If you make one of these rough composting bins with wire and plant tomatoes or melons around the edges they go crazy. When the growing season is over what's left in the bin is compost.
I have a giant tree in my backyard which sheds leafs alot and i raked up all of the dead and for every 4 inches in my pile i put a palm leaf and a handful of alive leaves i also wet every scoop i did with the shovel will it still work?
@jameronies You're making what's called "Leaf Mold". Basically it's leaf compost. Not very rich in nitrogen but is a fantastic addition to soil because it makes the soil fluffy, retains water, attracts and feeds earthworms like crazy and helps balance ph just a bit. I'll be using lots of it now that I have trees in a yard that can be raked. The key is to keep them moist all the time. You'll know they're broken down when they turn black and smell like a fresh forest. It's a great smell.
@Praxxus55712 Thanks for the reply the stuff i'm making is exactly what i'm looking for but i have one last question, can you still make compost tea out of this or do i need to use grass or something more likely to be rich in nitrogen . I am growing pineapples and i want them to grow very big but i also want them to be very strong and healthy and that's why I want to use the compost tea.
You crack me up. I love your personality and videos. I love gardening too and learn from you. I'm wondering what happen to your rock ash experiment. I use it too. ....Ray
@PRAXXUS55712, Thanks for the prompt and DIRECT answer with no maybe this or that.... I knew if anyone would give an answer like that it would be you. I do so enjoy all you shinanagins(sp) within your videos and look forward to your coming summer and I hope your's is an exciting one!!! LaVon Mashburn of Marietta, GA
come... I had some leaves which were mulched last fall and used about half a tumbler full and a fresh batch of cut grass on the 11th along with a small amount of water to moisten and thought I had enough nitrogen material. I guess my question is: can I add additional fresh grass clippings to what I have and it will further compost and get hot enough to do any good? And by so doing will have to wait another 2-3 weeks before I get anything out . If it works then all is well. ldmashburn@aol.com
@L10aVon I would add more grass and fill that thing up. No such thing as too much grass. I've composted pure grass before. Leaves take longer to break down than most materials. Also smaller batches of compost will break down but not seem to heat up since they are small and cook at a lower temp. Add lots of grass and if you have any, a dozen or so handfulls of soil to add bacteria to it. Make sure your water isn't chlorinated. If chlorinated, let it set 24 hours before using. TaaDaa! :)
Ray, I don't know if this automatically rises to the top so that you might see added questions as they might occur: But, In case it does then I'm in a quandry over the fact that I can't get my compost to heat properly. I own an Urban Compost Tumbler and on April 11th I began what I thought would be my first successful batch of compost for this year. Here it is the 1st of May and although the contents of my tumbler is nice and black it has the form of pieces of leaves and their stems. More to c
@L10aVon Get a bag of Trader Joe's charcoal. Toss about fifteen briquets in there and a gallon of water. Your compost will speed right up. Lump charcoal works too but not any brand that uses a clay binder. Biochar. It's a wonder.
dude thanx for the quick response. i will for sure give it a whirl. so i know now coffee grounds are a good thing ,but how about the actual coffee, would that be a good thing for the compost pile with me not being a coffee drinker and all. on the flipside my 8yr.old niece caught me watching one of your vids and went ape over your wildlife especially the peacocks now she wants one. and i said get a life .(lol) again thanx and happy harvest.
@chupeeze Coffee can change the ph of soil. The grounds won't because tha acidity is in the liquid coffee. Your niece wants a peacock? HAHAHA! Trust me she wouldn't want one. They'd eat her barbie dolls and her cookies and poo on her pillow. :)
hey praxx, great vids truly enjoy them. along the lines of fertilizers,do you have any expirience or info on coffee grounds. and if so, are the grounds good news for plants. also can you use straight coffee on plants and compost ,not really a coffee drinker. the reason i ask is, my compost pile is gonna take longer than i expected ,and i'm looking for a quick fix now. or do you have ideas or help you can send my way, would be mighty grateful. all the way from tx. H-EEEEEEE-LP. lol.
@chupeeze Coffee grounds are fantastic for compost or soil additions. If you need a fast fix for plants that can't wait for compost and you don't have anything, you can buy a small bag of compost at any garden center. Toss some in a large container and add water. This will make a compost tea that will give you an instant boost to your plants. The ratio is around one cup of compost per gallon of water. The used up compost can even be tossed into a plant's soil or compost bin.
We add soil to ours to speed up the process and also use leaves from autumn fall to add to the compost to produce lime for the soil for e.g. for blueberries.
@Praxxus55712 Hi again Ray. As always, I have questions. Have you ever tried putting a compost pile right next to what you were growing, maybe a little upslope? Seems like every time it rained, it would just naturally make compost tea that would run onto your growing plants. I'm just trying to imagine new ways to do things with even less (or no) effort. Would it be a problem to have a pile of rot and decay right next to plants? Maybe compost is only good when it's finished and not in process?
It is true, I 'tried' this last year and yes we have compost. Only problem I put branches in there. Do you have a easy way to break up stuff? Gong to try it with my petrol strimmer and blade today......
@eddegoei I used to use a chipper shredder to break up corn stalks and branches but sold it years ago. Now I just throw that stuff into the forest and don't mess with it. I have no solution for you.
@Praxxus55712 Ola, thx for the answer. If I may, why did you sell it? Did you have enough grass or didn't it work? I don't have a lot of soft clippings/grass so anything is wellcome. Ha, send me some compost, I'm in Italy! Ciao!
@Praxxus55712 Regarding the corn stalks (not thick branches etc), what the no-till farmers do, is leave the stalks over the top of the ground as a mulch. It breaks down reasonably fast. They just plant in between the corn left-overs and their crops grow around and through the mulch. Thats what I did with my pea left overs. Let it sit and protect the soil underneath. It encourages the critters to come up closer to the surface and bring additional nutrients too. It's like a blanket.
My compost is mostly grass clippings because of this video. At first I didn't think it was working, but because my compost bin has holes in the bottom (to let the crawlies in) all the good stuff was coming out the bottom. I lifted the bin up the other day and the dirt underneath was noticeably blacker than the dirt inches away. I dug it all out and it's working great!
cool follow up, i did consider doing the grass clippings myself this year after seeing your vid, just never got round to it lol. Lovin the Intro by the way lol.
Nice compost vid! Hey Ray could you check out my channel sometime if you have a chance? I know your busy but I would love to hear you make fun of me! :)
So, I have a question for you. Is compost from grass clippings as good as compost made with chicken manure? I have 2 different batches going at any given time. One with horse manure and garden clippings and one with just grass and clippings and kitchen scraps. Also, I have been putting some fish oil emulsion in my compost tea lately and was wondering if it is of any value. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!
@TheOrganiclady I just collected a ute load of old, earthworm-laden grass clippings from a neighbour's place. It looks and smells like horse manure, and I've mixed it with a big pile of gum leaves which I hope will take a lot less than their normal 2 or more years to break down (I have no grass to mow).
@TheOrganiclady Like Ray said, they will have different nutrient ratios, but both are so much better than artificial fertilisers! Adding fish emulsion is great. I harvested a massive batch of seaweed from the beach months ago and added it directly to my garden. The amount of worms living in there has increased massively!
Makes total sense. It's not like the wind is turning over all the leaves and dead plants in the forest. They just sit there and compost. I do try to layer when I make a compost pile. I think the formula is to alternate green (fresh cut stuff) with brown (animal manure, fallen brown leaves, etc.) but it doesn't always work out that way. :p Love the lazy ways!
You gotta love that. I have grass I didn't turn yet for months lol, but I plan to put it with leaves & crap over winter. Well not real crap, though that is an excellent idea.
Lookin' good Ray. I'm pretty lazy about my compost pile and only turn it about once a month. Then in the winter I don't turn it at all. It takes mine a whole year to get to a useable stage. One thing to keep in mind is that the less you turn it and the less heat it generates, the more viable weed seeds it'll still have in it when you use it. Everythings a compromise, LOL. I always have quite a few weed seeds in mine.
Good to know. I have so much potential compost, its hard to keep it all going by aerobic decomposition. Did you water it or did it stay moist enough on its own?
I noticed when making compost tea with your method, if I let it sit, it will get anaerobic in the mud at the bottom. Smells just like a septic tank. I *think* the anaerobic is also the stuff that will give you root rot. I think what you can do is, just stir it a few times a day, stirring up the bottom stuff so that the air hits it. I think oxygen kills anaerobic bacteria on instant contact.
Read The Humanure Handbook. At libraries everywhere.
@eredy My only concern about using city made compost is that many people in my city use chemicals on their lawns and I really don't want to transfer them into my gardens. But I do have neighbors(that don't use chems) put their grass clippings in a 35 gal trash can I pick it after they mow their yards. Same in fall I collect huge amount of leaves and shred and bag for summer time use with the grass.
@techdude1876 The mush will eventually turn to good compost if left alone long enough. My grass compost turned to a slimy mess for awhile. It was a nasty looking creepy pile of goo. :)
How long is the summer in Minnesota??
RawFoodGuy99 3 months ago
@RawFoodGuy99 Two or three.......minutes.
The growing season is from the middle of May until around the end of September.
Praxxus55712 3 months ago
If you make one of these rough composting bins with wire and plant tomatoes or melons around the edges they go crazy. When the growing season is over what's left in the bin is compost.
Pangolinx1 6 months ago
If you Pee on your compost heap it will rot down quicker. Urine is a good activator it also adds nitrogen calcium posphates and potasium
powerspade 8 months ago
I have a giant tree in my backyard which sheds leafs alot and i raked up all of the dead and for every 4 inches in my pile i put a palm leaf and a handful of alive leaves i also wet every scoop i did with the shovel will it still work?
jameronies 8 months ago
@jameronies You're making what's called "Leaf Mold". Basically it's leaf compost. Not very rich in nitrogen but is a fantastic addition to soil because it makes the soil fluffy, retains water, attracts and feeds earthworms like crazy and helps balance ph just a bit. I'll be using lots of it now that I have trees in a yard that can be raked. The key is to keep them moist all the time. You'll know they're broken down when they turn black and smell like a fresh forest. It's a great smell.
Praxxus55712 8 months ago
@Praxxus55712 Thanks for the reply the stuff i'm making is exactly what i'm looking for but i have one last question, can you still make compost tea out of this or do i need to use grass or something more likely to be rich in nitrogen . I am growing pineapples and i want them to grow very big but i also want them to be very strong and healthy and that's why I want to use the compost tea.
jameronies 8 months ago
@jameronies Since leaf mold is low in nitrogen, you would want to add a bit of grass to the compost to boost the nitrogen a bit for an effective tea.
Praxxus55712 8 months ago
You crack me up. I love your personality and videos. I love gardening too and learn from you. I'm wondering what happen to your rock ash experiment. I use it too. ....Ray
paulgem123 10 months ago
@PRAXXUS55712, Thanks for the prompt and DIRECT answer with no maybe this or that.... I knew if anyone would give an answer like that it would be you. I do so enjoy all you shinanagins(sp) within your videos and look forward to your coming summer and I hope your's is an exciting one!!! LaVon Mashburn of Marietta, GA
L10aVon 10 months ago
come... I had some leaves which were mulched last fall and used about half a tumbler full and a fresh batch of cut grass on the 11th along with a small amount of water to moisten and thought I had enough nitrogen material. I guess my question is: can I add additional fresh grass clippings to what I have and it will further compost and get hot enough to do any good? And by so doing will have to wait another 2-3 weeks before I get anything out . If it works then all is well. ldmashburn@aol.com
L10aVon 10 months ago
@L10aVon I would add more grass and fill that thing up. No such thing as too much grass. I've composted pure grass before. Leaves take longer to break down than most materials. Also smaller batches of compost will break down but not seem to heat up since they are small and cook at a lower temp. Add lots of grass and if you have any, a dozen or so handfulls of soil to add bacteria to it. Make sure your water isn't chlorinated. If chlorinated, let it set 24 hours before using. TaaDaa! :)
Praxxus55712 10 months ago
Ray, I don't know if this automatically rises to the top so that you might see added questions as they might occur: But, In case it does then I'm in a quandry over the fact that I can't get my compost to heat properly. I own an Urban Compost Tumbler and on April 11th I began what I thought would be my first successful batch of compost for this year. Here it is the 1st of May and although the contents of my tumbler is nice and black it has the form of pieces of leaves and their stems. More to c
L10aVon 10 months ago
@L10aVon Get a bag of Trader Joe's charcoal. Toss about fifteen briquets in there and a gallon of water. Your compost will speed right up. Lump charcoal works too but not any brand that uses a clay binder. Biochar. It's a wonder.
Pangolinx1 6 months ago
Your videos are hilarious and so informative.. You should have wayy more views!!! A show on TV, even!!
Hemolymph 11 months ago
dude thanx for the quick response. i will for sure give it a whirl. so i know now coffee grounds are a good thing ,but how about the actual coffee, would that be a good thing for the compost pile with me not being a coffee drinker and all. on the flipside my 8yr.old niece caught me watching one of your vids and went ape over your wildlife especially the peacocks now she wants one. and i said get a life .(lol) again thanx and happy harvest.
chupeeze 1 year ago
@chupeeze Coffee can change the ph of soil. The grounds won't because tha acidity is in the liquid coffee. Your niece wants a peacock? HAHAHA! Trust me she wouldn't want one. They'd eat her barbie dolls and her cookies and poo on her pillow. :)
Praxxus55712 1 year ago
hey praxx, great vids truly enjoy them. along the lines of fertilizers,do you have any expirience or info on coffee grounds. and if so, are the grounds good news for plants. also can you use straight coffee on plants and compost ,not really a coffee drinker. the reason i ask is, my compost pile is gonna take longer than i expected ,and i'm looking for a quick fix now. or do you have ideas or help you can send my way, would be mighty grateful. all the way from tx. H-EEEEEEE-LP. lol.
chupeeze 1 year ago
@chupeeze Coffee grounds are fantastic for compost or soil additions. If you need a fast fix for plants that can't wait for compost and you don't have anything, you can buy a small bag of compost at any garden center. Toss some in a large container and add water. This will make a compost tea that will give you an instant boost to your plants. The ratio is around one cup of compost per gallon of water. The used up compost can even be tossed into a plant's soil or compost bin.
Praxxus55712 1 year ago
We add soil to ours to speed up the process and also use leaves from autumn fall to add to the compost to produce lime for the soil for e.g. for blueberries.
ivankinsman 1 year ago
@Praxxus55712 Hi again Ray. As always, I have questions. Have you ever tried putting a compost pile right next to what you were growing, maybe a little upslope? Seems like every time it rained, it would just naturally make compost tea that would run onto your growing plants. I'm just trying to imagine new ways to do things with even less (or no) effort. Would it be a problem to have a pile of rot and decay right next to plants? Maybe compost is only good when it's finished and not in process?
gekizai 1 year ago
@gekizai Things definitely grow massively downslope from my compost bins. It's almost ridiculous how monsterous they get.
Praxxus55712 1 year ago
It is true, I 'tried' this last year and yes we have compost. Only problem I put branches in there. Do you have a easy way to break up stuff? Gong to try it with my petrol strimmer and blade today......
eddegoei 1 year ago
@eddegoei I used to use a chipper shredder to break up corn stalks and branches but sold it years ago. Now I just throw that stuff into the forest and don't mess with it. I have no solution for you.
Praxxus55712 1 year ago
@Praxxus55712 Ola, thx for the answer. If I may, why did you sell it? Did you have enough grass or didn't it work? I don't have a lot of soft clippings/grass so anything is wellcome. Ha, send me some compost, I'm in Italy! Ciao!
eddegoei 1 year ago
@eddegoei I sold it becaus I didn't need it anymore and needed the storage room.
Praxxus55712 1 year ago
@Praxxus55712 Regarding the corn stalks (not thick branches etc), what the no-till farmers do, is leave the stalks over the top of the ground as a mulch. It breaks down reasonably fast. They just plant in between the corn left-overs and their crops grow around and through the mulch. Thats what I did with my pea left overs. Let it sit and protect the soil underneath. It encourages the critters to come up closer to the surface and bring additional nutrients too. It's like a blanket.
ToyMaster83 1 year ago
What do I do with my compost pile in the winter? Do I have to cover it up? Any necessary preparation?
makeshiftpat 1 year ago
@makeshiftpat It's a really good idea to cover it with a tarp to keep the snow and rain off of it.
Praxxus55712 1 year ago
Thank you Thank you Thank you....I really needed to hear this, because I was very lazy at times. Now I don't have to feel guilty anymore :)
ImQueenVirtuous 1 year ago
@ImQueenVirtuous : I'm lazy everyday of my life. But I don't feel guilty.
LaoSoftware 1 year ago
My compost is mostly grass clippings because of this video. At first I didn't think it was working, but because my compost bin has holes in the bottom (to let the crawlies in) all the good stuff was coming out the bottom. I lifted the bin up the other day and the dirt underneath was noticeably blacker than the dirt inches away. I dug it all out and it's working great!
TheMetaliturtle 1 year ago
cool follow up, i did consider doing the grass clippings myself this year after seeing your vid, just never got round to it lol. Lovin the Intro by the way lol.
AnitaGofradump2008 1 year ago
HAHAHAHA
Nice compost vid! Hey Ray could you check out my channel sometime if you have a chance? I know your busy but I would love to hear you make fun of me! :)
jakearick 1 year ago
HAHAHA
nice vid very funny. Hey ray if you get a chance could you check out my channel? I would like to hear you make fun of me! :)
jakearick 1 year ago
HAHAHA
nice vid very funny. Hey ray if you get a chance could you check out my channel? I would like to hear you make fun of me! :)
jakearick 1 year ago
So, I have a question for you. Is compost from grass clippings as good as compost made with chicken manure? I have 2 different batches going at any given time. One with horse manure and garden clippings and one with just grass and clippings and kitchen scraps. Also, I have been putting some fish oil emulsion in my compost tea lately and was wondering if it is of any value. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!
TheOrganiclady 1 year ago
@TheOrganiclady I think the chicken manure compost is far better. It's extremely high in nitrogen.
Praxxus55712 1 year ago
@TheOrganiclady I just collected a ute load of old, earthworm-laden grass clippings from a neighbour's place. It looks and smells like horse manure, and I've mixed it with a big pile of gum leaves which I hope will take a lot less than their normal 2 or more years to break down (I have no grass to mow).
Snurdgerbly 1 year ago
@TheOrganiclady Like Ray said, they will have different nutrient ratios, but both are so much better than artificial fertilisers! Adding fish emulsion is great. I harvested a massive batch of seaweed from the beach months ago and added it directly to my garden. The amount of worms living in there has increased massively!
ToyMaster83 1 year ago
One thing I'd like to add, if you do use just grass, adding compost to the grass will help get things started breaking down.
I3addogy 1 year ago
Makes total sense. It's not like the wind is turning over all the leaves and dead plants in the forest. They just sit there and compost. I do try to layer when I make a compost pile. I think the formula is to alternate green (fresh cut stuff) with brown (animal manure, fallen brown leaves, etc.) but it doesn't always work out that way. :p Love the lazy ways!
VivianRinSC 1 year ago
You gotta love that. I have grass I didn't turn yet for months lol, but I plan to put it with leaves & crap over winter. Well not real crap, though that is an excellent idea.
omegahpla 1 year ago
great job as always.
sherylintheraw 1 year ago
Was that your clone?
OS253 1 year ago
Looks like great compost..:)
dianemummvideos 1 year ago
Lookin' good Ray. I'm pretty lazy about my compost pile and only turn it about once a month. Then in the winter I don't turn it at all. It takes mine a whole year to get to a useable stage. One thing to keep in mind is that the less you turn it and the less heat it generates, the more viable weed seeds it'll still have in it when you use it. Everythings a compromise, LOL. I always have quite a few weed seeds in mine.
Blinkazoid 1 year ago
Good to know. I have so much potential compost, its hard to keep it all going by aerobic decomposition. Did you water it or did it stay moist enough on its own?
SiriusLupis 1 year ago
sweet follow-up!
optikfiber 1 year ago
I wear the required uniform! Tights!
Buttereeeee 1 year ago
I noticed when making compost tea with your method, if I let it sit, it will get anaerobic in the mud at the bottom. Smells just like a septic tank. I *think* the anaerobic is also the stuff that will give you root rot. I think what you can do is, just stir it a few times a day, stirring up the bottom stuff so that the air hits it. I think oxygen kills anaerobic bacteria on instant contact.
Read The Humanure Handbook. At libraries everywhere.
barkulator 1 year ago
0:57 Anything? Can I borrow five bucks?
barkulator 1 year ago
i get my compost free from the city i live by, u live by a city that dose that.gives it away .another thing is a worm bed the poo is great from worms
eredy 1 year ago
@eredy My only concern about using city made compost is that many people in my city use chemicals on their lawns and I really don't want to transfer them into my gardens. But I do have neighbors(that don't use chems) put their grass clippings in a 35 gal trash can I pick it after they mow their yards. Same in fall I collect huge amount of leaves and shred and bag for summer time use with the grass.
apaulanarius 1 year ago
My compost turns to a mush witch I throw away.
techdude1876 1 year ago
@techdude1876 The mush will eventually turn to good compost if left alone long enough. My grass compost turned to a slimy mess for awhile. It was a nasty looking creepy pile of goo. :)
Praxxus55712 1 year ago
Thumbs up:)
rayme4raw 1 year ago