This is a pretty general overview on how I compost, which is to say, in a somewhat lazy and casual way. For a deep dive into composting, I highly recommend Lee Reich’s blog: http://www.leereich.com/?s=compost&searchsubmit=Search
The only thing I buy for the compost pile is a bag of alfalfa cubes from the feed store about every five years. These provide a big hit of nitrogen to help balance out all the leaves that end up in there in fall and really get the compost cooking.
❂ Compost bracket set: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/garden/composting/composters/56092-composter-bracket-set?item=CT110
❂ Compost thermometer: https://amzn.to/3tE3Bqb
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My name is Erin and I love sharing inspiration and information with real-life gardeners. I live and garden in southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5.
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31 Comments
I bought one set of these Lee Valley compost bin brackets after watching this video and I am so happy with the design! Next month I will buy a second set so I can turn my compost. Thanks for featuring these! 💚
Urine is really high in nitrogen and it's free.
Today I picked up a 40lb bag of alfalfa cubes, and a 10gal galvanized can to store them in. I placed it next to the shed and I know someday soon my husband will discover it and ask me, "what are the alfalfa cubes for?" I'm going to say "we're getting a horse" just to see the look on his face 🤣
But won't adding alfalfa cubes to your compost bin attract horses? 🤔😂
I created a few 4x4x4 wired bins, and then layer in grass clippings, then brown leaves, then grass clippings, etc…. then I let it cook (around 160 degrees) then when it drops down enough, I run a mantis tiller to mix things up, and then let it cook again. Rinse and repeat, and then dark brown gold.
Also make sure you avoid hay, straw or manures that are contaminated with Grazon or 2 4 d herbicide.
Great vid! I've used alfalfa pellets and they work great, but I've found coffee grounds work better. Alfalfa will get the pile up to 140°, but espresso grounds take it up to 160°, and the pile tends to cool down slower with the coffee grounds. I can get 20 – 50 lbs of espresso grounds a day from my local Starbucks, if I hit it at the right time of day. I dry the grounds out, in the sun, on an old shower curtain, and then walk on it to break up the clods, to dry it out. This makes it easier to spread it on my lawn and sprinkle on the compost pile. If it's dry and powdery, it will settle down into the lower parts of the pile. Coffee grounds supply NPK nutrients as well as many micronutrients slowly, so they're not great as a quick start fertilizer, but they are great as a soil amendment and long term fertilizer.
And, no, I'm not being paid by either Starbucks nor Juan Valdez.
metal corner hinge/brackets are just what I have been looking for – share link?! Thanks for your great info!! I am planning to make raised garden & compost containers so all shared info will be appreciated!
I LOVE your approach to gardening. You make it less intimidating for us beginners.
Great vid! It's making me wish I could travel back in time and watch it in 2018 😉 It would have saved me a lot of grief! My method of making compost has evolved into something very similar to yours. I need to collect a minimum of 80 gallons of dry, whole leaves each week to support my mini farm, but the sky is the limit. This week I collected 300! I keep several piles going at once, including one I call my "dirty" pile for weeds, manure that could possibly contain aminopyralids (essentially all manure that's not from free range animals) and anything else that could possibly contain persistent herbicides or anything else that's nasty. I keep adding to the dirty pile until it decomposes to about two yards, then switch to stoking it with clean material to keep it hot. After the switch, it needs to age a minimum of two years. But three is better and four is best.
Unfortunately there's now a lot of GMO alfalfa that's been engineered to work with aminopyralids. It's harmless to livestock, but makes their manure poisonous to broad-leaf plants. For more info on this, search for "Aminopyralid Response Sheet from Dow." At the very least, I recommend performing an assay before incorporating animal feed or manure into compost that will be used within four years. Alternately, you can purchase organic alfalfa cubes from Standlee. Most feed stores do not stock it, but you can buy them online from Standlee and have it drop shipped to your local Tractor Supply.
Best thing I found to turn my compost pile was a oversized bulb auger on the end of a portable drill.
Hack to easy turning: use an auger bit on a drill.
How do you know that the compost is ready to use on your garden?
FYI- Most Alfalfa, includeing the cubes, are GMO. Something to think about. Thanks for info.
I save leaves to add to green stuff. I have a black & decker leaf mulcher/ chopper. In the fall I chop up some leaves & add to my raised bed & a few other spots. And then I chop some up, put them in a large tote in the garage & add them to my compost tumblers as needed thru out the year.
Before I got my leaf blower/chopper, I would put dry leaves in a garbage can & put my weed wacker down in there. Kinda like a blender to chop up the leaves.
Erin, I love your videos, keep up the good work. I heard of your channel from The southerner’s northern garden, which I heard of from Roots & Refuge which I came across from looking up how to grow tomatoes. (I know how to grow tomatoes, but wanted to know new tips & tricks.) I’m a master gardener & have been an avid gardener all my life. I love your content.
LOL at "Simple and lazy is the way I roll" – need that on a T-shirt! I don't have a sunny enough spot for a compost pile, I finally admitted after trying for about 20 years! Have been having success by digging a pit in my clayey soil and composting in the pit. Never heard about alfalfa for compost piles. Thanks for the tip. Lots of horse farms and feed stores around here so I may try it.
you can just till alfalfa pellets into the garden, probably best in the fall.
I’d like to know where to get the green poles that I see in this great video, any suggestions, thanks.
How many pounds of alfalfa was in the bucket?
What’s the thing call alfalfa …..
How big is the box
Adding a thin layer of soil every couple layers really helps to hold in moisture and gives the compost structure.
I think it's easy for able-bodied people that can physically do a lot to complicate things like composting ✌️🍁🍂🌿🌿❤️ thanks for demystifying it for people this is the way I've done it for years and I do a lot of chop and drop because I have days I can't even do anything so I let nature take its course so it's waiting for me on a good mobility day 🌿🍂 I also like that you brought up the fact it's a good way to help the Earth and your garden all in one.
I talked to my neighbor into not putting any weed killer and pulling everything by hand for the last 3 years so this year I'm going to ask him for his pine straw and grass clippings that he mows up on his last mow for the season which should be in the next couple of days and that's my green on top of my other stuff. 🍂🍂 💦🌬️💨❄️☃️ Everything will be tucked in 💤 💤 until May 🌱🌷☘️🌳 so much great information without a lot of unnecessary 🤔 yapping 😉✌️🥰❤️
I have tons of leaves that my willow tree drops. I guess I should start using that instead of always dreading to clean it up 🙂 when I moved into my home ( 2 years living here) the front yard is completely dead and ugly soil. Last tenants did not take care of anything.
I have a standard poodle and three standard labradoodles. I groom them, so lots of hair. Is it okay to put dog hair in my compost pile?
Love your channel ❤️
Good video. I have a leaf mold bin and I find that using the "jet" setting on my sprayer digs a hold in it to get the water down in the pile. I'm composting in 45 gal. trash cans now but wanting to build a double pallet bin. Very hard to turn the compost in a 45 gal. container. I can move about half of it into an empty bin by using a potato fork and then lift and dump the bottom compost on top of it. It's very heavy and I have trouble lifting it if I leave too much in the can. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and suggestions with us.
Yes, I tried the super lazy method for my third pile which I just started in 2021. I left it alone in 2022 and now I have a decent pile of compost. I did make sure to adjust the brown leaves with green matter, but did t do much else and time and nature did all the work. Super fun!
I dont have room for a compost bin, so i use the IWRK leaf shredder, dropping the leaves into 50 gal bags, puncture the bags and add water and tie the bag shut. . .and let it "cook." ( One of the advantages is that when I need to use the leaf mulch, I can drag it out to my garden in the black plastic bag.) Anyway, would you just dump a bit of the soup on top?
Erin do you worry about jumping worms in your compost from cocoons sucked up with the leaves or moving your plants around? I have an invasion that’s spreading quickly (I think from when we had a new septic field in 2021). They’re everywhere, I’ve just found one in our new raised beds 😢. I’m at my wits end figuring out what to do/not do, so I’m worried about shredding or composting the leaves this fall. Thanks, The Calm Gardener – who isn’t anymore.