EP2. HOW TO GROW FOOD FROM SCRATCH: Home Composting

[@jameswaugh8142]

Great video! Heaps of info! Thanks!!

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thanks James, its great to hear it helped. thanks for the comment.

[@patrickvandegraaf5511]

The way you present it, the information explained in a way that everyone can understand and the humor is just amazing, please keep this going, this is what we need!

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thanks Patrik. I really appreciate the kind words. We have another ep coming!

[@lisasmith7860]

OMG Craig, you are fabulous! We laughed all the way to the compost bin. We love all your productions. Thank you so much for your contribution to our lives through sharing these wonderful local stories.

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Haha it’s great to hear you enjoyed them, thank you 💩🌱

[@foureyesproductions358]

Good job on this very interesting, informative and entertaining episode!! Wishing you all the best for the rest of the serie and other projects coming up :)

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thank you. I really appreciate the feedback. I hope you enjoy the next episode, coming soon ;)

[@foureyesproductions358]

​@@DogsGoWoofProductionsYou're very welcome! From a fellow filmmaker, I really appreciate the work you have put into this production and the permaculture doco serie, it's absolutely amazing to watch and learn from different people. Finding your channel was such a good discovery, I really hope you guys can make it to Tasmania, keep on spreading the good vibes and inspiring a lot of people. I will do my best to share your videos around, you really deserve it! Also quick question, what kind of gear do you film with?? I saw a picture on your website and I can recognise a C serie Canon?

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

@@foureyesproductions358 That's great to hear! Hopefully once COVID is under control we can travel again, but in the meantime hopefully this mini-series can help people. Sure, we shoot primarily with the Canon c300 Mkii and use a GH5 as a B-cam. It's great to hear from another filmmaker and I really appreciate the support.

[@foureyesproductions358]

@@DogsGoWoofProductions For sure, everything has been put on hold for all of us, I was suppose to document my partner's European Tour this year but it's been pushed back, hopefully it will happen next year! I hope it happens for you too and you get many more supporters along the way. Hahaha camera bro! I knew there was something familiar in your images, I use a C200, Im so happy to see what kind of images those cameras can create when you know how to use it right! I was interested to know as well what lenses you are using for documenting? Thanks for your answer I appreciate you take the time to read and reply :D Wishing you the best from Melbourne

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Oh cool. Haha yeah I really like the image they produce, it’s just a shame they waited until the mark iii to add an image stabiliser and higher frame rates. I use a few different lenses, depending on the shoot, but my go to is the 18-35 sigma f1.8 It’s great all rounder for wide to medium shots especially in low light. I use a 24-105mm for more shoulder work, and sometimes a Carl Zeiss 50mm prime for pretty portraits or closeups to get super sharp images and a Uber creamy bokeh haha, but yeah there hasn’t been one unfortunately that covers it all.

[@shubhamchoudhary7023]

Your videos are extremely knowledgeable and entertaining thankyou!! for sharing this video ☺️. I am glad that I found your channel 😊

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Ah thanks Shubham, that’s really nice of you. Thank you for watching. You’ve made my day :)

[@erinholm9155]

I am loving every part of this video!!! You are so entertaining to watch, while also providing all the information I need in simple terms. So glad I discovered your channel.

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thanks Erin, it’s great to hear your enjoying the vids.

[@tonmeister00]

Most entertaining video on composting I've seen. Had a good laugh! Thank you!

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thanks a lot! Great to hear you enjoyed it 💩🌱

[@madelli9991]

Your videos are so high quality !!! Love this series.

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thanks Madeleine! It’s really great to hear. Thank you.

[@Goodcrab]

This is great! I love you! Very informative and very funny. I am so inspired 💚

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Georgia Mitchell thank you 💚 that’s fantastic to hear 👩🏼‍🌾

[@beaushuttleworth9671]

@@DogsGoWoofProductions just so you know, she has a boyfriend

[@beaushuttleworth9671]

@@DogsGoWoofProductions awww I can't stay mad, I also love you ❤️

[@tiffanyclitheroe5784]

Super awesome!!! Love the matchstick. Love the explanation of soil being mostly life. Makes so much sense really. Of course it is 🤯

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thanks tiffy! You bloody ripper! 🤗

[@ypfarmurangkebun6991]

Best explanation video ever.. 😎

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Yp Farm terpadu thank you for the kind words, it’s great to hear you enjoyed it.

[@ypfarmurangkebun6991]

Ya I'm interesting on permanent agriculture that still heard strange here.. I'm from Bangka Indonesia actuallly.. it feels honor that you reply my comment.. I use translator for this 😁🌏

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Yp Farm terpadu it’s great to hear from you all the way in Indonesia and that these videos have helped. Keep at it and keep growing 🌱 thank you for taking time to comment. I really appreciate it

[@ypfarmurangkebun6991]

@@DogsGoWoofProductions thank you so much.. hope you always stay positive so can inspire more people and life with joy and God bless U..

[@samcannon3679]

Loving this Craig. Bravo 👊

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Cheers Sam great to hear your enjoying the series!

[@lorenrowe501]

So good!! Love the humour. Keep them videos coming 👏🏽 😂☺️

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thank you! Will do! We have another episode coming end of the month :)

[@gehan69]

Love your videos, are more on the way?

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Hey Gonzo, thanks. It’s great to hear you’re enjoying them. Yes, we have hot compost still to come and new series about transforming an urban house into a sustainable food forest - is on the way. If you would like to be notified wen these release, pls subscribe or head to our website.

[@archangelsastrology]

What about those compostable bags you buy in rolls at Woollies? How long do they take to compost? I’ve been using them not too sure?...

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Heidi Irwin good question. They are a tricky one. They are meant to be a plant based plastic, so they do compost down, but in saying that, many of these plant plastics need heat to breakdown so they may not in your cold compost. So you can add them to see what happens, and if they don’t decompose then they definitely require heat - but, we will be releasing a how to HOT compost episode, so can compost things like meat, bones, weeds and seeds and most plant plastics in 3 weeks.

[@sophie522pan5]

Can't love u more！Craig！I am translating your videos into Chinese. And I am practicing cold composting according to your instruction at home during this pandemic period. I have been forbidden to go out for almost a month! Hope everything going smooth for you there. BTW, is it a must to drill holes around the bucket to let air flow freely? Is it possible to make cold compost at home indoors? Thank you for your reply on my another comment! I am so excited to hear from you! And I am trying to build a mini scale food forest in Shanghai:)

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Hey Sophie, great to hear from u and thank you for the kind words and that would be fantastic to have the video translated. Thank u. I really appreciate it. I am Sorry to hear you’ve been isolating for a month! That is tough. I hope u don’t have to for too much longer. Our country has began reopening so, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Anyways, to answer ur question about the indoor compost bucket, you don’t need holes for air flow. Although it would help, it actually allows flies to get in and lay eggs, so better to seal it off and instead use carbon material to stop the smell. To answer ur second question, yes! It is possible to completely compost indoors. It is a little trickier to do from scratch, but u can use a design called a bokashi bin / trash can 🗑 they require some bacteria to get started but u can compost and put the waste straight onto ur plants without going outside! Thanks again for commenting. stay safe and let’s get grow’n!!

[@sophie522pan5]

Hi,Craig. So glad to get your reply. I have been watching this video for 3 times. Fantastic! But I still have a few things to ask. 1. At the end of this episode, the link you gave is dogogowoof, which I think should be dogsgowoof, right? 2. What it the basic principle of cold composting? 3. What is the difference between cold and hot composting? 4. What is a relic? 5. There are so many methods for composting . Would you please tell me which for which situation is the best ? 6. Why you said you don’t need to lay a finger on it? Don’t you need to turn it constantly? And after the composting is finished, don’t you need to put it back into the soil to plant? 7.I once heard that you don’t need to put carbon materials in cold composting, all you need is soil matches the nitrogen materials. And when it’s decomposing, it will attract worms and microbes to eat and decompose the materials. That is how cold composting gets done. Is it correct? 8. Due to the pandemic, my situation now is indoor with no open area. Does that mean Bokashi composting will be the only best way for me currently? What if I don’t have a Bokashi bin, and nothing can be purchased right now? I have been making eco Enzymes. Will they work for this situation?

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

@@sophie522pan5 Hey, ok I'll try answer your questions best I can :) 1. Yes, sorry that link is incorrect it should be www.dogsgowoof.com.au 2. Basic Principle of cold composting is we using the way nature decomposes organic matter in a forest floor so we can feed our plants. 3. The difference between a Cold and Hot compost is a cold compost does not generate heat while the organic matter breaks down and is a slower process. This is how a forest floor would decompose. A hot compost is a fast compost method and it does generate heat. By creating a large enough heap of organic material, we superdrive the microbe activity so much that we get up to 65 degrees celius in the middle of the mound which breaks down the organic matter in a matter of weeks. This process requires a more attention, while a cold can be left to sit - as long as its kept moist. 4. Unfortunately I am not sure what u mean be Relic. But I will take a guess and I think it might have translated from some slang I used. 'Retic' Which is short for reticulation. This might have been when I was referring to automating the water for your compost. 5. You're right, theres many composting methods. The best way to think about what is best for you and when is to think about what do you want the compost for, what are you composting and how fast you need it? A cold compost is great for long term composting - lets say where you keep your veggie and kitchen scraps from everyday waste. It's great because, its slow, so the stuff underneath will be decomposed 1st, so you can layer it as often or and un-often as u like. But, to use a cold compost, u take the very bottom of the the pile where it changed to chocolate or black soil. While, a hot compost is done all at once. You have to gather all the ingredients, mix them together, turn it every few days until it stops producing heat - then it is ready to use. So, you can see that both have their advantages, which is why most composters do both - to store your waste - then to turn all your waste into soil at once, we hot compost. 6. Haha, yes! you don't need to lay a finger on your compost, because nature does that part for you. It's not necessary to turn it, but you can if you want to speed things up. But, if you're lazy, like me - she'll do the rest. All you have to do is add your scraps and carbon and make sure it stays moist. 7. You don't need Carbon materials, you are correct, but this will smell a lot as it breaks down. Not just smell, but be putrid. Nature has worked this dilemma out, so it's not like having only nitrogen material will stop your waste decomposing, but it will turn anaerobic for a time. This means you are growing bacteria that attack plants. If you put your stinky stuff on your plants it could cause problems as they have less oxygen friendly microbes. But overtime, this will balance out as you say and the worms and microbes in the soil will eventually return it to balance, but carbon is bypassing this stage and allowing healthy soil creation from the get go. 8. Oh I am sorry to hear you're only allowed in doors. I hope you get some fresh air and be in the sun soon. I don't have a lot experience with indoor only composting, but if you do have the enzymes, I'm sure you can possibly create a container that works the same way a Bokashi bin u buy would work. ANother great method of turning veggie scraps instantly into plant food is to add them directly to your plants. I had 30 plants all in pots and had no where to compost outside in a rental. So, what I did was mixed my scraps with some carbon and dug a little into the pot and buried a bit in each one once a week. The mircobes in the pot ate the scraps and fertlized the plants. That was another great way to compost easily without any fancy bins or much area. I hope some of those answers helped. :)

[@sophie522pan5]

Dear Craig, I am so touched that you give me such detailed answers in such a short time! And most of them really help! Really! Thank you for sharing me these information and knowledge. I don’t know what a reticulation really mean, a gadget? I have a glimpse of it in your video , but know what it really is called in Chinese. And another question is about what you mentioned at 8:42’, as “free fertilizer, the fruit tree grows when the pile is decomposing. Don’t you need to get those compost out of the bin and put them in your garden? They will go directly into the soil ? That is the part I am still confused about. Thank you very much for your reply! Have a nice day! Best wishes from Shanghai. And hope one day we can meet in Australia! Or welcome to Shanghai, of course after the Pandemic. I will build small scale food forest gardens in Shanghai. Right now, only on my indoor balcony:P

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

@@sophie522pan5 hey, that’s no problem. It’s fantastic to hear from you. Ok, so the reticulation also known as irrigation or sprinklers is just the term for the pipes that carry water around to water the garden. To your question about the free fertiliser, yes! While the compost breaks down, it leaches out and the fruit tree is basically getting fertilised without u doing extra work. So, it’s free money wise and work wise. U basically do two tasks at once which saves u time. That bin in the video is bottomless. That means it is basically just walls around the waste and that allows the microbes and worms to come up into the pile. It is also why the fruit tree can use the compost if u put it underneath. So, you don’t need to take the compost out unless u want to use it on other plants or veggies. The reason a bottomless bins works great is because it requires very little attention to compost. If u had one say, in a closed bin - then u have to regularly check to make sure it is drained every so often from the liquid that accumulates and make sure ur mixing it to keep it from going anaerobic. So, the benefit of composting directly on soil is u let nature do her thing ;) she does most of the work. Fantastic! U can do A lot in balcony’s. U can be super creative with Vertical space and trying to bounce and use the sun light. It will force u to utilise every bit of light and space wen u create ur mini food forest that wen ever u grow in the ground you will have learnt a lot about how these elements work and give u an edge up wen thinking about how they interact. Great to hear from you. And, all the best with ur balcony food forest!!! 🌱

[@archangelsastrology]

I donated $10:00!

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Thanks so much 😊!! We will be in touch shortly!

[@amosduggan]

Meats fine in the compost.

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

You're right it sure is, but it can attract animals in suburbia.

[@archangelsastrology]

It attracts maggots!

[@sophie522pan5]

why is it impossible to cold compost indoor？

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Hey Sophie, I don’t think it’s impossible, u could technically do it inside a tumbler compost bin, or even if u use a worm farm. The great thing about outside is the worms and microbes are already in the soil. So making one on the ground makes things much simpler.

[@sophie522pan5]

Ah！ That！ I understand now！谢谢！

[@sophie522pan5]

Hi, Craig, it’s me again.:P. As for the Carbon:Nitrogen ratio, you said in this video is 1:1 in quantity or volume? And I know as for hot composting, the ratio will be around 25-30:1. Why is that difference?

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Hey Sophie, ok, so the ratios are more important in a hot compost because ur creating a recipe to get ur compost hot and balanced, like making a cake. Too much flower and it’s hard and crumbly. Too much eggs or milk and it becomes sloppy. So with a hot compost the ratios help balance the microbe activity so that you get the right temps to get all the good bacteria. But in a cold you are not really creating a recipe, ur adding stuff as u go. So, u might have kitchen scraps everyday, so ur ratios will be different everyday and because ur compost breaks down over a long period of time, the recipe ratios aren’t as important. The microbes will do their own thing. The main thing in a cold compost is to balance out the nitrogen so we reduce the smell and also encourage good fungi and bacteria into our composts. So, to keep it easy 1:1 ratio works great and is not complicated to work out. I will be releasing the hot compost episode in the future - that will show u how to make a hot compost and how I do the ratios. Cause even in a hot compost, the ratios aren’t really 100% necessary. It’s just a guide. It’s more important to create the diversity of sources and materials so u get a jam-packed nutrient, bacteria and fungi so u can grow all ur plants ;) I hope that answers ur question

[@sophie522pan5]

Dear Craig，Thanks for such a detailed reply. 1:1 ratio is for quantity or for volume? I just get back home from 10 days quarantine since my whole family got infected with Omicron. Such a terrible experience. Hard to believe what is happening in Shanghai. The place for quarantine is horrible. But so glad to hear from you on KZbin. And so glad to have your videos accompanied! Thank you, to share your knowledge and sunshine with me ! Peace and Harmony to you and your plants!

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

@@sophie522pan5 sorry to hear about your experience with omicron and what’s happening in China. Hopefully now u can now start enjoying the sunshine. To answer ur question, the ratio is suited better to volume. So let’s say u have a handful of veggie scraps, add a handful of carbon to even it out. I don’t have to be precise as it’s only to keep balance. If u find ur composting smelling add more carbon, if u find it dries out quickly add less. But don’t worry too much, once u start it makes sense ;)

[@TiffanniWaltonMusic]

Question: do you leave the lid of the compost when filling up your compost bin and only put the lid on when starting step 7? Love the video by the way - thanks for making it simple to understand :)

[@DogsGoWoofProductions]

Tiffanni Walton hey ya! Thank you glad to hear you enjoyed the episode. I keep the lid on to stop a lot of flies and things getting in, but in saying that, if u wanted to give it a good watering and it’s raining, you can leave the lid off for a day or two and let the rain do the watering for you and saves doing some work ;)

[@GeorgesVernier]

Replacing inked cardboard and paper by dry leaf or shreded wood is better to avoid chemicals coming from the inks. If you don't have that with you just use paper and cardboard as shown in the video, it works as well ! It's better to have more Carbon than Nitrogen in compost (so at least 50% carbon and 50% nitrogen but 60% Carbon and 40% nitrogen works as well) If you have 40 or 30% carbon and 60 - 70% nitrogen it will not decompose properly and will begin to rot.