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Build Amazing Fertile Garden Soil Using Free and Local Resources in your Mulch or Compost
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2015
- How to build soil fertility for the perfect garden soil for free!
It is fall here in Alberta and that means the summer crops are done and some of the garden beds are done for the year. Just because there is nothing goring in some of these beds does not mean you can’t be getting ready for next season. Today I am going to show you how I continue to build soil fertility over the winter with free and local resources.
Mulching garden beds is a great practice to help build your soil fertility.
Compost
Probably the best thing to mulch with is finished compost. The nutrients are immediately available for the nutrient cycle and it usually comes with a high concentration of beneficial bacteria and organisms like earth worms that will help break down the other mulch materials.
Generally I simply lay it on top in a 2-3 cm or 1 inch layer after having pulled back any undecomposed mulch material. I don’t mix it in so that I don’t damage any of the beneficial organisms like fungi in the soil.
Autumn Leaves Autumn leaves are a great resource that quite literally falls from the sky. They have a wide variety of trace elements and carbon. In fact of the 15 commonly tested for beneficial and essential elements autumn leaves have 11/15. When broken down they add these nutrients to the nutrient cycle and the carbon material adds humus that retains water and provides habitat for soil born beneficial organisms.
I usually add a thick layer to the garden as it will help insulate the soil from the harshest winter temperatures. By spring the volume will have decreased as it decomposes.
The one thing autumn leaves don’t have a lot of is Nitrogen for this we will need to turn to some other resources you generate in the kitchen
Used Coffee Grounds and Tea Leaves
Used coffee grounds and tea leaves are often tossed in the trash but they are a valuable resource to add to the garden.
When I analyzed coffee grounds in the testing garden assumptions series videos I found they had a total NPK of 2.05-0.2979-0.7469 with a hand full of trace elements.
Used Tea leaves also have an impressive total NPK of 4.15-0.62 -0.4 doubling the nitrogen and phosphorus of used coffee grounds [1]
Tea leaves also have 12 of 15 elements making them a valuable addition to the mulch.
I usually sprinkle them directly on top of the autumn leaves making sure not to apply more than a cm or ½ inch to any one area. If over applied they can slow the decomposition process.
Not only can you take materials that would otherwise become trash but you can literally grow your own fertilizer on site.
Comfrey
Comfrey is a plant that sends down a deep taproot to and is able to collect nutrients from the mineral layer and bring it to the surface as a part of its leaves. I use the leaves as a part of my mulch layer helping to deposit those nutrients where the garden plants can use them.
Comfrey has a total NPK of 3.7-1.2-8.43 and it contains all 15 of the 15 commonly tested for essential and beneficial elements.
Eggshells
Eggshells are commonly added to my mulch layer as well. They are over 40% calcium that is immediately plant available when released from the shell. Eggshells also have a wide variety of elements including nitrogen. They have 9/15 elements tested for and most importantly have significant quantities of Selenium which is often not in other free and local resources.
Eggshells are easy to add to the mulch layer. I usually let them dry out in my shed for a few months. This will help reduce any potential for harmful bacterial to colonize. Once dry and brittle I crush the shells roughly and simply sprinkle on the mulch layer.
Hot Compost
If you are applying mulch to an area near a live plant make sure not to apply too thick of a layer of these mulch materials. When combine in larger quantities they can and will create a hot compost that can damage root systems.
Cover Crops, Wood Ash and Urine
When combine and used in a mulch layer or in the creation of compost these free and local resources often have more than enough nutrients allowing you to grow healthy organic vegetables year after year. If combine with other free and local methods such as cover crops, wood ash and human urine I am confident anyone can have a product free garden that produces healthy organic crops.
If you would like more information on the materials above make sure to check out the Testing Garden Assumptions Series [2] where I take a look at garden Methods, Practices and Products to see if they are supported by science. The videos that are published the first Friday of the month have taken an in depth look at the materials we used today and they are supported.
[1] "The Truth about Garden Remedies" by Jeff Gillman (2008) p. 41
[2] Testing Garden Assumptions Series Playlist:
• Testing Garden Assumpt...
Good job! I'm a professional horticulturist. With so much garbage on the tube these days its refreshing to see a well done, factual and to-the-point video.
so as a professional horticulturalist you're saying breaking up fungi mycelium and helping it spread is harmful? and that you can harm bacteria with a shovel?
@Gil Shelley This was great, I've been looking for "what is garden soil made up of" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Fonillian Uncomplex Future - (do a google search )?
It is an awesome one of a kind guide for discovering how to add breathtaking landscaping designs to your home minus the hard work. Ive heard some awesome things about it and my work buddy got excellent results with it.
I use a grinder to get the eggshell to fine powdered consistency. Less time to break down in the soil and plants benefit faster.
Powder makes it get broken down too fast 😅
remember the anglo saxon, they went on years of war just for fertile soil. when you can just diy it at home
no, they went on war because of laziness and greed, no patience, no hard work, just steal what others' have worked hard to achieve.
This is just superb, I've been looking for "how do you start an organic garden for beginners?" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Paylezobath Celebrated Process - (search on google )?
It is a good one off guide for learning organic gardening secrets to boost your produce minus the hard work. Ive heard some interesting things about it and my cousin got cool results with it.
@@hxorasani Hasan you said that anglo saxons went to war because of laziness and greed, no patience, no hard work, just steal what others have worked hard to achieve,... i guess that is why everyone is leaving non white countries and flooding into white countries, beause they are too lazy to work their own land, they have no patience they just want to steal what anglo saxons have,
@@Samanthax1221 yes, I think that's what they were referring to.. and why do you wonder there being so many immigrants? They want their land back you daft bimbo 🤦♂️ I mean, good day fellow american 🏈 🍻 may I suggest reviewing your history books?
@@Samanthax1221 Its more to do with the fact the british empire conquered those countries, whiped out most their farms knowledge and culture and then re educated them all in British exceptionalism (that's right, they had camps) and then wondered why they all want to come to the "home land" (great 😒 britain) or chase the now "American dream" (The independent british empire land of the free bs)
Man oh man we fucked the world big time hahaha
Daaaamn, coffee grounds? Sign me up. My house goes through plenty enough.
Great vid great stuff.
A great synthesis between research and practice over a complex subject driven by low cost and low impact objective served on a dense video. Bravo!
"Gardening With Vincenzo" here...One of the Better Soil Science and organics "Breakdown" videos I've come across...simple ...straight forward and concise...Thanks for sharing...only one more item would like to have seen is a little bit on
"Activating " Biochar...and Mayan Terra Preta...Great Job !
Im going old school easy mode for composting from now on. Im burying fish in trenches in my garden rows along with plant waste and kitchen scraps. I will still keep my two big compost piles relying more on natural decomposition right in the soil. Plus added bonus the decomposing fish and other waste will bring in more worms and give me free worm castings. Worms will stay where they get free food. Soil will improve constantly amd i get an easy way of disposing of waste.
As a new gardener and all around Science buff This was AMAZINGLY helpful.. i knew compost was important .. but like.. why? i knew nutrients and such but knowing such densities means i can give exactly what my garden needs instead of guessing.
I have to comment! I watch 100's of videos and this one is seriously good. Thank you so much, from Australia!
Whenever we make omelets or hard boiled eggs, I put the used egg shells into a foil bake pan, and bake on around 175 degrees for about 1.5 hours. This reduces the potential of salmonella. You can also boil the shells in water first, then back them, and they'll be so brittle it's easy to crush them into the kind of minute texture that is best for gardens.
I love the added scientific facts, thank you very much.
Great video filled with valuable info and ideas, thanks for taking the time to share what you've learned, and for choosing a gardening method that achieves symbiosis with the ecology of soil and the surrounding ecosystem. Keep up the great work!
+Gavin Mounsey Thank you very much for the very kind comment. I appreciate it very much!
Leaves - The most available yet raked and thrown out resource...adding some red wigglers to the bed too for microorganism colonization as they break down the organic matter
I have a healthy population that allow me to just give them mulch and let them work :)
I agree under rated resources are too often tossed !
Fantastic I've been collecting tea bag and egg shells
+kookingkorner Toss them right into your mulch or compost and you should be rocking!
Just FYI for any future readers, don't compost tea bags. They actually contain plastics. Not even joking, go research it. It isn't hidden either, companies are open about it, should be written on the boxes.
I put my egg shells in the microwave for 30 seconds to kill any bacteria.
Free local resources for the win!
+OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening Turns out they are great winners! :)
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable
Steven, you and Patrick have been key influences in guiding me to build my soil. I'm in the process -- and getting very close -- to converting a 16,000-gallon pool (plus spa) into a "farm." The soil is literally being created from scratch using many of your principles, in addition to some modified Hugelkultur concepts.
Thank you both for all you do. At some point I'll need to send you guys some pics of the "sunken raised bed."
I am so very glad that OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening And I could help inspire you go garden and grow your soil using resources you have available !
I would love to see photos. Feel free to post them on the AUG Facebook page!
+Seamus Nalaoch That's great, Seamus! I look forward to the pictures.
Haha, Patrick and Stephen, the kings of free local resources! :D
Great video Stephen! This year I finally got around to mulching with leaves, and have even decided to make a large pile to see if I can get some leaf mold out of it since a nice lady on Facebook gave me nine full bags of leaves for free. I'm excited to see what's left in the spring, and if I get any leaf mold out of the pile (I think I should, it's heating up enough to keep the snow off of itself so something's going on lol).
+Conrad Cardinal I make piles of leaves too and just leave them for a year. By the end of the year I have a huge stash of leafmold that I use in the garden and then replace it with new leaves ;) thats what I did on Sunday lol
Excellent video. Composting in place with resources you already have is full of win. The only problem I've found is that later when it comes to planting in spring and you clear the surface layer and plant seeds, that creepy crawlies can get to the seeds and young seedlings, especially if there's nothing else tasty left for them.
Also, I like to add my egg shells into an open container as I use them in the kitchen, the same container also holds the meat tenderiser and I just mash the shells as they dry and it starts to get full, that way I can keep adding till it's full and ready to shake onto the garden. Some people recommend baking before blending the shells into a powder, then mixing into an acidic solution like vinegar to make the calcium more soluble, but that's just like hot, dusty and smelly hard work unless making a foliar spray. Which I might be this summer as a trial, as I've read of giant vege growers using calcium foliar sprays that I'm interested in for moisture retention. Here in Oz we're in for a hot summer and drought and I've calculated that mulch isn't enough and wondered how I could retain more moisture when I stumbled upon a CSIRO developed biodegradable polymer spray for soil surfaces that increased soil moisture retention by 70% in the lab, but only 28% in the field due to it being wicked deeper into the soil. I also learned about desert biocrusts that do a similar thing when not trod on! I just need to save up more egg shells for my trial.
I am glad you enjoyed the video. With the eggshells my soil has more Han enough calcium so a slow release won't hurt me.
Drought protection is a tough business. We had our first taste this year and if history is correct it will be back for the next three years at least. That said our top temperatures are around 35 c with the Canadian record sitting around 41. I can't imagine what you go through.
I hope your trials work out well my friend ! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
Nice hand sign. I wonder if that is why you were the top video for my search 🤔 Either way, good info! Thx
Another great episode! I do all that every fall as well.
+Tommyr I am glad you enjoyed the video my friend! Is there anything else you would add to your mulch?
*****
Pet hair maybe? Although I no longer have a dog.
I am sorry to hear that my friend.
We have two that produce a lot of hair. I am interested to see what the science says !
Tommyr
I saw once in a book or article that said human hair is loaded with nitrogen and can be blended in with garden soil but I believe according to the following this information was slightly misguiding.. It recommended getting clippings from mens barber shops at a time when most men were not dying their hair like myself lol.
In terms of raw elements, on average, hair is composed of 50.65% carbon, 20.85% oxygen, 17.14% nitrogen, 6.36% hydrogen, and 5.0% sulfur. Hair also contains trace amounts of magnesium, arsenic, iron, chromium and other metals and mineral.
Thanks google!
Further. In all my years I have not come across anything to counter the use of human hair in the garden but I haven't the energy in the moment to further search on animal hair.
Dude, great video 15/15!
Thanks my friend !
I found the suggestions very useful.
I'm so glad!
Thanks for sharing your amazing fertile garden soil.
I saw another experiment you did with Patrick (I think his name is Patrick lol). I really love and appreciate how scientific you are. Really good info. Thanks so much. Janice
As usual very interesting and informative, here in the UK I have an allotment with abundant comfrey and stables often deposit used horse manure so I am quite lucky although we do tend to use recycling bins for household scraps as the worms really do love them
Finally + rep for your choice of tea its the best
I am glad you enjoyed the clip! I love my coffee but a nice hot tea is just so nice in the winter !
Sounds like your allotment has some great local resources ! I am glad people make use of them !
Honestly, after watching this great video, I don’t think I will have problems with where to throw trash because there is no trash after all: eggshells, used tea leaves, used coffee are all now heading to my garden beds.
If you plant a living nitrogen fixer like beans it will also supply nitrogen. Thanks very informative I haven't tried growing food yet
#compost, #composttea from leaves. #comfrey #mulch great video
Great bro great
Thank you so much 😀
Excellent presentation 👍🏽
Perfect tips, thank you. Concise, specific, and spot on.
Right now I am in the sandy soils of florida. Turning this sand into quality soil is a challenge but it is slowly working.
Good stuff, Stephen! I also use bagged, mulched grass clippings, along with wood ash from the fireplace!
I suppose in your area autumn leaves are thought to come by. Alternatives like wood chips of lawn clippings work great!
In about two more weeks, I'll have all the leaves I can stand, and then some ; )
Fantastic !
Great tips ! Keep it coming ;)
I am glad you liked it. I will keep them coming !
lots of great information here. thank you.
Thank you, this info is valuable and appreciated from this perspective.
+mongolioose It is my pleasure!
Amazing video, thanks. It was very informative.
Thanks Stephen for you usual great advice. Thanks for sharing
It's my pleasure Patrick !
Thanks for sharing this to us.
Wow thank you
This content was very helpful... I'm subscribing. 😊
I’d love to see you. Combine this with knf (Korean natural farming)
I have to correct you, Stephen. The measurement of selenium is nanogram (2:57). We would have to eat 3 kilogram (~7 pounds) of eggshell daily to cover our needs... and this is what significant amount is. ;)
+atizeg Significant amounts for human dietary requirements your right these are not the concentrations we need. That said we get most of our Selenium from cereal crops if I am not mistaken and common vegetable gardens focus on others. Usually our soils simply need trace amounts to maintain a healthy nutrient cycle.
7 pounds of eggshells I am very sure would not be a good meal :)
More great information Stephen. Best wishes Bob.
I am glad you enjoyed the clip Bob!
Amazing and informative! Thank you for sharing this video!
great video
Thanks
Damn, you do some awesome and useful stuff! Many thanks!!!
Hey! Nice Video. What about food scraps? Is it ok to bury an organic bin of different kitchen stuff, or its not recommended because of hot composting? What about in a sandy soil?¨Thanks
i bury lots of kitchen scraps in my garden rather than compost them, eggs shells are awesome but wash and crush them first,
You too have a good day
thanks for the video
good info :) thanks again
+Chris Mitchell my pleasure!
Great video, Thanks.
+Kevin Bradley You are more than welcome!
Hello I really enjoyed this video it had a lot of good information. I have a question most people I know do not have anywhere near perfect soil mine included. But the plants that are vegetables they've been bred to grow in the finest soil the highest amount of fertile soil that's why most people don't get very good results when you actually do a reading on the actual quality of the vegetables. As far as nutrition is concerned the plant may look well and be and good size but not have the nutritional value. Some people say use leaves some people say use wood chips but if the tree is grown in poor soil garbage in garbage out is my thinking. What are your thoughts you can't even get good manure if the companies are feeding the animals trash.
thanks for the great video man
Awesome info👍🏼
I am glad you enjoyed the clip!
Calcium is not immediately available from eggshells. To make the calcium immediately available, bake or fry the eggshells to burn off the organic fetal tissue layer inside them, then crush them somewhat, and then soak the crushed eggshells for about three days in vinegar at a ratio of one part eggshells to 10 parts vinegar. Soaking the calcium carbonate of the eggshells in the acetic acid of vinegar causes a chemical reaction that creates calcium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide. The escaping carbon dioxide causes a bubbling during the process. When the bubbling ends you know the process is complete. Filter the liquid, which is a mixture of calcium acetate and water, and add a couple tablespoons of it to a gallon of water and water your soil with it. That form of calcium will be immediately available to your plants.
Thank you for the facts!
How true!! Great video!!
Glad you enjoyed it
Beach sand. creek or river bed rock dust. Forest leaves.
Hi, my friend told me if I mulch with dried leaves, vole can nest there in the winter. Is that true?
Great video!
Thank you my friend !
Can you just add tea and then the nutrients goes straight to the soil?
Here's something I discovered if you're using something like leaves depending on where that tree is grown. Some leaves carry more nutrients even if they are the same type of tree depending on where that tree is grown. The soil and a city location is less nutritious then a tree that's in the forest of the same type. Some compost are lacking in nutrition based on what goes in it and where the items are from. Trees from the city are not as nutritious as trees from the forest. Also using scraps from the kitchen grown on farms that also lack nutrition. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing
Hi Steve, what about dandelion greens. They are 3rd highest nutrient filled plant on earth I guess, would they help. I am going to a juice store and see if they can spare some pulp. I am tea drinker (boiled with milk) Tim Hortons coffee contains molasses and I guess should be little better.
I don't have any trees and checking on kijiji there are lots of demand for fall leaves. Good presentation and facts.
+VOTE4TAJ any greens are going to be a good thing. when I had weeds I add them to the mulch layer if they have not flowered to recycle the nutrients.
I get lots of leaves when going though my town and seeing them on the curb. I ask if I can take them and usually they are more than happy to let me!
Moringa leaves are best for mulch and campost
can you please tell me where can you buy comfrey in Alberta
MashaAllah. I'll try this.⭐💗
I put used coffee grounds in my compost but on the tea leaves do you just throw come organic loose tea leaves unused on there or used ones?
great video!!! btw, I am planting avocado now. i have watched some videos and i needed to put it on water first and wait for the roots to come out before putting it on soil. my question is, is it ok to put coffee grounds and egg shells in the water to have nutrients for the seeds?? TIA
Thanks!
Hello from Bulgaria!
Question?
Can I mix fall leaves with walnut to sit over the winter to compost or should I leave out the Walnut leaves just for the Walnut trees?
Quick question, why would you mulch with finished compost in the fall instead of the spring? I would guess a lot of the nutrients would wash away before you get plants in there in the spring, no?
To feed the beneficials.
Have you ever tried rabbit pellets?
Is there a reason you put coffee grounds, tea and egg shells on top of your mulch rather than underneath?
if I mix used coffee and tea with dirt will that sufficient enough to grow a house plant
Hi Steven i have a question concerning sandy soil would staw hay be a good amendment in mixing in the soil
Leaves don't fall from the sky mate. But great video.
Really?
Greetings from Bulgaria Stephen, Can you do a video on no dig no till garden beds? Thank you and God bless!
Howdy from Canada ;)
Free is Good..
Hello! In my backyard I have many bamboo trees and bamboo leaves are everywhere. Could I use bamboo leaves instead of autumn leaves? I also have loads of pine straw.
Thank you
Yes you can it would just take some time to learn how to compost them.
For eggshells to be beneficial to your garden you need to first bake them then crush them to dust otherwise the shells can take years to brake down
Unfortunately even baking them does not make them bio-available. Slight acidic reactions over time does. That said they make for great structure over time.
@@AlbertaUrbanGarden it does if you crush it to powder
Hello! I am wondering if composting non organic food scraps affects the ability of a compost to produce totally organic material?
Great video! do Hard boil eggs shells are safe to use immediately?
Thank you for the video. rc
+Rusty Case My pleasure RC.
Thank u so much
What are the 4 missing minerals in leaves? What free item can compensate?
P_E_E.
sehr interessant danke
+Garteneinkochfee Ich bin froh, dass du das Video genossen
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable
+ hast.
can you use oak leaves
+Cory Driver you sure can but they take a little longer to break down similar to woodchips!
I've been throwing egg shells into a compost pile right after consuming the egg. Is this going to produce something bad to ruin my compost? If it did what is something that I can throw in the mix to fix it? Thanks!
Put them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Although you are doing all this but why are all the other plants dead?
Do mulching affect soil breathing
Most cities around Alberta have there own free compost. Go to the landfill and get yours free.
hi, I'd like to use my neighbor s prunings and leaves, but I saw one of them trowing some fuel from his lawn mower to the floor. Can heavy metals be absorbed by trees? What about leaves from trees in squares?
Usually no trees can not take up heavy metals into their leaves. It should be safe to use.
You can call the city/town office and ask if they use sprays on the trees. If not yes they are safe to use. If they do use sprays I can not guarantee their safety so best to avoid them.
I have an excellent subject for you EM-1 HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF IT IF SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS
What type of tea do you use
Are you sure that the egg shells immediately release calcium? I was recently informed that without worms the shells will take years to break down
Yes I add the shells for soil structure and over many years they will eventually release their calcium but its not the primary reason I include it in my compost.
@@AlbertaUrbanGarden good point, it would do wonders for the structure for sure. That, coupled with biochar would be unstoppable
Be careful how much biochar you use. Some Feedstocks for biochar like wood become a sponge for nutrients and can cause high. Nutrient levels that in some cases can be counter productive.
How can i grow corn on one hectare and have more harvest
Quick question going to do a garden for the first time and i really dont have money. It's almost april so what can I do
Walmart has some cheap soil, i do not recommend it but its better than nothing besides that, if you have a forest or any place with dark earth you can just move it over to your garden. Try and find places where soil would naturally compost like under big trees
I have a concrete container and it has a small hole at the top. Do you think that afterwards I put the leaves and etc inside it will turn to humus although it is separeted from the ground?
it certainly will break down nicely and create humus. Just keep it wet enough.
Thanks, I guess with water then.
Great video, how do you feel about using coffee grounds from companies like Starbucks where they may have used GMO coffee beans? Also I was thinking about using grass clippings but our lawn is sprayed during the summer.. not sure if thats safe either.. probably not...
+Bethel Imaging I am not worried about GMO coffee beans as they bread down just the same as regular ones and there is nothing for them to pass on.
Although most herbicides here are fast acting and required to break down it would really require a lot more information to make a decisions if it was or was not safe.
Hi in the past my soil is treated with inorganic fertilizer. Is there someway to make in organic again?
Just keep adding organic ingredients and it will take care of itself.