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We did this no dig, planting directly into compost (horse bedding) for the first time this year with cauliflower and potatoes. Our cauliflower leaves reached my waist (5โ4โ) and the heads were 3+ pounds, nice and tight with no bugs. There were very few weeds. The potatoes are just finishing, and look to be the best ever harvest (Adirondack Red & Yukon Gold). Again, very few weeds. Weโre Scrooging our horse bedding over winter and using this method from here on out! Also adding compost bays like you show here. As always, Hew, helpful and wise! Big hugs!
I actually find the corner of the garden with the compost is my favourite.. I mean we dont have nice smelling plants or anything yet because it was kindof abandoned and weve only just bought it- but the compost bins are actually quite nice
The previous owners also seem to have thrown like landscaping fabric and painted wood and screws in it though.. would it be better to just get rid of that compost or should we use it anyways?..
Huw! Hello.๐ Another excellent video. Thank you!!!! I've been composting for years and have never had a rat problem. Ever. While living in the city or the suburbs..??? Although I was terrible at chemistry in school (diploma in accounting) I enjoy mentally visiting the composting carbon and nitrogen ratios, i think my garden is currently lush and beautiful as a resultof this! I recently had an admirer ask "do you do anything special to your soil?" ๐ ๐๐๐ I was flattered!!! I make my own composts and liquid fertilizers. That may be it…? Oh well, Still having fun growing!๐ฅ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฅฌ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฅฆ๐ง๐
4:55 i agree with the general message, but as a chemist, I can't really let this slide…. No, they don't have calculators, but all chemical reactions Do Care about proportions, it's called stoichiometry, and it's not someone people made up, it's something people found out about, and it exists in everything micro-biology related
I keep it simple, no rule composting! Just chuck in everything that can decompose (oranges, meat, eggshells, cardboard etc). I still get great compost, my garden agrees. I do however have limited space in a residential area, and don't want complaints from neighbours about flies or smells, so I use three plastic Dalek compost bins and turn it with spiral compost turner once a month. I get great compost every three months. If there are old bones or pips left I couldn't really care less, leave it in garden or re-compost.
Nice one Huw. I've noticed that if the compost bin is kept moist, the rats/mice aren't interested in nesting in there. I also use covered in-ground wormeries for fruit & veg and that helps. I also read in a Steve Solomon book that 'the more often compost is turned, the lower the fertility' Am grateful for that bit of advice from you ๐
I don't have much brown material in summer so instead I later green material and let the top sun dry into browns, then add another layer and so on…. But I don't really make much compost because I directly chop and drop everything In a syntropic system which is even easier and produces great results.
I don't get rats even though I put EVERYTHING in my compost pile, I do get robins and those tiny little death machines rip my pile apart so they can kill all the bugs I just look at them as employees that will work for food, you wouldn't think those little guys can turn a compost pile but they can
I did once attract a rat to my compost heap at my allotment. I know this as I found the poor things tail and some skin when harvesting the heap. All that was left. I guess it fell in and starved / died of thirst ๐ข
Last year I used a flail to mash up everything I dragged off the land, then some rake hands (like wolverine ๐) to gather it and put in a pile. Took hours, and 30-40 dumpy bags of waste. Reckon I got 2 dumpy bags out the other end this year. Building a machine to do it for me this year, run by chickens.
At my allotment site the old school are always putting green waste into skips or huge bags to take to the tip. I suggested that we make a giant communal compost heap instead but there is no way to convince these people who are set in their ways. I never take any green waste off site. Ever. It just goes in the compost.
When the ratio is "right", it is faster and better. Depending on what I have around, the ratio changes, which means the speed changes a bit. So sometimes it takes a bit longer. It's fine.
I also use compost that is not yet done in the bottom of containers and raised bed. It's a semi-huegel culture.
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We did this no dig, planting directly into compost (horse bedding) for the first time this year with cauliflower and potatoes. Our cauliflower leaves reached my waist (5โ4โ) and the heads were 3+ pounds, nice and tight with no bugs. There were very few weeds. The potatoes are just finishing, and look to be the best ever harvest (Adirondack Red & Yukon Gold). Again, very few weeds. Weโre Scrooging our horse bedding over winter and using this method from here on out! Also adding compost bays like you show here. As always, Hew, helpful and wise! Big hugs!
I actually find the corner of the garden with the compost is my favourite..
I mean we dont have nice smelling plants or anything yet because it was kindof abandoned and weve only just bought it- but the compost bins are actually quite nice
The previous owners also seem to have thrown like landscaping fabric and painted wood and screws in it though.. would it be better to just get rid of that compost or should we use it anyways?..
I find the greatest issue in composting is grass clippings.
They do need mixing with a lot of brown material to break down nicely.
Huw! Hello.๐ Another excellent video. Thank you!!!!
I've been composting for years and have never had a rat problem. Ever. While living in the city or the suburbs..??? Although I was terrible at chemistry in school (diploma in accounting) I enjoy mentally visiting the composting carbon and nitrogen ratios, i think my garden is currently lush and beautiful as a resultof this! I recently had an admirer ask "do you do anything special to your soil?" ๐ ๐๐๐ I was flattered!!! I make my own composts and liquid fertilizers. That may be it…? Oh well, Still having fun growing!๐ฅ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฅฌ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฅฆ๐ง๐
4:55 i agree with the general message, but as a chemist, I can't really let this slide…. No, they don't have calculators, but all chemical reactions Do Care about proportions, it's called stoichiometry, and it's not someone people made up, it's something people found out about, and it exists in everything micro-biology related
All of the info you share is so valuable! Thank you๐
…add chop and drop on site, and then everything is said (and done ๐ )
great video:)
I am just coming inside to look up composting after standing in my garden and wondering. thanks!
I keep it simple, no rule composting! Just chuck in everything that can decompose (oranges, meat, eggshells, cardboard etc). I still get great compost, my garden agrees. I do however have limited space in a residential area, and don't want complaints from neighbours about flies or smells, so I use three plastic Dalek compost bins and turn it with spiral compost turner once a month. I get great compost every three months. If there are old bones or pips left I couldn't really care less, leave it in garden or re-compost.
Thank you!๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ต
Aaw you have such affectionate plants that want to hug you mid video๐ฅฐ
Nice one Huw. I've noticed that if the compost bin is kept moist, the rats/mice aren't interested in nesting in there. I also use covered in-ground wormeries for fruit & veg and that helps. I also read in a Steve Solomon book that 'the more often compost is turned, the lower the fertility' Am grateful for that bit of advice from you ๐
This year I've been growing wine cap mushrooms in random woodchip piles – so far it seems to produce pretty good mushroom compost
I don't have much brown material in summer so instead I later green material and let the top sun dry into browns, then add another layer and so on…. But I don't really make much compost because I directly chop and drop everything In a syntropic system which is even easier and produces great results.
I don't get rats even though I put EVERYTHING in my compost pile, I do get robins and those tiny little death machines rip my pile apart so they can kill all the bugs
I just look at them as employees that will work for food, you wouldn't think those little guys can turn a compost pile but they can
My compost got whiffy when I threw on the 300 or so dead slugs I collected over one week. My neighbours love me!
I did once attract a rat to my compost heap at my allotment. I know this as I found the poor things tail and some skin when harvesting the heap. All that was left. I guess it fell in and starved / died of thirst ๐ข
My compost never heats up.
ูุนู ุฑุชุดุงุฑุฏ ุงููู ุจูุณุช ูุณุท ุฒุฑุงุนู ูุบูุฑ ูุธุฑุชู ูุฒุฑุงุนุฉ ููุชุงุฆุฌู ู ุญูุฒุฉ ุชุดุฌุน ุนูู ุฅุนุฏุงุฏู
Last year I used a flail to mash up everything I dragged off the land, then some rake hands (like wolverine ๐) to gather it and put in a pile. Took hours, and 30-40 dumpy bags of waste. Reckon I got 2 dumpy bags out the other end this year.
Building a machine to do it for me this year, run by chickens.
At my allotment site the old school are always putting green waste into skips or huge bags to take to the tip. I suggested that we make a giant communal compost heap instead but there is no way to convince these people who are set in their ways. I never take any green waste off site. Ever. It just goes in the compost.
Thank you for making things simple and easy.
When the ratio is "right", it is faster and better. Depending on what I have around, the ratio changes, which means the speed changes a bit. So sometimes it takes a bit longer. It's fine.
I also use compost that is not yet done in the bottom of containers and raised bed. It's a semi-huegel culture.