Everything I Wish I Knew About Composting As A Beginning Gardener

[@FrozEnbyWolf150-b9t]

Laziest way to compost is to plant your squash and other deep rooted plants directly in and around the compost pile. Our compost bin was mistakenly placed in a full sun area because it was closest to the kitchen. I've wanted to move it, but the wood is falling apart, so any attempt to move it would likely break it. Volunteer squash kept growing out of it every year, so I figured it would be a good place to plant my angled luffa. Everything planted near it grows exceptionally well.

[@poonpoonsmith399]

I'm lucky. I live down the street from a nursery that sells a yard of mushroom compost for $30.

[@nharber9837]

I can’t wait until I have enough outdoor space to make compost. Every inch of my tiny covered balcony is covered in plants. I’m a new-ish gardener, still learning some of the basics of getting stuff to grow.

[@tompaul2591]

Try it in a container (like a kitchen top version for example) on a small scale. Even a small amount is beneficial and puts in the right mood.

[@stevejohnson7118]

I have been composting for years. Learned a lot watching videos like this. I no longer try to “hurry” my compost. I start building my pile in the spring and add all my yard and garden waste thru the late fall. Weather permitting I may stir 1 or 2 times during the winter then again several times in early spring and top dress my garden with compost after my plants have established. I even add small amounts of meat, fat and dairy to my pile.

[@juneramirez8580]

I also started adding small amounts of spoiled food to my compost bins. At one point it smelled so bad. Fixed that by adding big bags of coffee grinds from Starbucks a friend brings me and turning almost daily! Problem solved!

[@Gardeningchristine]

I found a brand new spinning composter at a yard sale for $5. It makes compost so fast! Not much at a time but it’s the fastest.

[@bluewolf4915]

Thought about getting one of those but doesn't look like they hold much.

[@Gardeningchristine]

@@bluewolf4915 yeah I filled it to the top with garden waste, cardboard, sawdust, and it probably broke down by 10/1 but it wasn’t 2 months and it was ready. It was July and August so it was warm.

[@emkn1479]

@@bluewolf4915 I’d say pick the one with the biggest opening possible. It’s a pain and a struggle otherwise.

[@sociopathmercenary]

We got some of those 55 gallon plastic containers that are used for food off of Facebook for 10 bucks a piece. Fill them up and just roll them around occasionally to mix.

[@lisakruger5289]

That was a lucky find for sure! I have a spinner and it definitely speeds things up.

[@StacyBarnes-j7i]

Thanks for breaking it down for beginners!

[@Blackout00745]

nice composting joke right there xD

[@robwasnj]

I'm sure more effort means faster compost but I've adopted a different approach, I grind up leaves, put them into huge piles and except for watering them just leave them for 2 years, I make piles yearly so I always have one ready between year 2-3. Yes, I also have a tumbler that makes compost much faster (albeit in much lesser quantities) but if you plan ahead you can make lots of compost with very little effort. This approach came to me when I once piled up a bunch of stuff that was unwanted, I forgot about it but one day I was planting some new privacy trees and noticed a big black pile of something. All of it had broken down on it's own (probably was 5 plus years) but it was the most beautiful black gold I ever put into my garden. Zero effort really.

[@johnreeves3380]

Nice camera! Your vid quality has gone WAY up since you started your channel. And as always, good content and good explanations, your signature talent

[@thetommantom]

At the end I mixed in over grown sod and stuff and planted grass on top and just really over seed and it grew into the snow and settled and firmed up exactly how I thought it could and just kept planting grass on the corners that wash away or pool up like small piles of dirt/ finished compost from the previous year and it all turned to hard pan clay rake it up add water and seed and it just take off

[@kristenriley1878]

Thank you

[@FlowerxLady]

I can always get better! Thank you Luke 😊🇺🇸

[@honeybadgers1996]

Great info, Luke! Thank you as usual.

[@tompaul2591]

To anybody concerned about adding too many unfinished pieces, there is a simple solution. I sift all my compost through a homemafe sifter made of svrap wood and 1/4" hardware cloth. Sure, it's work, but i see it as exercise and it gives a more pure mix.

[@michellenoel2725]

Thanks Luke!

[@thetommantom]

I just used a ton of grass clippings still gotta start small and not too wet but once it gets going I just throw whatever weeds in it after cutting them real fine the pile just ate it lol if some people near by throw away grass clippings I would take some if it's a good lawn and not like all branches

[@christiensgarden3325]

Great video

[@terrivance8750]

Thank you, Luke. 😊

[@connieriddle5665]

I make compost in onenof those tumblers. I tend to get thise tar balls, probably because i dont have enuff browns. I just dump it out and let it sit in the sun to dry it out to dry it before putting in my beds. Im wondering if i could just break them up in the bed wet to mix with dry soil?

[@lorrainedurgee1761]

I put my compost on top of my soil unless I have fully composed compost ,then I mix a little in my soils - great video fir new composters ..

[@tgood9344]

Love your videos they have helped me so much with my garden. Thank you!👍🏻🌺

[@HealthyLivingWithWendy]

Thanks for sharing.❤

[@handendaer]

Is that a squirrel running in the background of intro or what? Looks awesome!

[@cardstockcollector]

Thank You!

[@juneramirez8580]

I have two compost bins our city gave us from used big trash bins. For a long time I filled them and just left them. It took forever to change. Then as prices are rising and making things unattainable for me, I decided to do a better job composting. I now turn my bins almost everyday AND the composting has really speeded up!

[@suecorrigan1216]

Thanks for the guidance!❤

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

Composting is a game changer

[@tatianasolodkokuruca4986]

06:37 - inviting creapy crawlies and not benefitial to put half ready compost. Is this really true? Any research available? In Sweden is it quite popular to compost directly where you grow. - bottom of a raised bed is being done from everything you typically dump into a compost.

[@lisakruger5289]

I think what makes composting in place successful/doesn't cause nitrogen problems is the material being in the bottom and covered with enough soil that by the time the plant roots work their way down there, it's pretty much finished compost anyhow. If you watch Robbie and Geri you tube videos, she is a big proponent of composting in place.

[@tompaul2591]

​@@lisakruger5289like hugel culture

[@donaldflowers5654]

Okay but fresh wood chips are nitrogen correct because they're full of green leaves and sap ?because when the power company came out and dumped a fresh load it was hot for quite awhile

[@Riggersons]

When you speak of a 50-50 ratio of greens to browns, is that 50-50 by weight or by volume?

[@stacytompkins9274]

YES! This!

[@Tinyteacher1111]

I’m SO allergic to molds and compost, I get sick gardening, but I wear a mask and glasses. I love it, but had mold toxicity and moved, but was bitten 3 years ago by a rare and potentially deadly tick and have developed all these issues. Plus, there is mold and fungus throughout my new yards. Maybe the allergies will go away when I recover from all these infections! 🙏

[@DzontraVolta-of5pq]

It’s also easy to get nail fungus from compost since it’s full of all kinds of bacteria and fungus. I would wear latex gloves when working with compost. Once you get nail fungus it’s very hard to get rid of it.

[@karen5311]

Does the same apply for bin compost, I live in an apt and all my veggies are grown on my porch.

[@maggieshowman830]

Thanks for the info!

[@connieriddle5665]

My neighbor offered his grass clippings; however he just put down weed and feed. So I'm not sure I should take.

[@DzontraVolta-of5pq]

I wouldn’t use those grass clippings for organic gardening compost. Grass clippings that I use is from clean lawn where I only previously treated it with organic nitrogen fertilizer.

[@JohnWood-tk1ge]

Because of your videos I have been composting for a couple years. Trying something different this year starting a second pile this fall,knowing that the cold will stop it working this winter. Question will it take off again next spring or should it be allowed to finish cold next year?

[@mlynnw7831]

Yes, it will take off again in the spring when temps thaw the pile.

[@MK-ti2oo]

If you get the ratios right and keep turning them, they'll stay hot all winter. My piles are 145° and steaming (it's 31° right now), and they'll be steaming all through the winter! It's really cool to experiment with using them as a heating element in my greenhouses all winter after i found they stayed so hot outside all winter. I'm a total compost nerd, lol.

[@johnnyroe8053]

The whole nitrogen sequestration thing can be fixed with a little urea dissolved in water, no? Seems like it's an easier way to go about it

[@bluewolf4915]

Wish I had more room, and more energy. This time of year I've got complete garden burnout. 😮😮

[@renagaribay9507]

Thanks for another great video! Is that lemongrass I see? If so, what do you do with yours?

[@haroldslater2118]

I have a question question mark regarding trash can composting. Unfortunately I have to leave my trash cans on concrete. Earlier in the season I added a dozen store-bought worms to throw in my trash can. I've done it a couple years not knowing if it really helped. Am I wasting my money?

[@sandy5149]

When it gets too hot ,you are cooking your worms as they can't escape. 🙈 if that is not the case, composting worms are a great addition😊

[@debrak.6430]

I have one compost bed that is completely done....Im in Ohio....should i put it on my garden now or save it till spring??

[@classicrocklover5615]

My opinion: many organic type amendments take a few months to break down. I add everything to my beds in the fall and allow them to age over winter. Do in Spring, everything is ready to go. I am in the Thumb of MI.

[@MikeDeacon76]

Is it ok to compost old squash leaves that got hit by powdery mildew or other diseases in the compost bin? I have read it depends on if you hot or cold compost. By end of season all my vegetable plants have something wrong with them.

[@emkn1479]

You’ll find varying opinions, but from what I’ve heard, many leaf diseases are always in the environment and require specific conditions to grow/show up, so not composting them isn’t really preventing much.

[@sherrynalder1359]

​@emkn1479 good to know, thank you

[@bettyfox2220]

I found that when I lay my-not so fully compost, on top of my bed the microbs/rolly pollies eat my veggies that exist 😢

[@christopherrenn8137]

Just started... all i gotta say is Squirrel! :D

[@juneramirez8580]

If squirrels are eating your plants try adding tulle to the outside of your containers. You can probably add it to the sides of your in ground beds. Tulle is a fine material with tiny holes used in sewing. It can be purchased in Walmart, online, Amazon seems to be a good place to purchase it or any store with a good sewing area. Buy the wide bolts and put it around your container plants and even in ground plants. The squirrels don't like it on their feet. They don't get stuck because it is fine enough not to catch their feet. It also keeps birds off your plants. Research it because it comes in many different widths and lengths. Cover plants that don't need to be pollinated and it keeps bugs out. Great stuff. You see people using bags of it with draw strings to enclosed fruits to keep them safe until time to harvest.

[@DzontraVolta-of5pq]

Squirrels are big pests in garden! They will eat all fruits, and it’s very difficult to deal with them because it’s a very intelligent animal.

[@elikerr785]

Does anyone who uses straw mulch amend with compost straight on top of the old straw mulch? I have several raised beds that i put together just this year, so compaction is pretty significant. I'm still growing, but I'm planning to add 3-4" of composted horse manure and chicken bedding/compost (that will all be composted down) over the winter, and I've been debating whether I should pull the old straw mulch out, or leave it in. If I leave it in, can I add a thick layer of compost onto the beds w/the layer of straw as is, or should I mix the straw in? It's already composting down in some of the beds, so I'd think leaving it and adding a significant layer of compost would work ok.

[@jtunderwood5545]

I’d leave it in. Seems like good biomass that’ll break down well.

[@aphillips5376]

Luke does core gardening where he buries straw/hay in his beds to help retain water. It all breaks down over the season, so I would assume you could top your hay and it should be fine.

[@elikerr785]

@@Freeland-Farm I did mean settling, but I have compaction issues as well. I used un-sifted, clay heavy top soil mixed with mushroom compost on the top 6"+ and the beds have compacted to varying degrees. Part of my intention for amending w/a significant amount of compost on top of the straw is to have a more workable soil. Basically, I would need to essentially till the top several inches in a few beds to even be able to replant. But if I left the straw, added thick compost, and recover with straw, I think I could have workable soil after a few months. Either way, I won't leave any beds un-mulched, I do need to manage settling and compaction both. Despite my soil not being as soft and workable as I'd like, everything has grown extremely well and I seem to have pretty good water retention from the clay, but good drainage due to the lasagna layering. I'm kinda counting on my root crops to let me know how accurate that assessment is tho.

[@josiahbowden1451]

I like the smell of it and how it feels i have autism

[@M19pickles]

I wish i had started composting earlier. I thought it would be complicated, take lots of work and be smelly. It does not have to be any of those.

[@debrak.6430]

I started composting a couple yrs ago...and one thing I learned is if u keep at it...esp in warmer weather it breaks down very fast...no smell! A good '"earthy" smell! Just keep layering like MA gardener says....I turn mine at least twice a wk...my pile isn't real big...prob a good wheelbarrow Full....I keep a side bed starting...it's just on the ground with blocks around....it's behind the garage where no one can see it.

[@debrak.6430]

P.S.....remember to keep it from drying out....but not soaking wet.

[@M19pickles]

@@debrak.6430 I am in an apartment and just have an old kitchen trash can (about waist high) that I dump out on a tarp, mix and put back in the can a few times a year. I also cut up anything that goes in like kitchen scraps and cuttings from my plants that are larger than my index finger. Gives me enough to refill my containers/pots for potatoes, strawberries and onions.

[@Steampunk_Samurai]

First

[@bluewolf4915]

Grader? 🤣🤣

[@Steampunk_Samurai]

@@bluewolf4915 I just thought it was funny. Remember when people said that? Lol

[@bluewolf4915]

@@Steampunk_Samurai yeah, I always got second. 🙄

[@dchall8]

At this point you seem to be ready to learn more about compost. I say that because you are dead wrong about certain statements you made. The comments about greens and browns go way back to Rodale's writings in the 1930s. Green and brown is a horrible way to talk about the ingredients in compost, but it has caught on, and people speak very authoritatively using the imprecise terms. And if you think that 'nitrogen' and 'carbon' are any better, you'd be wrong. Nitrogen is a gas and carbon is a black material. Neither provide food for plants. Sure, I realize that every magazine article, and people like you use these terms, but when you look deeper into the science, the concepts of proteins and carbohydrates become much better descriptors of the foodstuffs going into compost. I blame the scientists who tried to simplify their findings waaaay back when. Greens are supposed to be materials containing nitrogen, but what they really mean is that they carry a protein content greater than 5% by dry weight. Protein is high in nitrogen and, when decomposed by the soil microbes, will become genuine plant food. Common high protein materials are grains, nuts, beans, seeds, most grasses and some other legumes. Browns are materials which do not have sufficient protein content to be called "green." Leaves, including green lettuce leaves and green or brown tree leaves, are very low in protein (brown). Apples are low in protein (brown), but apple seeds are high (green). Green lettuce leaves are low protein (brown), but lettuce seeds are high protein (green). Coffee beans are colored brown, but they are high enough in protein (green) for the purpose of composting. Wood is brown in color and low in protein (brown). Soybeans (and all beans), corn, wheat, cottonseed, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, etc. are all high in protein (green) in a compost pile. Furthermore, feathers, skin, hair, and animal meat is high in protein (green) for composting, but adding those is considered to be an advanced concept and should not be done by beginning composters. However, animal dung, especially from herbivores and poultry is also high in protein (green), easy to use, and should be used routinely due to the low cost and availability.

[@Fawn62312]

I really need to focus on making my own compost. I've had many failed garden seasons due to contaminated free compost, multiple times 🫣. This year I decided to ro buy soil to ammend my beds and it was completely nitrogen deficient. 😢 I have decided I'm going to ammend with natural nutrients or compost I make myself. Wish me luck.

[@classicrocklover5615]

Research lasagna composting. Easy peasy!

[@Tinyteacher1111]

I’m SO allergic to molds and compost, I get sick gardening, but I wear a mask and glasses. I love it, but had mold toxicity and moved, but was bitten 3 years ago by a rare and potentially deadly tick and have developed all these issues. Plus, there is mold and fungus throughout my new yards. Maybe the allergies will go away when I recover from all these infections! 🙏