Major Compost Upgrade

[@marksmit5193]

Your videos are amazing. Informative, based on real experience, no fuss/hype, good voice and the right length. I've been an avid grower for 8 seasons and I'm mind blown that this channel has only recently come to my attention.

[@BlackJesus8463]

he does neat stuff all the time. 👍

[@REDGardens]

Wow, thanks! Really glad you found my channel!

[@shawnmurphy234]

Very well said. I’ve been watching this channel for quite some time, and it’s a shame that it’s not more prominent in the YT algorithm. There’s plenty of hype and clickbait out there, but I look forward to the thoughtful content Bruce produces.

[@mrjumbly2338]

Appreciate your no non-sense practical approach to solving issues and your ability to talk about it for the everyday person.

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@lisahodges8299]

I never thought that I would worry so much about soil enrichment. Walks on the beach turn into small bags of seaweed searches for my compost heap. Opportunities are often in my mind, this blog does give direction along with more thought about my small st scale growing. Thank you. Birdy

[@REDGardens]

😁 It is so interesting how our minds shift to those opportunities to gather up biomass or fertility!

[@buffalopatriot]

I drive my wife crazy by bringing home all kinds of (re)usable materials. However I never would have thought of collecting seaweed. Bravo!

[@DK6060]

@@REDGardensI have a similar approach but I do not live near the sea. I collect mushrooms, lichen and rotted wood from forests to supplement my compost. Karl Hammer of Vermont Compost is also a fan of hardwood bark, but that’s not easy to access living in a city, although I do scavenge fallen branches from street trees.

[@NanasWorms]

Many of us worm farmers also add amendments destined for our gardens to our worm farms. I really appreciate all the effort you put in to your videos! ~ Sandra

[@REDGardens]

that does seem like a good approach. Thanks!

[@joefization]

Your creative and scientific approach is inspiring

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@zokowawa]

I think this is a very interesting and intelligent approach. And not at all opposed to a regenerative, organic, or sustainable ideal.

[@666bruv]

It's definitely not regenerative, nor organic.

[@REDGardens]

For many people practicing regenerative or organic growing, using the conventional fertilisers like this would be out of the question, either because of certification restrictions, or a desire to completely avoid this type of stuff. I am still not easy with it, but I think this kind of approach can be a really useful solution for some situations, so worth exploring.

[@rogerahern]

@@REDGardens I practice organic methods and to be honest I don't see a problem with this approach. If 2kg's of commercial fertiliser can do what 25kg's of chicken pellets can do, and if you factor in the delivery of both, I think the environmental impact is surely the same. Then factor in the carbon sequestering ability of your garden, you're still a net positive in terms of environmental impact. There is surely potential here in terms of global food growth.

[@REDGardens]

​@@rogerahern Very well expressed, thanks.

[@dougtheslug6435]

It's that time of year again where I'm settled in for a long winters nap and watching garden vids when they pop up. My seeds are ready, the grow room fully stocked and waiting and compost piles frozen till April/May sometime when I'll start shaving off what I can from the top for those early crops. Thanks for the vid and good luck next year, may it be as good as mine was this year. Happy gardening everyone.

[@FelixChatsworth]

Ensuring your ferts get chelated with humates will be a game changer in your garden. Love your work. 👊

[@BlackJesus8463]

nerd

[@REDGardens]

The best kind of nerd!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!

[@ListersHatsune]

I feel like you're slowly perfecting the techniques that would be best for the "black plot" style garden with your amendments to the municipal compost. I've always liked the scientific approach you have to this which allows us to see the details and apply/adapt the knowledge to our own situations. You now have an abundance of slightly too fertile compost - nearly perfect for some situations.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for that comment, it means a lot! 😁 I do think there is something to this more hybrid approach and I am interested to see how things develop next year.

[@latinoenturquia8486]

Thanks to you I keep doing my own experimets with the aoil and methods. Some bring good results

[@bobaloo2012]

Good for you Bruce. I've bee an on and off market gardener for almost 50 years. I started in the 70's as an organic zealot but over the years have come to see that there's a lot more to it than that. I've been down almost exactly the same path as you the last few years, buying in tons of municipal compost only to find iit was very lacking in nitrogen. I started out adding urea and it worked well. Did you know that when you look at chicken manure the white part is urea, the exact same stuff that comes in the big plastic bag? Birds don't urinate, so they concentrate and crystallize their waste nitrogen into pure urea. i'm lucky I can buy pelleted chicken manure much cheaper than you, $8 us for 25 kilos, so i've just been buying that in bulk and adding it with good results, but i have a good stash of urea on hand in case I can't get the pellets. i have a lot of people come to me to ask gardening questions, and one of the first things i tell them is 'don't let ideology guide your gardening', look at the results. BTW, if you haven't read Steve Solomon's book 'The intelligent Gardener', read it, it opened my eyes to many things about growing food.

[@BlackJesus8463]

thank you

[@REDGardens]

Good to know I am not alone in this! 😁 I didn't know that about bird manure, very interesting! Over here, the chicken manure pellets are quite expensive, €34 including delivery. And with only 4% nitrogen it would take a whole 25kg bag to bring in 1kg of nitrogen. With the urea, it would take just over 2kg to bring in the same amount of nitrogen, at a cost of about €2 (if buying 50kg bags). Of course there would also be about 1/3 kg of phosphorous in the 25kg bag of chicken manure pellets, but that cost me only another €2 when I buy in a big bag of superphosphate. So, just looking at those two main nutrients I want to add, it seems about 8 times more expensive to buy chicken manure pellets, compared to the bulk conventional stuff I can get locally, assuming I can make use of or sell off the rest of the fertiliser. When I do the calculations like that, it helps me get over some of the biases I have had about using the conventional fertilisers! I have read Steve's books. Very interesting stuff, and he really allowed me to contemplate going down this path.

[@AG-ig8uf]

In place where I live, city council sells collected green waste to composting companies , which then incorporate it to their products or just sell as mulch. I bought such mulch from few places, and always found all kinds of undesirable contaminants in it. Plastic being most ubiquitous, but also least harmful, I found chips of CCA treated wood, painted construction wood, even crashed pieces of car parts and rubber, and don't get me started on styrofoam. People would throw anything into green waste bins, and it ends up in all kinds of products, i found similar contaminants, but in much smaller size, in high end expensive potting mixes I bought in stores as well. Hence why I stopped buying any compost, instead I buy only trusted mulch, enrich it with urea granules and kitchen waste while composting.

[@somatder]

I believe you are right about the fact that the muncipal compost is generally low in readily available plant nutrients. Here in Denmark, households and business can dump off waste including garden waste in recycling stations. The garden waste is then transported to a central composting facility, where it is put through the fast thermophilic composting in a matter of weeks. The waste from gardens is mostly woody material like hedge trimmings, branches and trimming from trees and only a smaller fraction consisting of high C:N ratio materials like grass clippings and green leaves. So, that the resulting compost being relatively high C:N ratio makes a lot of sense. I have used a lot of this compost which is offered for free in my municipality and I have long had a suspiscion of it being not quite enough to supply plant throughout a growing season. I even have run a small experiments with small tomato plants prickled to pure municipality compost in pots inside the house and they run out of nitrogen only after a few weeks. Despite this, the information supplied on the compost will even tell you to "dilute" the compost with garden soil as they claim it is too nutrient dense and will cause damage to plants if growing directly in this compost. That is clearly not my experience, and your experience and thoughts is even more motivation to try and find means to compensate for the deficiencies in municipal compost.

[@REDGardens]

Sounds like very similar stuff to what I can get, though I think this stuff has a bit more nitrogen availability. if it is clean, and you can get it for free, it might make sense to amend it with whatever high nitrogen stuff you can get, and other nutrients, and turn it into a more valuable thing.

[@TobiasDuncan]

Always great content here! I have experimented quite a bit with urine in grazing pastures and the results are impressive. I hope your gentle hints here inspire people to stop flushing fertility down the toilet. Its the worst thing you can do with your urine

[@ximono]

It's insane when you think about it. Our bodies produce high quality fertilizer, and we go and mix it with potable water and faeces and send it down pipes to huge treatment plants, if we don't flush it into rivers. Sometimes I can't believe how dumb we are.

[@GARDENER42]

I recycle most of my coffee, beer & wine through my compost bays. Seriously considering a composting toilet to make stuff to use on my shrubs & flower beds.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! Yeah, we need more urine capture and use, and I do try to mention it regularly, to try to normalise people to the idea.

[@keeksputels1851]

Thankyou for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences. Most appreciated 😊👍. I tend to agree. Manmade fertilizers are a useful thing when used responsibly. The real enemy of mine is herbicides, pesticides, and plastic pollution. I have work on an organic market garden, the amount of plastic in the soil is unreal. Organic does not always mean clean

[@francescodotto4007]

It's a pleasure to see your dark and fluffy soil, In my garden I have heavy clay soil and something is very difficult grow something in this soil, I add lot of organic matter but every time it seems not enough

[@REDGardens]

We are fortunate to have this kind of soil to work with.

[@francescodotto4007]

@REDGardens I think one of the most important advantages of not having clay soil is the possibility of digging and transplanting vegetables every month of the year! Unfortunately, from mid-October onwards I cannot dig the soil because it becomes too wet and you don't get any good results from digging when this is the case, on the contrary, it worsens the structure of the soil! From October to March I can't dig, then it depends on the year! Two years ago we had a very dry winter and in March we could already till (which had never happened before) while the spring of 2024 was very rainy until mid-June and this delayed the transplanting of all the summer vegetables: tomatoes, aubergines , courgettes, peppers, pumpkins etc... If you grow things for work, a 5 month window in which you can't transplant anything is really too much! I do it as a hobby, but I'm still looking for a way to get around the problem and be able to grow something every month of the year! Unfortunately, building raised beds and filling them with 20cm of compost worked less well than I hoped, in summer you have to water a lot more and I often lack nutrients because the plants remain smaller than those transplanted into the soil, finally under 20cm of compost a very compact layer of clay is formed which is difficult for the roots to penetrate and the water passes through the layer of compost and when it reaches the layer of clay it is not absorbed and slides laterally to the sides of the raised bed favoring the growth of weeds in the walkways! Maybe I'll try again next year and change something

[@al3xf103]

@@francescodotto4007 I've seen a few videos of growers praising their clay-rich soil with just an application of compost and saying they'd prefer clay-rich soil to sandy soil. Perhaps the key is maintaining the right amount of moisture in the compost so that the biology is maintained and can work on mixing the clay soil and compost together. One possible way of doing that might be by covering the compost with plastic tarps. Heavy duty ones that last more than one or two seasons. And watering before covering and checking from time to time that it stays moist. Of course you then need to either buy your plants or sow in module trays and then plant out in holes in the tarps. This way would also limit the amount of digging you need to do. In any case good luck next season!

[@francescodotto4007]

@@al3xf103 To maintain the right humidity in summer and not have to water too often, the best thing is to mix the compost with the first cm of soil and grow directly in the soil enriched with compost and covered with mulch, instead, at the end of summer, for autumn and winter transplants, after digging to de-compact the soil at the end of summer, the best thing to do is to spread a layer (about 10cm) of compost and plant directly in that without tilling to mix it with the soil! Thank you for your help, I will try next year

[@marqessanzcora4089]

I'm drinking my tea, waiting for spring/summer .. 🌞🌞

[@BlackJesus8463]

cold brew in the fridge for three days 😘👌

[@REDGardens]

me too!

[@woodhouse6553]

Really love your work, thank you for making these videos about your successes (and failures!)

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@johnhansen8272]

In the last few years it has become more important than ever to know what we are putting in our gardens. Composting materials intended for adding to the garden is a minimum I would say. The only safe compost is compost we know what went into it, i.e. made ourselves.

[@PR.Hobbit]

Excellent experimenting -- Thank you for your work!!!

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@anniegaddis5240]

Love your criticism and analysis of your own work. It is so helpful when trying out my OWN tests. Sometime though, I think your criticism is too rough, as you are panning your absolutely WONDERFUL looking crops! 😊

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! I try to be real about it all, but then I go and only show the shots of the gardens and plants when they are looking awesome, and not the areas that are struggling! 😁

[@nicotte44]

thanks so much for the quality of your videos. Not all the time easy to access ( i'm french btw), but very impressive and with a lot to learn in it !

[@REDGardens]

😁 I heard that KZbin is starting an automatic dubbing feature, so that might help with the translation.

[@nicotte44]

@@REDGardens it's robotic and with no charme, it makes it so weird !

[@crazyhank99]

Great video. Love your patient, practical approach. Subscribed.

[@pomicultorul]

Have you considered using a cement mixer for greater uniformity - that is if you have access to electricity?

[@lksf9820]

As I was watching I thought exactly the same.

[@REDGardens]

Interesting idea.

[@DK6060]

Or at least mixing in the bags a bit, those looked like good layers of amendments. I add amendments as I make a pile so that they benefit from the one or two turns I will do.

[@latinoenturquia8486]

A side question: what is the porpoise of the small water bottle you left in the tunnel? Is just water?

[@heathernotzdaniels6350]

I learned the too much nitrogen is bad scenario last spring when I seed started. I will not make that mistake again. I lost so many potential babies for the garden. Great video, super informative! I love learning more each year and figuring out what does the best for our gardens! :)

[@brianwhite9555]

I've always looked at vegetable gardening as an experiment that begins anew every spring. I keep the techniques that seemed to have worked in past seasons, and try new ones that appear potentially hopeful.

[@REDGardens]

Good way of looking at it all

[@Alan_CFA]

Love your videos!

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@troutslayer-yv3dx]

another great video! I am not a market gardener but do try to grow all of my own food so I am nowhere near the scale you are. I have found over the years that adding commercial stuff to my spent hay and farm manure helped me get to where i wanted to be quicker. I sort of felt ashamed by it a little but glad to see pros like you that are conscience of its affects are doing the same. I dont know whats right but the soil i add the "enriched" compost to still has tons of worms and test fairly well. thats something I guess. Thanks!

[@REDGardens]

I think this is a very common story. People trying to do what is 'right' but struggling to actually get the nutrients that will develop great soil and grow great plants.

[@johndoh5182]

First time gardener, well, except when I was a kid. After watching many videos I started some projects for raised beds and grow bags. I didn't do initial soil testing which was a mistake. After watching much of my initial planting do very little (not high dollar in regards to plants since I started everything from seed), I figured out the very thing you said about low nitrogen and it's because I was using compost to amend the soil that was woody in nature, so now in the process of amending the soil. But it's more than just nitrogen, it was low in NPK, actually depleted for N-K and just below adequate for P. In my second raised bed I amended the soil more than the first bed, but still not enough for growing very healthy plants. I think I was fooled because I had grown peppers indoors until about 1 ft. tall and they were growing in rich potting soil, put them in my 1st bed and I used organic fertilizer to get and keep them going. I assumed that after the initial soil sat for 2 - 4 weeks and water worked around and should have spread out nutrients it would be good enough, but no. The initial soil, mostly bagged along with the compost was just too low in anything but probably trace elements. So, now I'm in the process of figuring out just how much organic forms of NPK along with adding both azamite and kelp meal will be sufficient to get good growth. At some point I think I should do a mix, let the soil sit after it's been watered a couple times and remixed, watered and then sit for a couple weeks and then send off a soil test to see a much better breakdown of what I'm producing. I know it's not BAD, but I also know without adding liquid fertilizer it's lacking and I'd rather get it close to the point of being able to use liquid fertilzer 2 - 4 times at most to get very good results.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It can be a struggle, but it sounds like you are on your way to providing decent fertility to the plants.

[@QualityGardener]

Love your channel man! Been watching since 2019! I've learnt a lot! :) Personally, I started growing veg around 2018 and after 6 years with many different methods similarly to you, I'd say for me the highest quality, taste, and yield of vegetable and fruit produce, has hands down been the COF Fertilizer method from Steve Solomons Book, mixed in with the best compost I can find (Cow Manure). I agree, I tend to find it easier to just buy in compost these days too. There's some serious growers in Tasmania and Australia that make COF ready to buy in a bag, as I never made mine. The only issues I have with COF is that I'm not big on the the trace elements like boron etc. For me, the seaweed is more than enough as Steve has quoted that the ocean pretty much has everything in it. I also prefer seaweed to rock dust. Either way, because its a mix of soo many ingredients from different sources, its honestly the best. The only issue is that similarly to your dilemma, (with the compost not being the best, therefore requiring mixing in with other products to complete) COF also has to be mixed in with the compost product to complete it. That's because similarly here too, its impossible in my opinion to find a high quality compost due to the nature of how commercial compost is made. To take this to the next level, I'll be using a cement mixer soon rather than mixing everything with a spade / shovel. Efficiency is something I always try to improve as a gardener and my back really appreciates anything made easier too. This style of approach (Cement Mixer) seems to be quite common upon the professionals in the market gardening profession as well. I think that's as best as it gets! Thanks for your amazing content and experiments its been a pleasure watching.

[@JohnDoe-id9hi]

Seems like we need a Calvin peeing on the compost pile stickers.

[@REDGardens]

😂

[@mrs.rogers7582]

I have raised beds. I amend my soil with vegetable/fruit waste from the grocery store. I dig in the food waste and chop up the veggies with a shovel to get as much contact to the soil as possible. I sprinkle in fertilizer and soak well. I keep the area moist and within 2 weeks the waste is all gone and the soil is much improved. I keep doing this to the soil whenever I have a spot without plants. I find a huge improvement to the soil and I don't have to turn a heavy compost pile.

[@REDGardens]

That kind of approach does make sense. Do you have issues with rodents or other animals?

[@What..a..shambles]

Thanks Bruce .

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@mustardtiger9265]

This year i have been using free municipal compost as a brown in my bins. Just adding to local greens from the garden/yard/house, split with wood chips from a 2 year old pile. Ended up getting about 5 cu yd of wildflower prarie growth mixed in with it.

[@REDGardens]

Nice. I might try that as well.

[@luckymike3065]

As always Bruce, brilliant advice.. i have been buying expensive mushroom compost.. You notice the growth spurt within days. However now thanks to your insight.. Going to save some cash and grab some municipal low grade compost and enhance it with some organic inputs. Thank m8.. your a garden Yoda.

[@TheNumbers400]

I use a cement mixer. Mixes the compost with amendments plus adds air, crucial part of the equation.

[@REDGardens]

I should get a cement mixer!

[@brians1001]

Fascinating, great work. I don't know enough about what effects unbalanced nutrients have in regards to it being plant available, but I'm aware this is true. I've often considered this procedure of applying nutrients to the compost to try and mitigate this situation. Somehow making more of the stuff available before it gets stopped or blocked by the unbalance. I suppose I should just get my soil tested, but need to crack the code on that one. This year, I'm adding at least something to the compost.

[@pilsplease7561]

Ill leave it at if you want to know more, read the Intelligent Gardener by Steve Solomon hes very wise and his book seriously breaks down what unbalanced soils do. I am friends with steve and talk with him regularly.

[@brians1001]

@@pilsplease7561 Thanks for the tip

[@REDGardens]

It is a hard thing to get into, but as with the other comment, I found Steve Solomon to be really helpful.

[@StellasVegetablegardens]

Lovely take on soil amendments

[@REDGardens]

thanks!

[@pomicultorul]

thank you four work!

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@naturesmoments1297]

Its great to see this balanced approach Bruce, all too often people become polarised on one side of the argument or the other, no halfway point. After we spoke last year I began using one of the combo amendments myself with very encouraging results, as you say not much in the way of guidelines for small growers but I did discover a few things along the way, avoid clumping around plant roots as may lead to over supply of nitrogen. I also noticed the results can take a while to show in plant health, I try to avoid adding a second scattering if nothing happens as likely a slow release variant. I would like to buy in compost too, have you come across any issues with PFAS in supplies as this seems to popping up on other KZbin channels more frequently, lastly if not already aware (probably are) Soil food web by Dr Elaine Ingham, fascinating insight through the microscope into micro organisms, fungi, all the best

[@REDGardens]

Great to hear you have had encouraging results! Going easy and being observant with all this stuff is definitely a good idea 😁 I don't know much about the PFAS issue. I know that the main person at the supplier is really serious about supplying a good product, so hopefully he is taking the precautions. But there are always risks in importing anything into our gardens.

[@lksf9820]

@@REDGardens PFAS are present in glossy printed and recycled cardboard, there is a vid on here about it.

[@naturesmoments1297]

Cool, will definitely check out the compost supplier as my setup is very similar to yours only smaller, PFAS more commonly known as 'forever chemicals' which I think cover some herbicides and pesticides too. amazed to see the real Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts played her in the movie) running with this. Erin interviewed which covers topic in depth 'Growing Broke: Forever chemicals', cheers for now

[@Spencer_Plant_Projects]

You can fetment your conventional fertilizers with EM which helps to prevent nitrogen leaching and being reduced to ammonia or N2 gas. Similar approach that you are doing.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Elf magic?

[@lksf9820]

EM?

[@Spencer_Plant_Projects]

@@lksf9820 EM-1 refers to a product by the EMRO which is short for effective microorganisms. An anaerobic fermentation starter with many purposes.

[@RayFromTheHayclan]

People have touted compost as a Wonder fertilizer for the garden but I have found that it is mostly a soil conditioner. I have been making compost with high nitrogen content the last couple of years and still have to add more fertility.

[@REDGardens]

I do know people who have lots of success with just compost, but I suspect they are in really good soil to begin with, so compost is only needed to top things up. I know more people who struggle with just compost.

[@HelenRullesteg]

Great vidoe, and it deals with something I‘ve been grappling with for quite a while. It is actualy one of my bug bears with Charles Dowding who - grows fantastic vegetable - and always recommends using compost only, But his compost isn‘t just garden compost, like I have, but has significant amounts of composted horse/cattle manure and spent muchroom compost, all things that have quite a bit more nitrogen than just garden compost. So it‘s very interesting and helpful seeing videos like this one.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, it is a concern of mine as well. I have no doubt that you can grow great vegetables using Charles' no dig method with only compost, but I think you really do need good compost, made with plenty of high nitrogen material, and good soil.

[@owendavies8227]

You could argue that this is an organic growing method because no artificial fertilizer actually gets to the plants. It (theoretically) all gets bound up as organic compounds in the compost during the month of fermentation. It's certainly a slow-release fertilizer.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, I can see that. The boundary between organic and non-organic is an interesting and tricky one. The more I learn and explore, the more unsure I am about it all.

[@DK6060]

@REDGardens Bruce - I wouldn’t be so concerned about the difference, N is N whatever the source and you are taking the best steps to make it plant available. I like the comment above chelating with humates, it’s level 10 nerd, but it makes sense.

[@yusufalbalooshi2723]

Thank you dear for excellent information

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@senorjp21]

Interesting take as usual. I have lots of leaves, grass and high carbon stuff, but not enough nitrogen, so I buy urea, dissolve it in water (around 2%) and water my compost with it. It really helps with temps and speed, and the nitrogen is available right away when I apply the compost. I'm not certified organic, but it works for me

[@REDGardens]

That sounds like a good approach. I think it would have been better if I had dissolved all the soluble fertiliser in water first before adding it to the compost.

[@Soilfoodwebwarrior]

Access to free fish scraps to make liquid fish fertilizer is key to my process. I use municipal compost similar to you and it needs additional nitrogen. I also use the municipal compost as a brown material in Dr Ingham style hot composting. I have a large heard of red wigglers, I use the municipal compost as bedding and feed the worm vegetable scraps/green material. I live in a warm climate however so my heard of red wigglers can survive outside year round. Cheers 🍻

[@REDGardens]

That sounds like a great system!

[@gailthornbury291]

Thank you for sharing your careful and considered thoughts and avoiding falling into the religious fervour cult like attitudes that are so common.

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@nathanchristopher8585]

I greatly appreciate the RED Gardens approach of being dedicated to pursuing the exploration of what actually works, and of helping us all shed our preconceived notions when appropriate (especially with such an eye for how significantly context can change everything). I am really interested in the further testing of this conscientious blending of the more minimalist/self-produced/organic-purist methods and the more 'modern conventional' additions of municipal compost and concentrated and synthesized fertilizer components - I share many of the same predispositions, eschewing almost all external inputs in favor of inputs that I can produce myself at very low costs (scythed hay, free wood chips, kitchen waste, etc.), but I also think that these often readily accessible external inputs that are more ubiquitous among conventional/non-organic type growers have the potential for very positive impacts if used wisely and sparingly. As always, grateful for the exploration and education

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for the comment. 😁 I do agree with your points. If I was just growing for myself, and had lots of space, I'd probably fall back onto just making do with what I can produce myself, with occasional amendments. I kind of miss that casual approach. But so many people don't have access to lots of space, or need to be much more productive in a smaller space. And I think the world is going in a direction that many more people will find themselves in similar situations. It is in this more intensive or resource scarce context that I think the careful hybrid approaches can be really useful, if not essential, and using what is available and cheap to grow a lot of food, while minimising damage, becomes more of the focus.

[@Tippler0611]

Tempering ideals with practicality is a valuable concept, and one I frequently ignore! I get excited about organic, no dig, high biotic, hyper local, etc etc and basics like soil testing or balancing C:N get lost.

[@REDGardens]

Well said.

[@mikefox1735]

Hi Bruce, always keen to see what you're up to. I'm currently reading the book JADAM Korean natural farming. It's very interesting. At about 9 minutes in video you said the bags of amended compost had an ammonia smell. I have found that homages or biochar stop this casing off and hold that nitrogen in the compost for your plants rather than being lost to the atmosphere. Happy gardening

[@mikefox1735]

I mean homages not homages....bloody predictive AI

[@mikefox1735]

And there it goes again..... HUMATES ....

[@anonomix1426]

I have experimented with nitrogen fixating bacteria facilitated in legumes, I successfully kept a cutting of my cash crop happy without any supplemental nitrogen by planting a bean in the same container and watering in with multiple confirmed nitrogen fixator bacteria in at the initial planting

[@anonomix1426]

The root bulbs were definitely being ate by the cash crops roots, I don't know from experience if it's useful in a bed but growing something like, legumes, comfrey and alfalfa as a pure source of green for any compost is beneficial if you can accommodate for them at a large enough scale without it being detrimental

[@michaelmcclafferty3346]

I wonder if local historians or indeed educational institutions might reveal what people did in the past to improve/ amend local soils? For example, on late my father’s Croft in Donegal they had lime kilns to burn lime to add to acidic soils there to amend the ph value. Finally,would a cement mixer help with the tedium of mixing bags of compost?

[@REDGardens]

A cement mixer would probably help! Though it might be easier to just dissolve the stuff in water and water the compost with that.

[@t0mt0mt0m]

12:15. Compost tea action! If you buy in material more now, buy in the highest quality worm castings as possible that isn’t old. Good luck on your journey.

[@REDGardens]

Not sure I can get worm castings anywhere around here, but started my own worm bin recently.

[@seanhenry6216]

The amount of food scraps you have would make worm farming very easy. In fact, worm farming IN the municipal compost with a wide diversity of food scraps would be amazing. A flow through worm bin at your scale would be killer. The worm tea/compost tea concept and drenching soil is usually presented with the benefit to "unlock" what is already there. So i wonder what impact it would have for the years of work you have already been doing. Love your work, im jealous. Such great presentation and approach

[@davidford694]

I would appreciate comments on the effects of inorganic fertiliser on soil microbes and why you discounted them. For instance, I understand that their high acidity is deleterious.

[@BlackJesus8463]

probably because the microbes can't eat it so the population dies off without food

[@lksf9820]

You've gone from one extreme to the other, whereas Bruces approach is somewhere in between. Soil microbes are not damaged or killed off by inorganic inputs. What does cause dead and acidic soil is disrupting it by mechanical means, not adding any organic matter whatsoever and relying on 100% chemical input.

[@REDGardens]

The approach I took of adding these fertilisers to the compost was partially to avoid that kind of disruption to the soil biology. Once the biology within the compost has done its thing, everything I added will be fully incorporated into the organic material, so there would not be the same kind of disruption. That is the idea at least.

[@davidford694]

@REDGardens So you believe that the microbes in compost do not have the same vulnerability as those in soil?

[@jensissons5709]

Great video. Have you used bio char? The documentary on terra preta (black earth} in the amazon is thought provoking too. Subsequent studies and papers make good reading. Feeding the living soil biology and giving them a good home is important . Its their by-products that can feed plants too. Very similar to our own gut micro-biome.

[@lksf9820]

There have been no scientific studies done on bio char, it's another 'Emperors new clothes' fad. It'll also make his soil even more alkali.

[@REDGardens]

I have used biochar a bit, and did a video about making it. But haven't tested it enough to really evaluate its utility in the relatively good soils that we have here. I do need to do more explorations, hopefully next year.

[@TobyRobb]

Very cool. If that whole bucket was per bag, seemed a far bit to me, but potentially that was a lot of seaweed meal. One of my techniques is to do multiple applications a few weeks apart and see how plants respond. Changing the amount I dress the plants with accordingly. If the plants seem a little burnt, I drop it down a bit but not much because you kind of want to be in that spot right below burning ha. One thing I would say is the reason commercial fertilisers often put warnings about feeding grass paddocks where cattle graze is due to the amounts of mercury or other heavy metals present in the industrially created fertiliser. A problem where it's concentrated in cattle due to the large amount of veg they eat. Not so much in the vegetable garden potentially? Very cool experiments once again from this channel. Love it!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks 😁 It was only a part bucket, but still a fair amount of fertiliser and seaweed meal. Thanks for the warning about heavy metals, not something I know anything about.

[@chefdoedel]

awsome test

[@REDGardens]

Thank you!

[@joshuadelisle]

Do you still use bio char? I just watched your 5y old video making it. Cheers J

[@GardensforLife]

Great stuff! Learnt a lot! Thanks! I just use mushroom compost. :D

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@justinarnold7725]

We mix our Municipal Compost 50 50 with Mushroom Compost and it worked straight away as a growing medium

[@REDGardens]

Nice!

[@magapefarmshomestead6453]

I agree that there are ways to make soil better. Imho look into 2 people/organizations 1st is Elaine Ingham and 2nd is KNF. As they both teach that the biggest missing thing for soil is the fungal component of soil you might also want to look into bread yeast as yeast is fungal.

[@REDGardens]

I have looked into both, and tried to follow Elaine's approach but felt I was operating blind as didn't have a microscope or the skills to understand what I was looking at.

[@misemefein100]

You can get lots of free coffee grounds from petrol stations which is very high in nitrogen....and other nutrients

[@REDGardens]

The local supply of coffee grounds is used by the owner of the place in their own garden, so not an easy option for me. 🙁

[@klauskarolina]

Another great video. Thank you I'm a believer that adding variety of amendments is a key for a healthy soil and plants. I use mixture od different composts, egg shells, wood ash and biochare, horse, cow and chicken manure, homade hummus, sand, clay soil, coffee grains and leaf mold. Sometime I add a bit of commercial fertilizer if I see any issues. Those natural "fertilizers" add not just one element, but a complex of minerals, bacterias, fungus and microorganisms to the garden. Our soils lacking trace minerals, our bodies too, so why add just very basic trio of them?(NPK)? Synthetic feltilizers are handy tools, perfect for an instant impact, but in long run they're not the best solution. Greetings

[@REDGardens]

Agree! Variety is great, and relying on just one form is probably going to cause problems. But also, not dealing with deficiencies in our soil and compost can also cause problems. This second part seems to be the tough one for some people to come to terms with.

[@gonzoexpress9885]

Agreed. Good pragmatic perspective. Even Rudolf Steiner admitted that he utilised super phosphate to quickly address the deficiency.

[@Psilocybiant]

Great content

[@REDGardens]

Thanks

[@nne7j]

Nice Video & Good job ⚘️👍

[@jackwhite6030]

Very interesting....

[@GARDENER42]

I shouldn't worry too much about rain washing nutrients out of the compost, as it's largely insoluble until the organic material has been completely broken down. The added fertiliser is a different matter but even so, they rarely wash in deeper than 10-15cm.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, it is the added fertiliser I am thinking about.

[@prensesdoga-oz7xc]

Thanks.

[@josesaldanha2683]

I like your balance. Go 100% organic is too impratical. But avoid convencional fertilizers should always be a goal.

[@BlackJesus8463]

I'd be running the homemade inputs through a woodchipper or shredder. Soak that in a urine/nitrogen bath and then mix it into the municipal compost. ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

[@REDGardens]

👍😁

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

You the Scientific Gardener!

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@paulm2380]

Thank you

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@gregbluefinstudios4658]

I almost always prefer to add those fertilizers, to my compost pile. I do try and avoid that big swing when adding directly to my planting. Shame that there isn't space to make a batch of compost a year in advance. Being able to let it mature for a much longer time, would probably help. Of course, space is the biggest issue, there.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, doing it well in advance would be good!

[@twitchlazy]

The jug of urine will always get a chuckle out of me. That's either a lot of people's urine or took you a really long time to fill the jug .... Maybe I'll start collecting my own to see how long it takes to get 5 liters

[@REDGardens]

haha, that is only a few days, but I do keep well hydrated!

[@nonyadamnbusiness9887]

So great to see you continuing to run trials.

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@heath-emerson]

We are seriously lacking people who are willing to break outside their ideology to find what works better. I used to be an organic zealot as well and now I use small amounts of conventional fertilizer when I don’t see things growing well. The key is small amounts of the right kind.

[@VanillaAttila]

1. does the synthetic fertilizer kill the microbiology in the soil? 2. are you concerned about the PFOAS, Foreverchemicals & microplastics / fillers in : a. the municipal compost b. your own compost c. the fillers of the fertilizers

[@lksf9820]

1. No.

[@REDGardens]

1. I think adding anything potent to the soil will cause some disruption, including some of the microbes being killed off, and in some cases shift the soil chemistry into a something less habitable. This could be too much synthetic fertiliser, or fresh manure, but so much depends on the context and the capacity of the soil to buffer against this input, and how often it is done. But yes, disrupting the soil biology too much is one of the reasons that I prefer to avoid adding synthetic fertiliser to the soil. That is why I am adding it to the compost first, with the belief that within a few weeks or months, that fertiliser will be properly incorporated into the biology of the compost and be indistinguishable from the same nutrients added from a more natural source. 2. It is a worry, and not something I know enough about. I do suspect that there is possibly more in my own compost, because of the range of different thing that end up in the compost, than there would be in the municipal compost (from this company at least) or in the fertilisers.

[@VanillaAttila]

@@REDGardens thanks for your answer. I'm inclined to believe the same on #1 and add synthetic refined fertilizers on occasion. I like the idea of buffering it in advance through your municipal compost I got 70 yards of omri certified municipal compost only to find it littered with plastics visible to the naked eye. From Lego to q tips fractured lighters and so on. I ended up on a deep dive learning about how plants can absorb these plastics and then we consume them. They are actually having a terrible effect on our biology. Now I am more concerned with limiting plastic than anything. I have since found a plastic free source of compost but truly believe we need to find ways to generate our own economically and believe nitrogen harvesting from the atmosphere with technology that is in development will contribute to that goal towards self sufficient efficient community food production.

[@questforbalance]

Ty

[@landontesar3070]

With beef and dairy farms in the area, what is the experience with cow manure as a nitrogen or phosphorous source?

[@REDGardens]

Everyone uses slurry pits, so manure is not so available. And there have been issues with herbicide residues killing vegetable gardens locally, so I stay away from that industry.

[@lawsonone6015]

For nitrogen, would coffee grounds from coffee shops work?

[@REDGardens]

They can help, but depends on context. Apparently they contain 2% nitrogen and a C:N ratio of 20:1, so would need some decomposition before that small amount of nitrogen becomes available. In the case of the large bags of compost I was amending, I would probably need at least 50kg of coffee grounds, (weighed when completely dry) to add the same amount of nitrogen I added with the synthetic fertiliser. That is a lot of coffee grounds to get, and would probably take longer to have an effect. I also wonder if that amount of coffee grounds would be bringing in other things that might cause problems, like caffeine.

[@lisag9493]

What about the financial cost of buying all that municipal compost and fertiliser ? Will these fertilisers be washed into the water coarse eventually ? Didn’t look a very natural way to feed the soil to me and I’m sceptical as to whether all these so called organic additives and amendments are really necessary for tasty, nutrient dense food, thanks for showing the lengths you’re going to, very interesting

[@REDGardens]

Good to be sceptical. I use to believe that I could produce lots of tasty and nutrient dense food without amendments like this, but I didn't know then how poorly my crops were growing, compared to what I have been able to produce more recently. Now I am sceptical when people claim this is possible. The compost costs €75 for a large bag delivered. The amendments cost an additional €15 (if I buy bulk).

[@lisag9493]

@ if it’s your hobby then I would say that’s fairly cheap compared to others and if you enjoy gardening and growing food, from plot to plate in a matter of minutes, you just can’t buy that freshness in the shops ,, best wishes and Thankyou for taking the time to make these videos and for replying

[@REDGardens]

@@lisag9493 Yes, I do think it is a reasonable price for people who are growing for themselves. For commercial operations, it is a different thing. Thanks!

[@ScouseJack]

The priority is surely to grow healthy nutritious food. Anyone who does that, we should learn from.

[@REDGardens]

Agreed.

[@lksf9820]

Your open minded hybrid approach is very similar to mine overall, I've modified someone's 'no-dig' approach to suit my conditions and it's working really well. I've even used herbicides in small and careful quantities to kill off nearby grass and weeds. As my compost ingredients are chosen and collected by me to make it I feel the end product has enough N, but it's good to see your alternative approach working with you, for what you need. I wonder what it's done to the taste, nutrient and vitamin content of the produce? Given what you've done, probably not a lot. I'm always uncomfortable with the term 'conventional fertilizer'! I have to stop and think what is meant by it as before synthetics we were using organic.

[@REDGardens]

I do wonder how this compost a few months after being amended, would compare to a mature compost initially made with a lot more nitrogen rich material. As you say, does it make a difference to the plants? I do think that not amending it was causing problems for the plants not getting the nutrients they need. Yeah, 'conventional fertiliser' is not a great term.

[@viscosityofdoom]

The problem with commercially produced compost is that it is a product of a largely mechanical, rather than biological, process of decomposition. Compost is not only a source of organic matter but also of soil biology. My solution is to mix my own homemade compost (or else fresh mulch) through the mass of bought in compost as a kind of starter, and then let this sit for a few months to fill with worms, fungi and bacteria etc. Then it is ready to be used as compost is supposed to be used - as a biological amendment and boost for the soil ecosystem.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, mixing it in is a good option.

[@musdmoby9744]

I feel like the nitrogen you have to go really easy on because some plants need a lot less of it and others need a lot more. It's easy to run into problems when balancing nutrients. growing pains I guess hahaha

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, it is something I need to look at more.

[@eddiejohnson7419]

Do you have problems with cabbage loopers or worms? If so, how do you deal with it? I tried insect netting this year, which worked well until the plants outgrew it, and a hailstorm destroyed it. The price for one season isn't viable...

[@glassbackdiy3949]

You didn't really indicate how you decided what/how much amendment to put in the municipal compost, was it just "feels"? It would be interesting to get an M3 of the municipal compost, with it's lower bulk density figure used to mineral balance it, both on the basis of balancing the compost it's self (for side dressing) and a seperate comparable amendment trial incorporating the compost as part of an overall soil amendment, i.e. use the compost as one input/factor or part of the overall soil amendments based on it's M3 results. I'm using my chicken manure as part of the mineral balancing, although I've not had it tested seperately just using generic figures for chicken manure 4%N-8%P-1%K to make up part of the overall balancing amendments; I would really like to get an M3 of my compost, but it was starting to get cost prohibative as I had 3 different soils to test and it's only a small plot! Another great video, thanks for sharing Bruce.

[@REDGardens]

I decided not to include the calculations that I did in this video, it was getting too long and technical. But I hope to do another video about it. Basically I used typical analysis supplied by the composter to determine the amount of carbon and nitrogen in the bag, which equated to roughly a 20:1 C:N ratio. I then figured out how much nitrogen was needed to bring it to a 15:1 C:N ratio. I picked 15:1 ratio because it 'felt' right 😁. I figured if really good mature feeding compost was closer to 10:1, then I would add enough nitrogen to get half way there, hoping the resulting biological activity would consume some more of the carbon to finish the job. A very blunt approach, and I think it would have been better to add half as much at first.

[@glassbackdiy3949]

@@REDGardens Thanks Bruce, makes sense in a touchy feel kinda way :) I'm intrigued by Dan Kittriges (BionutrientFoodAssociation) approach, he only uses rock dusts and mulch, no compost, no manures; relying on soil chemistry (mineral balancing) to provide the right soil consistency for microbiology to thrive, relying on microbilogy to supply all the nutrients from the soil, mulch to keep temperature stable/prevent compaction/errosion, and plants to feed the microbiology. Coupled with what John Kempf says about N I'm inclined to think the C:N ratio is more important than the actual N available, we may be giving it far too much weight (in context, all things being equal)

[@ximono]

Interesting experiment. Like you say, it does feel like cheating to mix in artificial fertilizers. But the concept of enriching woody, burnt compost is an interesting one! I have a big pile of woodchips that I've been wondering how I can add urine to without offending my neighbors. I think urine-soaked woodchips has the potential to be the ultimate composting system, in terms of economy and feasibility. It's the two most affordable (free) and readily available ingredients for making compost, in greater quantities than most people need, yet I very rarely hear people talking about it. Still too much taboo around pee? Lack of practical solutions for collecting and storing it in a sanitary way? (I have an idea involving a big plastic drum, a HepVo valve, a siphon pump and time…)

[@REDGardens]

The ring woodchip combination does sound interesting. Not thought I had is that a lot of the initial decomposition of woodchip can be done by fungus, rather than bacteria. So I wonder if the fungus would be helped or hindered by the extra nitrogen, or if it means that there is more of a balance between the fungal and bacterial decomposition. Somthing I'd like to know more about.

[@pilsplease7561]

whether you use artificial or organic fertilizers theirs not difference the plants dont care, at the end of the day use what you want. Both are effective tools you need to use what your soil needs.

[@ximono]

@@pilsplease7561 There are several issues with artificial fertilizers. They're resource intensive to manufacture and transport, and vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. I'd much rather depend on my own urine production, which is an excellent fertilizer. But yes, it's more or less the same for the plants and soil life, also the harmful effects if used incorrectly.

[@pilsplease7561]

@@ximono Most of them are actually low energy they are created through being a side product created when making another product. Nitrogen fertilizers are a example, and gypsum is literally a product created that would otherwise be a waste product from industrial processes.

[@ximono]

​@@pilsplease7561 I wouldn't say it's low energy. Nitrogen requires plenty of energy (mainly fossil fuels) to produce. That's part of the reason for its price increase. Potassium and phosphorus is mined. Processing and transportation must also be taken into account. Urine is pissed where you're standing.

[@RoyHolder]

Do you test your soil for PH levels? The aim is a neutral PH level of 7. Hello from a South Australian Summer!

[@lksf9820]

If you look through his videos you'll see his soil tests. The aim is to get soil Ph to suit whatever crop you're growing.

[@REDGardens]

I do test. We have a high pH calcareous soil, with a base pH of about 7.6 to 7.8, which is virtually impossible to reduce without adding a huge amount of sulphur. But I can still grow some great vegetables.

[@gonzoexpress9885]

​@@REDGardens Do you have access to peat and or sulfur to reduce PH if/as needed?

[@Pilotcarsvc]

What is the finished cost say per yard?

[@REDGardens]

Per cubic meter bag it is €75 for the compost, and about €15 for the amendments (bought in bulk quantities). So €90, which is expensive enough, but the €15 and a bit of work makes it more valuable.

[@mrdavinci45]

I feed my worms good food scraps,kelp,alfalfa, etc

[@derghiarrinde]

Why not grow some mushrooms on the unprocessed municipal compost that still need some time to be ready for garden? Just amend it with whatever the shrooms need, water it, innoculate, cover it, poke some holes into the large bags and into the top cover and then just wait for the first crop.

[@derghiarrinde]

That way you get a good Su-Johnson compost and also some mushrooms pretty much for free.

[@REDGardens]

Interesting idea. I would need to get the stuff a year in advance I guess.

[@derghiarrinde]

@@REDGardens No, most of them fruit within a few weeks/months.

[@MistressOP]

hmm how cheap is soil testing in your area?

[@REDGardens]

Cant get them locally, or they are too expensive, so I sent soil samples to USA. Will probably test again in the early spring.

[@MistressOP]

@@REDGardens honestly, I think if we subsidized soil sampling world wide it would be life changing for so many medium and small farms.

[@REDGardens]

@@MistressOP I agree!

[@666bruv]

I suggest that your compost is anerobic at worst with all those additions, and then bacterial dominant at best. The ammonia is a sign of anerobic conditions, and could be growing pathogenic organisms, so extreme care is required.

[@REDGardens]

Hmm, interesting thoughts. I know that in regular composting that smell indicate trouble. In this case I added the ammonia, rather than it being produced by the biology, so I am not sure it is the same situation. But something to be mindful of.

[@666bruv]

@REDGardens to be honest, adding fertiliser to compost is completely foreign to me. But, if you are smelling ammonia gas, it is anerobic from my training and experience. If you are wanting to increase the N content and reheat the pile, you need bacteria food at about 10% ratio At that scale, like you stated, use the green grass, etc, blood and bone, chook manure, spent brew waste. It will need to be turned/aerated. That looks like a big job though. Otherwise, lay it out as mulch to the beds, apply the product, and stir in. Also look at cover crops. Once you see abundant earthworms, you are heading in the right direction

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, that is a fair assessment of compost that is actively decomposing, I have experienced it. In this case, the compost was not anaerobic, at least not in the way I have found, the smell of ammonia was coming from aerated pockets of compost that I had put too much ammoniacal nitrogen in, because I didn't mix it all up well enough.

[@666bruv]

​@@REDGardens the very storage of the compost in those plastic bags will create anerobic conditions. With the SFW method, the pile is genarally kept on a pallet in wet conditions with a tarp laid over to reduce rain saturation. In my environment, direct to ground contact is ok, with a lid when high precip is expected. Look at the j-su bio-reactor production method, no more than 6 inches from air is recomended for biological rich growth. Mine doesn't sit around for more than 4 months, as it is transfered to the worm bins

[@xavierwolfe5986]

Be careful using those bags. I had bought biochar that was in those bags, 2 months out in the sun and the whole bag ripped into microplastics. Definetly get rid of those bags asap. Granted i am in the desert, but still. It will break down.

[@REDGardens]

oh, that is not good. I am surprised how long these bags do last, and haven't had one disintegrate on me yet.

[@xavierwolfe5986]

@REDGardens dont chance it, once it starts to rip it just crumbles like dust, no way to get rid of it besides using plastic eatting mushrooms at that point.

[@charlespalmer3595]

2 thumbs up! Would be cool to see soil and biological tests before/after! Because "municipal compost" is so dry, you might consider adding the water and inoculant tea to each layer as you build the pile. Using the super sack bags got me thinking about putting a coil of drip hose in the bottom of the bag, it might work as a way to add air to the mix periodically with a compressor, thus potentially speeding it all up. Are there enough animals in the compost? If not I'd add green waste and living compost along with the fossil fuel fertiliser whenever possible to reduce the amount of fertiliser needed. This should make it a better environment for worms etc.. How hot do the bags get? Would they be good heat sources for the tunnels?

[@REDGardens]

Yes, it would be really cool to do soil and biology tests before and after! Operating a bit blind here, with only intuition and the apparent health of the plants to go on. This compost comes reasonably moist a lot of the time, I think it sits in the local yard in the rain for a while. But watering is necessary some times. I have never noticed it getting hot, even after adding the fertility. It would be good to add air as you say, and I think there might be a hybrid approach where I layer it in with leaves and fertility in a broad pile on a tarp, to allow more air in. And turn it around a few times to mix it in and give it time to re-decompose.

[@middleearthbilbo4640]

Sorry thumbs down by mistake..really an avid reader

[@charlespalmer3595]

@@middleearthbilbo4640 thumbs aren't permanent, you can click the thumbs up and it will change to up, or click the thumbs down and it will undo it. 👍

[@markrodrigue9503]

Some contaminants gets concentrated when composted 🤓🤨

[@massimilianolaterra1702]

biocomplete compost don't need other soil improver, if your soil is in good condition.I'd not call it an organic or worse regenerative approch.Anyway chemicals give results, no doubts about i the problem is what will happen after.I'd rather buy vegetables in a supermarket that grow it in this way.

[@REDGardens]

The trouble is getting biocomplete compost, and what happens if your soil isn't great. This is what many people have to deal with, so I think it is important to explore how to make the best of not great conditions or resources.

[@massimilianolaterra1702]

@REDGardens you have to make by yourself, chemicals are not the answer

[@DarthNehimis]

This kills your local microbiome

[@REDGardens]

Really? if I added the concentrated fertility directly to the soil perhaps. But by the time it has had a chance to be absorbed in to the biology of the compost, I don't see it causing much damage.