We've Waited an Entire Year for This!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Do you make your own compost? Let us know! SHOP LAZY DOG FARM FIG TREES: lazydogfarm.com/collections/fig-trees 0:00 Intro 0:47 An Empty Raised Bed Ready to Plant 1:15 Making Compost with Geobin Composters 5:09 Amending a Raised Bed with Homemade Compost 7:22 Planting Leek Transplants in a Raised Bed 9:53 Planting Hardneck Garlic Cloves in a Raised Bed

[@BenjaminHibbler]

I really like your raised bed's , nice set up. I am just getting started gardening in Ga, working on building raisedbed's now for spring and summer. Good luck.

[@petpawteek8776]

From one lazy composter to another…NICE! 😊

[@charlesvickers4804]

Brought a truck load of garlic down to sw GA from IL to a farm a few years ago that failed, wish you luck.

[@andypuskas7220]

Looks like you’ve got some big cold coming. Hope you can get everything bundled up!

[@josephppopp7493]

Cold, snow on the ground. Thinking about relocating. South Georgia looking pretty darn good 😊

[@LazyDogFarm]

Don't get too antsy. August and September here are pretty brutal.

[@karenthornton5477]

it looks good

[@Pausereflectandbreathe]

This is very encouraging! I just have to subscribed! Thank you! ❤️🙏

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for subscribing!

[@kate739]

One Yard Revolution OYR channel has some really good videos, that may not really apply to you because he is in Chicago, but he puts leaves in hid Geo Bin till full and leaves it alone all winter and six months later or so he has compost. Yours looks great.

[@sandraoconnor5700]

Beautiful compost and garlic❤❤❤

[@richm5889]

I think I've accidentally discovered a fast composting method in a wintry area. In the spring I sift out all the usable compost for my previous years compost pile. At that point I have nothing but browns to put in my compost pile, and that works out great. After sifting out all the usable compost from the previous year, I fill the bottom with whatever branches and sticks and even logs that I might have which helps with aeration and drainage an excess by microbes and critters. I gather all the overwintered dry materials, stalks, dried leaves and meadow grasses I can find. I'll go into the nearby woods and scrape up some leaves and a little of the soil underneath to get some active leaf mold in the pile. I gather as much as I can to try to fill my 5x5x5 compost pile 80% of the way. I'll add back whatever the previous year's compost was coarse and unsiftable for microbial diversity. Being all browns and woody materials it starts decomposing fungally. We don't get enough fungally produced compost in a typical greens and browns compost pile. I don't have much in the way of greens to add until I start harvesting in the summer or when plants have bolted or stopped producing. I lay these greens on top and mix in later when I have a chance. I don't know if it's giving the fungal side such a good head start or what the science is but in the spring I am able to sift out 75% of it as ready to use, completely finished compost. That's fast especially in a cold winter area in 6b outside Boston.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Sounds like an excellent plan!

[@draco4540]

i hope to hell that the "g" on the red bucket stands for the GREEN BAY PACKERS. :)

[@LazyDogFarm]

I am a Packers fan, but it wasn't their year. Go Dawgs.

[@draco4540]

@@LazyDogFarm it's always nice to meet a fellow packer backer. I like aaron rodgers, but I think it's time to get a new q.b. that time always shows up. I enjoyed watching

[@draco4540]

I enjoyed watching Brett Favre when he was q.b., but I think everyone knew when he needed to retire.

[@LazyDogFarm]

@@draco4540 I was a big Favre fan, but he overstayed his welcome. I think the media makes Rodgers out to be a bad guy because it gives them something to talk about. I do wish he adapted to new receivers more quickly. Seems like it takes a while for him to "gel" with some guys.

[@CynthiaHollenberger]

Can confirm... OSU buckets ate no good. Love, the Badger Sconnie.

[@DavidBrown-vx6fb]

Like your compost! Merry Christmas to you and yours! go dawgs! Wish it was lsu but can’t win them all! dawgs really have good team!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Merry Christmas and Go Dawgs!

[@advillwertz6585]

Amen. I've done composting and tried all sorts of crazy composting methods over many years. I always come back to the same sage advice that I know without a doubt will work 100 percent of the time every time. All you really need is leaves. Get all you can anytime you can. It's a perfect trio of the 3 main nutrients. Always learning always listening. Keep up your great work.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for sharing

[@melissaschloneger9902]

Better than the OSU buckets?!? Those are fighting words!😂

[@LazyDogFarm]

Haha! Guess we'll see on Saturday night.

[@timfetner8029]

Hey Travis - compost looks awesome and great to see that material recycled in the garden. Wanted to give you a tip on your worm bin. Instead of putting egg shells in the compost bin, you can add them to your worm bin. My method is a bit more time consuming but I think it gives great results. Take the egg shells and bake them in a toaster oven on 250 degrees for 2 hours - you could also do it in a regular oven. This removes the moisture and makes the shells brittle. I grind them in a coffee mug using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, and try and create almost a sand like consistency. Add this to the worm bin and they will chow down on the shell particles. It gives the worms something to help grind their food with, while also getting incorporated in the castings.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I put some egg shells in the worm bin and some in the compost. I try to spread the love a little. lol

[@markware4933]

You have a nice Lazy Dog version of a Johnson/Su bioreactor producing fungal rich mycorrhizal inoculant for those beds. I'm grading 10/10. Beware, though, if the worms emerge before your eyes and run the "Script Ohio" drill. A bad omen for the Dawgs.

[@LazyDogFarm]

These worms don't even know what a buckeye is. Neither do I. lol

[@berrytyrant]

Keep a empty bucket with you and as you remove any weeds, collect them together into the bucket rather than wasting them and put them into compost heap. Weeds are not only useful but keeps the growing area tidy...😉

[@dvrmte]

You're an above average composter. That's coming from another above average composter. I build mine behind my chicken house in piles. I always have at least two in process. I cover them with tarps. I turn them two or three times over a years time. I sift it through a piece of 1x1 wire fencing stretched over a wheelbarrow. The big pieces are thrown into a pile that's still in process. I compost a lot of corncobs, shucks, and tobacco stalks that often take awhile to break down. I use chicken litter as well to help heat them up. I don't make enough compost for my entire garden either.

[@lindamckeown2830]

It's almost impossible to get enough compost for the plots you have but what you can make means the less you have to buy. I do composting in place. When I know I want to expand my garden I start composting for a couple of years in advance. I put in all the grass clippings, kitchen waste, and leaves for a couple of years. I don't turn it or water it. I just let it rot. We do till it in the first year to incorporatre it into the soil. I have heavy clay soil. After that I only add leaves when it lays fallow to rot and add leaf mold.I just move the leaves back when I plant and let them be the mulch. That has cut back on my weed seed back quite a bit.

[@jksatte]

Do you add additional fertilizer or just the leaves every year? How do you keep critters out of that stuff while waiting on it to break down?

[@lindamckeown2830]

@@jksatte I do add fertilizer when planting. I've really never had a problem with critters. I don't ever put meat or bones in just veggies.

[@jennhoff03]

Hi, Linda! I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Do you have to add browns like cardboard, or do your garden scraps basically turn into brown really quickly? That's been one of my big hold ups on this project.

[@lindamckeown2830]

@@jennhoff03 The fall leaves are the browns. We use the lawn mower to chop and bag them. It takes our oak leaves a long time to break down but they do eventually.

[@jennhoff03]

@@lindamckeown2830 Ok! Thank you so much for the reply.

[@wwsuwannee7993]

Good looking compost. One of, if not the best things you can put in a raised bed, they will love it. Add a layer at every planting now that you have it.

[@cliftonmcandrew8984]

I’m not a professional, but that compost looks good to me. Good job, Travis.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Clifton!

[@flyfishdr]

I add alfalfa pellets to the pile. The extra nitrogen helps speed the process. A couple cups once a month

[@equisader]

Is that animal feed or something specifically for the garden? Thanks.

[@marysurbanchickengarden]

Yeah that's what good compost should look like, smell it and it should smell like good dirt. Mine is almost ready and I'll be using it to top up my raised beds.

[@davidward1259]

Everybody knows South GA compost brings more garden vigor when carried in a GA Dawg bucket!!!! Go Dawgs!!! I'm thinking about trying some of those inexpensive compost bins myself. Seem less work that the pallet bin method. I'm no compost pro, but your bins and that finished compost get a 11 in my book any day! Besides, what is not to like about taking garden and kitchen trash and turning it into garden gold?

[@LazyDogFarm]

Yeah the geobins are super easy -- that's what I like about them the most.

[@trishapomeroy9251]

I LOVE your compost! Looks fantastic. I hope your garlic grows well for you. It would open up a whole new world of varieties for you to grow if it works well. In the frozen north, we only grow hard neck garlic. I also really like your use of pine needles for mulch. We have tons of pines and that would sure be a nice way to get "free" (except for the labor) mulch.

[@buckeyegardener]

Love your channel. I’ve learned so much and tried new methods I’ve never heard of that you use in your garden. I’ve gotten a couple geo bins after your videos last year and filled them this summer and fall only my compost will be going into Ohio state buckets when it goes on my garden lol. Go bucks!!! 🏈

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Kyle! Go Dawgs!

[@jksatte]

That compost looks good. I'm sure the plants will do well.

[@jagittings1992]

Compost looks good, 10/10. However I have noticed, from personal experience, that if you use a buckeyes bucket it super charges your compost. You should give that a try.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Those Buckeyes gonna have a tough time in ATL. I wish them the best though.

[@nadinelataille7462]

I am giving you an A for compost because it looks like mine and this was my first year too! We both did well lol

[@LazyDogFarm]

Congrats!

[@Kevs2tuff]

Don't forget to harvest the scapes off of the hardneck garlic, they're delicious 😋

[@stephenb5757]

Love the videos,but Ohio State buckets will take your garden to the next level 😊

[@LazyDogFarm]

GO DAWGS!

[@david.6040]

Compost looks great, our process is about the same for making it.

[@conservativetothecor]

This past summer was the first year I havent had any worms, of course its been about 100 all summer...so they probably cooked. But the compost did wonderful. Went very fast. Now to work on the tea. You can add stuff to the tea that you dont want in your compost.

[@ritalr15]

I do like those geo containers that you have for a set up

[@karenthornton5477]

I started my

[@melissakingery4393]

Travis we have a huge compost pile how do you know when it's ready to use some of it!!

[@LazyDogFarm]

I would say when it's mostly black, doesn't smell like anything, and the everything looks relatively well broken down.

[@melissakingery4393]

Thanks Travis

[@karenzorn773]

Great job on compost, I remember when you started it, can’t wait to see how your garlic does.

[@MalkiZee]

I know someone with two hands who can help you eat the 'extra' leeks. Cheers

[@pamelaroden5513]

Looked like a 10 to me.

[@Daddyo_farms]

Question of the week is how are you going to protect everything from this attic blast

[@LazyDogFarm]

We'll cover some stuff, we'll harvest some stuff, and we'll water other stuff and cross our fingers.

[@ronaldcummings6337]

I do compost like you. I work on it occasionally. I use poultry netting for my chickens and have a compost ring in their pen. I dump my spent potting soil from my microgreens operation there and feed them scraps and leftover microgreens on top of it.

[@JWTX]

I only have one comment. " Go Buckeyes"

[@LazyDogFarm]

Go Dawgs!

[@melissakingery4393]

Also we are gonna have our first freeze thurs what can I not cover it's supposed to get down to 20 and possibly 17 for just a couple of day 3 inthink

[@rickjay4639]

I think your compost looked great. It's not always necessary to turn compost it all depends on how fast you want it and the materials your using. If your putting in a lot of material that might have a good amount of weed seeds that's when you want to make sure to turn it often while the pile is still hot. Making sure sure all the material that's on top and the sides makes to the center at some point. This obviously will kill the weed seeds. The way you did is perfect. Since you have worms you might want to throw a handful of them in the pile they will love and reproduce like crazy, as long as it's kept wet with a piece of cardboard over the top. Love the videos thanks

[@michaelmosley254]

It looks good I'm like you I do my compost the lazy dog way

[@Lochness19]

If it's not warm enough to kill the seeds, it might still be warm enough to germinate them, and then the sprouts will just die as they get flipped, buried, etc.

[@EventHorizon34]

An Ohio State bucket couldn’t handle this good compost! #SEC 😂

[@LazyDogFarm]

Correct!

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

The compost looked pretty good. Should work quite well in the raised bed. Once you fill up that other bin and it cools off, it would be good to add some worms to it to get worm castings mixed in and help break down the materials.

[@charlescoker7752]

Does your back give you trouble? If so. Get some Peppermint essential oil. Wet the end of your finger tip, and rub on where it hurts.

[@LazyDogFarm]

The back is good to go, but thanks for the tip!

[@charlescoker7752]

@@LazyDogFarm I hurt my back in 1977. Got over it. Then all of a sudden in June 1986. I was in the bed for over two weeks. Was all I could do to get to the bathroom. Would go to chiropractors. They helped. But. Still have pain today.

[@theworkingmansgarden7638]

You're more than welcome for the Spanish Roja, Travis. I can't wait to see if it grows well for y'all. We're about to get a good 72hr artic blast here in N. Texas, so vernalization may not have been necessary. 🥶😂

[@LazyDogFarm]

I know right! Supposed to be 19 here on Friday and then 20 the next two days.

[@crystals14acregarden61]

Compost looks fine. I fill mine in fall and winter and let it be til the next fall. The outside might not break down bit the middle and bottom are good. I just leave the rest in the bottom for the next year. Sticks and all. I got my first garlic fron the grocery store. It appeared to be soft neck, but made scapes come spring. It did well though, so I replanted the bigger pieces the next fall. Some of those were as big as my fist. I replanted those this fall. I have never refrigerated them. The winter we have had near Memphis seems to be enough. I know you're a little warmer but I suggest an experiment with some that haven't been refrigerated first, they'll probably be fine. And almost everything I harvested kept until time to replant, just braided them and hung them in the kitchen

[@mapollard1]

Love that compost! Hoping to get another compost bin so I can get mine to look that good! I have chickens so they help haha It's going to get really cold so make sure you wrap the chicken tractor with plastic- I bought shower curtains at Dollar tree and wrapped around my entire coop :)

[@hopemorrison2367]

How do you go about buying bulk compost

[@LazyDogFarm]

Gotta find someone that makes it. A cotton gin is a good start.

[@tiffanybutler8575]

Please tell me you are making a video about this freeze coming at Christmas! I have no idea what to do I keep checking every 5 mins ....

[@LazyDogFarm]

Yes. The next two videos will be about the freezing temps.

[@mitchellfolkes7854]

How would leaves work to compost

[@LazyDogFarm]

They work great, just takes a lot of them to really make anything. But they're a great addition to any compost!

[@blackqueen3166]

How do you keep, bird’s, squirrels and other animals from your raised beds and ground garden away?

[@LazyDogFarm]

We have a couple cats and a couple dogs that help with that.

[@rickthelian2215]

The compost pile from last year looks good 9.75/10 perhaps the best is to put the compost worms in the newer pile to work on it, it will not last in the garden for short period of time till the compost is exhausted. Like the Hard Neck Garlic, you may try a few in the ingrown bed, if you haven’t eaten them all yet, remember they don’t Store as well as the soft neck do😉

[@ritalr15]

I built the a 3 bin compost system with pallets and made the slats for the front. I like that yours has the worms. Take care with this artic blast we are going to get. Time to cover the citrus

[@charlesvickers4804]

Would be nice to compost ,but can't keep the rats out. I'm backed up to a few thousand acres of swamp.

[@takeitslowhomestead5218]

10 🏆

[@gregorywellssr7857]

Hey,I'm a new sub,appreciate the good vids. I'm curious for climate reasons - are you close to the East coast ( we're about 30 miles from the coast here ), or are you more to the interior of GA?

[@LazyDogFarm]

We're about 4 hours from the east coast of GA, but only about 1.5-2 hours from the Gulf Coast. We're about an hour north of Tallahassee, FL.

[@gregorywellssr7857]

@@LazyDogFarm We're about 50 miles southwest of Savannah,probably about the same climate,eh? Either way I'm subbed,thx for the good vids.

[@brucemullis479]

Just subscribed about a month ago. Been marathoning your channel every night. Got cold cold here in the Florida panhandle a day ago and the Buttercrunch outer leaves got bit a little. Thought they were cold hardy.

[@LazyDogFarm]

My lettuce has survived several freezes. Keeping the soil moist helps a good bit. I usually water mine really well before a freeze.

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

I hope the Spanish Roja works for you! Spanish Roja is in the Rocombole group of garlic, it’s generally considered to be the finest tasting garlic variety of all! I grow it in my garden here in the Toronto area, I have read that it prefers a cold winter to get a good sized bulb but since yours comes from Texas perhaps it has acclimated to a milder winter! Garlic will continue to adjust itself to your conditions for a good five years. The Rocombole group don’t store as long as other groups but they are easy to Peel. We normally use the Spanish Roja first before moving on to garlic varieties from other groups. Klaus

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for the info on that variety!

[@chrisfisher3900]

I give you a 15. I can’t compost to save my life,to hot and dry. Honestly debating running a drip line to the compost bin

[@psalms125selah]

😆🤣Good Idea!

[@alabamagirl2725]

Y'all remember. The best buckets are red and say Crimson Tide. Soil and plants would be happier.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Those Crimson buckets gonna be busy playing in the Papa John's Stromboli Bowl while the Dawgs are in the playoffs.

[@SlackerU]

For the small composting I think you should be daily watering to >maintain< worm & bacteria populations to allow you to ignore flipping if you screen 1yr-old materials. With enough water you'll have enough red-worms to move water around & move materials around. Flipping is more for hot composting & is a waste of time when outdoor temperatures stay below 84f. Currently I'm 140-150f when it would easily be at 164f if today was 84f-outside.

[@charlescoker7752]

Can you get woodchips? Just let them stay in a pile , let them break down into dirt. And spread on the garden. .

[@LazyDogFarm]

Not a lot of chipping going on around here.

[@charlescoker7752]

Wonder after the Leeks get some size, if you dug some up, and re - planted them deeper?

[@LazyDogFarm]

You might could do that.

[@chucknorisclone]

I’m thinking of getting one of those 500 gallon geobins just for my fall leaves I’m not sure tho that seems like it would be huge

[@LazyDogFarm]

I'd recommend getting a a couple of the ~200 gallon ones. Then you can daisy chain them together to make a bigger one, or just use them separately.

[@tracyjudd3877]

Compost looks awesome!! I wonder if you would share where you got your elephant garlic?? I haven’t been able to get any here in Oklahoma:). Thank you & your beautiful wife for sharing all things growing & garden. She must be so proud 💗💗💗🙏 praying for your family and Merry Christmas ☀️

[@LazyDogFarm]

We've been saving our own elephant garlic seed stock for several years now. We just keep multiplying it in hopes that we'll some day have enough to put on our website. Merry Christmas!

[@thifasmom]

Compost looks 👍 like others have suggested, I would add a small handful of works from your worm bin to the finished compost, maybe even a water with some of the worm bin juice, then cover with cardboard till the next time you need it to amend the next raised bed. Why the cardboard, to keep both the worms happy and to both stop it drying out when it's warm or leaching out nutrients when it's rainy.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I like that idea!

[@mikeharris2985]

Good morning 12-21 can collars,mustard greens,cabbages withstand the cold temperatures that’s coming in. 14-17 degrees I’m around Charlotte NC. They say worms are good in compost I have them in my leaves compost. Wish you and family have a wonderful Christmas thank you

[@LazyDogFarm]

Collards will probably be fine as long as the soil is moist. You'll want to either harvest or cover the mustard and cabbage.

[@mikeharris2985]

@@LazyDogFarm thank you have a great day

[@arthurdewith7608]

High concentration of carbon

[@dwardodwardo643]

You do have more than enough wast :)

[@haynerbass]

Is that a bunch of cigarette butts and a blue and white dish in that one bin?

[@LazyDogFarm]

Hah! I don't think cigarette butts would make a very good compost. Those are the ends of some greens leaves that I trimming before cooking.

[@thedomestead3546]

Have your gin trash tested for glyphosate and defoliant levels.

[@sislertx]

Just ordered my fourth. Geobin...love them BUT They are all flimsy if.u.ask.me Name.brand one or knock.offs I used some. Tpost.to.help.prop them up. I think im gonna take.some waste lumber and make two stackable worm bins like old Alabama gardener (RIP) made. I LOVE how.he.can.get.at.the.gold .tho i may.add.a.door to it to make it even.easier His kinda.rotted and.gave me.the idea.for.a door Well were.gonna have major.freeze so im probably gonna loose. Everything So much for my brassicas peas.beets spinach and.lettuce And goodbye to my flowers that were going so great..ones i have.never.been able to grow IN ALL MY 80 YEARS. ONE BIG ROW OF FOXGLOVE SUPPOSED ANNUAL FIRST YEAR BLOOMERS A ROW OF IRISH BELLS AND. ROW SCABIOSA IM SO SO.DEPRESSED. SERIOUSLY. DEPRESSED SO I GOTTA HIT.THE.CATALOGUES .AND.SEE.WHAT ILL.REPLACE THEM.WITH AND I.NEED RO START.THE.SUMMER SEEDS IN JUST.THREE WEEKS I DO PEPPERS FIRST AND IM FONNA.SO 5 TIMES AS MANY THIS YEAR.WITH ABOUT.100 TO.GIVE.AWAY OR.SELL IDK BUT ALMOST.5.BUCKS.FOR.FOUR TINY PLANTS.IS.A.CRIME WE.GET.NO SPRING

[@LazyDogFarm]

They are a little flimsy until you get them full. That's why I always start with a base of straw that helps to keep it upright, then I add more to it as we get more waste.