I liked this idea so much I actually added this to my garden playlist. I tried the ninja grinder and that only works on smaller pieces to get them super fine. The smashing thing with a 2lb sledge hammers takes for ever and you still dont get that super fine biochar and it shoots all over the place.
Every winter I reread my copy of The Planet Whizbang Idea Book for Gardeners and pick out one new idea to incorporate around my garden. Every idea in this book has greatly helped me. Thanks Herrick!
Nice video! I also think you could take the wet biochar slurry and pour it directly on your compost pile. It would deliver the biochar to the compost and add some moisture.
I used a lawn roller on the driveway or sidewalk. Keep spreading the pile wider as you go for finer pieces. A large bag of charcoal takes only 15 minutes or so.
Elizabeth L. Johnson said, I read about biochar, also called terra preta, in your book and learned a lot. It's so beneficial in our soil, I'm glad you wrote about it in your Whizbang Idea Book For Gardeners. Every little bit of knowledge helps our gardens and our body!!!!! Great idea to use a disposal!!!! You always have great ideas! I like the idea of home-made; as long as you have the woodstove ashes, and the time, you might as well DIY. I'm glad for this idea in case the grid goes down and I can't purchase.
I am thinking about taking an old stainless steel sink I found in a trash pile and building a table for it and plumbing it for a garden hose and putting a garbage disposal unit under it with a pig-tail for an extension cord. That should be pretty convenient to use for processing garden produce and making bio-char too. Funny how one good idea leads to anther. Thanks for the video.
I did exactly that too. I used mine for grinding food waste for compost. Problem is the motor overheats after a couple minutes of use and it takes too long to cool. He modified a disposal with a separate half horse farm motor that can run continuous. Am trying to find the plans for that.
I'm working on a way to scale my production up. I need to get it fine enough to mix with my compost tea as it brews and then spray it with my skid spreader. This is a fine idea and might get me a long way to powder. I may stack a few disposals, run the char through "in series" and see where that gets me.
Beautiful. Never would've thought about using a garbage disposal. I assume charge the char would be just adding comfrey or kelp & grinding it along in the same bag. Awesome! Th🤝nks for posting.
Some channels say. A powder is to small. We need larger pieces for the microbes to set up shop. I take my riding mower with a bagger. I run over the wet char. It breaks it up. and puts it in the bagger.
Those microbes are incredibly tiny. A small granule of biochar would, I'm guessing, provide residence for tens of thousands of the critters. And they would be more distributed throughout the soil. But I like your method. Simple and effective, for sure.👍
Couple of questions: 1) Why use a flat piece of material as the mount for your garbage disposal instead of something like a camp wash basin? That way you can rinse off the sides and use a steady flow of water (water is the coolant for the garbage disposal). 2) Have you considered outputting from the disposal directly into the feed bag? Seems like pouring the bucket into the feed bag is an unnecessary step
Hi Rory, The sink is a fine idea. I didn't have a spare one on hand. I had the flat plastic material. It was a quick set-up using what I had around here to make it happen. Running the disposal into the feed sack is also a good idea. 👍
New sub here. Heard about you from one of @The Survival Gardening Channel videos. I very much like this idea for this and other grinding purposes. Thanks!
Hi Herrick, thanks for the great idea! We built a device comparable to yours only with a stainless steel sink on a wooden frame to where the garbage disposal is attached. I also bought a cheap one, but it's already broken and used up, after about just 20-30 kg of ground biochar. Can you give me a recommendation for a company that makes durable garbage disposal machines that work longer, please? The video is otherwise great, a wonderful idea to do it this way for home gardeners!
Hi Claudia, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get more production from the cheap disposal. My recommendation would be a more expensive model with a warranty, so you can return it if it gives out prematurely. A commercial grinder would be best but they can be much too expensive, unless you find a used one.
@@herrickkimball Elizabeth L. Johnson asks, Do the root systems of rye deteriorate by winter, or through the winter, and need to be re-sown every year? I guess all I have to do is to take up a handful of my minibed soil and see if the roots for the biomass community are finally gone.
I would be interested in how you go about your charcoal harvesting with your wood stove. HIs it more than just cleaning it out after an incomplete burn or is it more involved? Have you ever touched upon that process in previous videos?
I discuss how I harvest charcoal from my woodstove in the garden idea book. I clean the stove out, sift immediately over a metal barrel to separate the ash, then quench the coals with a watering can and but in a pail to save. If the hot coals are not sifted and quenched, they will continue to burn down and there will be little carbon left.
Hi Herrick, Great idea, thank you! I built one for myself and it works great, however I have one issue: my disposal can only operate for about 15min (max) before it becomes too hot; it then requires almost 45min of cool-down time before I can use it again. Have you experienced this? If so, any thoughts on how to cool the unit during operation (perhaps wrap the disposal motor housing with soft copper tubing used for refrigerator water supply to create a liquid cooler garbage disposal🤣)?
Bummer. The only way I know to truly solve the overheating problem is to hook a motor to the disposal. That's what I did when developing the Whizbang Apple Grinder. It will grind for hours and never overheat. You can see it here... ua-cam.com/video/HVvbjnf08xw/v-deo.html
Thanks for sharing. I bet a 5 gallon paint strainer mesh bag deal would work well for straining, but would probably let some fine particulate through. What happens when the charcoal is ground dry? Too much dust?
Nice. Up to this point I was just crushing it in a bucket with a stick. Then adding to my compost pile. This will be a nice winter project. I just happen to have a second hand sink that will be perfect for this.
Mr. Kimball. Did you pursue making biochar to sell? Instead of the Garbage disposal. A cheap electric wood chipper may do the the same. Without having to use the water.
I suppose it depends on how much char you run through it. I’ve used the disposal and and an apple grinder disposal I use to make cider. They have lasted several years thus far.
I'm quite curious about this as well because biochar is quite abrasive. How many gallons of biochar would you say you've processed with your disposal units? I make a couple hundred gallons every winter.
@@CarbonConscious I've processed maybe 50 gallons of biochar in one disposal unit over several years. That's not a good test of longevity. I would be more concerned about the bearing longevity before wear on interior components. Either way, it remains to be seen how long a disposal will grind before something gives out. they are surprisingly durable machines. 👍
Ingenious! It's not too fine a grain? Studies show too small a particle size makes it hydrophobic. Also, why not charge the biochar in the water, along with some concentrated liquid fertilizer? Let is innoculate for 1-3 days and voila - added value biochar
First I've heard of small charcoal particles being hydrophobic. Could be. The particle size can be made larger by enlarging the slots in the disposal's grinding ring. Charging the char is definitely the way to go. Thanks for the comment.
I've made it for a few years. Maybe 3 or 4. I haven't noticed any difference in my garden. It's good soil to begin with. I've fed it with various amendments for years. I also got a test and did a soil remineralization, as per Steve Solomon's book, "The Intelligent Gardener." I just feel good about adding the char to my soil. It's a waste product harvested from my wood stove through the winter months. 🙂
@@herrickkimball From other You Tubers. If you have healthy soil. You do not see to much if any improvement. But if you have poor soils like sand. It is like a miracle!
@@herrickkimball No worries mate, I wasn't sure what you meant until I watched the video, because it could have meant something else. Always enjoy your videos. Thanks
I liked this idea so much I actually added this to my garden playlist. I tried the ninja grinder and that only works on smaller pieces to get them super fine. The smashing thing with a 2lb sledge hammers takes for ever and you still dont get that super fine biochar and it shoots all over the place.
Great video, I love how you don't over-explain the process and keep it concise. Thank you!
Every winter I reread my copy of The Planet Whizbang Idea Book for Gardeners and pick out one new idea to incorporate around my garden. Every idea in this book has greatly helped me. Thanks Herrick!
Thank you, John. I sure do appreciate the positive feedback.
You can also charge it during the grinding process by adding compost, pond water, bio-fertilizer, etc during the processing.
Nice video! I also think you could take the wet biochar slurry and pour it directly on your compost pile. It would deliver the biochar to the compost and add some moisture.
I used a lawn roller on the driveway or sidewalk. Keep spreading the pile wider as you go for finer pieces. A large bag of charcoal takes only 15 minutes or so.
Elizabeth L. Johnson said, I read about biochar, also called terra preta, in your book and learned a lot. It's so beneficial in our soil, I'm glad you wrote about it in your Whizbang Idea Book For Gardeners. Every little bit of knowledge helps our gardens and our body!!!!! Great idea to use a disposal!!!! You always have great ideas! I like the idea of home-made; as long as you have the woodstove ashes, and the time, you might as well DIY. I'm glad for this idea in case the grid goes down and I can't purchase.
I am so happy I found this video. I can add my food waste and char together in the food processor. Then add it directly to the worm bin.
I use my garden shredder then mix the powder with my koi waste then dry it out and shred again
I am thinking about taking an old stainless steel sink I found in a trash pile and building a table for it and plumbing it for a garden hose and putting a garbage disposal unit under it with a pig-tail for an extension cord.
That should be pretty convenient to use for processing garden produce and making bio-char too.
Funny how one good idea leads to anther.
Thanks for the video.
I did exactly that too. I used mine for grinding food waste for compost. Problem is the motor overheats after a couple minutes of use and it takes too long to cool. He modified a disposal with a separate half horse farm motor that can run continuous. Am trying to find the plans for that.
I'm working on a way to scale my production up. I need to get it fine enough to mix with my compost tea as it brews and then spray it with my skid spreader. This is a fine idea and might get me a long way to powder. I may stack a few disposals, run the char through "in series" and see where that gets me.
I've got an extra sink, plan to try this. Great idea - don't even have to make anything!
That is awesome. You get instant activated biochar. Thank you so much for sharing. You are so blessed with innovation.
Beautiful. Never would've thought about using a garbage disposal. I assume charge the char would be just adding comfrey or kelp & grinding it along in the same bag. Awesome! Th🤝nks for posting.
I have not charged the biochar like you describe, but I think that is a great idea!
Some channels say. A powder is to small. We need larger pieces for the microbes to set up shop. I take my riding mower with a bagger. I run over the wet char. It breaks it up. and puts it in the bagger.
Those microbes are incredibly tiny. A small granule of biochar would, I'm guessing, provide residence for tens of thousands of the critters. And they would be more distributed throughout the soil. But I like your method. Simple and effective, for sure.👍
Brilliant! I’m going to do this with my kitchen scraps for fast composting
Couple of questions:
1) Why use a flat piece of material as the mount for your garbage disposal instead of something like a camp wash basin? That way you can rinse off the sides and use a steady flow of water (water is the coolant for the garbage disposal).
2) Have you considered outputting from the disposal directly into the feed bag? Seems like pouring the bucket into the feed bag is an unnecessary step
Hi Rory,
The sink is a fine idea. I didn't have a spare one on hand. I had the flat plastic material. It was a quick set-up using what I had around here to make it happen. Running the disposal into the feed sack is also a good idea. 👍
Youre a genius. You just sold another copy of your book!!!!
I use a blender, i fill it with charcoal and rain water. It works really well too.
I use a blender, too. But I find it bogs down too often. Like you, I also add liquid (in my case, worm compost tea), but still have a bogging issue.
@@davidhunter5062 i forgot to say that i use a blender that can break ice. Charcoal is soft compare to ice.
I’ll try that with my vitamix. Hope it works w one of my solar power stations.
New sub here. Heard about you from one of @The Survival Gardening Channel videos. I very much like this idea for this and other grinding purposes. Thanks!
Large funnel would help to get the char in the disposal.
I use a garden chipper, far easier and no overheating and no need to seperate water
I notice my Bermuda grass runners ran over into my stockpile of uncrushed Biochar. They put roots into the char chunks.
Hi Herrick, thanks for the great idea! We built a device comparable to yours only with a stainless steel sink on a wooden frame to where the garbage disposal is attached. I also bought a cheap one, but it's already broken and used up, after about just 20-30 kg of ground biochar. Can you give me a recommendation for a company that makes durable garbage disposal machines that work longer, please? The video is otherwise great, a wonderful idea to do it this way for home gardeners!
Hi Claudia,
I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get more production from the cheap disposal. My recommendation would be a more expensive model with a warranty, so you can return it if it gives out prematurely. A commercial grinder would be best but they can be much too expensive, unless you find a used one.
I wonder if you could show us using it in your minibed.
Maybe. I'll just add it to the bed in the fall when I plant my rye cover crops.
@@herrickkimball Elizabeth L. Johnson asks, Do the root systems of rye deteriorate by winter, or through the winter, and need to be re-sown every year? I guess all I have to do is to take up a handful of my minibed soil and see if the roots for the biomass community are finally gone.
I would be interested in how you go about your charcoal harvesting with your wood stove. HIs it more than just cleaning it out after an incomplete burn or is it more involved? Have you ever touched upon that process in previous videos?
I discuss how I harvest charcoal from my woodstove in the garden idea book. I clean the stove out, sift immediately over a metal barrel to separate the ash, then quench the coals with a watering can and but in a pail to save. If the hot coals are not sifted and quenched, they will continue to burn down and there will be little carbon left.
Hi Herrick,
Great idea, thank you! I built one for myself and it works great, however I have one issue: my disposal can only operate for about 15min (max) before it becomes too hot; it then requires almost 45min of cool-down time before I can use it again. Have you experienced this? If so, any thoughts on how to cool the unit during operation (perhaps wrap the disposal motor housing with soft copper tubing used for refrigerator water supply to create a liquid cooler garbage disposal🤣)?
Bummer. The only way I know to truly solve the overheating problem is to hook a motor to the disposal. That's what I did when developing the Whizbang Apple Grinder. It will grind for hours and never overheat. You can see it here... ua-cam.com/video/HVvbjnf08xw/v-deo.html
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing. I bet a 5 gallon paint strainer mesh bag deal would work well for straining, but would probably let some fine particulate through. What happens when the charcoal is ground dry? Too much dust?
A little safe for the environment dish soap. Would cut the time to sweat the bags.
Nice. Up to this point I was just crushing it in a bucket with a stick. Then adding to my compost pile.
This will be a nice winter project. I just happen to have a second hand sink that will be perfect for this.
Glue some aluminum "heatsinks" fins (used to cool heat sensitive electronics) on that garbage disposal to help dissipate the heat.
Mr. Kimball. Did you pursue making biochar to sell? Instead of the Garbage disposal. A cheap electric wood chipper may do the the same. Without having to use the water.
No, I do not make biochar to sell. No time for such an undertaking. I can use all I make myself. 😁
Very nice. Howlong do you find the garbage disposal units last?
I suppose it depends on how much char you run through it. I’ve used the disposal and and an apple grinder disposal I use to make cider. They have lasted several years thus far.
I'm quite curious about this as well because biochar is quite abrasive. How many gallons of biochar would you say you've processed with your disposal units?
I make a couple hundred gallons every winter.
@@CarbonConscious I've processed maybe 50 gallons of biochar in one disposal unit over several years. That's not a good test of longevity. I would be more concerned about the bearing longevity before wear on interior components. Either way, it remains to be seen how long a disposal will grind before something gives out. they are surprisingly durable machines. 👍
I would use saved urine instead of a water hose. Charge it at the same time
Ingenious! It's not too fine a grain? Studies show too small a particle size makes it hydrophobic.
Also, why not charge the biochar in the water, along with some concentrated liquid fertilizer? Let is innoculate for 1-3 days and voila - added value biochar
First I've heard of small charcoal particles being hydrophobic. Could be. The particle size can be made larger by enlarging the slots in the disposal's grinding ring. Charging the char is definitely the way to go. Thanks for the comment.
How much would you add to each mini bed?
I'm going to add 1/2 cup when I plant my cover crops in the fall.
Why don’t you just put the bag underneath the disposal?
That can certainly be done. It was more convenient for me to secure the bags to the sawhorses.
do you think this would chop up seaweed?
Yes. But you would have to feed it in wet and it would make a slurry. Not exactly chopping.
GENIUS!
How long have you been using Biochar? What have been your observations?
I've made it for a few years. Maybe 3 or 4. I haven't noticed any difference in my garden. It's good soil to begin with. I've fed it with various amendments for years. I also got a test and did a soil remineralization, as per Steve Solomon's book, "The Intelligent Gardener." I just feel good about adding the char to my soil. It's a waste product harvested from my wood stove through the winter months. 🙂
@@herrickkimball From other You Tubers. If you have healthy soil. You do not see to much if any improvement. But if you have poor soils like sand. It is like a miracle!
@@herrickkimball Four years and you haven't noticed any difference? Whoa.
For the rest of the world, How to grind biochar with a kitchen macerator 👍
Thanks for the translation. :-)
@@herrickkimball No worries mate, I wasn't sure what you meant until I watched the video, because it could have meant something else. Always enjoy your videos. Thanks
Elizabeth L. Johnson said, So the macerator maces?
@@JamesJohnson-yh1oh smashes like a mace perhaps
That aint gonna last on hardwood, no sir
The idea is good. But for the price of a quality garbage grinder I can buy a big bag of professional ag biochar ...
And when the bag runs out? The grinder keeps on grinding bag after bag, the maths is simple, as was your comment.
@@MrJFoster1984 well. In my context of 1000 squarefeet of beds a big bag is enough to saturate the soil to terra preta level.
Nothing wrong with buying biochar. I bought the disposal for ten bucks at a yard sale. The charcoal is a byproduct of my wood stove.
Yes one bag but do you want to pay that price every time you need some biochar?