Turn Compost Once with Less Effort, what turning means and why it can help

[@sydneyfletcher5603]

I am highly encouraged that you find "lost tools" in your compost pile too. To date, I've found a rubber garlic tube (for removing the skins) and 2 paring knives (one of which I don't recall seeing before). 😂 It's good to know that I'm "following in your footsteps"! (No trowels lost in the compost yet! Something to strive for!?! 😅😂)

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Go you. My trowel is fine but weathered, best kept out!

[@wayneu1233]

I seem to find something from the kitchen every time I turn my compost-a potato peeler, measuring spoons, table utensils, etc.

[@tinahart1712]

I’m loving the ‘archaeological relic’ terminology in your narration - that really made me smile I often feel like an archaeological relic myself after a few hours in the garden. 😂 Another fantastic video for gardeners who are new to composting your knowledge is amazing. Thank you thank you 😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Glad you enjoyed it Tina, thanks for making me smile and no relic you!! 😂

[@stestrupholm-dyrkjorden]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig I have a planting hole auger that I also highly suspect is buried in a compost pile or mulch somewhere.

[@georgelee9099]

the compost is the past and the present and the future and thats what makes it so exciting :)))

[@MyFocusVaries]

I don't have room for bays, and have just discovered a way to turn my compost. I use the auger I bought for planting. It's like a giant handheld mixer.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Excellent!

[@davec1117]

I have the same situation here and came to the same resolution a couple years ago. First year i messed around with an auger sold for bulb planting, the next year and ever since have been using a powered post hole auger, 10-15 minute work out to thoroughly mix ~ one cubic yard of materials, to start.

[@FixtheGodofBiscuits]

Oh! Oh, what a lovely idea, thank you.

[@ekcs3941]

Ooh good tip I will try that for my heaps!

[@Ollybus]

Do the worms get chopped up?

[@socloseagain4298]

Haha thats where the trowel was! 😅Anyway, in the topic of today's video - I tried turning my compost heap this year for the first time and it REALLY speeds up the process! Granted, I can't do it like you do in 5-10 weeks but in previous years it used to take about 1 year without turning and now that time has been cut at least in half (6 months) with turning the heap just one time!! 🙂

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Lovely to hear 💚

[@aideenomalley3759]

Your heap breaks down remarkably fast! Mine takes a minimum of one year in our cooler climate here in Scotland.

[@socloseagain4298]

@@aideenomalley3759 Thank you! Maybe it's really humid where u live and thats why it takes longer? 🤔Have you tried composting under a roof like Mr. Charles or maybe to cover your heap with tarp or something like that? 🤔

[@Power_Prawnstar]

I have three trowels. All fluoro. Life hack for a dinkum like me 😂

[@jamieburgan3762]

Wouldn't a humid climate be better since it should stay moist ​@@socloseagain4298

[@doublepick]

I bought one of the compost forks on your advice and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, it’s something of a game changer. So easy and there is clearly more air in the heap now.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Oh great!!

[@rhysjaggar4677]

The very best composts I've ever made, Charles used a slightly different method to yours, mainly because I have don't have your structures so adapt things to what I do have. I found that creating a 1 cubic metre + heap in a oner, using a layered lasagna-style mixture of horse manure/straw (from a local stables); grass cuttings; cardboard; and an inoculum of leaf litter from a local wood, then turning it once after about 4 weeks, gets you to a situation that you can transfer the immature compost into daleks, into which I add cut comfrey leaves and some basaltic rock dust, which then all matures over the next 6-8 weeks. This compost was the best on the basis that I've never seen sheen on radish leaves like it when I grew them in it the next spring. What this does tell me is that it doesn't matter in the early stages of composting if some rain gets on the heap, but like you, the maturation phase occurs under cover (in my case, in darkness).

[@lyndaturner6686]

I have two Dalek type and one heap , I don’t have space to turn so have to play the waiting game , but at some point I have decent compost to spread . Always like to watch your videos especially the small garden,❤️

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks so much Lynda and that makes sense. I'm glad you get a decent result. And that you like the small garden 💚

[@smas3256]

This video is perfect timing for us. Hubby built a raised compost because of trees very close to our composts and the roots coming up in the compost. We have a beautiful garden but he adds fertilizers too. Again, thank you Charles. Always learning something new on your channel.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds great and thanks

[@sunangel-rivka]

Perfect timing! I literally was doing the exact same thing this morning! I couldn't find a manure fork on the property (don't know what the heck happened to it ) so I had my husband go to the store and pick one up. Huge difference😂 don't try to do this with a shovel, trust me... and, I found a knife that I had been missing in the compost as well!🎉 Great gardeners garden alike...😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

💚😀 nice!

[@MikeV607]

I've been composting in somewhat large piles or heaps near the garden. This season I've turn by using my Mantis tiller with straight tines to chop/mix the material, then I restack. Now that it's fall, I'm just letting the heap grow, unturned. As fall leaves become available I will shred and cover the heap. Seeded with redworms, it becomes a huge wormery. The heat will allow the worms to work well into winter as they find their 'happy place' in the warm heap. In the spring, I will have lots of finished compost/vermicompost for the garden.😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice work Mike, so thorough!

[@tanyabriggs8969]

I now live in an area where I can't have a recognizable compost bin. I have to use just cold composting of my garden refuse cause they have no composting or yard waste removal. 😢. So I'm using a large felt garden bed hidden in a corner. Amazingly, it has worked well even in a cool maritime climate hidden in a fern bed and camouflaged by hedges and huge trees. AND the tree roots haven't invaded the heavy felt bed. After a year I sort thru and put the chunky stuff in bottom of more 20 gal tubs, then top with some soil. Sadly, I can't trust local large composters due to herbicides now. So I'm happy to use my chunky cold compost and at least everything grows now. AND I'm not having to bag garden refuse to haul to a dump. I bag of garbage is all I'm allowed and I've never thrown garden waste away before moving here. It's insane. But a hidden garden bed works so far in reducing waste.

[@DrRock2009]

Can’t have a compost bin? Wtf!? 😡

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Guerilla composting, in your own garden! Brilliant solution to a sad mandate and thanks for sharing 💚💚

[@laneeacannon1450]

Add worms, it will help and make the compost better.

[@eb1684]

You must live in an HOA.

[@eb1684]

@@DrRock2009don't ever live in an HOA. That's one of their lesser rules!

[@marking-time-gardens]

Great finding the missing trowel! Blessings on your growing season sir! 🌻🐛🌿💚🙏💕👵

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Many thanks!

[@kensearle4892]

Winding down the day here. Charles Dowding Compost is the best!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Cheers Ken

[@Shananana99]

Yes thanks for the tip. I’ve been diving in & it does strain me back some 😊.

[@madjockmacsporran]

This winter I plan to build large compost bays pretty much the same design as your own. For now I have 2 similar sized temporary bays made with pallets and corrugated iron right next to my veg beds. However, I'm going to build the new one next to my driveway. This is because I can get material delivered for my compost and it's easier to put that bulky material into bays that are close by and then I can move the finished compost, which is much smaller in volume, more easily to the veg area when ready to spread. I bought your compost book too as the knowledge you share has helped me greatly in growing my own veg and I'm passionate about the compost!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Lovely to hear and, may your McCompost be fine! 😀

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

We are just getting ready to collect leaves with the mower and bagger attachment, which chops them up perfectly for compost and making leaf mold. I also use it to cover any empty garden beds. You can't beat nutrient cycling!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds great Kelly!

[@garypeluso3300]

Two weeks ago I was turning my heap and found a couple of moles. Better there than my carrot bed!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Wow unusual

[@jamesrichey]

I just have a small backyard garden, so I have one bay for compost. It is hot and dry in Texas so it will sit there uncovered for about a year. I'll turn and add leaves in the winter and by Spring I have a nice pile of compost down in the bottom. I'm currently reading your book, Organic Gardening, the natural no dig way. The only thing about the book I have to do is shift the months you suggest sowing by about two months. I am in the subtropic region so we get light freezes and extreme heat. We get only around thirty-six inches of rain every year, But much less especially during the frequent droughts we have had. Thank you for the video!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I am happy to see this James and congrats. My rainfall here is 38 inches! But it's cooler than you, and more humid, with heavy morning dews

[@andyc972]

Thanks Charles, as always great practical advice, we've moved more compost this year than ever and in a way it gets easier the more you do !

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great to hear of your success Andy 🙂

[@tinad6812]

Great video. Nice that you found your trowel. I lost a piece to my hose and found it in my compost. I’m looking forward to the time that I have a big compost area like that. The more the better. It’s so valuable. 😊 Thank you

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

👍😊

[@yvonnejackson1696]

Wow! I love all your videos but this is the one I’ve been waiting for. Composting is an ongoing experiment with me. I’m getting better but I need all the help I can get.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks, and you can do it I am sure

[@tinkeringinthailand8147]

Great video Charles, composting always piques my interest😅 In addition to my main 3 bays in my back garden I've started 2 more, one in my orchard and one in my front garden. It's saves so much time not having to shift everything to my back garden 😁

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great idea!

[@nickthegardener.1120]

Im always loosing trowls but normally in the council waste bin😢 and once i lost my felco secetures , great video Charles 👍👌😁

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sorry to hear that Nick!! and thanks

[@Marzena-b6z]

My favourite topic - compost! Thank you Charles for valuable tips.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

My pleasure!

[@waynesell3681]

Like the music while a few scoops. Looking forward to turning a pile and spreading a pile I use the fork mostly.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Go you Wayne 💚

[@waynesell3681]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you much!

[@marymcandrew7667]

I had to laugh when you found that trowel! When we planted our 11 apple trees, I couldn't find my trowel afterwards. We even dug one tree up where I thought it was, nope. Well someday maybe someone will find it and wonder if it was put there as an offering!

[@manuelrojas4483]

Buen ejercicio!! 😂😂Nos mantiene en buena forma.💪🏻Es muy importante que todo lo que ponemos en la “pila”de compost sean lo más pequeño posible.Ayuda muchísimo a la descomposición.Sigo tus consejos desde hace unos cuatro años y son los mejores.Tu experiencia,avala todo lo que dices y nos facilitas el camino para las buenas cosechas.Saludos desde Tenerife!! 🥕🐞🐈🥦🍅🌸🍆🥬🌶️🌷

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Ah, ¡genial! Agradezco tu comentario, Manuel.

[@bonniebon7335]

I love it, Charles. I consider you the best for composting. I’ve set up mine similar to yours and we are dryer than your clime. For now, I’m using spent plywood on the walls. Soon, I will purchase new plywood as replacements. I wonder if you would mind telling me the best density for longevity. Again, thank you for your expertise and changing the game for me. “A little and often.” Charles Dowding

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds great and I uas half inch plywood. Thanks for your kind words

[@benjaminevans9137]

Hi Charles, g’day from Australia, I’m a gardener long time, I tried no dig gardening when I was small and had a successful crops harvest, I got some questions which could be ideas for your future videos, 1. What are some good compost activators? 2. What the optimum amount of time for compost to be ready? 3. What are some great compost accelerators to put in compost to speed up decomposition? 4. What are some do’s and don’ts of hot composting? -I wish you happy prosperous success 😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks 1. What are some good compost activators? Anything green in quantity 2. What the optimum amount of time for compost to be ready? Depends on how you need it to be, season, and what was added 3. What are some great compost accelerators to put in compost to speed up decomposition? Grass mowings 4. What are some do’s and don’ts of hot composting? Main don't is not to worry about it 😀 Happy composting

[@nancliff51]

Great video , I use old 1 to 1.5 m pallets on bare soil and rarely bother to turn , take the old un rotted stuff off top and put on next heap , then riddle the rotted stufff through an inch riddle prior to use . Probably not as good a stuff as yours but works ok .

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds lovely and so good you have created a method that suits you

[@sharonphelps]

It's so helpful to see how you turn your compost heap. Yes, it is interesting to see what's inside! I have 3 separate large bays dotted around my allotment, covered only by cardboard. I think the vertical slicing method rather than lifting would help me. I have stopped using the plastic dalek bins, as it is so much easier to throw everything on a heap.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great to hear Sharon

[@1979utuber]

I do mowing and landscaping and gardening. I get leaves and fall cleanups in one big pile and then our veggie scraps and chicken manure and hay bales in the other. I use my tractor to flip it And, I combine them at the end. it seems to work pretty good

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

A well-suited solution!

[@mikelucas3746]

Well this Summer I suddenly had a brainwave and brought out my seldom used electric rotovator. I took the end off my pallet store and plunged this tool into the heap. It loosened it all up and | dragged it all outwards. Now it was all loosened and mixed it took little effort to use my plastic builders rubble shovel to rebuild it.I was stood in the middle of it all and |I could feel the heat through my boots! In no time at all everything was turned and aerated. Once I had this idea it was easy to see it could also be used to mix adjuncts, like coir, into the finished compost, or indeed mixing old compost, from my potato buckets, into the new. Then again I got thinking and it is obvious the tool will be wonderful for smashing up leaves this Autumn.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Cheers Mike, nice to hear you sounding so happy

[@mikelucas3746]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig I wish it were true. Once again other than the new potatoes in buckets (thankyou Tony O'Neil) just about everything else has been partially or totally destroyed by the fox.

[@franksinatra1070]

I just turned a pile the other day and noticed it was dry due to the lack of rain around here. It really makes a difference if there isn't enough moisture and slows down the decomposition so I added water as I was turning it. Hoping that pile is close enough to being finished to spread by November.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

It sounds like you are much drier than here. Even my heaps under the roof are very rarely too dry because the green materials we add are containing so much moisture, which releases as they decompose.

[@franksinatra1070]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig I was counting on the greens to add moisture but all the grass clippings I was adding apparently were too dry to add enough moisture. We finally got a little over a half inch this week which is the first time getting over.25" in 7 weeks. At least it's cloudy and cooler now so I can back off the watering.

[@compostjohn]

Thank you Charles, sensible advice as ever. I'm doing a talk in Helmsley next week - I always mention you as someone to follow!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That's good to hear John and I hope it goes well. Thanks very much for the mentions.

[@compostjohn]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig People have said I ought to write a book on compost, but I do most of my writing about it on social media. I promote your work. I am writing my autobiography as my life has more than being a top composter in it - and to some audiences, the psychonaut and sexological bodywork stuff may well be juicier. But the composting is one of my main loves - and being polyamorous means I can love composting as well as other subjects!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks John, and it sounds like a book would be fascinating!

[@ragnamb]

I am so glad ther is no music. 😊

[@denisebrady6858]

Great Video Charles & I have one of those forks for compost. Sorry but I have never lost anything ever in Garden or Compost as I am slightly OCD with tidiness in my Garden & Potting shed. Cheers Denise- Australia

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Denise, and ... OCD is good!!

[@giovannifiorentino8947]

I pave underneath the compost bin with perforated concrete blocks to have a durable surface that also allow worms through.

[@toneyjohnson8910]

Great information thanks. Love all your books.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Glad you like them!

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

Hey Charles! You were right, it is an archeological dig. I wonder if I turn my heap, I will find anything that I may have missed...like my first wife 🙂 A mate of mine says that he still misses his first wife but his aim is improving. Ergonomics is a topic that you keep coming back to and as I get a little older I appreciate all of your tips (like using the lighter plastic yellow shovel that you found once) on how to not becoming exhausted at the end of the gardening session. Cheers!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I hope you find her Craig, despite the law of diminishing re-turns 😮

[@ScouseFarm]

Composting is my favourite part of gardening. I Love moving it about and turning it into bins to move from one container to another. It's a great workout and can be done all year round. I've just laid some fresh homemade Compost on a new raised bed here at Scouse Farm HQ 🦾

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sounds great 🙂

[@davidmullarkey4316]

Hi have one large pallet compost pile . It's doing ok but how often would you turn the pile . Dont mind the work enjoy it . Any help would be much appreciated thanks Dave co Donegal 🇨🇮

[@mehmetgursev]

good looking boots for the garden, which ones are they & would you recommend them?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

They are Muck Boots RHS Muckster, comfortable and long-lasting muckbootcompany.co.uk/collections/men/products/mens-rhs-muckster-ii-ankle-boots-bark

[@luisagarcia3961]

Obrigado pela explicação e fiquei feliz ☺️ por você ter encontrado a sua pa ❤

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

👍

[@RawLondonGardener]

Love composting, so easy, free black gold!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great to hear 🙂

[@GARDENER42]

By coincidence, I checked one of my bays yesterday. It had already been turned once but the upper third had a lot of lawn moss on the surface & it seems to resist composting better than the thatch it was mixed with & pretty much anything bar twigs. I've given the upper third a quick turn in the hope it breaks down somewhat more by February - still keep collecting moss off the surface of my beds which come from lawn rakings composted in the first half of 2023 & returning them for another round of decomposition.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes moss is slow to decompose, if in larger amounts

[@DianeRogerssydanddianes]

When you you top your beds. Fall? Spring or both?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Fall

[@impulse3257]

Hi Charles. What type of wood do you use for boarding up the bins? All the larger pieces I have around me are MDF or plywood that have glues etc. in them. Any tips on what I can use?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Best results are from Douglas Fir, but it's expensive. I also use larch sometimes, and both of those words have lots of natural oils in so they last quite a long time.

[@gavt1198]

Another great video. Do you ever or do you feel there’s worth in growing a green manure crop like Phacelia or mustard or even cress?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

If I have space, mostly September to early October, I sow white mustard as I show here kzbin.info3l4ENc9hFMs and with broad beans overwinter kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3y5YmmEit2ifas

[@Im-just-Stardust]

Great video thank you Charles. Hurrah for the trowel !

[@turtle2212]

Since I turn my heap once, it decomposes in half the time. It really makes a big difference. So far, I have finished compost of 6 cubic meters started and filled throughout this season, now turned over into 2 full cubicmeters of wonderful finished compost.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Great to hear of your success

[@AP-rz7ow]

Very helpful thank you but how do you turn more common 3 bay wooden pallet set ups where there is a pallet between the bays?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

See this video we made kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3TJpYuYrspkd6M And this too kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGikkmhoatSKaZY

[@therobinson5451]

I was wondering if the old Victorian method of utilising the centre heat of the compost to heat up green houses is worth doing if you have no electric onsite? Perhaps the compost heap actually in my polytunnel is just as good?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Kind of, but through winter unless you have access to fresh horse manure, it's unlikely that you have sufficient 'green' material to generate significant heat. Also poly tunnels leak warmth through the one sheet of polythene. I make a greenhouse hotbed on 20th February but it's more for bottom heat to speed the growth of seedlings rather than space-heating the greenhouse itself.

[@tannenbaumgirl3100]

I use pressed hardwood pellets to add to the compost, instead of woodchips...decomposing goes faster because the pellets consist of coarse hardwood particles, not as fine as sawdust though. We can get it cheap here, its mainly used for wood heaters and barbecue smokers. Its natural with no other byproducts in it, 40 lbs. Bag is $6.00

[@lksf9820]

It has very little nutrient content compared to arboriculturalists woodchip, you might as well just throw a load of cardboard on and save your money.

[@tannenbaumgirl3100]

@@lksf9820 It's wood the same as woodchips, just smaller and it makes good compost...so spare me your arrogant ignorant opinion, been doing it for years with excellent results.

[@lksf9820]

@@tannenbaumgirl3100 no it's not and no you haven't.

[@tannenbaumgirl3100]

@@lksf9820 Like I said, you're an arrogant nobody who knows nothing about agriculture, gardening or composting. You don't know me for nothing so how could you make such a claim! I've used every kind of composting anyone knows of....so back off!

[@nedcramdon1306]

Just curious. If sawdust piles at lumber mills can ignite. What about huge compost piles/heaps?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

No. Because to make sufficient heat, the contents need to be moist

[@GrandmomZoo]

Thank you Charles.😊

[@johnduffy6546]

Turning a compost pile is EXTREMELY easy... Find a neighborhood teenager who is willing to work for food benefits. (pizza &/or ice cream)...Give them a time limit (it kinda works as a challenge)...AGREE on the time limit and the end result! It works! I used to use this method for employing Grand kids to harvest worms from my worm beds. GOD love 'em, they will work tirelessly and meticulously at whatever task is at hand as long as there is ongoing praise and validation and, the promise of their favorite food when the job is nicely done...Be prepared to foot the bill. These kids are eating machines!...OMG, I can remember taking the wee ones through the drive thru and feeding them for $5.00...Get over that memory! My youngest Grandson just set me back $12 and change tonight...Money well-spent for quality time spent in my golden years..."HEY PAPAW' is music to my ears and hugs to my soul... Engage the Wee folk...It is time well-spent!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Lovely to hear John!

[@alisondark8183]

was that an implementations trowel? You mentioned copper and that's the same as mine. I'd also have been delighted to rediscover such a lovely tool! Good to see the bindweed roots breaking down. I've been either letting them dry right out first or putting them in a covered bucket with nettles & comfrey leaves for 'compost tea' as my smaller heaps don't get hot enough. I did try the Berkeley method one year. It definitely speeds things up, but was very high maintenance 😂 Now we have a HotBin at home I cheat a bit and add stuff from there to get the allotment heaps going more quickly. Very pleased with the results 😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice to hear and yes a Castor trowel. I save time and energy by putting bindweed and other perennial weed roots on fresh. Even in winter, when the heaps are not hot, they decompose. 😊

[@rociobracamonte4403]

Hola Charles. Acá desde Argentina te saludo. Estoy empezando con esto del compost y compré tus libros para seguir aprendiendo... Lamentablemente es difícil conseguirlos por aquí y tardarán en llegar 📚🛩⏳️. ¿Podrías decirme si separas las lombrices antes de usar el compost? Tengo un suelo muy compactado y varias cajas de vermicompuesto aún no del todo listo. Gracias! Rocío

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Gracias. Espero que los libros lleguen pronto. En el compost de mis montones, no separo las lombrices, sobreviven un poco en la tierra y también ponen algunos huevos. La cantidad de lombrices rojas sube y baja muy rápido, no hay por qué preocuparse. Y es posible que la tierra no se dañe, puede estar firme, lo cual es normal, sin estar compactada. El compost siempre ayuda a que se ablande.

[@suepowlesland8541]

Does anyone else say "Hi Minty" out loud every time the cat has a cameo?!? 🐈

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

😂 🐈

[@willdulworth5036]

I am sure this has been asked a number of times, but would you compost black walnut leaves?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes I would for sure

[@juanmorenoolivares8921]

Muchas gracias por tus conocimientos. Una pregunta... Cuándo estarán tus libros disponibles en español? Un abrazo desde la patagonia chilena

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Muchas gracias. Espero que sea pronto, pero hace falta que una editorial española compre los derechos y haga el trabajo de publicación.

[@tomneal72]

Hi Charles do u have any recommendations buying a manure /compost fork which make ?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes this one www.crocus.co.uk/product/_/lightweight-manure-composting-t-handle-fork/classid.2000050153/

[@pennyhewitt8801]

Hi I have a question.... can I use shredded bank statements / credit card statements in my compost. Wondering about the paper and ink used in these. Thanks 😊😊😊😊

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I use them but cannot answer for sure. Fungi eat a lot of chemicals.

[@pennyhewitt8801]

​@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you. Will give it a go as I have lots to use. 👍

[@davidchalmers4969]

Charles, I'm turning my big pile for a second time today, it is coming along nicely however I'm considering making a third pit for compost so that I will not use much of it this year. When I have 3 pits I can turn the pile into an empty bay which I think will help the process and improve the final quality of the compost. The main observation I have is that there are no worms in my compost. It is a large pit which doesn't get very hot at all, it is uncovered. Any thoughts please?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Hi David. Compost worms like it moist, and half decomposed or more. They don't like it hot and it sounds from what you say that they should be there, except that you say you are turning for a second time. Every time a heap has turned, that reduces the worm count. I never turn heaps more than once, and it's usually after that turn at about 8 to 12 weeks stage, that worms multiply

[@watty9297]

In one of your short videos you were putting blight-infected tomatoes into the compost heap. Does that mean you would put any kind of diseased plant material on the heap? (whether the heap gets hot or not)

[@Biddybee]

Great question!

[@DrRock2009]

If the heap gets hot enough, so between 50 and 65 degC, it’ll break down. That’s what Charles has said in previous compost videos..

[@MyFocusVaries]

Generally, lots of plant diseases are airborne, including late blight, so putting the plants in the compost won't make a difference. Blight is going to blow in next year regardless.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes I do, almost all diseases, and into cool heaps as well. Two exceptions are clubroot, and white rot of alliums, because their spores can survive in the soil and compost. Unlike the spores of late blight, and mildew.

[@HollenbergR]

​@@CharlesDowding1nodigoh, good to know. I just pulled a bunch of powdery mildew leaves from my curcubits bed and threw them in the garbage for the first time recently, and it felt wrong, like a waste. Feels good to know it can also be composted.

[@simonedreyer9025]

I've ordered your book entitled Compost and am looking forward to receiving it. Amazon seems to be waiting for stock of it

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

hope it arrives soon for you 🙂

[@vondykstra]

After watching this video, I went out and leveled off all of my compost bins. They are always shaped like a mountain before. Now I am curious as to what happens or why we want them level as opposed to mountain shape? Thanks.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice job! It's so that decomposition happens evenly throughout the heap, including at the edges, and it enables addition of new materials more evenly across a whole heap, for a more even results. Best of luck!

[@KevinMaxwell-o3t]

Charles, I used your method for years. I didn't know there was any other way. It took an entire summer to finish one pile and turn it onto the garden. But my wife and I have done a lot of experimenting over the last fifteen years and these days we use something closer to what is called the Berkeley method. We run everything other than grass clippings through our 8hp garden shredder and build a pile in layers, brown, green, brown, green etc. on flat ground. After seven to ten days we turn the pile, simply moving it to a new spot a few feet away. We then turn the pile every four days or so, thus aerating the material and preventing anaerobic decomposition. . We have finished compost in about four to five weeks. This is not as much work as it sounds, but shredding the garden debris first is essential. Why do it this way? We live in central British Columbia, Canada and the summers are short. We made six compost piles this year, one after another, and ended up with perhaps five cubic yards of finished compost, our best year ever. Great video, as always!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks for sharing this Kevin. It does sound like more time and effort needed, but you are getting quite the result as well, congratulations.

[@woodsiastudio]

Do you ever add wood ash to the pile? How do you know wether its too acidic or too basic?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes I do, say up to 10% of total materials. I see no need to worry about pH and do not, all of these things tend to balance out and it's very hard to change soil pH anyway. I reckon it's an overstated concern, causing you unnecessary worries.

[@woodsiastudio]

What! Dont worry? Is that even possible? I am glad to learn what percent is reasonable. I’ve had the best results ever in my garden this year. Thanks to you. Not great but there’s always next year.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Haha thanks and good to hear

[@MariaAlice-sn2cr]

Good morning Charles, the books are translated into Spanish? Thanks

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

I wish. No publisher has done this yet.

[@RomanChrobak-d4e]

Ja w tym roku łodygi z kukurydzy i słonecznika przed wrzuceniem na kompost przepuściłem przez rozdrabniacz do gałęzi. Myślę że to dobry pomysł. Co o tym sądzisz Charles?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Tak, jeśli masz rozdrabniacz, to świetny pomysł. Ja użyłam noża, aby pokroić skośnie łodygi kukurydzy cukrowej, ponieważ były wystarczająco miękkie, ale słonecznik jest bardziej zdrewniały i rozdrabniacz jest dla nich świetny.

[@alijoyce1081]

I have an old wheelie bin .. is it possible to make compost in that?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

People do! Just drill 25 mm/1" holes across the bottom and about 10 cm/4 inches up the sides to allow excess water to escape

[@dd7521]

I've done it to supplement my dalek composter. I've found that it works the same. 👍🏻

[@1twilight9]

Charles, would 1/3 of a heap of already decomposing apple's be OK in a mix of compost. I enjoy doing my compost heap, I like to know exactly whats in it. Thanks!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes, absolutely, with fibrous 'brown' material such as straw or small woody material

[@annakirkland1134]

How long can it take to build heat in a heap? Treated myself to a compost thermometer and just finished a heap so trying it out.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Heat can only develop when there is sufficient quantity of green materials in the mix. So it's a question of amount, and generally I find it takes 5 to 7 days here, with the amounts we add, for heat of 40°C plus.

[@paulroch4760]

Bonjour Charles de la France . Merci pour ce partage.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Vous êtes les bienvenus Paul

[@paulroch4760]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig merci

[@Ramthian-q8v]

Thanks 🙏 😊

[@TheStoryTeller-r6o]

Thanks for the video. Do you get ants in your compost heap? I got an infestation of black ants in my compost bin. Is that a problem?

[@MyFocusVaries]

They probably help aerate the pile.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Very few here because I use the compost before it gets too fine, which is when ants arrive. It sounds like you could be spreading yours sooner. Including the ants. Just water the compost after you spread because they do not like that.

[@racheltree7533]

How do I make my compost PH less acidic? Sorry to ask radomly- I am about to start No Dig on my back garden plot getting all prepared now ...but reflecting on my problems with courgettes, squashes failing within days of being planted on my plot. I tried pots but rubbish yield. I need to get my compost right- but I am sorry I refuse to use horse manure or chicken pellets- am in a semi- urban situation & limited space. PH was too high when I measured it. My compost heap is bung it on & hope, uncovered & made from all old rabbit run in my garage. I don't turn it. But wait approx. a year for it to mature.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That sounds like good compost and I'm sure it's not a pH problem because it's a so much less important factor than is commonly recognised. I never measure it and use many types of compost. So there's something else going on and I'm afraid without having more detail, I can't possibly diagnose what is happening.

[@joseluislarios6036]

Is the trowel in the compost the secret ingredient 😜?? Hahaha!!!

[@deeproots24]

Charles, I started composting last year and I was using your method to not turn it too much. I turned regularly for about 3 months and then let it rest and turned every 2 months . I kept that pile for one year and at the end of the year I discovered rats activity and after disassembling the pile there were 5 baby rats at the very bottom of the pile. This is really discouraging me to have another compost heap next year. I think my mistake was that the compost bin was at the fence line which gives rat a good hiding spot.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes, this happens! And I agree that siting your bins in the middle of a plot gives less hiding places for them. Please don't be discouraged, we are working always with nature and can only do our best. Rats are not harmful pests, usually, but I find them somewhat creepy! They do not spread disease when compost is on the surface, as with no dig. Because the bacteria of leptospirosis disease are killed by drying in sunlight, also in heaps of 50C.

[@deeproots24]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you for the encouragement. I will one more try this fall and create a new compost bin in the middle of the yard.

[@javorgeorgiev6130]

My garden is small and I have a lot of leftover ready compost, so all of the new compost piles are turned about once only and don't get as hot. I don't want to get it as hot and have it decompose ASAP. I prefer to have worms and insects along with fungi do more of the breakdown instead of it being all microbes. When it's moist and warm, but not very hot, a good bit of the aeration is done by the insects and worms digging around constantly. People don't want mice and moles, but those get in there too. I don't have to flip it. It doesn't go anaerobic, I check. Nor is it fully cold. It holds about 40C for a long while and then drops to the 30s. A fast pile starts at 75C and holds 65C for days, rapidly exhausting both moisture and air while compressing.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice approach and that must be amazing compost

[@javorgeorgiev6130]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig It has been amazing even for pots. I don't add any soil from outside. It could be lacking some micronutrients our clay has, but I can't identify any signs of it. I noticed some potted plants had these white, slightly fuzzy looking threads around the roots, but I'm not confident it's mycorrhiza. I planted a cherry tree this spring and it outpaced in growth one my father has had for 5 years. Maybe not only due to the compost, but there can't be no correlation at all.

[@Agui007]

Thanks for these composting tips Charles and, for saving my tall spine lol! On the rats, one jumped out of mine the other day and made me jump!! At least they'll turn it.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Oh no! Yes they aerate heaps.

[@Agui007]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Uses they have! 🐀👌🏼🥰

[@Tyler-gd7yw]

looking forward to reading! im obsessed with the idea of gathering all the local expired produce and butchers scraps and such to include in all my compost and i imagine im really going to have to build something very rodent proof for that not to be a big issue with them eating all of it and breeding like mad lol

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Go you!

[@claudialis1458]

A Composting Question: Last week I purchased from a local company a ton of compost made from green council waste. It smelled strongly of ammonia and I was advised to store the material in a large heap uncovered, so it could continue decomposing. I chose to cover the top of the pile with plastic to avoid water-logging and left the vertical sides exposed to the air. I checked after a couple of days and found that the heap is very hot and still extremely smelly. When digging about 10 cm into the sides of the heap, I found a lot of white stuff that has developed since forming the pile. When digging down deeper into the centre of the pile where it was covered with plastic, I find the same effect but more in pockets with some areas totally unaffected by it. I am a little concerned that my heap might be too hot or possibly contain too much woody material, which might cause problems for my vegetable growth later on. What is this white stuff, is it desirable and what will indicate when the compost is ready for use? If there are any steps that I can take towards influencing a quick maturing of my compost heap, I would love to hear about it, thanks.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That all sounds fine to me. The white material is probably actinobacteria which are agents of decomposition. That level of heat suggest plenty of green material to balance the wood content. By next spring. It should be good for using. When spread as a surface mulch, remaining wood does not grab nutrients from plant roots.

[@claudialis1458]

Thanks, Charles and Homeacres Team! I read online that Actinomycetes are primarily active where a lot of woody material is present, which caused my concern about a possibly too high wood content of my heap. The white stuff in my heap looks more like fine ash and does not have a thread-like, spider web appearance that I believe to be typical for actinobacteria. The white material formed within two days after unloading my compost from the trailer - I wonder if actinobacteria can form that quickly? Is it actually possible for a partially decomposed compost heap to generate so much heat that it burns up internally? In other words, could the white stuff be actual ash?? Thanks so much for your time -your advice is of great value to me!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Then maybe it is ash! Amazing

[@carenmcfarland7034]

Is this only garden waste, or is there manure in there as well?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Any wastes including old sieved wood chip, no manure, some paper and cardboard, grass and hedge prunings etc

[@linfordstinton]

ive recently taken on a very over grown plot with lots of brambles. ive mulched them down can i chuck them on my compost heap?? im a complete newbie to allotments and growing in general. and certainly is when it comes to making my own compost. lol

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Well done and they need chopping to small pieces, can be done by a lawnmower ideally

[@linfordstinton]

@CharlesDowding1nodig awesome thankyou they are in about 2-4 inch pieces atm. Just seemed a shame to waste them all if they can be used for compost.

[@riccardolodi2016]

Hello Charles, giving my first ever try to composting (for a small no dig garden). Just filled my first heap, and this morning saw the temperature above 50º Celsius, that made me so happy! Thank you for the amount (and quality) of knowledge you share here and in your books, you’re truly an inspiration ❤️

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Wonderful to imagine your happiness 😀

[@peterhill2881]

I do mine prety much every time i mow the grass because if i don’t the grass doesn’t compost properly then in around about October i turn it into a separate small bay leaves it over winter and use it in the spring to bulk out store bought compost am i doing it wrong i really don’t get a lot mainly kitchen scraps grass and the odd bit of garden waste

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That sounds good Peter, in relation to the resources you have. There's no wrong or right here because it depends on so many varying factors. Another one is how perfect you want the compost to be. I suggest that it can be quite lumpy and in your case, mixing it with store bought compost will make it very decent I'm sure.

[@sjarmhagen]

I promise....THIS winter I will turn my compost at least twice :P

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Nice. It will warm you doing it, and the heap afterwards for a while!

[@angelacallick3525]

I'm new to your videos but diving in and wallowing in the back catalogue 😸😸❤️ I have a very small 'postage stamp' garden, perhaps 8m x10m. Would a 50cm x 50cm base and 1m high be sufficient to get some heat going? Atm i have lots of bindweed and buddleia, mystery plants I inherited, and possibly triffids. I would dearly love to start my compost journey with what I need to evict to tame my space and not have to track it through the house a buckets worth at a time to a bin which goes to the municipal compost facility, but which seems to go to large scale agricultural use not residents.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks for your comment, Angela. I would use one of those conical plastic bins, 220 or 330 L size into which you can put all of your wastes. You must however be sure to chop up anything woody into pieces or 5 to 10 cm, so that the materials are all touching. It might take a year to make compost, which won't look perfect, but which will be very valuable. And it will not get hot in that container because there is too little volume. Don't worry about that, because the compost is still good.

[@dnawormcastings]

Great video 🇦🇺🪱

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Bunyip_Studios]

Is the floor of the bay just the ground?

[@Bunyip_Studios]

never mind, that will teach me to wait until the end of the video 😂

[@MannyDawson]

I hope you can help me, my compost heap when I turn it over has lots of bugs, Question, can I use this compost when starting new seeds or young plants?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

That sounds promising, they are agents of decomposition such as woodlice/pillbugs, centipedes and gnats. Many do not survive the process of sieving to create a potting mix and are generally are not harmful to plants or roots, so I would not worry about them.

[@philt77]

Compost book. Is there a Swedish version?

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Sorry no, needs a Swedish publisher to do that

[@johnrimmer7426]

I have bins 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 m but never get much heat, never more than 40C, lined with cardboard and covered with tin. Last year (first year) compost OK and had lots of worms but not sure why I can't get the heat.

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

The main reason might be lack of quantity at any one time, especially of green materials. I would not worry because it sounds like you're making superb compost!

[@keithomelvena2354]

My bins are the same size. The one I am filling with fresh material a little at a time never really gets hot, except for grass clippings briefly. Once I have finished putting fresh material on and turn for the first time, that's when it gets hot, Really hot.

[@johnrimmer7426]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig Thank you.

[@johnrimmer7426]

@@keithomelvena2354 Thanks

[@RichardTaylorgardening]

I put mine in the chicken run they scratch and tirn it for me happy gardening Richardx

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Lovely, and they add their goodies :)

[@Purplexed14]

Some more great tips, just as I'm considering a turn! One question, especially as I saw this in your video - insects! Is it OK for example to have a nest of ants within your compost heap? I ask because I had an awful time with aphids on my sunflowers this year who were naturally being protected by a large number of ants around my garden and I'm worried that I'm giving yet another safe haven to multiply!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks, and no worries. Ants proliferate work conditions are good for them and possibly your garden is too dry generally, which they like, maybe with wooden sides to beds facing south which stay warm and dry out. Or the soil is lacking organic matter because I find that ants do not proliferate where there is sufficient carbon in the soil, through surface application of compost. I would add the compost, and if ants do proliferate in spring, hose the plants with water. Soon after that, you should see ladybirds and hoverflies arrive. Then you will have a balance of past and predator

[@Purplexed14]

@@CharlesDowding1nodig thank you Charles 💚

[@ZelenyKolobeh]

Thank you for the look inside your compost heap! I would like to ask about the white parts of the compost which can be seen for example at 6:48 time. Are those actinobacteria? I tried to search through the comments but dit not find any questions about it. If they are can you share your opinion about these, please? My thoughts are if there is kind of a sweet spot in the amount of them during the composting process or if the turning (aerating) helps to reduce them in finished compost or possibly if no dig (spreding compost on top) prevent them to make any harm (I heard Elain Ingham saying they prevent mycorrhizal fungi to make relation ship with plant roots here kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXa8kKislp5kl68).

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Thanks Zeleny for your thoughtful comment. They puzzle me a little, and I think 'sweet spot' is a good way of describing the moments they appear, soon after the initial heat subsides, but it's still pretty warm, maybe too warm for many fungi. Then after a few months, we don't see that white any more. They do not cause me any concern and it looks to me like the mycorrhizal associations are good here

[@kevinosullivan7995]

Started making compost using uncooked scraps from a local restaurant, garden waste and grass clipping, will this work with only bits and pieces of brown ??

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

Yes if your garden waste has twigs, also look for trees leaves anywhere, paper. a little soil

[@Jalapeno_Chorizo]

Charles is the Jack Sparrow of gardening!

[@CharlesDowding1nodig]

‼️ thanks