The Four Types of Compost

Not all compost is created equal or, perhaps more importantly, created for the same reason. In this video we discuss the four types of compost.
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[@derekcox6531]

Dang something has gone wrong ....video ends...🙁

[@notillgrowers]

What? Like it’s not working?

[@Andr1919]

Yea same here 3/4 the way through it’s comes up with the blank screen reading something has gone wrong

[@kirkjohnson9353]

Seemed ok for me. I watched all the way through.

[@notillgrowers]

Weird it’s working for me.

[@derekcox6531]

No-Till Growers yeah total bummer still have your vid cutting off about 3/4 of the way. Still gets a thumbs up though😉

[@zialuna]

One distinction that merits attention is the difference between bacterial dominant and fungal dominant inoculating composts. Short, hot composting methods produce bacterial dominant compost, which is good... but slower composting with the Johnson-Su bioreactor will provide the benefits of fungal inoculation that has many different benefits.

[@gardenlifelove9815]

In my experience, if you make your compost correctly, you can use it to bring new life to barron soil in one season. You can also loosen up heavy soils and clay easily with the biolife inside

[@BracesandBoots1]

I do three types of compost. Ground/chipped wood branches. That takes about 2 years. Soiled hay and straw. Takes a few months. An the third is garden scraps I run through the black soldier flies, then the worm bin until it's loaded with castings, and that takes a garden season. I can tell you there is a big difference in how dynamic the effects are on plants.

[@notillgrowers]

Love that! Thanks for sharing

[@JhonnyCrash1]

What would you add as browns to the worms? I have a worm bin and always mix vegetable scraps with something carbon right like shredded leafs or cardboard/newspaper.

[@ba77inganope28]

Kid you not I am meeting a company that sells “organic” compost this afternoon for my small scale farm. Your video def helped me figure out not just some context but good questions.

[@john1boggity56]

If you get this message can you share what your experience was of growing with this organic compost? Thanks

[@austin2842]

I add my spent brewing grains to the compost pile and i think it makes it nitrogen rich.

[@ponteconscientia8828]

Thanks for sharing the stypes of compost! Blessings!

[@simplegrower5838]

Nice share. I use mushroom compost for my perennials and bacterial compost for veggies. I learn so much from you. Blessings ~ Deb

[@notillgrowers]

That’s awesome, Deb! Great combo.

[@stevenlyerla9670]

Totally agree on the division of composts. Also loved the closing music!

[@jtamsmom5]

I love that you are willing to teach the rest of us. I learn so much from you. I am reading a few of the books you've recommended and I follow some of the other farmers uou refer to tbeir farms or techniques. Thanks

[@notillgrowers]

Awesome to hear! You’re very welcome

[@barbaraperry2796]

Eye-opening. Thank you.

[@sappir26]

The best dang video I've seen about composting 👍💯

[@EDLaw-wo5it]

Now I just need to learn how to make it. Havagudun Jess

[@robertling9872]

Thank you for sharing your compost knowledge. I use the method from Charles Dowding to build and feed my NoDig garden. My plants, trees and herbs love it.

[@petrastuder7981]

I have access to mushroom manure, should I use that as an inoculant (sprinkled lightly) and then leaf mould on top as mulch? My leaf mould is not fully broken down but I have a lot of it. Great and very informative video...thank you!! I didn't know the difference between these composts. I am now a new subscriber.

[@rayshobbyfarm.1019]

Man that was a bunch of new info on what I thought was just compost! I think I have to view this again and find some reading material about this as we are creating our new garden right now. #foodforthougt

[@headbanger1967]

Usually people discuss difference between hot compost (mixing of (greens) nitrogen rich things like grass, coffee, brew grains & (browns) carbon like cardboard, news paper, leaves, sawdust, or wood chips which breaks down quickly via bacteria. Versus say leaf mould which is almost all carbon & takes long time to break down using fungi. BIG difference in those two. VERMICOMPOST which is using worms to process both carbon bedding and organic material, usually food scraps. I use all three these methods for large home garden. Thanks for the video.

[@ourgoldenacre2695]

I am a home gardener utilizing no till gardening. I winter my 8 chickens in a small high tunnel on a deep bedding of leaves and hay. We feed them food scrap, and plants coming out the garden. That gets mounded up to heat up and breakdown. I use this compost to top beds as I turn them over for fall planting or to put to bed for winter. What type of compost would you classify this as? And, what testing would you recommend for it? I've had some issues with my cabbage transplants and germination of fall roots and greens.

[@jannekewittebol5911]

Great info!

[@teatimetraveller]

Great to see you drawing attention to the issues of over supply of nutrients. We've started experimenting with wood chip compost. We're planning on planting more land to agroforestry for biomass production to supplying the more intensive areas with organic matter.- One day!!

[@notillgrowers]

Cool to hear. I think that to be good ecological farmers, we have to make sure what we’re doing is indeed ecological. Just trying to figure out how to most effectively do that.

[@npmerrill]

Soil test lab number 69 - nice!

[@blanknoriega5726]

The chapter on compost in Bryan's new book is incredible information.

[@notillgrowers]

Agreed. Really cool book all around

[@ttb1513]

Thanks for the book recommendation (and it’s great to see the bok list in the video description). Appreciated!

[@LaHortetadeBussy]

Thanks men for video

[@libertymicrofarm6032]

Definitely good info. The compost I got last year, I had so many problems with it. After a little research I discovered that it was made largely in part with horse straw that had been made sprayed with an herbicide. Now this herbicide is supposed to have a short half life, but only if it comes in contact with soil. Most of my beds were 3-6 inches of the compost. So plant roots were mostly in the compost that was still effected by the herbicide. But not I know 😉

[@notillgrowers]

Ugh, yeah. I didn’t talk about persistent herbicides but that can be an issue. Sorry to hear that.

[@libertymicrofarm6032]

No-Till Growers the good news is that this year all that compost is broken down nicely and won’t be an issue👍

[@Mehdzz]

What type of compost should you be looking to get when starting a new no dig garden bed?

[@lesliehollands2689]

Soil test

[@john1boggity56]

This will be controversial but its worked for me. I bought a lot of very mature mushroom compost delivered in bulk to add to garden beds 200mm deep over newspaper and cardboard ie no dig. I sowed seed and seedlings straight into this medium with some pelletized chook poo as fertilizer. The garden went nuts!!! We have sooooo much produce. I will be topping up (30mm at a time) with homemade compost when its ready. We give away a lot of food - we just can't keep up with it.

[@ryanvandever859]

great vid

[@agoodseed427]

So when and how do you recommend applying the various types of compost? Such as the mulching type ....

[@nchestercountynews4955]

I have a ton of duckweed in the pond, I feed it to the chickens and out of the south end good fertilizer. But I mulch with it as well, would you consider that like grass clippings?

[@Spellcastproductions]

I think it should be mentioned that alot of compost being sold is not aeriated, which is a major part of healthy compost.

[@notillgrowers]

Great point. gotta ask about ingredients and if and how often they turn.

[@higherself7068]

👍

[@rosea830]

Thank you for this video, I appreciate the content. It's hard to get any kind of organic soil here. I can get Jobe's or Espoma's fertilizer, but I have found no organic compost within driving distance so we mostly make our own. I'm not scientific about it and my only test is "how well did everything grow?". I use 3 Geobins. Into the compost goes poultry bedding, food scraps, grass clippings, and shredded paper. What comes out tops off our raised beds and plot gardens. It's probably not organic, but it's better than the sludge in the bags and the worms love it.

[@notillgrowers]

Where are you located , Rose?

[@rosea830]

@@notillgrowers North of Nashville, almost KY.

[@donf4227]

I'm curious where home-made worm castings would fit in this spectrum.... Do the inputs matter a ton? I'm using fruit + veggie scraps (banana, apple, broccoli, sweet potato, squash, etc), coffee grounds, some egg shell powder, with coco coir bedding for red wigglers. How dense would worm castings be in terms of fertilizing use? (I know it doesn't burn like some manures, but I've read varying NPK info.)

[@rustyr9693]

Hey I’m here in Kentucky, stamping ground, where do u get your compost? I’m starting my first beds

[@Rcardmagician822]

to start a no dig market garden what type do i need and at what depth?

[@janebo1068]

So i started a big compost hill this winter,I have added tons of coffee grounds,food scraps and maple leaves, then it snowed . I kept turning every two weeks just trying to get the pile hot...It got hot 1x,but the pile is so wet ... any suggestions

[@landonpryor8907]

What type of mulch should you start a no till garden with?

[@DjBolin-pe1zm]

Glad to see you back so to be organic can you use chicken to make compost or dose it kick it out I got a list of some gide lines but it's confusing to me on that one . What your take

[@notillgrowers]

90/120 day rule. Essentially no crops that touch the ground (ie carrots radish etc) can be harvested within 120 days of raw manure. No veg that doesn’t touch the ground before 90 days (ie tomatoes). Just have to plan around it.

[@lilycardoso4679]

What would you call black compost made mostly from trees and brush? I bought some locally and it is super dark. Have no idea of its nutrient value.

[@toolsforthesoul217]

Knowing absolutely nothing about Cotton Burr compost and doing a whole bunch of experimenting this year, I planted in Okra seedling directly into Cotton Burr compost. Don't do that! And I top dressed a bunch of plants with it. It still seems like the plants were sort of shocked. I think it must be a high nutritional load. Do you know anything about Cotton Burr compost? I took it off the top of my plants and then flushed the soil out until the thick black Juice stopped coming out of the bottom of the pots. Learning

[@ibraham7]

Good

[@spadezaspade7677]

I'm thinking about buying yards of compost from a tree cutting company to start a large garden, can I make my beds with that?? If so , what do I do after?

[@RizoSfera]

Thanks for sharing this!! Also here in Itlay is a challenge to find and buy good good quality compost. Of course the best would be to make our own, but turning it without machines is such a job!! Do you have any good recipe to make compost rich in carbon, that doesn't need too much turning??

[@robertdouglas8895]

I use red wiggler worms. "European Nightcrawler or European Red Worm are common names for the worm which is scientifically called Eisenia hortensis. The euro is a great worm for composting and is quite a bit larger compared to the red wiggler. " No turning necessary. I layer hay, old manure (at least one year old) , coffee grounds from the coffee shop, forest soil with micro-organisms already in it, vegetable scraps from the local grocery store, and a layer of worms from last year's piles. I make them on the ground to keep warm in winter and put three layers of plastic sheeting with spoiled hay in-between. A couple feet of snow on top. I live in Northern Idaho. Next week we're getting -20 C temperatures. When I start my peppers and tomatoes the week of groundhog day (Feb 2) the worms are on the surface actively eating the large amount of veggies I put there the previous Fall. The process takes at least 9 months. Keep adding coffee grounds and veggies to keep them multiplying. Coffee is a worm aphrodisiac. Not too much water and do it in the shade.

[@AceTiger99]

What is the best type of compost for worm farm plz respond

[@browntownorganics2172]

Do you make any on farm compost? I’ve tried and it’s another job in itself. I just give everything to my chickens, then use there coop bedding after it’s broken down as a top dressing on some beds. Did you get a new camera? Video looks really clear. Nice job!

[@notillgrowers]

We make some inoculation compost and some nutritional compost on the farm. But very small amounts. We don’t have a tractor so that limits things quite a bit!

[@renleonsing1387]

Is Teak leaves good to compost

[@veggiemom5]

We got compost from Ohio Mulch and they refused to give me any of their soil test results or what was in it. We used part of it and plants didn't grow. I dug up the plants, scooped up what I could of the compost and replanted. The rest of the pile sat all year and nothing grew on it until the end of the year we had some grass clumps start to grow on it. Apparently treated with weed killer. Needless to say we bought nothing further from them. Expensive lesson but I learned!

[@notillgrowers]

Oh dang. Sorry to hear that

[@kathrynplett8386]

So very frustrating! Yuk!

[@bs4yt]

,

[@DjBolin-pe1zm]

So as long as is 90 to 100 days to harvest if soil contact and you have to compost out for a year and I could be wrong but has to compost at at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit I love the benifet from it but may not be worth it

[@watereverywhere]

Man, I've been having serious arguments about compost lately. Timely and illuminating. I cringed at the bolts sticking proud of your hoops (in the background). Might want to grind those off before you hit one.

[@alezajohnson1908]

I do deep litter for my chickens all winter. The hay and manure get mixed with whatever food scraps they don't eat; banana and orange peels, coffee grounds and other typical whole foods scraps. I generally add a sprinkling or 2 of wood ash from our outdoor boiler. When I remove it from the coop, it goes into a big pile to compost for a year. I might turn it once or twice. Would this be the 4th type or a mixture of types?

[@notillgrowers]

Indeed. More like a nutritional compost though if it were heavily chicken manure, it would be more like a fertilizing compost. Definitely some crossover here

[@alezajohnson1908]

@@notillgrowers so I should not use a thick layer on my garden, maybe a sprinkling like at the beginning of the video? I was going to put a 2 or more inch layer on the beds that have heavy feeders in them.

[@scottbaruth6386]

The persistent herbicides have changed the game. In the midwest it is easy for me to get composted horse manure or cow manure, usually mixed with straw. It's free if you load it yourself, but it could be poisonous. Woodchips or leaves is getting to be the only thing I trust if your making your own. I would need a skid loader or tractor to make as much as I need. I'm stubborn and hate to buy compost. Great video!

[@lisamoseley9914]

Is it good or bad to add ash from a burn pile to the garden? We mostly burn leaves, since we're surrounded by MANY oak trees, but some pine has ended up in there.

[@paullittle5200]

I've added wood ash to my pile of compost which is basically potash, and being alkaline,neutralises any acidity that is produced from the spent coffee grounds which I add.

[@BuddhaVuk]

hey, video worked for me all the way through - i just had a question about "mulching compost" ... if the idea is to put a mulch in your garden, why use a "mulching compost"? Wouldn't that dry up the soil quicker than if you just used "mulch"? Like woodchips by themselves, or stray or hay, etc... essentially, my question is: why would it be beneficial to use "mulching compost" as opposed to a "fertilizing compost"?

[@ttb1513]

I use a mulching compost of shredded leaves, lots of them oak and aged 7 months. Sprinkle a thin layer over raised beds. They keep the soil protected from the sun and wind and the soil dries slower than without. And after a rain the worms love to come up to the leaf layer. I think I’ve got more worms as a result, so I get in situ worm castings for free. I definitely do not think this type of mulch dries out the soil quicker. Quite the opposite. And I like the leaf mulch because I plan to leave it in place to decompose for the next season. I used wood chips in the past, but if they get buried instead of removed, they take a good while to break down and rob nitrogen while doing so. Just some thoughts.

[@paullittle5200]

@@ttb1513 and that is exactly what nature does,so it must be pretty good.

[@ttb1513]

@@paullittle5200 I’d just point out that shredded leaves allow water to penetrate the soil below and they break down quicker. Whole leaves spread over a garden bed can cause most water to run off instead.

[@jamesjustice464]

I want to get a large amount of compost for my garden for this next year. There is no one within 100 miles that sells any. Do you recommend anyway to make large quantity, about a pickup truck amount, using other materials? I have access to a lot of wood mulch / wood bark and that might give me a good base. I just need to know some secrets to make larger quantities. I also have the rabbit and chicken manure to add to it if need be.

[@crpth1]

If you have access to the space, raw materials, etc. The question isn't IF you should make compost. The real question is why are you not making it already?! ;-) Quantity wise, considering large quantities. The biggest "trick", is how to turn it (aerate it). Since that's a fundamental step on the whole process. Bays or rows being the most common disposition for larger amounts. A front end loader can be very useful for this task. Although a shovel and pitch fork will also do. A nice trick, stuff a perforated pipe(s) on the lowest level of the pile. Using an air compressor. Inject air into the pile from time to time...Eventually you'll be obliged to physically turn the pile. But surely not as much. ;-)

[@GBanville]

What type of compost, in your opinion, is worm castings, or lechate? I would guess, nutritional, but is part of it's benefit innoculation?

[@notillgrowers]

Good question. Worm castings on their own are inoculate or both nutritional and inoculate when mixed with compost. The reason is that using 20% worm castings shows enormous benefit to plants but above 40% and the benefits don’t increase and above 60% there can actually be negative effects (source: Worm farmers handbook). So use for the good microbes and balanced nutrition but in moderation. Great for teas!

[@notillgrowers]

Oh and don’t use leachate. Only use brewed teas and extracts from the castings. That leachate is a mystery liquid that could have anything in it.

[@chadsorganics1380]

what is your cation exchange capacity? Does not say on what you showed. That would determine what levels your soil should range...

[@notillgrowers]

Our CEC for this sample was 14.47. It’s a Logan Labs test and as far as I know they take the CEC into consideration when determining the level to be high/low/etc.

[@chadsorganics1380]

@@notillgrowers I dont think your P is that high actually. I would take a look at the micronutrients and their balance to the majors....your report showed base saturation but no ppm. If your using a lot of carbon materials as deep mulch you'll need more nitrogen than the plants need. Vegetable production even no till as I do needs a lot of fertility that is balanced in the soil. The concern should be balance and I would disregard what the recommendation says...

[@notillgrowers]

The P reads as 1075 but I’m not sure that’s the PPM. In the right column but very high

[@chantallachance4905]

take a showel of compost put it in a bag tight it up (tea bag) and put it in a big bine with water (like a tea)and let it 24h or more and you have a lot of fertilizer for your garden do this every week

[@carlroth3590]

My name is Carl Roth with a rehab Treatment Center in Kentucky and was wanting to maybe talk with your growers Association possibly starting a greenhouse Growers Farm on the facility itself i need some help ???i am a new grower my self!! I thought that it might be a good way to get some men into growing we have 75 temporary men and 45 long-term residence we have a work programs for them . this is a nonprofit organization we have no money but maybe apply for Grants ? would love to see men get out go back to their communities growing fresh vegetables for their families and community maybe we can team up team up and change these men and their family and by the way we have the expense feeding these men three meals a day??

[@walkbyfaithfamily9177]

How long should chicken manure be composted before you use it?

[@jakobbrun6535]

As with everything else, "it depends". Chicken manure is very rich in nitrogen per volume, so you want to add a source of carbon to it. If your chickens walk on straw or sawdust or similar bedding material, that should do it. If you have enough manure to make a big compost pile, and you have time to turn the pile once a week to let it breathe, it can go as fast as 6-7 weeks. When you first stack it up, it will get hot. Like, burn your hands hot. When you turn it, it will steam. Make sure to keep it moist (but not soaking wet). The first time you do a weekly turn of the pile and it doesn't steam heavily or feel warm to the touch, its close to being done. When you can comfortably pick up a handful, stick your nose in it and breathe deeply, you're good to go :) just remember, even though its composted down, it is still very rich in nutrients, so apply lightly.

[@walkbyfaithfamily9177]

Jakob Brun - thank you! This was helpful.

[@ritaamgain6963]

How many types of compost?

[@skinnyWHITEgoyim]

With the immense amount of green waste you must have with all that produce I bet you have trouble getting enough carbon materials. Maybe a good cardboard shredder and maybe talking to a tree care company about getting loads of tree trimmings.... it would save a ton on compost costs if you can use all your own inputs with many free external resources.

[@lievendevreese5035]

What about mushroom compost?

[@notillgrowers]

Great question! Accidental omission (same with vermicast which is more of an inoculating compost). Mushroom can be either mulch or nutritional but it depends on if it is from compost (agaricus family) and contains a lot of salts or it’s from straw/woodchips (shiitake and oyster, etc). The latter can be a great mulch. The former can be either but I suggest getting it wet and letting it settle a bit so those soluable salts are not as harsh on the plant roots. That said, every product is gonna be different. Ask the supplier about the salts. If they are low? Great mulch.

[@kathrynplett8386]

I am going to inquire about compost from the nearest mushroom farm.... and knowing i should ask about salts gives me a good start in the conversation, thanks

[@ameisherry]

I only use mulching compost and they are free, fall from the trees 🌲 😝

[@paulsr.dicrispino642]

If compost if finished it should not burn plant roots. The NPK ratio should be no greater than 1 1 1. Manure compost should be well aged before use or apply it to the soil in the fall/winter.

[@grahammewburn]

I thought there's 2 sorts of compost. Aerobic - anaerobic. I prefer aerobic as it is alive with critters.

[@jimharmon2300]

How did the old farmers ever make it .

[@zazugee]

here, folk farming? because classical farming now means chemicals and machines in traditional farming here, they used animal manure to fertilize soil the animals eat wild weeds and house's leftovers, so they did all the composting needed ofc, you end with less nutrients, but manure is more concentrated, and you get meat as a bonus plus, animals are better at weeding, maybe too much good at it

[@thcrtn]

Interesting, im of the feed it just enough so it survives school... No separation of plants... No weeding. Let them find whats there or learn to live without it... School As long as the microbes are popoin and the worm/grub ratio to sq ft of soils good im cool... But i wont ignore information to see how others get down. Dirts been around for the longest, if im in its way i know im not helping. If im burning through it with plants just pulling and not returning i know its an issue. Closed loops man... Closed loops.

[@zazugee]

the thing is, not every soil around the glob is teeming with life, or not as much as we hope for most seasonal vegetables are fast growing, and they need a very rich soil, unlike slower growing annuals and trees so, because most of us cant grow the food in the place where it should be, we end trying to recreate what nature do by trying to understand it if your garden soil is already rich, you're lucky man

[@marlonpayabyab8480]

How about vermicast im feeding my worm pure cow manure nothing more

[@drpk6514]

Your problem is that you call Fertiliser, compost. While compost is a kind of fertiliser.

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

Really 3 types, low nitrogen(mulch), high nitrogen(fertilizing), and fortified (High, med, or low N with added minerals as desired). From a biology perspective "inoculating compost" is snake oil, microbes are everywhere all the time and they grow according to the availible food, temperature, and moisture; no inocculant is going to change that for more than a few days.

[@johnnmartens3067]

I do a Johnson su compost with a variety of different inputs from soaked wood chips and leaves wood and bone char insect frass kelp meal fresh hay from my moms farm chicken bedding variety of rock dust aged leaf mold aged compost grinded up fish waste bokashi waste dryed clay I grind up to add to all layers one thing I’ll be adding to my next pile is IMO I’ll be collecting IMO from my surrounding forests to add to all the layers inoculating the pile with aggressive fungi I make two piles a year let them age for over 2 years anything I add the compost to the plants absolutely love the biology use it on cover crops and get amazing germination and growth I think I need to get it tested to see what kind of biology I’m culturing