The Myth of Quick Compost - DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE

A look at 19 days of seriously making a go at producing on-site compost for the first time.
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[@VladTheImpalerTepesIII]

Used coffee grounds are nitrogen rich and are considered "green material" for a compost pile. If you live in an area with a lot of coffee shops, they usually will give them to you for free in buckets.

[@grintz77]

Looks a bit dry and lacking in Nitrogen. Used coffee grounds and pee will get it rocking.

[@andrewkennedy8033]

You may wish to note the following; from time to time you would be well advised to urinate on the compost pile - our urine has an enzyme in it that aids the breakdown of the material to be composted, will definitely speeed up the process and will make better mulch in the end. Andrew, Sheffield England

[@shopkedai]

Diego, I like your style of composting. Not too hang up about it. Easy going and relaxing. Thanks!

[@larryb6489]

Saludos Diego To futher lessen the mystery of compost lets look at the organic regulation for nop, eu and all international certification agencies.... compost piles must reach 55degrees c. minimum between turns and a minimum of 5 turns. Which means if you turn everyday in 6 days its ready ... I have been putting this in action for the last eight years and it has never failed...Keep up the great work of informing the public Diego.

[@nateypecks]

Not negative - in a land-fill, all those processes occur anyway, to no benefit. Composting makes non-fossil fuel intensive plant food - it's a holonic process that deletes fossil fuel processes.

[@VACatholic]

Careful. It's against his religion. Don't want to offend him.

[@Pierrericheart]

Great video. I like your aproach and how you documented the full process and your personal vibe on the practice of home composting.

[@nikkiz6722]

I have been working with my compost pile for many years, we live in a high desert climate...Been gathering clippings form the garden once a month to add with food compost and leaves when available, I also added fermentation and wood that was already partially rotting. Covering each layer with a fine bit of our glorious sand we have here...All of it breaks down within a few weeks and we use it twice a year to add to garden beds. We also add our chicken crap here and there. This method has worked for us here in our climate.

[@charlescarlson8283]

I get coffee grounds, work great. They are free. I get 5 gallons each week and can keep my compost at 120f all winter in Minnesota adding in some leaves each week from the pile I get in the fall.

[@rootofthevineurbangardens1823]

Charles Carlson wow im in Michigan just started getting coffee grounds from a local coffee shop to add to mind

[@databang]

I liked your journalized style of discovery and sharing your pragmatic thinking out loud; not too different from my own current reflections being introduced to permaculture-thanks!

[@julioequinones]

to kick-start the pile dr. Ingham recommends using compost extract as well as fish hydrolysate literally just a ground-up fish. it also is going to get you some good microbes from previous piles working on your new pile.

[@cameroneverhart6443]

I'm loving those garden shoes!

[@cameroneverhart6443]

My wife is the pruner in the family and she'll prune these long rose stems and just throw them on the compost pile. So your bit about "i wish i had chopped the vines", can totally understand that!!

[@granttheking98]

"Something I smelled in the 80s". I was not expecting that story.

[@jeffreydustin5303]

Great pitchfork work!

[@bigpapi3636]

I like the pee idea. Also save five gallons of water not having to flush. Yup, vines are a pain to turn. Post harvest when I load the compost bin I throw in a handful of 21-7-14 to kick start the pile along with a small bag of chicken manure.

[@bondbond5227]

Wow!!!!!! its Beautiful i love watching it and i will do it @ my farm

[@fotyfar]

Great vid and great journey with u , thank u for sharing :)

[@mourlyvold7655]

In the Netherlands we plant rows of comfrey (Bocking 14) right next to the composting station, and nettles. Both good accumilators, nitrogen sources and especially the comfrey grows like crazy right next to the pile...

[@AceFamilyQuin]

I faced the same problem - I have carbon sources (rabbit bedding/hay, corn stoves, dry fallen leaves) which I can store until a nitrogen source becomes available. My solution was to plant Russian (bocking 14) comfrey which has a large mass of leaves with a low C:N ratio (i.e. they are a high in nitrogen). The plants grow through Spring to Autumn and withstand several cuts a year, in which the leaves are sheared to 2 inches from the ground. I run the lawnmower over the cut mass. The shredded leaves are then used as compost greens (i.e. mixed with the carbon mass) and the plant swiftly recovers.The comfrey plants work as a nitrogen source that is harvestable whenever needed.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

I really like using alfalfa pellets soaked in water as a nitrogen source. There cheap. Also using a little of our finished compost in the center of a new pile has worked great for us.

[@thomasgronek6469]

Nice video, thank you. I think sometimes people might be overthinking this. Just pile the stuff up, and let compost happen. I believe your chickens provide plenty of nitrogen,,,we use grass clippings for our nitrogen source and that is working out quite fine. I think your compost is healthy, and perfect. Happy gardening !!!

[@reneebrown5598]

Comfrey would be awesome for a cut and come again bed to get greens into your compost. Comfrey is hugely nitrous with alot of minerals and will grow right back. It pulls the minerals up from deep in the soils so it would be a great nitrogen source.

[@thestillwitch]

Thanks for the helpful video!

[@skinnyWHITEgoyim]

Ask your neighbors if you can have their grass clippings and you can also find cattle farmers and ask if you scoop out their barns if you can keep the bedding and manure. It's a good way to help the both of you.

[@interestingyoutubechannel1]

The more you aerate the pile, the less nitrous oxide emissions (over x100 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than CO2). Carbon will inevitably oxidise to CO2, but it's all part of the natural process. Autumn leaves on the forest floor do that too. Cold composting is also cool to experiment with though. Thanks for the vid :)

[@NCGrassPlugs]

Nice job! I'm 8 days and 3 turns into my huge pile. My carbons were leaves and brown grass clippings, nitrogen was chicken litter, coffee grounds and kitchen scraps. I will have an update video out soon.

[@sandratorres1858]

I'm doing the same but I got ants, what can I do.

[@NCGrassPlugs]

@@sandratorres1858 if your pile has nitrogen, it should heat up to 150 degrees or so. The ants will leave once it starts cooking.

[@Spiderman-og5ex]

I saw an Australian guy on here with his own receipe for adding the nitrogen which appeared very productive. He mixed a can of beer, a can of coke cola and a cup of urine into a hose bottle attachment, as he sprayed water through the hose it automatically diluted with the water as he sprayed. Maybe you could do that once a week. Have a search on here for beer and coke compost.

[@China2TXMan]

That much of wood chips and half composted, looks like very good to be used as mulch.

[@unitedstatesdale]

Try the "leave it alone method" Up here in Alpine, I dont even cover the pile. I just let it cook for 2 months and its ready baby. No smell and the wood chips turn to black sawdust.

[@e-lo-ken702]

No turning the pile.. what about water??

[@Barbara-he4kn]

Most passive way I make compost is to start in the spring with all the yard cleanup stuff left over from the winter. Then dump grass clippings all summer. In fall come the leaves raked from the yard. I also pick up dog poops from my yard and add those about once a week all year. The following spring I have the best compost, dark brown to black with lots of worms. I dump it all in my garden and till it in. Anything not quite done like sticks, will continue to break down in the garden. No turning, no watering, no air holes, no covering, no sides, no work! Also no food scraps to attract the cats dogs racoons etc. other than rotten or damaged tomatoes, cucumbers etc. Then I just start over again every spring. This is in Kansas where we get pretty cold winters and hot summers. I build the pile in the shade in the very back of the yard. I must admit I did squirt it with a hose a few times one summer during a drought when I was watering some other things in the yard. Usually I just ignored it.

[@thaifreeburma]

Great ideas, thanks

[@jerrywaters4814]

The way i understand it that you suppose to let it heat up till it stops heating then turn it again. But trial and and failure makes perfection!

[@unitedstatesdale]

Btw, Your podcast from Australia was Fantastic. Everyone: Open up Diegos podcasts 😆

[@Forbidaxe]

The whole time I was watching, the pile looked too dry every day.

[@ronrover6594]

Hi Diego, nice trial. We test around a lot as well and we added N by buying in organic alfalfa pellets from horse feed stores. Also we grow a lot of stinging nettle as well as comfrey in the underutilised corners of our garden. We also make organic fertilizer tees from our nettles, which appeare to be high in N and Comfrey for e.g. tomatoes, which is high in K. We're still looking for a comparable plant that could feed some P in order to create a balanced organic fertilizer tea recipe. If anyone got ideas for the P-part and a recipe that would be great. Another thing we do is collecting bags of fall leaves from our neighbourhood and set up multi-layer compost piles (brown - green - brown - green ...) that break down easily during winter. Many ideas stem from the Rodale book of composting as well as Teaming with Microbes by Lowenfels & Lewis, where they describe the process of 'Compost for the Lazy'.

[@thatguythatdoesstuff7448]

You can pee on it, so long as you're not on medication of any kind. Second, coffee grounds. In the winter, I can still compost because coffee grounds are plentiful all year round. And then I pee on it as well. Keeps me from flushing toilets and using unnecessary water to keep the pile moist. Urine also adds phosphorus and potassium.

[@EDLaw-wo5it]

I agree, it looks a little dry to me too. Coffee grounds and kitchen scraps will add to your nitrogen source also. Good vid.

[@ashleyingbretson2029]

Something I am going to do as I have voles, is the trash can method. Eventually I plan on getting a larger set up with hardware cloth to prevent rodents from finding a home. Hopefully my cats get to work soon as well.

[@853rudedogs2]

We finally found Walter White Breaking Compost!

[@gstefanos2792]

Say my name, I'm the one who composts.

[@The.Ghost.of.Tom.Joad.]

Great comment. Truly made me laugh.

[@albertalbert7958]

Chicken manure is 12 parts Carbon and 1 part nitrogen. The ratio you need is 30 carbon 1 nitrogen. Grass is 25 Carbon 1 Nitrogen. That is why grass alone can give u a compost. Summary you probably has too much nitrogen already which is causing the strong odors. Things very high in carbon like shredded paper 250 to 1, sawdust 500 to 1 and tree leaves 150 to 1 do not smell bad. Things high in nitrogen like fish 7 to 1 and urine 1 to 1 are smelly. You can move your pile every 7 days if you allow some oxygenation. Moving it every other day is too much work. Better build a compost Tumbler. Or build a cage with a roof to protect from rain. You can think in urine as almost all nitrogen because is 1 carbon to 1 nitrogen ratio. Those ratios are weight, not volume. Nice video. Very likeable personality, humble and clean look despite working with dirt. I know working out is good but smelling those hot gasses every 2 days for months might be too much. I would do every 7 days and use mask. You are worry about compost emissions effect on the enviroment but do not care about inhaling it directly every other day without a mask. That is a real compost hero.

[@aswwell]

Hi Diego, have you considered picking up used coffee grounds from coffee shops? They are rich in nitrogen, free, and abundant. They also don't attract rodents the way spent brewery grains would.

[@arenosofarms824]

Andrew Welleford I have also noticed the compost piles with a lot of coffee grounds do not have anything living in them, where the other pile had a mouse or two come out of it when i worked it last. I also hit up the local coffee shops for grounds, who are thankful the waste is another persons treasure ;)

[@FireHill16]

true. I've also heard stopping by the local barber shops for hair clippings, which have a lot of nitrogen. Only concern there (aside from looking like a weirdo) is hair product that might be on the clippings. Or craigslist for manure, or so on. Lots of free nitrogen out there, really. Sad how our society sees it all as garbage and not a valuable resource. Keeps it free for us, I guess, but I'd rather have a civilization that "gets it," you know?

[@andrewtowell6074]

Don't forget coffee grounds are a green material :)

[@kaval1er]

Coffee grounds are good, but too many can inhibit seed germination (which I frustratingly experienced). Not sure if that will still be the case if they're composted. Might be an interesting experiment.

[@thomasgronek6469]

we have used coffee grounds for years, not only do they not attract critters, they repel the critters. Good advice.

[@SlackerU]

I think your pile looks great, I know that feeling 5:44 Brown compost is what you want, Too Dark is a sign of anaerobic composting. Worm Castings are the black gold of composting.

[@usmankhanb4u]

brown means half cooked , not that good for plants if its around roots it will burn it or absorb nutrients to decompose further , its ok if its away from roots .

[@Theflyingpotato]

Nice work, from England. I’m a bit late to the party but thanks for your upload your style of video is great.

[@marbarnes7063]

Since you have chickens, let them compost it for you. When I clean out my coop of their bedding mixed with poop, I put it in their run. I water it down if it doesn't rain. They scratch it, turn it, continue to poop in it. Once a month, I harvest the finished compost. The chickens do the turning for me. :)

[@DiegoFooter]

Given my setup and climate I can't do that. The bedding will take forever to breakdown.

[@armyguy9735]

My Grandfather used to grow peppermint around the house and barn. He said that insects and rodents hate the scent and with the excess at the end of the year, he 'd sprinkled it in his root cellar and basement. That eliminated the pest problem. Just an old pioneer trick

[@nzzenith]

I lay some straw in the coup. No fuss when cleaning to pick up clumps of straw with turds in it and throw into compost

[@afringedweller]

Mints can be quite invasive, so you might want to contain the roots. In the old days, they used pennyroyal to keep fleas away. Not sure if that's a type of mint, but it smells kind of minty.

[@Ruddster6]

For a cover crop you might consider Creeping Red Fescue. It can grow as an ornamental grass used on steep hills where mowing is an issue but it is high in Nitrogen.

[@DiegoFooter]

Thanks.

[@vwseramas]

I would use 1/2 gallon of Milorganite Lawn Fertilizer (It's Organic) every other turning and it will turn to black soil in 3 or 4 weeks. Adding pulverized lime also helps control the Ph levels.

[@Shazer01]

I turn mine once every 3 weeks. And it needs to be a high/large pile. It takes me a whole season to make good compost. Therefore I have 3 separate piles.

[@jadeyes1]

I grow comfrey as a border and chop it up with a spade and add it as I turn my pile

[@Palainah]

You could always buy a bag of alfalfa pellet feed for nitrogen.

[@johnklatt6935]

Coffee grounds are actually a green , N2 source and readily;y usually available free from your local coffee houses(call first). Recommend filtering the grounds through quarter in hardware cloth before deploying to break up and big pucks of grounds and remove the filters, which may or may not be something you want in your pile.

[@juliawolfe9041]

try comfrey. for nitrogen. It is famous for chop and drop, I think it's a perennial, too.

[@Bloemryc]

Very helpfull! Grtz from holland!

[@gutersteinker]

Algae from pond scum or grow Azolla and use em for you compost, both decompose in a week or so if they are depleted from water

[@K3Flyguy]

I see lots of comments about using coffee grounds. Caffeine is a natural plant growth inhibitor! That's why the coffee bean has caffeine to start with. Caffeine exists so the plant will not crowd itself out in the nature. There are far better sources for nitrogen than coffee grounds. To each their own, but I promise if one researchs caffeine and it's effects of plant growth one may rethink the idea.

[@The.Ghost.of.Tom.Joad.]

Great vid. It looks like you need more nitrogen. Three ideas for greens. 1) Call a local Starbucks. Most will save you a day's worth of grounds, which is very rich in nitrogen. 2) Buy a large bag of pure alfalfa pellets used for rabbit feed from a farm supply store (avoid any with timothy grass, which may contain pyralid herbicide, which will damage your garden). A 20-pound bag at my local Tractor Supply store set me back $15 and lasted four years of making over 2-3 piles a year and using it only when the pile cooled before being done. 3) Find an open, weedy field. Find the owner and get permission. Bring a sickle and chop down and haul away several garbage bags of greens.

[@stanmashek3085]

great video thank you

[@oliverpage7538]

most people have trouble getting enough carbon for their piles green are easy surely you have a neighbor you can get grass clippings from for greens or horse manure is pretty freely available in my area?

[@rafaelunplugged]

Would leaving it on a tarp, that would also wrap around it to cover, then just pulling up the tarp so it "rolls" to another part of the tarp be a faster way to turn it? Losing the touching ground aspect.

[@AcornHillHomestead]

Neighbors could be a source of grass clippings if they don't fertilize or use other chemicals

[@manuelbettencourt4213]

Does a watched compost pile decompose?

[@eliinthewolverinestate6729]

You could burn wood to make biochar and speed it up. It will hold moisture better and help with odor.

[@dennispinar2542]

A wood chipper can make your ingredients a more uniform size. Good job!

[@VladTheImpalerTepesIII]

Yes, but there is an expense to that (gas/wear and tear). Also, I know from experience that wysteria is not good to put in chipper/shredders as it binds up the shaft/drum. Best to leave fibrous vines like that out of the compost pile completely.

[@nickolasedmunds]

What i do when im composting 1 thing i do i find tall grass and dry it out like straw next is take that and compost it with grass i use 50 50 and its hot you need to add nitrogen weekly to break the carbon material down to black materials grass turns to ash when used up thats why i use dry material and wet the grass clippings in a bucket then spread a thick layer over the dry material after 3 to 4 days regardless turn it do it again and again when its not as green and more black its in a stage it needs more grass if clumps are gone its done when it cools down to 50 degrees f

[@cowboyblacksmith]

I love composting, it's nearly addictive. Take pride in everything you do and you'll get good results.

[@hawk6978]

I just watch a video that mixed 1 beer,1 soda,8oz ammonia. In a sprayer and it really kicked some comp

[@christopherscallio2539]

Let time do the work. Don't make it harder than it needs to be. Why rush it? Keep adding to the pile throughout the year & then till it into your spring garden. Typically throughout spring & summer I have only greens to pile up. Come fall & winter I have browns for the pile. I only mix it when I have greens to add to the browns or browns to add to the greens.

[@DiegoFooter]

Yes, you could do that, but that wasn't what I was trying to do.

[@nickolasedmunds]

Pro tip from me add a stick in ?? The center its feeds it more oxygen trust that it will heat up faster and sticks you wont need many to help air get in take the stick out of the center after theres a hole make sure it does not sink day after day the air hole add about a cup or 2 of sugar in a jug to start it hotter faster ground only compost add sugar water to compost evenly 1 gallon wise can add small amounts half cup every week tell hot but its going to get hot fast it did for me grass and sugar is a good idea for microbes

[@skinnyWHITEgoyim]

Clover is high in nitrogen and is super easy to grow as a cover crop.

[@charlieward5077]

Hi deigo Charlie Ireland love your. Channel been watching good while I have I made 2 compost bins trash cans I put 4 inch pope in bin looking forward 're zults

[@vimondireksri8820]

Old video buy urine is great. I have enough urine to fertilize a large garden and to reheat my piles when I've gotten lazy about turning it. You still need some green to start out with.

[@uchibauki2515]

I have fertilizer in my grass so can I use for compost? Thanks 🙏🏼

[@ForestToFarm]

Great channel. Your videos are looking good. The audio is good and that is most of the battle. I would suggest having the water hose available as you turn your pile. Then after every few scoops you can hit it with just a squirt of water. That way the water is more evenly distributed. Compost piles tend to shed water off the top and down the sides from my experience. You may want to check our channel out. We are building a farm/homestead from raw forest. Gonna be lots of good stuff happening. Terry

[@whittedrd]

If you are going to go the "static" route you might try getting some red wigglers. If you do go with worms. Put down 8 - 12 inches of cooled finished compost with the worms then just start piling your fresh stuff..Once the worms get established, about 6 months, they will take care of most compost piles fairly quick. and by cautious adding of your bedding they will stay warm in the winter and thrive all year round.

[@kendallyankee1007]

😂

[@blessedtruthdragon9145]

the best way to kick-start a pile is a 40 oz beer and a 1-liter bottle of soda in a sprayer and top it off with a gallon of water. Spray all the contents on the pile and turn it and leave it 3 days before turning again. Its called Drunken Mulch and breaks down fairly quickly.

[@Tmlps2]

You mentioned having a green nitrogen source as a cover crop. How about clover. Bees love it, so you'd be supporting them. If you had a neighbour keeping bees, you may be able to get a trade for some honey, by having a hive or two on your property.

[@MsIdahocgirl]

Hey Diego, I'm loving the videos vs the podcasts. But here's a good idea for your one bed, comfrey. Old timers called it Knit-A-Bone as they would not only use in compost piles, but if you grind up the comfrey, and infuse it into your favorite oils...it was a great salve.

[@DiegoFooter]

Yes, Alan Chadwick grew a lot of that. I haven't had good luck with it, but I am interested in trying it again.

[@mysliceofidaho3025]

I am in Eastern Idaho and it grows naturally on my ditch bank (irrigation here) and comes back every year. I just harvest it and it comes back with a vengeance! I also have my rhubarb there and just planted about ten raspberry starts as well. If you are ever in Idaho, give me a shout and I'll send some starts with ya!

[@shawnfinegan5774]

This is an honest question as to I am new to all of this composting. I just started a few worm bins, and I am curious to know how worm castings might help or hinder a compost pile the way you’re doing it here.

[@andrewtowell6074]

Not directed at Diego!! People often think they are making "compost" but lots are just making putrid anaerobic organic matter. Real compost needs to have the right recipe and be the right volume/height in order to stay hot enough for long enough to deal with all the problem organisms. It's important to turn at the correct temperature so that it stays airobic, dont' let the pile go above 65c/255f or it'll go anerobic. The compost pile needs to reach 131f/55c for 3 days so be prepared to turn the pile most days and it'll stay up to temperature for around 15 days. The general idea is when it gets up to temperature we're just swaping the material from the inside to the outside, we need to get all the material up to temperature to kill weed seeds, human pathogens, plant pathogens, spores and pests. - We are looking to maintain a 50% moisture content in the pile, you'll need to cover it with a tarp to help maintain correct levels. A general indicator of that is you need to squeeze it to get a drop of water out of it. - You should be composting in a sturdy wire mesh frame for maximum air exchange levels and easier to turn/move the pile. - You have to chop up your material, especially the woody material which needs to be chipped down small. - It's worth saying too that you should be using grass (green material) as soon as its cut, otherwise let it dry out, so organise properly. Fungal Dominant Compost: 25% High Nitrogen, 45% Woody, 30% Green Bacterial Dominant Compost: 25% High Nitrogen, 45% Green, 30% Woody Balanced Compost: 25% High Nitrogen, 40% Green, 35% Woody High Nitrogen: Manure, Lucerne/Afalfa Green: Grass, Weeds Woody: Chippings, Shredded Cardboard Highly Bacterial: Most brassicas Moderately Bacterial: Most vegetables, Grasses Balanced Bacteria to Fungi: Berries Moderately Fungal: Deciduous Trees Highly Fungal: Coniferous Trees Tip: Go to a old growth forest/ancient forest in your local area and collect a small amount of top soil and add that to your compost pile as an inoculant of local micro organisms. Tools: Compost Thermometer with a long stem (1/4" diameter, 36" stem, 0 to 250°F temp range)

[@michaellohre1470]

Andrew, super helpful. My favorite permaculture farmer Richard Perkins just put out a video on aerobic composting and if you are interested check it out. I'ts super detailed but uses no wood as purposely going for bacterial piles.

[@andrewtowell6074]

Michael Lohre I watched it yesterday mate but thanks for the heads up anyway though mate.

[@nancyfahey7518]

No fun

[@paulk5311]

somebody needs to know what compost is. none of that nonsense matters. nature makes it all the time and all it takes is material and time and of course rain and bugs and what not.

[@7munkee]

Ive been composting for decades and most of that crap is news to me. Your overthinking it. Grass/straw/water. Rinse and repeat. Turn every three days or so. 14 days its as black and rich as worm castings. Cold compost in the fall by throwing every organic thing you can get your hands on in a pile and covering it for the winter. First thaw turn it once.

[@tiantian6227]

i use sugar to jump start the pile and layer materials (all stuff thats free from the dump or cheaply puchased,mushroom mulch is cheap if you lucky to have some industry near by which produce big waste heaps,) make some home made biochar because good bacteria can colonize that and will stay viable in your garden for life long and beyond add azomite to the pile at the end finished product. biotone works good as you can spread it in between layers loaded with chicken manure, there is another brand that the big box store sells that has biology with it, i just save a large pile of finished compost its black and its loaded with biology, 6 month old stuff! its about the size of you finished pile and spread it in as one of your thin layers, make the layers over and over till its 5 feet tall, composting takes about 4 to 6 months and i start with a pile about 5 to 10 times bigger and dont turn but once a week weaning off to every other week, the last month 4, just turn once.5th month ready to use . you have to make several of these large mounds and spend less time turning and you will have tons of compost for a small urban homestead farm. just keep a batch of finished compost ready to start a new batch all over again 6 months before you plan to grow.

[@alaskansourdoughwormsgarde4392]

Fresh horse manure from a farmer wanting to get rid of it heats a pile fast. If you have parks where you live you may be able to get their grass clippings.

[@Cinepobrefilmfestival]

i was excited, what's the pile gonna look like...

[@mikewright3029]

how do you know how much water to put and if you put too much how do you correct it? please. :s

[@gavinmatthews5618]

greens to grow (comfrey , nettle )

[@user-xd2by2yl6q]

Gavin Matthews Amen. They're super rich in Calcium and Boron. Absolutely essential elements.

[@gavinmatthews5618]

Even herd of people using Common Purslane also.

[@7munkee]

I don't stress over co2...it's only steroids for plants. I have my pepper/tomato plants strategically placed so the "fumes" from my pile drifts over them!!

[@brickhole]

I guess the other gasses aren't great but it's not really adding any extra carbon since it was just in the carbon cycle. Also the big plants you grow with good compost captures and stores even more carbon in the ground.

[@mikebrignole9379]

Would it be possible to use coffee grinds to supply thee necessary nitrogen?

[@drekfletch]

Depending on how organic you'd like to stay, ask the local grocery store produce department for their garbage. You could cart away at least one large trash bag each day if you wanted. However, there's no guarantee how much chemicals are on the food.

[@rickmonaco2460]

Maybe get some used coffee grounds from a coffee shop. I heard they have more nitrogen than chicken manure.

[@kevw9465]

I like to use bocking 14 comfrey as a nitrogen source. I cut it 3 or 4 times a season. It works extremely well as an activator. Very easy to grow

[@konnorzayn5097]

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[@codymoses559]

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[@konnorzayn5097]

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[@codymoses559]

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[@Ruddster6]

The cat pee smell might come from Nitrogen breaking down. If you add a small bag of steer manure in the middle it might add a little beneficial bacteria to speed up the break up.

[@nancyfahey7518]

And as the pile starts cooling, turn the tarp over. Black side up to absorb heat. silver side down.

[@amysnipes4245]

Comfrey and used coffee grounds work well for me.

[@Simonwallis30]

Without being disgusting,start peeing in a old sealed milk container,leave it for a week or so then use on compost. Not 100% sure of the the chemistry involved but something to do with the with good ammonia stale pee turns into helps break it down quicker

[@johndyer9232]

Coffee grounds, or any plant based kitchen scraps will work.

[@gluemuncher1986]

I think stepping back and looking at it, you didn’t add enough greens. Fantastic video though. I can’t get enough composting videos.

[@h.s.6269]

I have the opposite problem, I struggle to get enough browns/carbon. Kitchen scraps and grass clippings I have in abundance, but since it's not fall any source of leaves are gone. I'm thinking of getting a shredder to use paper/mail for browns for now.

[@comfyincambridge9588]

If you dry out the grass clippings especially from a non mulching mower you can use it as the brown component.

[@TheLowLandGardener]

you can use urine as a nitrogen source

[@julioequinones]

you should use dr. Elaine Ingham as a resource black means you went way too hot and anaerobic the color you want is 70% cacao chocolate bar color you can pick one up at the store and keep it as a reference😎

[@yourdad6604]

r steevens a lot of people on this thread seem to miss the fact that nature runs its course either way, and that some of the most fertile soil is in the middle of the forest where it isn’t touched by anything but wind rain and sun

[@preciousmetalhead5155]

I look forward to turning my compost. Maybe I need to get out more. 🌱💦 🐛🍀🍃🍄

[@ginger_wby]

Me too lol