What to Do When You Have Run Out of Compost? Plus How to Composting tips!

I this video I explain what we do when we run out of our own homemade compost. I also show our composting bay system made from pallets and describe how to use this method to make the best compost.
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Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland Australia about 45kms north of Brisbane - the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online so come along with me and let's get into it! Cheers, Mark :)

[@danielsims3550]

I work at one of the local high schools and went to the home ec (cooking) department and asked what they did with all their food scraps. I was told that they throw them all in the bin at the end of the day but they would leave them bagged up each day for me to collect if i wanted. I then went and hit up the canteen as well. My compost is now booming on what would have just ended up as landfill. Better for the environment and better for my gardens ;)

[@Selfsufficientme]

What a fantastic idea and another great example of people thinking outside of the box to make a real practical difference in their community! Thank you for sharing :)

[@stevenamar4071]

Many coffee shops are willing to hold the coffee grounds for gardeners. The combination of grounds and filters are a great addition to compost.

[@daveymorgan909]

Great idea. I'm surprised all schools don't do this.

[@isaacb5968]

0:30 Someone, award this man an Oscar!

[@NolaGB]

I have to do my gardening in 5 gallon buckets closer to the house. Too old now to do what I used to. I've been saving kitchen waste and want to make compost ... just have to do it those buckets. I'm going to check your web site for a "how to", as I've not done bucket composting. I'm in the US, enjoy your videos and learn so much from you ... thank you!!!

[@michaelbellamy3464]

Reckon you were made to do these videos mate! Better than TV garden shows that's for damn sure 👍

[@edwarnock4534]

Over the past two years we began composting. We started with horse manure, vegetable trimmings, lawn clippings and leaves that fell off our trees in the fall. We immediately noticed that even the compost we added to the tomato's really made a difference vs the store bought stuff. The store bought stuff had trouble blooming and setting produce, so we had to add fertilizer to get any production at all. We notice that after a year the compost was breaking down very slowly even though it was kept damp. So my wife picked up a one pound tub of red worms (often called red wigglers) and we put them in the pile. In one years time the worms exploded and are helping to make the richest compost we have ever made. In the future we plan to get several yards of cow manure and use bales of straw along with leaves from our yard. With the worms it should breakdown very fast and the worm castings will make it very rich and breaks down some of the vegetable material so that it is readily digestible for the plants. I estimate the one pound of worms quickly multiplied to about fifty pounds over the past year. I have learned alot, we also plan to use the green manure crops (often called cover crops) to further condition the beds and adding plant matter to the bed. This is another option t resting a bed. By planting a cover crop and cutting it down before it blooms and makes seed, you can fix, calcium (comfrey o buckwheat), nitrogen (legume, like clovers, face bean, hairy vetch, alfalfa, ect.) and other minerals in the beds, depending on the type of cover crop you plant. Legumes will require a grass to help as most legumes won't do well with out protection from hot sun and wind. Truth is there are alot of options to make great growing beds. If you use wood chip or wood product in your bed you will need lots of nitrogen as wood chips require nitrogen to begin breaking down.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Plenty of top first hand composting experience and tips in your post above Ed and I couldn't agree more about the worms and this is one main reason why I like to compost in bays rather than a tumbler because more worms find their way into the mix. Thank you :)

[@carolparrish194]

If you have a hot compost won't the worms die from the heat ? Or do you put them in after the compost has cooled ?

[@edwarnock4534]

carol parrish with horse and most cow manure it does not get really hot. Which is a disadvantage when it comes to weed seeds showing up in your compost. When it gets above 150° f for a sustained period, the weed seeds die and will not sprout. The worms will avoid the hot areas on their own. If you add chicken or turkey manure, you will find it gets a lot hotter, so I try to spread that out in the mix or compost it separately. With just a few chickens we have only small amounts which does not affect the pile that much. Locally here we can buy turkey and cow manure by the cubic yard.

[@edwarnock4534]

Self Sufficient Me, we made a similar compost area with pallets, we did not divide it though. We turned it over and moved the pile through as it broke down, the end from which we used the finished compost. We are going to make ours about larger as we could not produce enough for our needs. Being disabled I cannot run a rototiller and am going to convert over to the no till, permaculture beds. So I am going to have to make tons of compost. I expect this to take ma a few years. I am really enjoying your videos, good stuff!

[@gloriaallen590]

Thanks Mark for your videos. I have added to my compost - spent tea leaves, coffee grinds, egg shells as well as SEAWEED which has yielded fabulous results!

[@tiffanybecker1591]

I also recommend getting some pet rabbits. I just scoop the manure out and use it as soil in itself. It isnt a hot manure so it doesnt need to rest at all. Ive grown amazing crops in nothing but a container and bunny berries!

[@stevenamar4071]

I find it handy to confiscate my neighbors' yard waste on the roadside before the municipality picks it up. This way I have plenty of organic material to add to my compost and keep it coming.

[@Sahadi420]

I've mowed my neighbor's yard before so I could bag the clippings. LOL He tried to pay me......

[@svetlanikolova7673]

Steven , my neighbors just gather and burn it!

[@joanies6778]

Unfortunately, my neighbor uses chemicals on his lawn. Bummer. I did grab bags of leaves from the corner in the fall, and that neighbor didn't use any chemicals. I lack grass clippings right now.

[@yukey2587]

That's great! I grab the bagged leaves in the fall from up and down the street.

[@GraemeGosse]

I convinced my neighbour to dump his grass clippings directly into my compost bin. I don't have to do a thing : 😃

[@steveemrich84]

Just wanted to thank you for the high quality videos you do. Been watching a few on youtube. Yours and "Epic Gardening" are some of the best on here. Keep up the good work. You have helped me with my Garden. -Steve from Canada

[@Mrbfgray]

One need not anything special to compost, special bins or dividers may be nice but you can simply make a pile or a few of them at different stages and draw from the oldest one (two piles works well for me, one with fresh stuff going in and other to be using, when the old pile is consumed it becomes the fresh pile and hopefully the other one is close to ready) mix occasionally for a few minutes, water some during the dry season. How long it takes it shouldn't make any difference after the first yr. since you get out as much as you put in regardless, the lag was only significant in the beginning.

[@TealeBritstra]

Instead of simply resting the bed, you could grow a cover crop.

[@mytech6779]

that must be selected so it does not feed any pests.

[@nickwilmshurst8396]

We add fall rye. It fixes nitrogen and displaces weeds.

[@GardensforLife]

Yet another awesome video! Thank you from Ireland! :D

[@racheltomlinson2257]

Composting is slow here due to our colder climate, so your tip on buying cheaper compost and adding blood, bone etc is going to enable us to grow much more, thank you for that valuable tip. Hopefully our last year home made compost will be ready later this year(if I insulate it and put a cover on it, maybe it will decompose quicker? ) this video was really good, very informative thank you.

[@Selfsufficientme]

I think insulating it could help yes and covered with something that is porous to allow natural moisture through. Making the pile as big as possible initially also helps to generate heat and faster break down. Cheers :)

[@mspat8195]

My favotite part of this video was learning about the resting bed. Starving out the nematodes . . . . .

[@kennethmclean872]

Our local council makes compost from everyone’s green compost bins. Get a tandem trailer worth backed for 50bucks. It’s so good you can plant straight into it

[@carolg.1424]

My experience with the compost tumbler was frustrating with compost produced more slowly than expected and with the door latch breaking in less than 3years. My mother would dig a large hole in her garden and put kitchen waste in it and add dirt to cover when it became unpleasant. Using this technique along with mulching her hard yellow clay became black loam.

[@englishcoach7772]

I made a big 100 liter pot compost. I put all fruit/vege kitchen scraps in it. The only thing is you need to turn it and add ashes or lime to regulate ph. This wont work very well in colder climates.

[@annmariecunningham6364]

Instead of buying an expensive tumbling compost bin. I use a cheap plastic trash can with a screw on lid. Then, simply turn the trash can over and/or roll it around to turn and mix the scraps inside.

[@manguydude287]

I have galvanized rings that I fill with used animal bedding and the water coffee grounds into it. I can finish those piles in 18 days

[@Selfsufficientme]

18 days! Wow, that's great - thanks for sharing your experience! :)

[@manguydude287]

It is by far the fastest way to get a pile hot! However I understand that it can be difficult for some folks to gather as much as is needed

[@minkles1330]

I buy the $3 potting mix at bunnings.. "Guilty". Though I mix a good couple of handles of cow poo through it that I get from my community garden and it seems to do my plants ok.

[@projetchalet]

I found a spot when wood chips has decomposed in the forest and so I'm using this as compost.

[@rosea830]

At this moment, with what is going on, I need my compost to compost faster :) I thought it was funny that when I came in to take a break from working the garden this was in my feed, lol.

[@dotsthots]

Start a stacked wormery, it's impractical to do the same volume as a large compost heap, but you'll get rich compost much quicker. Add all of your non-meat kitchen waste and as much brown cardboard as you can get hold of. Cut and rip everything up into small pieces to speed things up. You'll need worms too, but they're easy to buy or get hold of.

[@rosea830]

@@dotsthots That's great advice, thank you! We are composting veg scraps, chicken bedding, and eggshells. We shred our junk mail and cardboard and layer that in. We have a naturally occurring plethora of worms here. I only need more compost because I've started some new beds. Cheers!

[@michaelcooney7687]

I use Bokashi initially then add that to my compost tumbler

[@jacobbradsher8246]

Lol. Funny and educational! Enjoy your videos. Thank you for all the information

[@C80ree]

You could always go out and gather up dead tree branches and mulch them as well as using cardboard and shredded paper which could be sourced from local businesses. Extra materials could be gathered from greengrocers et cetera usually at no cost to save the business throwing out food scraps and waste product.

[@marilynryan7822]

Great video,thx .🇺🇸

[@tylertyler82]

I know you're growing cannabis in there somewhere. You seem like a smart guy after all.

[@ilovezerotwocat2545]

That's gold

[@pweb4941]

another great video

[@dlighted8861]

I wonder if growing green manure would work to rest a bed.

[@PapaverMediterranean]

Hi Mark, have you tried worm composting?

[@RJSoftware2000]

What do you think about the Ruth Stout method?

[@tngardener231]

I bought compost from the store and for the first year ever I have grown grass. It’s horrible, there had to be a ton of grass seed in it.

[@purpleluna8413]

Great tips Mark Have you tried druken composting their is a few I dis find one good one he was funny at the beginning of his video. Some druken composter use Coke Cola and ammonia 2hixh I dont lkie as both are man made and I don't even put Coke in my body let alone on the garden. This one he used Molasses and Urine and think it is beer. It breaks down really fast! Have you tried this method Let me know what you think will find the link

[@sunriseseven4366]

Wise words at the end :)

[@sventer198]

What about a worm farm?

[@Soilfoodwebwarrior]

Hey bro love the channel, love the energy, love the education and positive vibes. However the purpose of compost is to add biology to your soil those microbes that you were talking about. Fungi, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, micro arthropods etc. Sterilized compost is not compost, it's more like a very fine mulch. It could add organic matter to the soil which could be food for your soil's microbes.

[@mikenelson7407]

A dingo ate me compost!

[@jeremyplayzyt2132]

Mike Nelson 🦊🦊🦊🦊🐕🐕

[@alaskamattel1165]

ahahahahhahahahh ive got tears in me eyes

[@laudya1]

@@alaskamattel1165 Me too, that is funny...

[@robyndurdin6965]

🤣🤣🤣

[@ME-vk6tv]

That sounds like an Aussie Pirate :))))))))

[@Jsak666]

You got any follow us to this system in 2020/21???

[@arthursgardendays1942]

If you are running out of compost, you may be using too much of it. In my opinion compost should be used as a soil amendment. In nature, plants grow in soil covered with a thin layer of anything organic that has fallen in the past several years. It mainly grows in the soil. Soil is a vital part of the growing medium. You should not by growing in straight compost. You should be adding compost to your soil. Try a test where you grow like you do and have another bed with the soil and compost added. See which does better. I think you will be surprised. Also, you don't need to transfer all of your compost from bin to bin. That is way too much work. I manage my bins separately. When I harvest the first bin, I sift out what I will be using and the incomplete material gets transferred to a starting bin only to get the microbes into the start. If I harvest more, I transfer more and so on. I have two screens. 1 inch and 1/4 inch mesh. I screen large amounts in the 1 inch and move the unfinished to the new pile. I have a container for that finished compost. If I need some for my potting mixes, I screen again in the 1/4 inch mesh, the screened out material goes back into the compost pile. I only need two compost piles for this system. I will start a third pile for larger twigs, palm fronds and large cactus waste. It takes much longer for that break down. Adding partially composted material on top of that speeds up the process. eventually they become they become the first stage and the finished pile is used up. So I'm back to two piles.

[@chrisrobinson4304]

What do you reckon about adding horse manure from the pony club that's been out in the weather for about 6 months?

[@laurawhigham8492]

I think 6 mo old horse manure is called “gold” to gardeners. Don’t tell that to the pony club, tell them you will take it away no charge😉

[@chrisrobinson4304]

@@laurawhigham8492

[@chrisrobinson4304]

I think it works over the long term. And they are very happy to let me have it.

[@laurawhigham8492]

@@chrisrobinson4304 Wonderful!

[@ewaturska697]

Loved the intro hahahahahahahahahaha

[@jackie7788]

Love your 'Dad' style acting skills. hehe

[@darkmistico]

hes like the hippie brother of russel crowe

[@Wings91]

😀

[@TonyFromChicago_]

@@darkmistico I'm convinced 007 is based on him

[@SexMusicPlants]

I have the feeling this is NOT acting... 😉😁😂

[@Metanoia444]

This is my favorite KZbin channel on gardening. You put a lot of heart and soul into your videos and explain everything in a way that is very organized yet entertaining. I need all the details you explain here because I’m completely new to it. Thank you for being the Steve Irwin of plants.

[@mhariclare1]

I know this is a particularly older video, but I do hope you see this. I am truly thankful for all your content. I’m on the other side of the world 🇨🇦 but everything you are teaching me as I grow y raised garden beds is so appreciated. Thank you for all your shared knowledge. This week I’m off to pinch some pallets from my local stores, and can’t wait to grow my own amendments... be well...and keep blessing us all ♥️

[@wilberforceharringtonsmyth7682]

Mark, never subscribed to anything ever. You sir are so bloody interesting, funny and know what the hell your talking about. Thank you for your videos learning a lot ...cheerz.

[@stevenguevara2184]

Diddo. Another rare gem from Australia.

[@kevinmurphy5409]

Dude, I dont get it. But you are right...

[@RossPatzelt]

yes nice relaxed feel no annoying music everywhere just the facts.

[@fatdad64able]

Caught an Aussie stealing my compost. I had him at gunpoint:"Tell me! Did you come here to die?" "Nah mate, I came 'ere yesterday..."

[@tophercIaus]

I don't know how the Aussie accent sounds in your head to make that joke work, but it's wrong. Haha. Nice try though.

[@TylerLukey]

I laughed, thanks

[@svetlanikolova7673]

Anton, lol literally! Thank you for the laughs

[@duncanwhitcombe4392]

Nearly had your own blood and bone

[@jonbgreen6916]

This happened to a Korean when he visited Australia and encountered the Aussie accent for the first time

[@scottstevens1879]

can i suggest when u make ur compost with potting mix and blood and bone that u dump it all in the compost tumbler, mix it in there with plenty of water and turn it twice a day for 3 days. It will break down the blood and bone and pick up the microbes from inside the compost tumbler.

[@TheOriginalDeckBoy]

awesome reply... bet he does;)

[@TheOriginalDeckBoy]

I was going to ask him if making a 'micro and macro organisms bed and putting compost on it once established, you'd be moving the good guys with the soil from bed 2 to 3 and then the garden enriching the good guys he was talkin about;)

[@npgjnrcc4707]

I'd make compost tea out of the little scoop left of compost ... that way it's spread more liberally

[@Selfsufficientme]

Another great tip! :)

[@purpleluna8413]

Great idea

[@cassieoz1702]

Yes but it doesnt improve the soil organic matter

[@npgjnrcc4707]

Cassie Oz sure it does.. fresh compost tea,if done properly, has chunks of compost in it which has hefty amounts of organic matterS

[@npgjnrcc4707]

Cassie Oz your welcome

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

Hey Mark! I am a cook first and a gardener a distant second. Compost for me in the garden is like making your own stocks and sauces in the kitchen, you know what goes into them. Cheers!

[@briansmith6824]

A few more ideas: 1) add biochar to the soil. It increases the water holding capacity of the soil, bacterial and fungal activity, and only needs to be added once (if you are putting in 10% by volume). If you are making your own bit by bit, add it to the holes as you put in the starts, then next year put the starts in different spots. 2) Cruise your local grocery stores for material to bulk up your compost pile. The green produce departments toss old/unsuitable vegetables on a regular basis. 3) Cruise some local restaurants for kitchen/leftover waste and start a bokashi bucket. Bokashi matures in a few weeks and can be directly used in the garden. 4) Throw your kitchen waste into a blender with some water to make a garden smoothie. Pour it around the plants or along a row. Then lightly scratch it in. It will compost in-place as it feeds the local population of microbes.

[@tedjames2534]

Do you enjoy waking up, looking in the mirror and seeing a paedophile?

[@user_-vv9og]

I might try that 4th one , good ideas !

[@judieeblair7096]

I love your presentations, the way you give it flare! You make me laugh and learn at the same time

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks Judiee! :)

[@MrPineappleRampage]

Great video and thank you for all those tips. I would also recommend using green mulch/living mulch. This year I have covered my vegetable garden with a thick cover of mustard that I will chop up and dig in prior to planting my tomatoes. Living mulch has the same advantages as normal mulch, but is also useful to break up compact soils through root growth and keep nitrogen from leeching out of your soil under rainfall.

[@patrickmurtha-x6b]

Hello Mark, You are a modern day hero. I have never commented on a person's website until now... But you have us so fired up to grow Healthy plants as food and medicine. I wish I could meet you and salute you in person Thank you for your contributions to a better Earth. Cheers, Patrick from Colorado

[@simonsonjh]

"My day of gardening is ruined!" ;)

[@SmallWonda]

Very helpful advice - the only caveat I'd express is using plastic - ie: with a tumbler, and covering the compost with it - Knowing now that plastic leeches and breaks down ending up in our soil & perhaps in the plants, also the birds & animals, I'm trying to limit use of plastic as far as is POSSIBLE around the garden. Wonderful help here, Mark, thanks 👍😎🍀🥑🍒🌷

[@cherylwillis6189]

I buy composting worms and they make the best compost.

Joe, from Guatemala here: I am in the process of aquiring new abilities, one of them is cultivating in my garden. Your advices and demonstrations are really interesting (I usually stay all time long at them). I am on no-dig method and have a large compost bay, but I surely will organize the three bay methods right tomorrow. Wow. Best wishes and keep publishing, friends.

[@mockadoodle1]

I love your positive, enthusiastic energy. You always provide very interesting, practical advice

[@crystalchristiansen6396]

I have a small garden bed and I never tried to compost in piles like that. I usually dig a hole, throw my scraps in and cover it up. This worked good last year. This year I tried a small pile of compost and it was great! I stopped throwing scraps in because the plants growing from the pile are beautiful!

[@lynnpurfield9430]

My tip for speeding up a composting bed? Wee on it :)

[@jennymullins593]

Is it true that the worms will pack up & leave, not liking the sprinkle? Too strong for them apparently.

[@FrankEdavidson]

Depends on the C/N ratio and moisture content.

[@tophercIaus]

Too much rum in mine. Probably not the best idea. Haha

[@LmaoMoni]

Jenny Mullins aye

[@Delekham]

Urine has a strong Nitrogen factor to it and worms don't like too much heat. The more Nitrogen in your compost the higher the Temperature will go...sometimes over the ideal of 125 -165 Deg F (52 - 74 Deg C) to kill any pathogens and seeds. Worms like it moist and warm...not hot. So you won't find any worms near the middle of the pile, just on the edges of the pile when you first start your Compost Pile. It is the Second and Third turnings where you will find more worms.

[@jimbrockmann9756]

Go to the produce manager at your local grocery & ask for their scrap, be prepared to pick it up every other day.

[@spookyblush-speedruns]

"Nice compost, where'd you get it?" "Thanks, I bought it off threebay."

[@hotrodpetesgarage699]

Benn watching your videos for a while from here in Southern California where I live. I enjoy them so much, not only for the knowledge you pass on, but because you come across as such a genuine and kind-hearted individual. It is your personality as mush as your gardening knowledge that makes your KZbin channel so enjoyable. Thank you. God bless you and your family.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thank you very much for those kind words and God Bless you also :)

[@brianandersen8111]

I think he's ready for Hollywood with that opening

[@cheshireerlinberts5806]

😂😂

[@onedazinn998]

A commentor on a permaculture video wrote that her old granny always had the kids bury food scraps and ashes from the cook stove in the garden that was in use...they buried it around or in between rows. I suppose this is similar in a keyhole garden layout where you compost in the center and the nutrients leech out around to growing beds. They did not seem to have problems with rodents or wildlife digging up the beds because the scent was buried. But it may be a good solution for someone who doesn't want to maintain a compost system. :)

[@Darkfyre755]

You could also do something like growing leguminous nitrogen fixing vines like peas or beans, then when you cut back the vines after harvest, the roots will then rot into the soil, adding more nitrogen and organic materials. Also compost the vines so you don't run out next time haha. Cover cropping is a very good permaculture style method that keeps your soil healthy and also productive.

[@Darkfyre755]

Also many of the pests that you remove from the gardens by resting your soils are also incapable of eating leguminous roots, so this has a similar effect to resting it in that way as well.

[@TheSamoanWatchman]

I made compost in the back yard by accident before i got into gardening. I have a date and a fig tree in the back and they drop fruit everywhere! I raked up all the over ripe fruits and placed in an old trash bin that was going to go to the trash as the opening lever was broken, and I forgot all about it. All the dates, figs and twigs i raked up became a very fine light brown compost in a few months. Almost like coffee grounds.

[@cameronwatts9113]

I put cheap potting mix in my compost to add some fill and structure. It helps bulk it up when you know you'll need some soon. Also, I add the cheap manure bags you can get, doesn't hurt to grab a $3 bag of aged poo and chuck it in a week or two before you use the whole compost. Mix it in, bulk up your compost and the few weeks (or months) it's in there will turn the whole lot in to a nice mix. Plenty of poo for sale here in Toowoomba, but it takes a while to age. So I age fresh poo for a few months in a separate compost by itself, then add that in to my main compost to give it a boost.

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi...... Self Sufficient Me, thank you for sharing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍

[@DovidM]

You need a trail cam pointed at your compost bin. I use the rougher, unfinished compost for crops like cucumbers and squash, and save the finished compost that has been screened for the smaller crops. Do you plant cover crops for the winter? I do because it supplements my compost supply.

[@yuvdolric]

Hello Mark. I enjoy your gardening videos very much, and many of your tips, though my garden is really tiny. Recently I've started to use HOMEBIOGAZ device. It's a self sufficient liquid fertilizer and cooking gas producer, based on water cow manure (as an enzyme starter) and kitchen scraps. I'ts not replacing the need of using compost but helps the fertility and health of the soil.

[@stephenowen1644]

Last year on my watermelon bed, I planted winter rye grass, let it get6 inches tall. Mowed it and made sure all clippings were blow onto the bed. I spread a 12 x 50 3 mil clear plastic and laid scrap wood around the edges for one month, them pulled up the plastic and planted watermelons. Worked great! This year same bed, I planted wheat. I plan to let it get 1 - 2 feet tall the run over it with a garden tractor pulling a roller to crimp the stalks, killing them and laying them down flat forming a thick mulch layer. We'll see how it works! My original plan was to get some round hay bales and try the Ruth Stout method, but the pandemic got in the way of getting hay.

[@o0Avalon0o]

Hi Mark! Can you use whole, old eggs in compost? I have a whole carton that was forgotten in the back of the fridge.

[@gemfyre855]

I have a Bokashi bin system. In previous rentals (and when I was living with my parents) I'd just bury it somewhere in the garden, but now I have 2 compost bins too so I've been chucking the "cooked" Bokashi into there - it breaks down in a matter of weeks. I've also been spreading a bucketful of the mix about 15cm down in my raised beds.

[@sc0tt500]

Hi Mark. Love your videos. Something I'm going to try next summer when its really hot and I'm struggling to grow anything of value, is grow a crop of Alfalfa (aka Lucerne) and dig it back into the soil. Nice and cheap and should add nitrogen and organic matter back into the soil. Keep up the great work!!!

[@RCPrepping]

I enjoyed your video. I compost directly into my beds. All my kitchen, lawn and garden scraps are spread in layers and covered with a layer of garden soil, wood chips or cow manure. I grow all year round. Zone 9b central Florida U.S.A.

[@williamruff3729]

I grow year around, South Florida! I think 10B

[@likeargamanflaming940]

Thank you, Roland. Zone 9 index 16 here. Will try. Was thinking about this.

[@dibrentley7915]

mum wraps her kitchen scraps in newspaper and just buries them in the yard.. shes been doing that for 40 years.

[@likeargamanflaming940]

@@dibrentley7915 what's nice is there are so many ways to do compost. I was reading somewhere or a video that it's best to wait approximately 6 weeks before planting where one has placed scraps as those scraps use the oxygen in the soil and will rob new roots of necessary oxygen...have you heard of this?

[@mytech6779]

I grow about 5-6 months in zone 8b Tacoma, eggplant and okra do not produce anything here.

[@topperaussie856]

If you’ve got room or you have some local,grow some luceana to chop and drop it adds large bulk to the rest of your compost pile ,thanks for the tips the ole blood n bone is great in my climate,basically desert in nw qld the compost basically evaporates in summer as does the mulch the lucenaa grow quick and are tough I’m also starting to use pigeon peas with great results

[@amintirifrumoase2252]

Do you ever get rats or mice into your compost pile? I found a whole family into mine, with babies,lots of them.What do you do in this case?Is the compost still good? I trashed mine.Thank you.

[@daleval2182]

Don't use galvanized anything, I worked in that industry, shit is toxic, you don't want galv in yer food bro, go to a mill, ask for edge bark cuts nail them for your cover, use steel nails, iron is fine

[@Kangaroojumper]

My kids and Niece and nephew have been watching you and are using your influence to make their own garden and videos they are taking over my yard 😂 on the bright side I'm getting free labour 😂

[@MrDosonhai]

The sun can literally disintegrate plastic, any type of plastic if given enough time. This is why I don't use plastic tools, ever.

[@wildchook745]

What do you do? You cry and hope the compost will fall down from the sky LOL. I have on the ground compost piles. Sometimes I don't let it complete the breaking down of the compost on the pile. I put cardboard down on a weedy/feral area and top it with the unfinished compost. It continues to break down there. I also bury my kitchen scrap in the garden or near plants. The worms love it and so as the plants. I also get volunteer plants from the scraps such as apple, apricot, avocado trees even tomatoes, pumpkins, capsicums and blah :) That is my favourite soil, the tomato one, its cheaper and works great.

[@AK-ru3sg]

Hate to say it Maaak but 'just' plan ahead. You should be able to get a tonne of farmyard compost delivered that would be a lot cheaper overall than buying the separate bags. If you have enough of those plastic bags that hd the cheap stuff in lying around then you can wait for the tonne to finish off (over here in pommy land they're often still cooking) then fill the bags and just make sure you have enough of a buffer. I have about 10 of them spare now that doggo can't reach so once I have to start using them it's time to get on the list for another tonne. I have a slightly larger than average pommy garden where we sip tea, eat cucumber sandwiches and talk about the weather and whinge a lot of course (mainly about Americans saying 'go ahead' all the time) so 10 spare bags is about right for us. Garden your size, a spare half tonne will be right mate. Planning, brilliant.

[@StephanieBacks]

i have sandy soil that just eats compost. put it on, a month to 6 weeks later, its gone, right back to beach sand. i cant make enough. as others commented, i also raid the neighbours for anything organic. its is starting to make a difference though. the places where its the 6th-8th application, the compost dissapears at a much slower rate (3-4 months)

[@ManOfSteel1]

you can have unlimited leaf compost from your property all you have to do is make a big pile and keep it moist and it will be done in a year. leaf compost in 89-90% of raw compost unlike vermicompost.

[@Chrysaphius86]

I noticed my dogs love to eat up the chunks of compost dropping for whatever reason. When I go to build my resting compost bed I’m gonna have to make it dog proof.

[@davidpritt5080]

G’dayyyy! Thanks for all your great information Mark. Cheers from Charlotte NC USA

[@viabell1428]

Putting your kitchen scraps in a blender that can crush ice and then adding them to shredded leaves and/or dirt makes them compost way faster..

[@americanbluejacket209]

Another great video. I'm new at gardening and my first (so called) garden turned into a weed jungle ! NOW, i'm getting serious. I am building raised beds and will begin them with the method in your video (Hugelkultur ?). Fall is coming fast here in Missouri (USA) so I am actually getting ready for next Spring. I have found that your videos are THE VERY BEST on the internet. Thank You for taking the time for these videos because it really helps people like me. WHO KNEW there was so much to know about gardening? Now, I know how very much that I do not know. Thanks Again.

[@cdnerin]

I always say there is no such thing as too much compost -- there is NEVER enough in the bins. I experimented a few years ago at the end of summer (I'm in western Canada, we have a short growing season, and brutal winters), because I have 3 plastic compost bins which just get layered & then left for the winter (I add kitchen scraps to the tops in the winter, but I don't mix them, it's too cold!). Anyway I was trying to use every bit of the dead plant matter, and the bins were full ... I dug a long trench & buried the rest, whole tomato plants, LOADS of shredded newspaper (I don't use regular office paper, because it's bleached & the inks are too chemical-laden, I just use newspapers, because it's veggie-based inks here) and layered with some garden soil & finished compost (to "seed" the bacteria required for decomposition), lots of chopped-up dead leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells and so on. I watered it in well and covered it with soil. I went out in spring to check the yard over, and check the bins and see what was coming up, then remembered the trench... I dug into it and wouldn't you know it was almost all gone! there was a few tomato stems, but most of everything was beautiful rich black compost! It did much better under the soil & snow than the layers in the bins did! I'll definitely do it again!

[@roseholden4918]

Whenever I have a container of dirt that needs refreshed, I'll dump the soil into another container. Then I'll add fresh scraps on the bottom and fill back up with the old dirt. It's less of an eyesore and breaks down nicely, especially if you rinse and repeat. :)

[@svetlanikolova7673]

If you don't have compost ? I learned to leave your crops roots to rot in the ground all winter! Chop and drop all the weeds in your garden and let them decompose on top of the mulch! Burry banana peels in the ground! You don't need to do much . Worm farms are a must for every Gardner to create the best compost for you!

[@nunyabiznis817]

There is no such thing as grass clippings that are seed-free that also does not have chemical herbicides in it. Any lawn that is weed free (and therefore seed free) is contaminated grass - contaminated possible with herbicides that do not break down easily even when hot composted.

[@catherinesyme901]

You never fail to make me smile with the opening of every video! 🇳🇿❤️🇦🇺

[@redpop99]

Really liked the tip about using cheap potting mix and adding blood and bone. Thank you.

[@PlantsFood4]

Love your channel and thank you for sharing your knowledge. A worm bin is a great way to produce fast compost and cheap. I keep mine in the garage and highly recommend it/them.

[@robertevans8024]

I like to put my brown paper supermarket bags through my paper shredder and add that into the compost bin.

[@nalingosalia7667]

not being able to go out due to covid 19 lockdown , i have taken to gardening and hydroponics . Your videos have changed my thought process

[@ruthscales8577]

also let dandylions grow in the garden & they will help move nutrients back to the top of the bed.

[@MrJohnjimmy7]

Keep up the great videos mate, my girlfriend woke me up to watch this with her :) Btw it's 1:50AM. You're a legend!!

[@Selfsufficientme]

How cool is that! Thanks mate I appreciate you guys forgoing sleep to watch my vid! Cheers :)

[@stevenguevara2184]

He's the best. I would listen to an Aussie read the phone book due to your fabulous accent. This man is giving priceless information.

[@jschreiweis]

RDLONG30 I don’t believe human waste is permitted in gardening products. Not in Australia anyway.