Fungi´s are really working a lot!

[@wapo311]

quick question: Considering I have a small space. Can I still build compost piles in shaded area?

[@ThePermacultureStudent]

Shaded is fine, just has to be warm enough, and it can be a small space, but it has to be able to "breath" to have air and to aerate it. Can you make a cubic meter sized pile?

[@justmejo9008]

Mine is in a shaded area. It gets a little sun in the eve. But it is in an airy place behind the shed and does wonderfully

[@ashleycarey3190]

It's been super cold here in uk my pile of wood chips leafs saw dust horse manure they got super hot for the first week maybe now it's crashed I've added coffee grounds what can I do to up the temp I'm my pile

[@georgesmerlas1244]

Where can one buy a four foot, stainless steal thermometer like that?

[@owenfranklin4243]

Love your videos. Very informative. Im currently experimenting with vermicomposting in the uk at the moment. Literally just started mind. Going to keep the feeding basic. For example. Non acidic fruit.. Teabag contents. Crushed egg shells for grit / digestive aid etc. Veg scraps. Egg cartons blended up for bedding. Will this be a good recipe for a quality compost if kept aerobic or am i missing something? Any help would be appreciated thankyou. Kind regards.

[@jakebarnes3054]

How's it been? I've only just started now. Any insights you can share a year onwards?

[@owenfranklin4243]

Really well mate. Few hiccups with slightly over feeding but its all part of the learning proccess. I did a harvest last week and the results had surpassed my expectations. Excellent castings. Worms were breeding.. which is a good sign that the conditions are right. Not too wet not to dry. Let me know how you get on. Be good to compare notes and help eachother out .

[@jakebarnes3054]

@@owenfranklin4243 will do mate, what breed do you have? Mine are European nightcrawlers.

[@owenfranklin4243]

Theyre called dendrobaena. Apparently the best type for typical uk weather conditions. So quite cold tolerant. Have to breakout the ice cubes to cool them off in summer though. / keep them in a shaded place. Where are you situated?

[@jakebarnes3054]

@@owenfranklin4243 south, urban area. Dendrobaena/ENC are the same breed so we have about the same thing.

[@stevederheim2114]

Would it help or be beneficial to add mycrorizae to the compost or would the heat kill it off?

[@ThePermacultureStudent]

Great Question!! And an important thing to consider: mycoRRHIZAE need the RHIZophere, so in that hot compost they'd be digested. This is why hot composts are generally on the bacterial side. This is why orchard composting takes longer and is a two step process.

[@stevederheim2114]

@@ThePermacultureStudent Thx I was thinking of adding some to my hot compost pile, but if the heat kills it off I dont want to waste product

[@danielhayes137]

What is the pile on? It looks like meshed pallets??

[@ThePermacultureStudent]

Chicken wire or fencing nailed down on it help contain the pile and keep it aerobic from below

[@chadstallings5558]

👍👍

[@RealEstateInsider247]

"you must constantly maintain a temperature of over 131 degrees F to kill the pathogens"

[@ctt544]

@Hair Razor Detox thats why they put quotation marks, pal.

[@ausfoodgarden]

Nice video but where was the how to? I struggle to keep compost hot enough in the colder months. It just seems to heat up for a few days then slowly cools down regardless of turning etc.

[@ThePermacultureStudent]

Size is the key in the colder months. Have you seen the VT composting pile sizes?

[@ausfoodgarden]

@@ThePermacultureStudent Thank you for the reply - unexpected. I'm on a suburban block so have limited space. I do have a roughly 1 cubic yard bin but still struggle to keep the temps high in winter months. I'll check more vids to see if I can see what I'm doing wrong.

[@ThePermacultureStudent]

That's never going to be big enough in colder temperatures. In hot temps you can go smaller than a cubic meter. @@ausfoodgarden

[@ausfoodgarden]

@@ThePermacultureStudent Thanks, but that's all I have. Only got about 1/4 acre including where the house sits so space is tight. I do manage to grow all my leafy greens at home though and other veg when they are in season. Thanks again for being so responsive. I'd better subscribe to your channel :)

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Try insulating the piles

[@matthewkheyfets1309]

Just curious: I generally am trying to grow my plants in a soil of vermiculite, pumice, and Sand. Then all my compost or organic Fertilizers go on top, usually quite thick. I'm just curious if this would functionally work, as it appears it did work and I had little pest problems apart from the beginning and the end with aphids, but it was obvious why i had those problems. I am hesitant to grow plants in pure, stable compost in a pot due to the facts that watering becomes far easier to mess up vs. what I got going. Plant roots seemed to love it and I don't see why bacteria and fungi can't live in that mix if roots feed the microbes.

[@monicacruz4407]

Depends what you’re growing. Maybe mix a bit of compost in with your well drained mix. Sure the roots are feeding the microbes, but you’ve got to have the microbes there. That’s the point of compost, getting the biology pumping. also, if you’re putting all the organic stuff o top, I would imagine that might lead to rotting off with some plants. Correct me if I’m wrong peeps. Peter Korn grows his plants in sand and is very successful

[@matthewkheyfets1309]

@@monicacruz4407 currently, I haven't had any issues. The only issue I have had is getting enough nutrients into the plants to properly grow how I want. I've wanted to grow em caged, Un pruned largely, and to grow 30lbs/tomato. In terms root diseases or root health, 0 issues. Fertilizing is slight problem but I think it's mainly because it's year one and everything was put together. Overwinter, I'll add a nice layer of compost and mulch and hopefully a cover crop. The compost will be watered in with every rain we get and so the microbes will hopefully populate and when I start next season, we will have Mycroihzzal fungi innoculants as well. I plan on direct seeding next season so hopefully it goes well in the pots.

[@kurtc6372]

A lot of work for an old man and a lot of time. I need to find an easy and less laborious way.

[@permaculturewilmington6789]

Connect with a horse owner on one of the FB equine groups. There are so many people needing to get rid of piles sitting for years. This is wonderful for the garden. If you are worried about pathogens pile it up in your yard and throw some red wiggler composting worms in and just leave it. In months to a year you'll have amazing garden soil. toss some kelp into the mix and up your mineral concentration naturally. Hope it's ok I chimed in Matt. Thought it was useful info many are unaware of.

[@justmejo9008]

It is heavy work if you are turning a pile. Only takes minutes every few days but it is heavy even in my little city yard production. One thing you can do is just make your pile and water each layer after adding. Using a pole or tool handle and poking it into the top of the pile and rotating the pole to open gaps in the pile will let air in and you can add small scraps to feed the pile. Make a few of these around the whole pile. Hope that helps

[@permaculturewilmington6789]

You can put PVC pipes through the pile and hook an air pump like a pond aerator to them ... make little holes in the pipe to disperse air into the pile. I've heard of people doing then and never turning the pile getting awesome results. The PVC pipes that are rated to be in sunlight will take thermal composting better than other grades. I've been wanting to do this next time I have a pump not in use.

[@svetlanikolova7673]

Kurt , i dont turn piles. I wait for the worms to move in by themselves. They do all tje work for me. Nature dont do compost piles. it just layers in the FALL. COPY NATURE AND JUST LAYER. COMPOST MULCH Remember, in the fall NOT IN THE SPRING!!! Happy gardening

[@XavierArte]

@@permaculturewilmington6789 correct

[@charlesmaunder]

As intelligent as she is, I don't think she has the authority to change the definition of "compost". I use passive composting. No, it doesn't kill the weed seeds and pathogens but I've never had any issues with it.

[@codymcdoogle1283]

Yeah she kinda lost me there

[@jeffstewart8627]

A doctor. California?

[@downbntout]

Jeff Stewart Not an MD, rather a soils science masters' degree. A difficult degree to obtain and one which is needed more than ever.