"Epic Compost Challenge: From Scraps to Black Gold in Just 18 Days!

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In this video, we show you every flip of our 18 day hot compost pile.
Instagram: @permapasturesfarm

[@sgtrickards5683]

I found out about permaculture in 2015, after i got out of the military. Im a disabled Vet and dont work anymore. I building a food forest to keep my mind busy. So far, I have 20 different fruit trees and a bunch of other edible plants. Loads of berries. Woodchips are my best friend. Permaculture is what i do now. Life is strange. You never know where itll take you.

[@kyleson1381]

You're living it up! My goal is to live that way. Permaculture for the win. Do you sell what you grow too?

[@sgtrickards5683]

@@kyleson1381 Not yet. We plan to, though. I made our logo and we're getting shirts made. G2G Food Forestry is the name. Hopefully next year we'll be ready. We started incubating eggs this year. I've added more trees since the last comment. Pawpaws and two more figs. Got some more blueberries and strawberries in the ground. Also planted 17 tomatoes plants with 5 varieties. It's looking pretty good out there. I also got married last week to the woman I've been with for the last 11 years. We figured why not. Been a long time. God is good to me.

[@Joe-uv9jo]

@@sgtrickards5683 Good stuff man, everyone needs a passion to keep the mind busy and I plan to follow the same route as yourself, even if I don't sell my produce- that way of life is so much more desirable.

[@wordswritteninred7171]

Oh man! You may have just fed my family this next year! We moved. The house we bought, sat empty for several years. Clay soil. No garden patch. And of course, I have no compost. But if you can do it in 18 days, we’ll, we will have food this years harvest! Thank you! Now, I gotta go watch.

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

I’m so glad this helps my friend! Be sure to check out the playlist for better instruction.

[@lunabeta3516]

Same soil here.

[@JK-ox2kp]

I also have clay. I like a no-dig approach, but honestly, first year do yourself a favour and till. Otherwise it’ll take five years to see soil improvement

[@wordswritteninred7171]

@@JK-ox2kp I do a no dig approach. But I disagree with tilling the first year. It takes time. Yes. But honestly, if you till, you just destroyed what little good you had. We have been taught to till. So of course, it’s hard to let it go. But NOTHING HEALS INSTANTLY! It takes time.didn’t get that way in one year. And will take more than one year to repair.

[@markkringsi8i88jukkkyyuuui7]

5

[@davidbetts9587]

Many thanks. I’m a small-scale gardener in the UK and I make my compost in 14-litre buckets. I use the same principles as you’ve shown here. I completely agree that home-made compost is way better than shop-bought.

[@Cat_Not_Kat]

Thank you for explaining the importance of the heap height! Had issues with mine not getting hot despite having a lot of material and I understand now that it’s definitely too short.

[@thefiveacrewoods6144]

We are clearing an area to use to try this out. Can't wait. Keep these informative videos coming, we enjoy your videos so much.

[@jpayne422]

I just got my Comfrey in the mail today! One day early! Thank you! I've been Trying to identify it here on my property but too many variables and I figured just go simple and by some from you. Thank you for all your videos I've been binge watching for a while now.

[@caldaque7354]

Great looking compost guys. Nothing better than using your own land and resources to better improve your food producing soil. Awesome.

[@spoolsandbobbins]

AWESOME VIDEO!!!!! So first flip day 4 and every other flip every other day. You guys have lots of energy. We pray every day for that kind of strength and God always gives us the grace. Bless you guys, from Canada

[@sheidfamilyfarms2088]

Just so you guys know we watch a TON of homesteading youtube haha! You guys have by far some of the most helpful content! Thank you so much for what you guys do! It helps us newbies out like crazy!!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful that makes us feel! It seems that most of the popular homestead channels start off with “how to” videos and then transition into a reality based theme. We try hard to focus on just producing good content...even though our production value might not be perfect. In a nutshell, we want to always produce videos that would have been helpful when we were getting started. Thanks again for the kind response!

[@geraldhowse8597]

That's a manure pile, not a compost pile.

[@freedomlover2358]

@@PermaPasturesFarm21 I watch several homesteading shows as well and you guys and roots and refuge are my favorites! I can't get enough! When I have time I go watch your older ones. I'm learning SO MUCH!!! My daughter says all I ever watch is homesteading shows and how to grow a garden. LOL

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

@@freedomlover2358 Thank you so much for the vote of confidence my friend!

[@archegosfarmsteadship]

Thank you thank you thank you!!! This is a great video, I finally get it how to do a compost pile, you made it simple to understand and showed the complete process! Blessings!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

I’m glad this helps but we are going to move do a more detailed video of it here in the coming days.

[@archegosfarmsteadship]

@@PermaPasturesFarm21 I will keep my eye out.

[@brianwhite9555]

Like watching someone bake a cake. Every time they open the oven door, the cake looks better & better. :)

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Perfect analogy!

[@josephhall2858]

P.I.M.P. Creative! I watched another video where you referred to yourself as a "pimp" and I was like 🤔. It's definitely y'alls passion. Keep up the great work!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Joseph Hall thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching!

[@karenparham6268]

That was simply beautiful. Great job.

[@FatherFigure1776]

I love flipping the compost pile. The steam and the noticeable changes in the material is so satisfying.

[@paulwest6742]

One of the best videos I’ve watched so far on hot composting, great job Billy & William!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you kind sir!

[@jackparson1466]

@@PermaPasturesFarm21 j n

[@lunabeta3516]

Thanks for the advice to watch the How To Assemble the Pile. This is great. Need to learn as much as I can asap.

[@busyrand]

This actually looks doable... Thank you for sharing these methods.

[@jtharp9265]

Great informative content - I cant wait to start using mine , I purchased the Goebin 4 foot holds 260 pounds $38 on A - opens on sides with turn key locks. U can make wider , Thank you Mr. Billy & Michelle for raising such an amazing Son, very hands on young man , like our Sons ages 37 & 33 .... God bless you all . Mrs Josette Tharp Montgomery County , Texas 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@lilstepnoel]

Wow this is an amazing video and good to know we can have compost in such a short time.

[@Skashoon]

Very glad you’ve shown us the CToS method. The 18 day was just too much for me. Looking back, I was so eager to make compost that I once had 5 piles going and ended up flipping a couple each day. (No enough gas to do all 5 in a day) I eventually merged them into 3 piles. I think I became burned out on making compost. Fortunately you came up with a far better solution, perhaps saving my life.

[@freedomlover2358]

I just started 2 piles today. I'm praying for the energy/time to turn them like they need to be

[@littlemissblueyes100]

You have perfect Pitch fork stacking skills!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you my friend!

[@oleboy4332]

Great video, Thank you! I’m inspired now to start my own pile.

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Right on! I was hoping that would happen.

[@markmurillo3570]

Loved this and subscribed! Thank you!

[@codysaunders7348]

Great video, will definitely be composting like this from now on

[@timothy4weigel]

Awesome Video, William you are a good son :) All that turning was a lot of work, but worth it in the end, God Bless

[@simonriley9612]

I have a food handler’s certificate and a agricultural food safety certification and we need to make sure that our compost is getting to temp and if we the edible part of what we are harvesting is touching the compost, the compost must be applied 120 days before you intend to harvest. If it is not touching the edible parts then it’s 90 days before harvest. This is so that you can’t be legally held liable if someone gets sick because you are drastically reducing the risk.

[@kiwimuma8189]

Awesome complication of the compost video’s. Thank you 😀👍🌻

[@FloridaGirl-]

This is awesome! 👍 Love me some fast compost! Thanks for the vid!

[@elenaloveridge766]

Brilliant. Thanks for the vid. I'll be trying this method

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you for watching and responding! Best wishes!

[@samanthamick8981]

Thx exactly what I was looking for both related video

[@myguitardidyermom212]

30 seconds in, instant subscribe.

[@tpen891]

September 2021 I just made my very first 18 day Hot Compost. Can't wait to see how it comes out. Thank you guys for taking the time to share your know how, in the other videos. Got to pick up a tarp tomorrow to cover.

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Awesome!

[@tpen891]

@@PermaPasturesFarm21 Last turn (8) on my compost lost heat after the 6 turn, but it is looking good. Note I live in the city so we can not own farm animals. Thank you guys for sharing your tips and information even for us city guys.

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

@@tpen891 Thank you for putting you to work my friend!

[@ButterflyJourneyDesigns]

@@tpen891 get rabbits, they are quiet and if you have a fence nobody will even know you have them. Their manure can be used straight on your garden beds as it is considered a cold manure.

[@prepperfortheages878]

Wow that's a lot of work. Great job! Just found your channel, very nice. 👍

[@thetrinigardener4712]

This was art. Great job!

[@richardroyles1423]

I’m gonna try it. Thank you. God bless.

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

lovely stuff we amend our soil with compost and horses manuare every year and it makes lovely soil. we want to use some more of our own compost! as it so good stuff! we get our chickens to help us!

[@ruwaorganic]

Thanks, we need to start on our compost soon

[@mrs.bizzybee4437]

Hey just saw you guys on the mac’s video and decided to come check ya out. Can’t wait to see what I can learn from ya

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you so much for checking us out my friend!

[@tlockerk]

THIS is so helpful!!! I wish I had seen this....well, three weeks ago but better late than never. Weather permitting, tomorrow I mow and make a 18 day hot compost pile. I wonder if it would be good for growing red cap mushrooms, they usually like straw, cardboard and hardwoods (no pines!). Thanks again.

[@Nocare89]

That tip on using the fork to shape is gonna help a lot

[@ericaparker497]

It's winter and I'm jealous of the steam coming out of that beautiful compost pile! lol. Nicely done. Can't wait to try it in the spring.

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Let me know how it goes!

[@deltalima1340]

Why cant you do it in the winter?, Its being covered with a tarp.

[@billiev8705]

You can still do it in winter - the heat is mostly created by the good microbes munching away at the green waste. It will probably take a few extra turns, though, depending on the ambient temperature. If you want to keep the pile a bit more insulated, you can put three layers on (tarp, then an old blanket or some feed bags, whatever you have, and then another tarp). Best to start before you have frost or snow on the ground, though, because you'll have fewer soil microbes if the ground is frozen.

[@deltalima1340]

@@billiev8705 I live on the west coast in BC and forgot about "winter". Ive since started a HUGE pile of woodchips, shredded cardboard, grass clippings, seaweed and veggie kitchen scraps from a local camp. Its been cooking hot and is close to being ready. This video has changed my process and reduced my soil making time to well, 18 days! AND all my ingredients are local, easily available and FREE!

[@billiev8705]

@@deltalima1340 Amazing! I unfortunately had some life events getting in the way of my composting... I've only turned it twice so far! But my compost is constantly aerated thanks to my perforated bin and the chicken wire tube I put in the middle, and the bin keeps the moisture in. And it's still warm in the middle! Back to turning more regularly soon, I hope. Man, composting is FASCINATING! 😆

[@janicegilman7672]

WOW!!!! I am impressed!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you!We will be starting another pile shortly.

[@fuddy_duddy]

Good gravy that boy shovels like the wind! 😎

[@Falorik]

Understanding why you do what you do is the most important part for me and you did a good job explaining. One question that may be stupid but im really not sure: Is it ok to mix in normal soil from your garden?

[@mbuguapetrov1280]

Nice vibes... love it

[@marschlosser4540]

This is Arizona, and what may be moist one day can be bone dry the next. Growing up on a farm, spontaneous combustion is something I was raised to fear. What we do here is pile it up and keep adding as it rots. A bucket of wastewater from rinsing things in the kitchen keeps it moist, and birds like to dig into the pile for seeds and bugs. We go to stores and ask for plant scraps; nothing lasts for long in the heat. September is coming, and here, that's when we fertilized fruit trees. But, all compost is put in tubs and red worms added for several months before it's used. We also have a compost pit for gray water. that's loaded with brush, leaves, coffee grounds, and more, but no food scraps! Kitchen water has grease in it, and that needs to be composted before it can be used. niio

[@josephhaddad9069]

Thank you for all the details, great video.! is the biochar necessary? and can i replace it with something else like ash or the leftovers from charcoal processing?

[@paperchaser9565]

Great video 👍🏻

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you!

[@GrowingLittleCountryhomestead]

Thanks for this video.

[@LSinclair]

OMG, for me the missing piece of the puzzle is all about “THE FLIP!” I loved being able to watch you do this, how you just take it piece by piece from one spot to another every 4 days to give it that needed ingredient of aeration. This will help me soooo much I’m sure. Thank you for sharing these wonderful 18-day compost videos. I never saw this method before of how to get air in. I Always worry about hurting any worms when I stick my fork in, but I think I have to just let that go…

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

So glad this helps!

[@engwatch]

The worms only come in at the end of the compost (process).

[@alan30189]

Read my comment, above. He leaves out a very important part of composting and that’s managing the heat in the compost, for rapid breakdown and weed seed destruction. When he’s turning a pile of steaming compost, he’s probably turning a pile that’s at the perfect temperature for compost breakdown. The ideal composting temperature is between 90 to 140°. If it gets above 160°, it’s too hot and the microbes that break down compost start to die off. Get a good compost thermometer to use to check the temperature and tell you when it’s ready to flip the pile.

[@ButterflyJourneyDesigns]

@@alan30189 he explains the temperature in the playlist version

[@Walkabout]

Nice. I wish we could see the quality of the finished compost close up (and maybe at an intermediate stage too).

[@dugnantz6140]

Y’all need to cut back on Williams coffee!! I saw steam coming off his pitchfork 🤣. I followed your lead and built two piles. Three days in and they’re 145-150 degrees. Do I flip them tomorrow or wait for them to start to cool down. Should I pile them back into the ring or just pile them up. Thanks ✌🏻❤️

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Dug Nantz wait until day 4 to flip...then flip every other day. No need to put it back into the ring.

[@adamredden2007]

Not tarping has been my biggest mistake. Laziness 😄. I've course corrected.... good video

[@Skashoon]

I keep walking by my 18 day compost cage. It only has a straw layer and some shredded paper in it, 1/5 full. It’s 92 today and I keep lamenting about getting some green material. Too hot to go out, weed eat then rake it and fork it into the wheelbarrow. The next thing I know, the county road people came by with a huge bush hog and cut along the road out in front. Grabbed my wheelbarrow, pitchfork and leaf rake and got a load of it. Cooling off now. There’s tons of green to get but I don’t want a heat stroke gathering it. I’ll go out again at sunset. Maybe by then they will have done my side of the road. I also plan to clean the coop and will have a fresh carbon layer to cap it off. And now I can use a hose to wet it down! No buckets to carry. “Slowly, slowly.”

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

There you go! Slowly indeed.

[@forestfamilyadventures8956]

Well done I know it had to work in the heat, here in South Africa it cooks. I use my chickens to make my compost, I flip the piles too and use rain water collection to water it and I have to flip 3 times a week and I now have a great rotation going. Keep going you have great black gold soon

[@billiev8705]

You can also use spent coffee grounds as a nitrogen. source!

[@chrisingram2709]

Great video. That u for sharing this.

[@lindseyseeley8112]

I just wanted to say thank you. My 9 yr old and myself watched the how to video and we started are own pile. He was so surprised to see how hot it got and also did most of the flipping. Thank you for not only inspiring me but also my family.

[@RKPTMcCoyBros]

Is this just tall grass? What did you add to it on first flip? Informative and simple. Im. Gonna give it a try

[@xcccassandra]

Permaculture pimp daddy... oh my god that’s funny 😂 thanks for reinventing that word into something health full! great video 🎉

[@ignacioriego2515]

Hey great video! How long would you say it took you to flip it each time? More an hour or more like 20min

[@intimatespearfisher]

Thanks, I'll give it a go!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

That’s the spirit!

[@joelkijabe1985]

Great job done Request to visit your farm I'm from Kenya

[@cowboy898]

Bill, would you recommend adding wood ash to your compost pile?

[@jamesmarinelli2177]

All my neighbors love me when I take all their branches and clippings from bushes grass etc BUT they dont love me when they see my 10 feet tall tomatoes heavy with tomatoes and theirs is only max 4 feet. I dont know why they just keep buying the soil, mulch and vegetable feed from home depot? This video is awesome!!

[@andams7172]

If you in DC Metro area attend my weekly class to learn the right way of gardening as simple as that

[@philmccavity]

haha, "you had me at Permaculture is my passion, Jerry"

[@MD-cd7em]

GOOD VIDEO...GOOD MUSIC...SUBSCRIBED

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you!

[@infiniteadam7352]

Was hoping you would start from the very beginning, like how it was stacked in the first place.

[@samtole]

These guys are awesome!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you so much!

[@samtole]

@@PermaPasturesFarm21 so, we made our first pile a few days ago and we are at day 10. But our pile is not the recommended height but still it heats up to the right temperature. However, do we really need to cover the pile? We used a very strong nitrogen source and it seems all that nitrogen and water are slowly turning the pile anaerobic because of the moisture getting trapped and falling back into the pile. Should we flip more often or?

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

@@samtole If moisture isn’t a problem then flipping it might do the trick my friend!

[@tbear243]

William, I have access to loads of shredded paper.... can that be used as the carbon/brown? I should have plenty of grass clippings, now I just need to source the manure. Would the ratio still be the same? BTW Awesome video, very informative!!!

[@lorraineshover4959]

We have completed 1 pile and 2 is almost ready and 3 is half way. So amazing. Thank you for this valuable information. BTW we have horse, chicken, rabbit and bat that makes up our pile. It’s gold!!!!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

That combination is gold indeed!

[@SpicyAl3000]

Great stuff, thanks! :)

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you! We are in the middle of a newer (much better) version right now.

[@AnnD2023]

Jason Mamoa voice over. Nice. :)

[@guardianminifarm8005]

Excellent. Thanks

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you my friend!

[@andams7172]

lol sunset /dark makes compost look good there you go

[@paulcarrier2424]

whats the ideal material for a ppile that size? have just over an acre but its mainly grass with a 1/3 acre wooded in zone 3b. Thanks for that sweet vid!

[@Fatman33020]

So, it's like mimicking chicken composting? There was a lot of scatching and scraping with movement.

[@susanjordan2130]

Thank you

[@khanomar899]

I noticed that u mentionned about adding too much or too little water in the compost but I didn’t see u adding any water to the compost. Should wayer be added to the compost pile or should it be left as it is and just be covered?

[@GardeningWithSkinnyBoyRandy]

Thanks for sharing. New subbie here.

[@cherigrayson6892]

Yes, I have questions. How often did you turn it? What did you put in the pile to make the compost other than grass? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you for the great content.

[@jcking6785]

EXCELLENT!!! 💚

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Thank you!

[@JonBoatBilly]

Do y’all prefer a manure fork or a bedding fork for flipping?

[@martinwhitehurst9893]

Hey, so I have gone in the woods by my house and raked up pine straw, leaves, twigs etc and put them through my chipper. Should I use that in my compost or could I use it as seed starting mix? I'm more worried about the pine straw and if it's ok to use or not.

[@beverlywilliams9229]

I composted with leaves {not mulched) and grass. Will it still compost? also do I flip it every 4 days until it's done?

[@Mikhail-Caveman]

Very useful,, 18 days!!

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Right on!

[@cloisereyes7752]

Subscribed done....goodmorning Philippines

[@WindyMeadows]

Question for you.... The land where I have to make my compost piles is nothing but sand.. loose, dry sand for the first few inches. Should I put plastic down on the ground and perforate it with the pitch fork so some water can escape, and the sand won't be able to draw moisture away from the compost pile as easily maybe? Or should I just use plastic to cover the pile, like you do, and add water if need be?

[@stoffmeister7095]

Do you have temperature measurements throughout the entire process? Would be pretty interesting to see how it looks on a graph

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

That’s not a bad idea!

[@B30pt87]

So you flip every other day, but where do the extra two days go? At the start, because it's still wet and needs more time to start breaking down? By the way, thank you for making this video! Totally understandable, very helpful, and concise. I subscribed.

[@tannerfrancisco8759]

Do every 3rd day like clockwork and you will crank out your compost as fast as possible.

[@alarry31]

so i watched the long version of this and started ours we just did our first flip and it wasnt as steam as yours but then again it was a 90 something degree day in virginia but let me tell you the amount of heat that came off that compost. this is the only way we will do compost from now on. Will this method work in the winter also.

[@jerryseibert4430]

Is it better to cover with black 45 mil liner

[@oooloo99]

That's a lot of work.

[@hristostefanov8848]

What organic materials we need to use?

[@keenankrieger972]

Great video!!, is there a number to reach you guys to discuss some things about compost

[@tambrasmith9707]

So do you flip it every other day after the 4th day and do you ever water it again

[@christianmittasch8972]

18 day's ? Man that's fast. In a perfekt environment it is posible.

[@archieandluna2019]

Thank you for your video! Can I ask how long is it between flips? Thank you in advance

[@billybrandt355]

You should flip about once a week, so I'd assume that's about the time in-between each flip

[@imabamafan20]

he flipped 9 times for "18 day compost", so im pretty sure he flipped more than once a week lmao. looks like every other day after the initial couple day wait for this method

[@jonahavri9606]

Thank you for the video ! Can this method be used as a precompost procedure before feeding it to compost worms and ultimately get castings ? -Much respect from Fiji

[@jonahavri9606]

@@elaalas3221 would you mind sharing some links ? Is this possible small scale ???

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Seems like that’s worth a try!

[@girlinagale]

I have 5 dalek bins, constantly adding stuff and shoveling in down the sides. They stay cold. I wonder if I removed the daleks and combined the five into two bigger heaps with tarps and turning they'd get hot. Great ingredients, grass cuttings, wood sawdust, cardboard, pond weed, kitchen scraps with coffee grounds, old garden soil and used plant pot compost.

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

Yeah that’s probably the issue then. The pile needs to be no less than 1 cubic meter in volume. -William

[@things1601]

I compost with 330ltr darleks and don't yet have it 100% however here is what I have learnt so far for pointers- get the ratios right carbon to nitrogen, remember to keep it airy so don't cram the bin full, turn it frequently after 4 days and then every 2 days, get and keep the moisture level right, add a starter in the middle at the beginning such as 2 ltrs from another completed pile, and store supplies ready to mix then mix in thin layers in one go. Before I crammed my bin full of grass and never watered or turned, and it went very hot, then dried and baked into hard crusty layers. My latest batch is going better but I have too much nitrogen and it got too hot early on so reduced in volume more than I would like. I think practice and experimentation with your recipe of ingredients until you get your own best recipe is the best way to perfect it. I don't have manure here, just lots of chipped lopped boughs and leaves, shredded paper and the grass. Once I get the right balance of those I'm sure success will follow. I will also try the tarped heap sometime to get the larger pile a try as that seems key also... hope you get it sorted!

[@DavidSimsStocks]

You mentioned Biochar. Do you have a video on that? I am making biochar as well. I wonder if we are doing it differently. Thanks.

[@PermaPasturesFarm21]

We actually do have a video on it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iobZmmmLidyWpqc