Eliot Coleman's How To Make Compost and Add Organic Amendments

[@madcrabber1113]

I loved this show when it used to air here in Maryland back in the nineties. I got into gardening back then starting with a tiny six ft. by six ft. garden I planted at my first tiny house that I bought back in 1992 & have moved several times since then and planting larger gardens with every larger yard. I knew next to nothing about gardening until watching this show. What ever happened to these two wonderful people?

[@madcrabber1113]

I learned how to garden watching these 2 on TLC many years ago.

[@Wildnativeedimentals]

Generous, generous and helpful share. Thank you very much! 🙏🏼💚

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

Loved this show. They encouraged me to use the knowledge that i had but didnt think i could do it by myself. It wasnt easy but it was doable....brings back memories.

[@jerichowsm]

the reason i enjoyed this programme is that you made it so easy and clear to follow, no technical mumbo jumbo stuff,especially about the compost which i totally agree about,as i have just bought a bio shredder to enable myself at making my own compost again great show

[@raincoast9010]

I like the making stew analogy with regards to organic content, the more you add the better it is. thanks for the info.

[@darleneelkins1999]

Thank you so much for sharing this. I loved that show. Wish they made DVDs of it.

[@TheNaturalFarmer]

You two are so awesome. Covered it all. Thanks so much. Found this video through a chapter that Barbara wrote in "Letters to a Young Farmer". Many blessings...

[@putiwang7679]

I like your videos too.😃

[@jimstormcrow]

These programmes are wonderful.. Thanks...

[@159India1]

The manner in which you present your details is an inspiration to this 71 year old. I am usually searching for distinctively skilled individuals, because I always hope to improve my 6 organic raised bed plots here in Greenpoint, Brooklyn; and it was a pleasure to see your video. It is wonderful to find people who care so much for our planet, one garden at a time. Thank you, David Linker

[@charliezicolillo]

Floyd Bennett Field is were I have my gardenplots in a communitygarden Charlie I - 55 -U that is my plot number.

[@cityurbanfarmjimpeckham5082]

Came to these wonderful guys late in the day but boy am I glad I did ... I've learned so much from watching and then emulating to the best of my ability what they teach us ... Thank you :-)

[@MarcellaSmithVegan]

This was a great weekly gardening show back in the 70's, Interesting! People think that composting, rock dust, and such are 'NEW', nope, we just started ignoring it ever since they made the nutrient lacking NPK blue water, and now, think we just 'discovered compost and rock dust!', haha, although I am a believer in 'no till', the roots from prior plants remain in the soil to maintain the bioculture that builds a good airy healthy soil and when they rot away they feed the earthworms then leave airy tubes thru the soil just right for new plant roots to thrive

[@tazno1]

Back when TLC had real educational shows!

[@arnaldogloria1749]

Amazing video! Thank you for sharing. Just found the book "The New Organic Grower". Awesome book and hope we can use what we are learning.

[@crystalarcher8782]

It is rare and far in between when you can find a video that has three things going for it; Educational, Informative and Engaging. I have recently moved into a home that wasn't cared for inside or out from any of the tenants, for way to long. I have had some minor/major issues that have been or are being resolved. The new challenge is the yard. It has been used as a land field etc. and doesn't get much sunlight. Three things I have in abundance is Slugs, Snails and moss. I am trying to plant things but have to first deal with the abundance of these things. Help, please I am getting to the point of giving up but I would like to come home to a place where I can smell and cut my ornamental Lilies.

[@dictionaryzzz]

+Crystal Archer use diatomaceous earth if you got slugs and snails

[@MrKen-longrangegrdhogeliminato]

Moss, need some Ag lime.

[@bluetom4950]

@GD My thinking as I searched for alliteration with only two elements--educational and engaging, or informative and interesting.

[@abdolnasersanaeesabzevary8359]

Thank u eliot even now i prefer your advice.long life

[@ardas77]

Their soil looks amazing

[@cuteblancaestrella]

What a great video! @ Timmy Sweets... I want to marry both of them as well! Ty I am a newbie on gardening and researching all I can find before I start that beautiful rewarding work that comes from growing your own healthy vegetable garden. I got all my first equipment and found some beautiful soil under all the pool furniture! Covered with leaves & there beautiful dark soil full of worms :) So happy to see that!

[@AAHomeGardening]

I have your 'the Winter harvest handbook' Such a powerful book, wish you could sign it

[@tctl3246]

You guys are wonderful!

[@MovingBlanketStudio]

nice presentations, great info and tips.

[@eightdragonkings]

Ty again and thanks for replying! I am not familiar with Ruth's work but I will have to seek out stuff on that. Eliot your work and experimentation is truly inspiring! I have done a lot of studying on permaculture biodynamic no till etc. Your work is hands down the most interesting and applicable to my particular needs.

[@mdastur3338]

very informative information given in an interesting manner..

[@NICKYM26]

I am soooo glad not to see raised bed's, I think the earth was made to grow without building wood frame's or growing in pot's, I had to resort to one raised bed and pot's galore, very costly only because I could not find anyone to till my large fenced in garden, but hopefully next spring in Michigan I will either till or just plant when the weed's die over the winter. love your video. thank's

[@ramz1455]

Check out Charles Dowding's KZbin channel. He is an expert in No-till gardening.

[@karentassinari6024]

Hi there, I LOVE the straw bale bin! I will be making one this fall. I work in school gardens and I'd appreciate hearing your opinion about turning compost often to speed decomposition. Thanks in advance.

[@blockguru]

After a pile is properly built and in sufficient size and well watered, you will notice it will shrink down to about half or 2/3rds the original size eventually and accordingly to the ingredients, then, TURN IT OVER COMPLETELY. Then, when that pile shrinks down to half the size turn it over one more time and let it sit for two years, turning maybe only one more time, but not entirely necessary. Poking with long, strong sharp sticks is good to do, but NOT in replacement of turning, as turning over is critical in my experience.

[@interestingyoutubechannel1]

8:08 "that's where the nitrogen is" - it's not. That's the rhizobacteria that fix atmospheric N into plant-available form. But usually at harvesting seasons, about 25% of clover's nitrogen, for example, is in its below-ground biomass (roots). About 75% of the plant's fixed N is its above-ground biomass.

[@natureboy9113]

Beautiful. Thank you!

[@pekesrepose7363]

oldy but a goody. love the straw bail demo.

[@Vector_Ze]

I never realized Karen and Richard Carpenter were so into gardening! :-)

[@eightdragonkings]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I am attempting a small market garden in zone 2. Northern Canada... Love your stuff! Now a question... How effective is just mulching with your wastes rather than composting them and then putting them on the soil?

[@blockguru]

It all depends...First, do you have enough good compost around to make like potting soils or use for top dressing and houseplants. Second, if you know the "No Work Gardening" method by Ruth Stout, then mulching with waste is perfect. I would do it only if you have sufficient amount of wastes around. But, if wastes are scarce, use it to make compost and use it where it counts, and make compost tea, too.

[@iersejounge]

Thanks a million. Great info

[@MrKen-longrangegrdhogeliminato]

Nope, the sharping was done by peening the edge of the Scythe and then honing. Grinding or filing removes to much metal. The peening method draws out the metal. See a video on peening a Scythe to sharpen. Great videos, super people you are, I enjoyed much.

[@Hannahcode1]

Great vid. although i would like to know about the strawberries!

[@gussferretti9665]

Very knowledgeable people.

[@suttonsplash14]

really enjoying this, thanks!

[@truenorth7553]

Always listen to the old guy in town !

[@rbussph]

Thankyou for your informative video. Just a few questions, You did not mention turning the compost is enough air getting in without turning the pile? You did not mention if you add manues or any other ingredients other than what you showed on the video, please explain, We also have a rodent problem. I love the idea of using the hay bales but think the rats will get in any suggestions as we have an 11 acre farm and are setting up an organic market garden and want to make our own compost. we want to get it right, thank you this is coming from australia

[@blockguru]

Build the compost pile around a removable vent pipe like a gutter downspout and remove once the pile is built. Don't bother turning if you build compost inside a straw bale wall. Just aerate with long sharp steel rods. Add manure if you have it, it will be your "green" component. Rats are not a problem with straw bales. Get a barn cat, build owl boxes, store kitchen wastes in large tubs BEFORE applying to compost piles.

[@milkweed7678]

Can the natural compost from the woods be used in the vegetable garden? Can we dig it up and use in the garden?

[@blockguru]

Yes. Be aware it could be acidic, or contain hungry microbiology that can eat or rot vegetables, so sheet compost 3-4 weeks in advance, or simply till in the soil with some dolomitic limestone. Monitor small test plots for best results.

[@blockguru]

Use heavy tarps sold by "Farm Tek", search under their "Steals and Deals" section for odds and ends at bargain prices. Tarps are held down by one gallon milk jugs (or similar) filled with water and tied with baling twine or bungees. Butter chard is actually the color, try looking for the yellow colored swiss chard, and pay attention to the seed description that talks about it being soft and easy to cook, delicious flavor.

[@mporter012]

Love the pants.

[@bradhorner]

I always need to pull mine up extra high in case of flood.

[@RedBluffWiseGuy]

My soil has a lot of termites. How or do termites effect a compost pile? If negatively, how do I protect the compost, if I even could? Thank you for your answer(s).

[@blockguru]

RedBluffWiseGuy Termites will not effect the pile. They are looking for nesting sites and food, like dead insects. If they do nest, it is ok, because in the end the compost will be spread out on the garden and they will be displaced.

[@RedBluffWiseGuy]

ok. thank you

[@sueb-t2183]

the straw bails is a good idea if you have your own but very expensive now

[@JimmyTFB]

Love your stuff Eliot..2 quick questions for you. First-what are you using to cover your finished compost bin? It looks like a heavy tarp of some kind, and I can't see how you keep it down do it doesn't blow away in heavy winds. Second-elsewhere you talk about "butter chard" that you've grown in the past. I've searched Johnnys and can't find anything that resembles what you're talking about. Can you tell me the variety name and where you buy it?..thank you...Jim

[@tutulick]

I have recurring backpain---an occupational hazard. Can I work the broadfork perpendicular as opposed to along the length of the plot. The way you do it makes an unbalanced use of one side of the body.

[@blockguru]

+tutulick Yes you can. Configure the work any way you'd like. Try it out many ways, it still works great!

[@simonmasters3295]

I would suggest the opposite is true, it looks far more balanced than a single fork

[@samanthanicholson9015]

i heard we shouldn't use tomatoe stalks in compost or mushrooms, thank you for all the information. are there any ingredie ts to leave out?

[@blockguru]

Put them ALL in the compost, as our soils needs as much diversity put back into them. A properly high-heated compost turned and aged two years covered will take care of everything.

[@samanthanicholson9015]

Thank you :)

[@CB-jj6gr]

You need to be careful there. Getting a compost heap to reach the proper temperature to kill diseases, that tomato plants are susceptible to, is not always easy. Unless you properly monitor the temps of the heap with a compost thermometer, I would refrain from composting plants that you know are diseased.

[@michaelkwabla6547]

samantha nicholson

[@IsaSab]

Hi Eliot, If you happen to have plants infected with powdery mildew (I know, your good soil management and compost should prevent that!) do you compost the plants? This year I had a lot (almost all my garden) affected by mildew, even the peas I planted to enrich the soil with those nitrogen nodules .. But now my peas, tomatoes and squash are affected by mildew. I was trying to see if hot composting (Berkeley) would kill the spores and if I should compost those plants or not, but I can't find the information on the web. I am also wondering if I need to pull the roots from the ground or I can leave them? Basically wondering if the spores live in the root system or only on the leaves. Thanks!

[@blockguru]

+Sabrina Taschereau I would not transplant powdery mildew plants. Compost them. Now, if that is not possible, then you must wash the plants with a compost tea, and I mean get the compost tea on every pore of the plant. The compost, of course, should be a finished compost aged over two years and be black and crumbly. Brew some tea like in a brewer or just stir relentlessly for 15 minutes in cold water: 2 cups of sifted black compost in a 5 gallon bucket, strain and spray or brush on or even immerse plant. Then do a foliar spray of kelp and transplant. Keep the kelp on it by reapply every 3rd day. Should be gone soon. And, no spacing competition, give those plants room to avoid stress and hence reoccurance of mildew. I hope this helps.

[@IsaSab]

+blockguru Thanks a lot. Yes, it helps. Broke my heart to burn those plants, I much prefer to make good compost out of it. The problem appeared in my garden this year, not indoors or in the greenhouse before transplanting. It would have been a lot of work to apply the tea as well as you mention. Next year I take better care of my seedlings try to reduce the stress. I'll apply compost tea to the garden more often also. I had started the squash directly outdoors this year, I thought that would reduce stress a little, but I guess it wasn't enough :) On a sidenote, I tried the vertical tomatoes this year. I have 8 plants trained that way. I also have 8 plants that I put in a 8x4 raised garden lot with tomato cages (I tried to space them enough to avoid stress). Well.. the raised garden is all dead, nothing green in there anymore. The vertical tomatoes are AMAZING. Green, thick leaves, new steams growing all the time, FLOWERS even, like if we were spring. This is the best thing you've thought me this summer, and next year I'll reuse the setup to grow peas or something else that climbs :) You also answered questions I had on tunnels versus sweet potatoes. Well! Guess what? I managed to grow sweet potatoes AND peanuts here in Quebec, with our short summer. I used the low tunnels in spring with a transparent plastic and it worked great. Even though my "regular" potatoes were full of potato beetle, the sweet potatoes were untouched. It gave me huge and heavy potatoes. I would never have harvested this much without your books, video and comments. Thank you so much!!

[@markdennis7098]

My Question is I like the bail compost and would like to try those do you need to turn the compost or just let it go for the yr . and only make a compost bail when you have enough to fill it first time ?

[@blockguru]

no need to turn as long as it is layered and built properly to ignite the pile, however, you still need to stab with rebar or bamboo stakes to the center core for air.

[@humantiger72]

Stab the bail? or stab the pile? and how often should I stab?

[@blockguru]

Stab both, stab once a week in the spring. Stab both every other week, thoroughly, in all other seasons.

[@blockguru]

No turning necessary. You can take all the time you want, but then you will wait much longer to get your finished product. Best advice, fill full all at once.

[@111angela]

Does animals come in this decomposing vegies ? Is it a problem if it happens ?

[@blockguru]

There is absolutely no problem in composting animals in a compost pile as long as the internal temperatures is brought to the maximum to kill any pathogens present and sufficiently turned or aerated. However, if you are trying to make purely "vegan" or vegetarian compost, then obviously do not compost animals.

[@marvinmulford2536]

Very educational ,,marv mulford

[@agdayem]

Does eliot make all his own compost needs?

[@RickMarshallMaps]

Great video

[@CalvinLeman]

I am trying to grow all I eat. Thank you. I am at treegrower organization.

[@MaineOffGrid.]

Holy moly….was this 1993?

[@muradalansari4870]

How long does it take to turn the leftovers into arable soil? Thank you

[@blockguru]

It depends on what type of composting method is used to break down the leftovers into arable soil. There are many methods, too many to go into right now. However, the easiest method would be "sheet composting" and I highly recommend reading Ruth Stout's "No Work Gardening".

[@muradalansari4870]

Thank you

[@Horse237]

There is another approach to organic gardening. Try the 'I Am Organic Gardening channel.'

[@sdhjirhgh]

CAN YOU EAT VEGGIES FROM POISON MUSHROOM COMPOSTING? I found big mushrooms pads in my yard and added to my compost dirt is it ok to plant edible Veggies in same compost? will it poison me? thanks.

[@blockguru29]

Yes, even poisonous mushrooms are natural to healthy microbe-rich garden soils. Wash vegetables really well so the actual mushroom itself is not touching the produce.

[@TheSdecker2]

Everything breaks down into soil and what was toxic on a mushroom breaks down into basic elements and is no longer toxic.

[@hedgecraft559]

No microchorisae will take over the pile and you'll be farming mushrooms.

[@jerrychetty2524]

Good stuff

[@MikeJRe2ipi]

What happened to TLC...?

[@floresnjose57]

That's what God intended in the "Eden Garden" , but we fell and the rebellion against God and brought us what the mass food productions offer us that is killing us .

[@judithkahn7143]

what is peat moss?

[@blockguru]

From Wikipedia: Sphagnum (Peat Moss) is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species[2] of mosses, commonly known as peat moss. Accumulations of Sphagnum can store water, since both living and dead plants can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; plants may hold 16-26 times as much water as their dry weight, depending on the species.[3] The empty cells help retain water in drier conditions. Hence, as sphagnum moss grows, it can slowly spread into drier conditions, forming larger mires, both raised bogs and blanket bogs.[4] These peat accumulations then provide habitat for a wide array of peatland plants, including sedges and ericaceous shrubs, as well as orchids and carnivorous plants.[5] Sphagnum and the peat formed from it do not decay readily because of the phenolic compounds embedded in the moss's cell walls. In addition, bogs, like all wetlands, develop anaerobic soil conditions, which produces slower anaerobic decay rather than aerobic microbial action. Peat moss can also acidify its surroundings by taking up cations, such as calcium and magnesium, and releasing hydrogen ions. Under the right conditions, peat can accumulate to a depth of many meters. Different species of Sphagnum have different tolerance limits for flooding and pH, so any one peatland may have a number of different Sphagnum species.[6] Individual peat moss plants consist of a main stem, with tightly arranged clusters of branch fascicles usually consisting of two or three spreading branches and two to four hanging branches. The top of the plant, or capitulum, has compact clusters of young branches. Along the stem are scattered leaves of various shapes, named stem leaves; the shape varies according to species. The leaves consist of two kinds of cells; small, green, living cells (chlorophyllose cells), and large, clear, structural, dead cells (hyaline cells). The latter have the large water-holding capacity.

[@mikerosner]

thay dont have shows like this any more

[@burnsloads]

Goddammit. I thought this was my 600lb life

[@zleereed]

wheres part2?

[@MrCanibisking]

for reel

[@markdennis7098]

I have one of those there awesome

[@ratfacekick]

I want to marry them both. So damn pleasant and perky

[@deankruse31]

nice pants

[@catfunksfabulousfinds]

Leaves add minerals

[@bjohnston3659]

With all the rubbish on television now it's incomprehensible to me someone doesn't bring these old shows back...

[@panchopantera8287]

Sorry Elaine told me I don't need non of that all We need is the Right microorganisms nimatodes fungi protozoa Arthropods and Bingo...😋

[@blockguru]

You mean Elaine Ingham of the Soil Food Web company? Compost and compost tea is what the right microorganisms would feed on and expand into soil, so you need compost and compost tea to host the microorganisms.

[@hedgecraft559]

My question is why not do it all.....???

[@thisguyrighthere3647]

What if your crop has disease? I thought that should stay out of the compost pile.

[@blockguru]

Feed that disease to those hungry microbes! But, build a proper compost pile and get it hot enough with enough air.

[@TheLazyGuyWay]

April 3rd 2020

[@anniegaddis5240]

following

[@TheGohbomba]

Thank for the infos

[@natchynootch6952]

Acidic*

[@mitchstreetman9935]

This info is great, but the overall concept has been, finally, deemed completely wrong. Since this video was made, the Organic Scientist has finally discovered the relationship between the plant & the soil. The "What's, Why & How's. The verdict is, the soil itself, no matter the type, has enough nutrients & minerals that will last 100 years. To learn about the newly discovered circle of life, see Dr. Elaine Ingram. You Tube.

[@hisroyalblueness]

A bit of a dodgy old video but my oh my it’s teaming with common sense.

[@sonofthunder3333]

what about RODENTS!!

[@leesunlung]

Report card on 3rd grade lol.....

[@gabevanek4458]

Bloobery