Making compost from garden and other wastes, the principles and some results
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- Опубліковано 2 бер 2017
- I explain green and brown ingredients, using coffee and other wastes including roots of perennial weeds and blighted leaves. What size pieces to add, what temperatures you need and may expect. How long to leave heaps before turning or using, I show you compost in different stages, of varied age and moisture content.
For a review of greens and browns in summer compost making, see this 2020 video • Compost Making, balanc...
For more detail of the turning process see my four minute time lapse • Charles turns a tonne ... .
For spreading compost see • Speedy ten minute prep... , and for my explanation of when to spread compost and how much to use see • No dig explained in 3 ... .
More about compost making and types of compost in my online course www.charlesdowding.co.uk/prod...
Filmed and edited in February 2017 by Edward Dowding edowding.net
Shredder I recommend is electric Bosch AX25TC
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I am 71. Grew up in Joplin, Missouri here in the United States. My Dad became deaf when I was very young. He also became a passionate gardener/composter. I recall his excitement in the 1960's when he bought a shredder and cajoled the city tree pruning crew to deliver all their wood waste to his two acre plot. The local zoo and two farmers delivered their barn droppings and spoiled hay and straw. Neighbors within a ten mile range gladly contributed their leaves, cuttings and grass clippings to the cool old truck he outfitted for that purpose. Restaurants saved their waste for him. He was relentless. I did not understand until the day he answered my note by telling me he was making food for the gardens so they could make food for us. And not just food. His flowers delighted my Mother and local florists. Mickey Mantle and friends opened a Holiday Inn on Range Line and purchased his berries, vegetables and flowers for the restaurant and lobby. That shredder.... and that garden.... brought solace to him... and to his family and wonderful produce to many people.
Mr Dowding, your good work on this channel is much admired and appreciated.
Sarah this is a lovely comment and I am happy to imagine your father doing all that, what great memories for you. I am honoured to be counted alongside him.
@@CharlesDowding1nodig He would have liked you very much.
I have just made my first 30M no dig bed using my very own 8 month old compost (which you taught me to make). The bed is now ready for my Birds eye chilli seedlings. What a wonderful feeling. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing horticultural knowledge Charles 🙏🙏
Fantastic, and I love the sound of your enthusiasm. It's the empowering feeling of interacting with nature in such a positive way that is what I love
Super Charles, you have confirmed my thinking....people always telling me I am wrong even though I usually get good compost. Can't believe people actually have given you 108 thumbs down????? your vid is so good thanks again
Ah yes, people see things differently
I'm binge-watching your videos. My virtual garden and compost heap are doing quite well. 😁 Also, big 'Thank you' to your son, Edward. Great camera work, clean audio and no crazy editing. It takes a lot of hard work and long hours to make quality videos like this. Awesome job. 😍
Thanks Pixie Love, and Edward will enjoy the appreciation.
Virtual gardening is a good starting point.
Ha! I thought I was the only one with a virtual garden and compost heap, I have wonderful things growing ☺️ and my compost heap is just lovely.
I started with chilli plants in a large pot. It seems to have a calming tranquil effect touching dirt and pruning then watching the plant adapt to that. I think they know if you're in love with them. Lol
@Fortnite Vids It is a pretend garden in your mind. First step for wannabe gardeners. Kind of like an air guitar ;)
I started with a virtual garden and compost heap when I was living in an apartment a couple years ago. Now I have a house and I've started with two compost heaps (one to add to, one to age) and a modest raised bed. It's incredibly satisfying having the real thing after dreaming about it for so long!
I really like your simple not complicated approach to gardening. We seem to have instilled too many unnecessary rules while things don't always follow strict rules in nature.
Glad it's helpful and yes, just understanding a few tenets is key
I totally agree with you, we humans have such a way of making things complicated. My rule of thumb kiss ( keep it super simple) I always think of how does Mother Nature do it, good luck with your future gardening
This has got to be the best video on composting on the net. Thank you
Someone may find this useful, so I too will leave a comment;
I throw lots of waste into a large chicken run, including the odd truck load of wood chips from arborists. This promotes the growth of insects which the chickens love to scratch for. They defecate all over the garden waste too. Then after a good rain, (drier climate here in Canterbury, NZ) I rake up the moistened waste into a long pile and cover with tarp/polythene. A couple of months later I will turn it all and re-cover. The contributions from the chickens make a powerful compost and they do a lot of work for me!
I initially bought my shredder to chomp up rose prunings which, otherwise, just dry out and stay prickly. Now I'm on property, i have a big, petrol driven beast with a hammer-mill rather than a blade 😁. It'll shred/chop anything up to 8cm diameter. Love it!
Sounds a good one and a way of having more than enough raw material
It is nice to see Tyrion Lannister survived and chose a more peaceful life.
Brilliant videos and person. Very educational and easy to listen. Thank you.
Wish I could have been doing this years ago. What a lot of good information I need when doing my compost pile. May his legacy lives on.
Many thanks, I wish you fine compost!
4:07 Completely just answered my question about coffee being brown or green. As always Charles, Thank you.
Also 18:35 No need to sieve! so much helpful information
Thanks Rob!
My other half kindly built me a compost structure and I’ve read up on so many things you should / shouldn’t put in. I’m so happy I came across this video as I’ve ignored a lot of the don’ts like rhubarb leaves and bind weed etc. This has been a really useful lesson. I find your videos really calming to watch and I’ve learnt a huge amount from them. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
Lovely to read thanks Marie
Why do they say no to rhubarb leaves?
So many people make composting such a chore. I love your approach of patience.
Thanks Phil
Great advice on composting. you have such a calming way of putting your info across. Great episode Charles.
Tony
Northwest worm farm
Horse manure
Zachary Pinski o
I just emptied a 25 lb sugar bag and I wanted to put it through my paper shredder. It's three ply paper and, as I was separating the three layers, I noticed the middle layer is lined with thin plastic. Glad I checked it out first. Just did an early fall cleanup of leaves for the compost pile. It's only a 55 gallon drum. But it's loaded with worms and my small backyard is cement. So everything is in containers. Large storage boxes from the big box store. Works just fine until I can make my dream come true of buying a house with large backyard, so I can finally have a greenhouse. 🙏😁
Yes well spotted, would be so annoying.
Good luck with manifesting your dream 🍅
Thank you Charles I have learnt so much watching your Video and eager to begin
Go you Paul
This would be one of the best videos about composting that I’ve seen. And I’ve seen a lot.
Thanks Jonny
This was extremely helpful! I am a newbie and I started my own pile after watching YT last week. I was worried about ratios , water, rain...my family was very amused when I soaked some hard cardboard ,but they are now joining me contributing with stuff, it`s fun! I learned a lot just from this one video, I really appreciate your effort and time! I have more peace of mind experimenting after this. You should do a documentary for a TV show, your voice and presence as well as knowledge are awesome! ♥
Thank you Roberta. I have more freedom to present here and am happy to know that I'm helping people like you, to have a go!
Oh, I've been feeding my poor blueberries neat coffee grounds, thinking it was acidic. I love your myth-cracking, by the way. It is refreshing
Excellent thanks 😀
I've been building up another compost pile loaded with weeds and shredded pine tree tops. Wood chips have lots of pine needles. First pile is ready to turn after having gotten to 139 degrees F. Wonderful video thank you Charles!
Sounds great Wayne, lovely to feel your enthusiasm
PS: You simplify everything. It's brilliant for a beginner like me. X
Music to my ears: the feedback from my courses is like that, "keep it simple, understand what you are doing" and you soon move on from being a beginner.
Charles Dowding All this talk of soil PH and what you should grow here, there and everywhere is terrifying for a novice however, after following your advice through your UA-cam videos and books, there really isn't anything to be scared about. Hope to see you at one of your courses in Somerset soon. Thanks a million. X
agree, 100% Bobby.
I live in SpringhillN.S.Canada
Zone5 to7 I believe.
Your information on composing is .very interesting.I am working on mine now
Thank you. I feel much more relaxed about making compost now!
Brilliant tips and myth busting Charles. Thanks ever so much for sharing your knowledge.
A wonderful primer on compost, thanks again Charles for sharing your knowledge and techniques.
Composting is really a very enjoyable part of gardening, interesting sights and smells! Another great video Charles!
Thank you.
Helping me with my small apartment composting.
The need for a shredder after 30 years says aging. we all need to know our body.
See what happens! 💚 So much wisdom in those three words.
I love your energy. Calm and soothing. Those side smiles. Loving your vids.
Many thanks
Thank you for the great tips, especially breaking down the composting myths.
Just subscribed after watching your video. I love how your garden looks and how well you explain things. I just started a compost pile this year and threw 2 ( thought they were dead) tomato plants in to break down. They rooted and grew and were the only tomato plants that produced! Just goes to show how wonderful natural earth can be.
Thanks Denise, plus a lovely comment with a happy ending!
Charles could put screaming babies to sleep- This is my first video and his voice is so soothing without making the information hard to ingest!
Thanks that is an interesting career option! Glad you like the video
Just put the finishing touches to my 5 No Dig beds which have been under cover for nearly 6 months. They are looking great Charles. Cannot wait to get planting. Thank you for all your hard work. X
How did they work? Big success?
I put perennial weeds in a barrel full of water to kill all roots and seeds, (this makes a good liquid fertilizer!) then add them to the compost. Thanks for this video, most informative. :)
It is not just the excellent videos. I scroll through the comment blog...they too reveal the experiences of many. God bless you all Garden Angels.
Very much appreciated... all the way from nz. Thank you for having and passing on the passion with your garden stories. 👍👍👍🙏🌏🙏👍👍👍. The conveyed moods and atmosphere in colours within your videos and birdsong is just brilliant. It is so nice to be able to learn from all that goes on in your garden adventures and growing. Terrific to find the knowledge and the patience you present. Cheers and happy gardening. 😊
Thanks for your lovely comment Hartley
Dock roots in the compost heap -- stunned. I always take these away from my garden and bin them!
Honestly I began my heap with unwanted weeds and added dead tree leaves and green food scraps. I just assumed they would decompose like everything else roots and all. 😊
For what it's worth, no organic matter ever leave my property. Bin's are for other "stuff" (plastics, etc.) We've got local garbage separation. But either case, organic matter --> compost heap! From toilet paper cardboard roll to egg shells, veggies, newspapers... Sadly in one of the piles there was even one of our beloved cat!! To point out an "extreme" example!
The soil quality as constantly been improving! Year after year the difference is quite noticeable! Considering most of my garden is constituted by a slope that was filled with stone and general landfill dirt! From construction time... Not bad at all! ;-)
I was pleased to have a clear explanation of what can and can't be composted. As a novice it can be confusing sometimes thank you
Setting off on my major compost production as of NOW! Thanks Charles for inspiration. Our South sloping Devon Orchard is going no-dig GRADUALLY but steadily!
Well done Christine and a fine project
You have so much control over your gardens. You are the garden king.
A balanced peaceful approach. I could listen to you for hours! Thank you
A year on from the last post and I'm also binge watching!! Thankfully it's constantly raining here on the south east coast of Italy, so not feeling too guilty being inside, plus the ground is getting a fantastic watering! I haven't posted any comments on all the other videos I've been watching, because it would take you too much time for you to read them all, but suffice it to say you are changing my life one day (or rather one informative, inspiring video) at a time!! I moved to this blissful, rural, very slow lifestyle(!) seemingly 50 yrs behind the rest of Europe!!, from Bourton, Dorset, just up the road from you, 5 years ago (with my dogs lol!) and only now is my ever increasing vegetable garden really starting to take off. I first started following you in the summer of 2008 and bought your book Organic Gardening...I am incredibly grateful for all that you have unwittingly taught me Charles, thank you. Now I urgently need to find a fast way to make compost as it costs a teensy fortune to buy it here and since most family's have their own 'orto' (veg garden) scrounging isn't the best option lol! Any further tips since you made this video in 2017 would be enormously welcome... many, many thanks again for the kind and gentle and knowledgeable way you share so much xx
Thanks Karen, my pleasure to help and I wish there was a magic answer to your desire for more compost materialsS.
Just be vigilant for wastes!
Great information! I am starting my first no-dig garden this year, inspired by you. I have only ever had tilled gardens, and I am so excited! I also have started composting for the first time as well. It's great to hear from an experienced person what is actually important and what works best when there's SO much information out there. So glad I stumbled upon your channel.
-Kat
Nice to hear Kat, excitement is important because it gives you energy. So have fun this year and prepare to be amazed!
How is it going? I have just started making compost. :) Excited about garbage, my family is VERY amused. :))
Just collect my 13th bag of leaves !
My daughter has 4 rabbits, so I put their waste into my compost, and reward them with veg from my garden.🌸
An excellent swap Caroline!
So happy to find you now. I am just starting a garden. Now i know i need my compost area shaded. Thank you so much for sharing such great wisdom!
Greetings from Jakarta, Charles. You are indeed my personal hero! All knowledge that I gained from watching your videos is immeasurable. Your style is indeed fun to be followed! Thanks for everything...
Wow, thanks, so nice to hear all the way from Indonesia
@@CharlesDowding1nodig Whenever you happen to be in this part of the world, give me a shout. It would be a privilege to show you around, seeing how we farm around here.
@@SarinembahFarm That is nice and thankyou, however unlikely it feels right now!!
I love how you finally got a shredder. As I approach my garden with bamboo and Ivy I know I'll need it. The Washington DC area used to be a swamp and politically it still is. So covering compost from too much moisture is essential.
Good luck Lisa!
Thank You Charles ! love your videos, and your spirit.
One other thing... I enjoy... is what other commenters have said... Is savoring the calmness enveloping your teaching times...👍🙋🌹GA USA
That is nice thanks Sarah
A lovely watch with clear explanations and advice on how to create, build and maintain compost and compost heaps. Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Cheers Adam
Thanks for your feedback. I find it hard to judge how useful these videos are but feedback so far suggests this one is good!
Allotmen t compost should I cover the top over
Thank you for sharing your expertise with us! I always learn something new from your videos and books.
That is good Marqueta thanks.
Oh Charles I just keep learning every time I watch one of your videos- as I am still relatively new to your channel I am watching your old videos to get more knowledge- Thank You Cheers Denise - Brisbane Australia
Nice to hear Denise
These videos have kept me glued for two days. Great advices.
How nice, thanks
Wow, the myth portion is a huge help. I think about all the extra time spent turning a heap every week, putting blighted leaves in the trash, sifting before use, avoiding certain weeds, worrying about exact ratios. The one thing I will say, we have a weed here in New England called Oriental Bittersweet. It obviously did not come from this area but it is VERY invasive. It's next to impossible to beat. I may still be hesitant to put it and it's roots in the heap after I've pulled them. This weed is my nemisis. Anyway, thanks for the tips that save my back muscles!
Cheers Brian, nice you feel liberated and thanks for the tip about Oriental Bittersweet. I would try composting a bit to see!
Enjoyed watching your video. I started composting about 18 months ago. Your video rebooted my interest in composting. You explained it very well and kept it simple. Cheers
Good video. We have done a lot of composting but still found some good tips and information. Thanks Charles.
This video has been really helpful to me! It has clarified many of my questions and encouraged me more. Thanks and greetings from Istanbul Turkey!
Mr. Dowding, I enjoy your videos, so full of knowledge, and teaching us to keep things simple in gardening. I began gardening only 2 years ago, so I'm still a beginner learning how to do things. I use the Back to Eden style no till gardening, and so far so good. I'm watching from Ada, Oklahoma, way down in south central U.S. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us!
Thank you and that sounds good!
Everyday Rosalez I live in McAlester and want to start this way of gardening, would love to pick your brain!
I'll definitely go and get that book then. keep up the great work. You have inspired a whole generation of gardeners and growers.
I LOVED watching this Charles thank you, Its funny isn't it, you would not think that there was so much to talk about chucking all your garden waste onto a pile and letting it rot down. But there is, I thought I was the compost queen but I learn't a few new things today and have been out to check what type of brown my compost it. I really enjoy my composts and find it very satisfying to watch the levels go up as you fill them then each month how they sink down again. Its like making gold somehow knowing all that goodness will be going back into the soil emulating mother nature. Thank you.
Hey Tina that is good to hear and yes, funny too, Steph and I often laugh over the simple things that make a gardener happy. A good heap is a magnetic attraction!
I just found your videos, great info simply conveyed. You're right, compost happens pretty much no matter what. I love your gardens! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your feedback
Thank you for the very very helpful video! After watching your video, I started a year ago my first trial with plants gathered from clearing the garden. I successfully used it this summer to plant some zucchinis in it (they are still cropping, though very slowly now due to poor weather and light): it was very lumpy, big stems still visible, by far not perfect. But the first compost heap of this year, where I tried to pay more attention to the green and brown layering, came out absolutely surprising: it was well decomposed, very nicely smelling and I could easily spread it on my no-dig experiment. I can't wait to plant there next spring!
This is wonderful to hear Mirela and exciting for next year
I stumbled across this channel and I'm so very glad. I really enjoy Charles' explanations and his very gentle, good-humoured and respectful nature.
Thank you, good sir, for sharing your knowledge.
Thankyou so much for your speedy response 🏅
Thanks Charles! Spent 100 days in the Lake District working due to all the flooding damage. It felt so much like returning home; Kirbys originated from the Kirkby Stephen area.
Thank you, Charles. Now I know I am doing it right.
You are very inspiring.. My balcony gardening is getting better now.. Thanks for all the information..
So nice to hear Gracie, thanks
Your methods have helped me double my greenhouse yields; we are going to get more serious about our own composting now. Bernie
That is good news Bernie, and may your compost be good
Good point about the blighted materials, citrus peels and weed root...yes it is annoying to have to find other places to put these, adds extra time. So now I'll add it all. Mine is all well covered anyways. Thanks so much!
this video was very enlightening and I clearly have a lot more to learn about composting. Have a great day
Nice of you to say that, I feel the same, so much to learn
Great clip, Charles!
Thanks for the very informative video.
In our region (north-western Germany) we say: "The compost is ready when the last worm has crumbled out." This is a good sign for mature compost.
Great video. Not only do you explain things very simply you give great examples and the science behind why what you do works. Also your accent is incredible to listen to! Thanks you very much for the valuable information.
John I am happy you like my accent! and more than that, how you like the video, I appreciate the feedback.
Watch out for seed saving next up.
Best bit of advice: dont be shy about urinating on your compost heap. Gives a lot of nutrients.
My wife hates my bedroom wee bottle!
I'm adding it to my cold heap (40F. in December ) 2 litres at a time, in hope it warms it up.
@@ianclarke5273 if you’re adding it directly it’ll help warm it up. If so...2ltrs...that’s one hell of a bladder!
@@FaughtyEmit LOL..I also have a wee bottle..
Too much sodium is not a good idea
The great thing about this video is that there's nothing which goes out of date!
I love this channel. I enjoy the way you mix the biology / science ideas with common sense and make things seem so manageable by applying a reasonable amount of effort. I’m planning to start a garden (due to lockdown) and honestly I haven’t had a clue before watching your lessons....Now I am really looking forward to having a go and learning as I go along by using what I’ve got already. I’ve just ordered some potatoes from a local supplier. I’ve got my cardboard stash, wood chips, old planks and plan to dig into our rather sprawling open compost heap. I’m looking forward to trying. Many thanks. You are an Inspiring tutor. 😃
Ah good and grow well :)
Very interesting.im going to give this a go.i have a patch which is where I used to have chickens.the fence is still there I left it wild for the last 7 years its lumpy and im a bit late for this year so il wait until its died back again and start by making compost..im glad I came across this as its giving me a new and suitable way for the environment I live in.
Absolutely splendid video, as all your work: clear, "clean", very didactic, I absolutely understand everything, no fuss but very humaine, made me feel so in touch again with nature!
I will definitely do things like this.
Thank you so very much for sharing with us all your gentle teaching, it's a PLEASURE , beside being useful!!
Oh, and by the way, very elegant editing, all videos I mean!
Have a lovely week-end !
Your sincerly,
from France
Merveilleux je suis content, merci!
I am so pleased to have found your channel! We have two composts now, and I have a lingering feeling now they are too wet and too green! Which would explain why the first one is taking so long to decompose. Thankyou!
A pleasure to watch Charles. Your voice is so soothing and your manner of teaching is wonderful. You mention everything I had wondered about, all the 'little' things. It is so refreshing to find people who arent putting on their 'showman' voice (which can be loud and abrasive sometimes. I can sit with tea and relax watching your videos, getting excited about my Garden plans for the future. My compost pile is just beginning to gain bulk. This was our first season here at our new little Urban Homestead. We started with no organic matter on bare grass. We have built up a nice little heap now but it is still just a baby.
Thanks for your feedback, it's reassuring, and best of luck with building your soil.
I have been trying to find an in depth video,television programme,radio programme or any method I could think of to explain how to make a compost heap and all the can and cant`s of what can be composted,.
This video is 100% fulfilling all the above, and on top of that the commentary and presentation equals the context of the video. very well done.
I have now subscribed and am looking forward to more very useful and interesting gardening tips.
thank you so much for taking the time to make this video.
Thank you Charles. Excellent advice as always. I have always kept a compost bin..a green rubbish bin with the bottom cut off. now I shall have 3 on my micro farm.
I like that
This by far the best garden video ever. Well Morag does an amazing job as well. Both of them are so educated about gardening and permaculture. Thank you so much. I do an hour of garden education in the am. Love these because they give you a different angle on things. Here in the high desert of the US, i have to compost and mulch everything. Thank you...
Tess 🌺
Fantastic tutorial! I find that often people try and put rules on composting like, the weed roots, citrus rinds, need for hot compost. I think they want to convince folks they are an expert. You sir have earned expert status in my book! Relaxed, realistic, and simple advice! Thank you for encouraging people to give composting a try!
Thankyou and I am happy to read that you see the simplicity!
wicked video always so informative
Thank you on the lemon information. I find myself throwing wayyyyyy too many lemon rinds.
I was glad to hear about citrus too because too many people have differing opinions about that.
Thank you for making this sometimes convoluted subject so clear and concise. I am so glad I stumbled across your channel. I have already discussed your no dig gardening with my partner and we’re both so excited to get started when all this wet weather ends, primarily with our borders and planting for more fruit trees, but also making space for three small beds for root vegetables, even in our fairly dense clay soil. Well done on superb quality videos!
You are so welcome Chris 🥕
Thank you dispelling so many myths especially the citrus and spores...incredibly happy I came across your utube site and delighted to be able to learn more...at 65 my motto has always been “you are NEVER too old to learn...plus it keeps we gardeners grounded and well exercised ...stay blessed and many thanks for sharing your knowledge..
Thanks Isabella
Very helpful and informative and nice to see some myths exposed. Debbs
Thanks Debbs.
thanks great video it's helpful your video..
wow,such a lot of information,thankyou so much,and said in such a calm way
This is gold.I was not sure if I should cover my compost here in Australia, but It makes perfect sense that one should to maintain the same life thriving environment similar to mulching my garden.
Good to hear, sounds a great plan
Thanks Charles for your lateral thinking. The exclusion of oxygen thru over watering pot grown plants will be obvious to most gardeners but the consequences for the compost heap are perhaps less so.
Have a great week
Mike
Thanks Mike
Thank you so much, sir for the great video! I’m a bit rubbish at composting unless it’s via the black soldier flies that seem to love our scraps. 😋
Black soldier flies are good!
thank you Charles keep on posting video this big help on us god bless
When l got my first garden 3 years ago near Paris, a compost bin was a must have and the first thing l installed.
A true gardener!
I start my seeds in a potting mix that includes worm castings. I works extremely well.
Good idea, worm castings are amazing for seedlings and plants
It looks like my compost is ready! I always thought my finished compost will be crumbly and fine just like they sell in the garden centre but your finished compost looks lumpy and with bits (just like mine does)! Thank you for this informative video. I will be spreading my compost on my garden tomorrow :)
I m happy to hear this, your soil life will be thankful
This is my first time to seriously make our own compost after watching this video many times and also participated the online course. In the past we only put every garden waste (including good quality green wood) somewhere in an open corner, and of course nothing worked out.
This time I started it again from beginning of march and now is almost 85% full, according to Charles' advices I used basically wood and green wood pruned and shredded recently, kitchen scraps, fresh and old chicken manure, coffee, and etc. I am really surprised that the temperature of our compost bin (600L, with Lid) reached 58 degree C in about 3 weeks and maintained the heat so far. Already planned to turn it next week, and can't wait to use our own compost at the end of the year.
Much appreciated for those informative advices!
Amazing. Cannot wait to get composting. Many thanks.