Leaves + Coffee Grounds Make Great Compost

[@blueskies6475]

You can pee on your pile if you are short on nitrogen! ✅

[@ryanhoelke]

I've heard that, and I may or may not have done that.

[@mercedesbenzs600bash]

​@@ryanhoelkeGreat answer,lol...

[@mercedesbenzs600bash]

That's very true...

[@JamesFulkerson-q7n]

I piss on all the garden

[@Dougie1969]

I put as much cardboard in a 5 gallon pail as i could stuff. Then peed in it until it was full. Then put it in the bottom of my pile. Pile was 4x4x4 It stayed cooking for a month. In the middle of winter too I also have to admit, when it went cold, i haven't been able to get it going again. Not sure where i went wrong.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

In my opinion the funest part of gardening is making compost.

[@ryanhoelke]

I wouldn't have believed how much heat the compost breakdown process gives off, unless I saw it for myself.

[@7Risen7Phoenix7]

Near the start of 2021 I helped my dad start his compost with vegetable scraps from my job (produce department) and cardboard (which I'd cut up into small squares for easy breakdown). A year later, after he had collected tons of leaves during autumn and added remnants of his garden, I started collecting coffee grounds, and slowed my collection of cardboard chips. Now, this past weekend (mid October 2023) he and I collected tons of leaves from the hillsides surrounding my aunt and grandparents' houses, and I again returned to the local Starbucks for more coffee grounds. And, whenever he or I mow his lawn, we either save the clippings for mulch or put it into his compost.

[@ryanhoelke]

Sounds like a nice long-term project with you and your dad.

[@carlvanmeerbeek7327]

I collected about 50 cubic yards last autumn and threw them in with the chickens. They've been scratching away and made some beautiful compost. Almost ready to use. I think I'm developing an addiction to compost 🙈😎

[@ryanhoelke]

It's a great idea to have the chickens doing the work for you.

[@the_green_anna]

Still not boring! Keep them coming! 😁👍 I'm sooo envious. Picking my poor leaves by hand... 🖐️

[@ebradley2306]

I buried a Japanese pumpkin in my leaf pile to rot and low and behold I got plants as well. Have a few pumpkins developing. Will do the same in February and add more coffee grounds. Nice way to keep the sprawling pumpkins out of my limited garden space.

[@michaeleshbaugh6797]

Would like to see his garden its probably epic lol

[@llamzrt]

I threw a couple of old purple sweet potatoes into our modest pile a few months ago, and continue to pull out fresh plants every time I turn. Wonderful to see what happens on a larger scale with those pumpkins.

[@NanasWorms]

Greetings from Victoria, Vancouver Island! You did a great job editing this time lapse of what's possible with just a few ingredients. We just put in a 3 bay pallet system. We've had great temperatures in the material, so we have high hopes for great compost later this year. We are also going to use two giant cubic metre bags to compost wood chips and more leaves in a slow/no flip system. ~ Sandra

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Excellent!!

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Stacking functions at its best !! I've only been compost for just over a year but totally sold on it. 18 minutes of "not boring" Cheers from Victoria BC

[@gnargnar1992]

One public marketplace Ad and I imagine people would flock to help you use up your valuable compost!

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Pumpkin roots go very deep. If they didn't find what they wanted in the pile, they could get a lot of roots into the soil underneath to find it. The roots in the pile make good compost, anyway, not to mention the vines and leaves on top

[@grantgrow]

You just made me realize that I need a bobcat skid steer

[@ryanhoelke]

I was hesitant to buy a used one, hoping I'd justify it with enough use. 3 years later, it is just great, total workhorse and no maintenance, just does what I need it to do.

[@marthahaber7772]

If you have any local breweries or microbreweries near you, you could collect the spent brewery grains. They provide nitrogen, and plenty of grain every time they brew.

[@ryanhoelke]

That's a great idea, thanks.

[@judyrobertson5564]

Great video very informative. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you and yours.

[@johnalan7730]

Great video and information content.

[@markfranklin8831]

That's really neat thanks for sharing

[@derrickkissoon8891]

Love it... Pure gold👍

[@bemnetsileshi5222]

Great video man! I love the dedication you put into it, the duration of this process is insane and to have it all in one video is just amazing!

[@ryanhoelke]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I wanted to keep it all in one video, start to finish.

[@justinhoskins2569]

I got a 190 Gallon compost bin and the hottest I've gotten it upto is 165 degrees Fahrenheit with mostly grass clippings, shredded cardboard down to less than 1" pieces, and compressed pine sawdust, and food scraps.

[@LairdKenneth]

Pumpkins seem to do well in a compost pile. Last year we had some grow out of ours. At first I wasn't sure of what they were. But it turned out to be some really nice pie pumpkins (we don't have a lot of use for Jack o' lanters). We got some great pies from these as well as some very nice pumpkin soup. Wonderful stuff!

[@ryanhoelke]

It always surprises me how they find the nutrients that they need from even early stage leaf compost.

[@austin2842]

If you're anywhere near a brewery, you can get a ton of free brewing grains. They're super high in nitrogen.

[@ryanhoelke]

Thanks, good to know.

[@blackrocks8413]

they do. And the coffee grounds also add nutrients as well. they don't change NPK but add nutrients, soild tests show +calcium and Iron and either manganese or magnesium not sure which. In my soil tests over the last couple years it is bringing my alkaline soil more acidic. Not as much as sulpher etc... but in the right direction for me

[@Dougie1969]

I wish i had a pile of that compost ?? That stuffs gold

[@markrayburn9933]

Made it to the end and found it very useful. There is not much out there for small composters like us. It's late for me to start, Jan 2, 24, but I will work on your directions. Thanks

[@ryanhoelke]

Put the word out with neighbour's and people you know. Lots of people will be happy to drop off their yard waste each fall. It adds up, and you don't have to lift a finger.

[@tomrobson2496]

It is always a good idea to inoculate your new compost pile with some of the compost from the old pile. It will kickstart the process by adding lots of microbes from the old pile.

[@ryanhoelke]

That's a great tip. There's so much life in the old compost pile. It's a great head start for the new pile.

[@chrischris7462]

Great video !!!!

[@edcglassworks5771]

Great video.

[@soilgardengro6942]

Very good video ❤❤❤

[@ryanhoelke]

Appreciate it.

[@glennlewman4186]

After turning my pile 5 times, i added worms and the compost as ready in 3 months

[@ryanhoelke]

That's a good idea. I've finally started to see some worms naturally show up in the compost.

[@haleya9526]

Hear me out... the hottest compost I ever made was from whole fish carcasses, and wood stove pellets(and a few garden scraps). It got so hot, and most of it was unable to be identified except for the round spine bones. My magic recipe.

[@ryanhoelke]

I'll take your word for it, ha. How did that smell?

[@joeohalloran9309]

Hi. You said "you have too much compost". No matter how much compost i make i never have enough. I get trailer loads of wood chips horse manure, jungle mulch from the tip, plus our kitchen scraps plus our garden waste which amount to nothing.

[@ryanhoelke]

Never have too much compost, you're right.

[@toaster5666]

Spent grains from a brew house will really get it hot and going.

[@bobbysmac1009]

I have limited space to compost. All compost has to be out by November. As a result, its not always ready. 2" spread out on my garden, with a wheel barrow in reserve for spring. I don't mix it in. Let the soil life do it for me. It works and is not a lot of work.

[@ryanhoelke]

That's a great idea to make the process easier. You must have great garden soil if you've done that for a few years.

[@bobbysmac1009]

It's getting there. Parent material is clay. 3 years in, the clay is much darker and carbon is increasing. Soil structure much improved. no longer do I have standing water. Cover cropping of winter die back crops makes it easy to put in transplants and yields have been great. It takes time, but results speak for themselves.@@ryanhoelke

[@albertgreen5261]

hey Ryan those micro bug things ar fascinating ah they?

[@ryanhoelke]

Yes, it's crazy. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it.

[@zmblion]

Holy cow was that a entire trailer of coffee grounds?

[@ryanhoelke]

Yep. I leave a trailer at the local coffee shop, and it's usually filled in 3 to 4 months or so.

[@IowaMercMan]

New to the channel. Where do you get a wagonload of coffee grounds?????

[@ryanhoelke]

Local coffee shop. Hit up one close by. There's a good chance they want to get rid of their coffee grounds too.

[@eddiebarrera-ws8vu]

You can burn a huge pile of leaves and mix the ashes with your compost just to get rid of huge piles of leaves and ash is good for compost

[@hosoiarchives4858]

. 10:00 coffee grounds

[@TaitGuy]

Ryan, thanks for the video. Nice pumpkins... What part of the nation are you located? Keep up the good work.. Vr, David - El Dorado Hills, CA.

[@ryanhoelke]

Thanks very much. I'm actually pretty far from you, up in Ontario in Canada.

[@aUNVACCINATED]

I had watermelons growing in weeks old compost.

[@ryanhoelke]

Crazy how well plants can grow in very new compost ingredients.

[@SarahMainit-el2lo]

There is a lot of debate in the forums if some of the composting groups on whether or not used coffee grounds leads to a bad harvest. What has been your personal experience with your compost and seasonal yields? Notice anything?

[@ryanhoelke]

I think once the coffee grounds are broken down and composted, the positives will greatly outweigh any negatives.

[@EricSneppen]

Part of the world really doesn't know what 130 degrees Fahrenheit is!

[@ryanhoelke]

55 Celsius, sorry.

[@EDLaw-wo5it]

Will kitchen scraps that have gone anaerobic turn back aerobic in a mixed pile? I have several gallons of scraps that didn’t get in piles and have rotted, will they compost? Thanks to all that will answer.

[@ryanhoelke]

I'm sure they'll compost. I'd guess they're still full of some life, which will work well mixed into your compost pile.

[@geraldhowse8597]

I didn't see you put any water on the pile.

[@ryanhoelke]

No, I didn't. I find with the heat that the pile generates, and any rainfall, it seems to stay quite moist on its own. It's like the heat creates condensation.

[@lajhome65]

I heard that leaves are too acidic for garden, especially my oaks. How could i adjust for that?j

[@ryanhoelke]

I don't think it's an issue. I had some oaks at the last house, and they made good compost. Once materials are broken down, the ph of finished compost is usually pretty close to neutral. The main issue with oak leaves is their waxy exterior. It simply takes longer for them to break down because that wax finish kind of protects the leaves from microorganisms that want to consume the leaf. A good trick is to use a lawn mower to chop up the oak leaves first, then collect them and put them in the compost. They'll break down much quicker. I wouldn't worry about acidity.

[@MarkSmith-qk2rl]

It would do so much better if you tarred it. That would keep the heat and moisture in !!

[@Leonidimus59]

Can I use a bit of cow or chicken manure as nitrogen source?

[@ryanhoelke]

Yes, I think so for sure. I used cow manure in the early days before I got a line on the coffee grounds.

[@ryanhoelke]

And yes, the chicken manure is really hot (high in nitrogen) so I think that would work great.

[@fedupwithem6208]

I'm really surprised the eco-nazis haven't stopped you from doing that so close to the water. Our town had to spend 300k to make a concrete pad with concrete barriers because there was a stagnant swamp, 200 yards away.

[@Dougie1969]

Our town decided it was better for the environment to accept 8 tires per year per house. Now we have tires laying everywhere they shouldn't be. Frikin brilliant

[@panhandlingray]

Heat is not an ingredient, heat is a byproduct from the reaction

[@ralphnewcomejr]

So do trespassers...👍

[@michellehamilton4075]

Maybe a banana tree will GROW.

[@elnicarus2011]

No es solo porque el compost mal hecho apesta y se ve feo, sino que cuando lo uses en tu terreno como abono estarás trasladando micro organismos patógenos y malos para la salud tuya y de tus futuros cultivos!!! El compost tiene que estar sin patógenos y equilibrado biológicamente!!

[@runvil]

Are you related to Elon Musk?

[@QuiChiYang2]

When it smells really bad is when the nitrogen pile has turned putrid. Which means dead beneficial microorganisms. To bring it back you need carbon. I guess your doing a lazy man's method. Which is ok as well. I don't know if your farming or creating compost for sale. I figure🤔 your compost would be good for trees & a few plants. Thats an awful long time to create compost 🦧

[@ryanhoelke]

Yes, the nitrogen pile just sits for a few weeks waiting for the leaves to show up. Then it all gets mixed together and has no smell.

[@guloguloguy]

WHEREABOUTS ARE YOU LOCATED?!...

[@ryanhoelke]

Ontario, Canada