Common Compost Problems FIXED! & How to Turn (Your SIMPLE) Compost
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- Learn why and how to manually turn your compost, without the need for an expensive compost tumbler. Complete with troubleshooting tips to secure compost success.
Be sure to check out the blog post for more info: homesteadingfamily.com/when-a...
If you're looking to start your compost pile, learn how with Josh's SIMPLE method here: homesteadingfamily.com/how-to...
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MORE ABOUT US!
WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo
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Click any of the links below for instant access to free video training resources:
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Click any of the links below for instant access to these free downloadable PDFs:
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- Thrive Wellness Checklist- A simple PDF download for healthy living.
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- Permaculture for Your Homestead- PDF download that is an introduction to permaculture with some strategies for applying it to one’s homestead and garden.
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- Carolyn’s Cottage Garden herb list- PDF with Carolyn’s favorite herbs for growing at home.
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- Carolyn’s Make-Ahead Breakfast Casseroles- Carolyn’s favorite make-ahead breakfast casseroles.
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- Save the Crumbs- Several Recipes for using bread leftovers, a less committal entry to bread than the workshop.
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- Fearless Fermenting- A PDF on basic lacto-ferments.
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- Preserving Culinary Herbs- Downloadable, step by step directions to drying, freezing and salting culinary herbs.
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- Render Your Own Lard- PDF with instructions on how to render your own lard.
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#Composting #CompostTroubleshooting #CompostQuestions
One guide to composting I learnt is " Too many Greens smells like latrine while Too many Browns slows it down". Moisture and air are very important as well. Life is a learning curve. Great video mate from Downunder.
Great video Josh! Very informative. I noticed the "dog" right away and then noticed it did not move...I was thinking good dog...lol....then realized a statue...lol.
I was wondering about the dog too! 🤔
Us too!! 🤣🤣🤣
Great tutorial guys! We are a couple starting our homestead in NB and now we know how to make our own compost! We are in our first year and using the winter to renovate the farmhouse. The fun starts this spring. Also, great husband/wife team... complementary brains working together was very helpful. Thanks and God bless!
You have your dog excellently trained to sit perfectly still in the background while you're filming. That's a sign of a great animal handler.
* 😂😁
** thanks for the vids
Nothing like a good solid dog lol
Lol
It’s kind of a one trick pup though…
Do we know why there's a dog statue back there?
@@candicechristensen1753 Yes.
This channel is the best, it’s an encyclopedia for self sustaining. Great video, thank you!
I love it also
i agree
@@loisjones4765 🥰🥰🥰
Wow, thank you!
Seeing the calf and mum was such a nice bonus.
We had already seen this video. Definitely worth the "remembering" what we need to be doing. We really need to focus much better in getting some heat in our compost pile as well as turning it over. Thank You for another informative video!
Thank you I appreciate your simple way of teaching and helping us fix our problems. The calf is cute.
The Calf was really cute
I have a turn composting system and the family of ants that lives in there is doing well, although I feel bad as it's turned over weekly! Have been adding kitchen scraps every week and you'd think it'd be too much to process but with a little help from my "friends in low places" it's keeping pace. Look forward to seeing more video! *new subscriber* 👋
We’ve really been enjoying watching Josh do a lot of homesteading videos lately!
Love and appreciate how knowledgeable him and Carolyn are!
Thanks y’all as always for all the educational content!
God bless!
I like how you keep moving the coyote decoy.
Oh! It's a coyote decoy🤣 I was wondering why there's a dog statue sitting around 🤔
This has been presented in a simple to understand manner, thank you. It was very insightful.
Thank you for a great video. Please share with us to preserve this compost till spring. Best wishes
Great video. Definitely more informative than other ones I've watched, thx!
I added a bunch of fish guts to mine. As soon as it started to stink I turned it good. The smell went away quickly. I'm so looking forward to adding it to the garden.
This was excellent! Thank you. You just made composting easy.👍🏼
Another great video... informative, well edited, nice mixture of music and talking.
Thank you.
Been looking forward to this video for the last week, thank you!
This was very helpful - thank you! We're trying to work out a better Compost situation 😊
Thanks for sharing dear friend 👋🤗 Have a wonderful day. God bless you 🥳🙏🍀💞
I love it. I have the same compost style.
Great and simple advice! Thank you! Your calf is adorable too.
Glad it was helpful!
Keep er crankin!
A reason why the pile isn't quite up to optimal temperatures is because it looks a tiny bit under-sized... my guess is the piles are about 30" in diameter by about a yard tall. If the pile was a full 36" minimum, that could be the small difference that enables a jump from 130-160 degrees F to just below boiling water (212 degrees F). Still, if the pile has been turned only once, the tan color of the compost indicates about what you should expect after turning only once or a couple times so there is good progress so far. I entirely agree about adding water, it's far easier to be too dry than too wet, and if you just let your wet pile sit a bit longer, excess water will probably drain by itself.
Good video!
Great video, love the info. Thanks for sharing
Very helpful video. Thank you so much.
Thank you Sir, Navy Mark...
Thanks for the tips... keep up
I like the watch dog
great vid. thanks for sharing. minute 3:00 to ~5:00 is the turning.
Awesome I've being waiting for this video lol . Thank you for sharing your knowledge.... The dog is a good idea kinda like a scare crow . My dogs are usually out but when there not this would be a great fill in lol .
Thank you for sharing .
Hi. I subbed after the free classes on the school.thete is a lot of good info. My compost is ruined too much wet from hurricane Ian then Nicole..soo much wet lol...
Great info, Josh!
Thanks for watching!
Hi friend 🖐 first time here and loved your content and great explanation 👍 thank you for the upload 💚
Approximately three times I turn mine, I run it thru the chipper/shredder, as I do the turning. This seems to help break things down better. My biggest problem is keeping the moisture level where it should be. This next ten days of temperatures of 110 or better is going to not help that problem.
Thanks for all the great information you folks put out. Everyone keep cool, know N. Idaho is going to be hot too.
I am located in south central Washington state.
If you can simply get temperatures up to just under boiling water, you shouldn't have to run anything through a chipper/shredder. High temperatures will break down even branches up to a couple inches in diameter and anything smaller would disappear completely. Outside ambient temperatures should not be a big factor in achieving high temperatures (should be possible even in the dead of winter in a snowbank) but the hotter the air is, it can't hurt.
Either the dog in the background is so enthralled watching compost being made or it's actually a stone statue!
I see you keep moving your Dog/Coyote around. Cute
Nice video. Is that pile you turned manure and sawdust? That is what it looked like. I always loved composting... Homade compost works so much better than the crap from the store. I used to make mine with fresh cut tall grass from a field they mowed 2-3x a year next door and bunny poop... plus food scraps and leaves in the fall. Huge hand turned pile about a full pickup load the following spring. Best temp I ever had was 185... Didn't know it got that hot, but it did. Now, here in Florida on 1/2 acre I only have a composter you turn, but it makes nice homade compost. Grass clippings and scraps.
Good review, thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Good job... Look into "worm tea" AMAZING STUFF!!!
On our wire bins, we run a scrap pipe or pole through each end of the wire. When making the bin form, one bottom pipe/pole end (bottom) is pushed down one weave of the wire, the top end we do a figure-8 loop that holds the top together. It saves a few minutes from not having to tie/untie. The seam.
Dr. V. I like your simple way of composting and the simple wire cage is handy to to move. I will be trying your method soon. Happy gardener
Please do a coffee video! Where to bulk buy, how to roast, etc. Thank you!!!
The dog in the background ❤
Was wondering if there is a way to keep compost if it's not needed right away, or through the winter?
I used my rototiller to help turn my big compost piles
You can also lift the cage off. Just go around it and lift a few inches each time. It will soon lift right off, ready for the next batch. I only use the cage for the initial setup, on the first flip I make a pile. Then tarp it.
Great video, about how long does it take before you can use it in your garden?
What of you had some sort of rigid shell you could clamp around it with a top and bottom and then just flip it over and roll it to mix it? Then just remove the shell and let it breathe
What about adding a perforated pipe through the middle of the compost ring to be able to add water more often to the layers?
Hi 👋🏻 I’m new to your channel. I absolutely love it 😊 I was wondering, when do I need to use oxygen absorbers.
Where we're at, we're surrounded by pine trees. Every spring we do a cleanup of all the limbs, cones, and needles that fell over winter. Can I use pine in my compost? I've had people tell me that I can't... but I'd like to know your thoughts since I see you also live amongst the pines!
Throw a little sugar on the tops of the piles it will go off.
Can you continue to compost through the winter or other seasons or just summer???
7:00 good stuff
hi all, new sub -australia :)
Good morning from Boise Idaho. Question ... after you sift your compost do you reuse the wood chips?
Found it !
Can you start the compost pile in the fall or should I wait until warmer weather? I would imagine that it would be better to compost in warmer weather.
I live in NW Montana so we get a LOT of snow! How would this method work with that?
I struggle to reach over 100 degrees in my pile. I have layered it in the way you do. I water it as I layer also to make sure the sawdust is wet….?
The pile stands by itself due to the fungi, and they also are responsible for the clumping you describe. If you add any material after the process has begun, that is not getting composted to the same degree as the original material. To be thermophilic and effective to kill pathogens and seeds you need to be >130º for three days minimum. Excessive turning destroys the fungi. A well built and properly maintained pile really only needs to be turned twice, but there’s a roadmap to doing that. this info is available to Dr. Elaine Ingham’s students in the soil food web school. You certainly make a good point about keeping pile aerobic. If it smells bad, it ain’t compost, it’s just rotting organic matter that has gone anaerobic and produces disease organisms and lower ph that can actually kill your plants.
I've been watching your composting videos lately. I'm wondering what your pile looks like when your still adding whole materials to it (not broken down)? I have a small two-sided wooden frame composting area where I just dump my food scraps and other brown materials. This may be a silly question. Lol
Generally that food is just rotting, not composting, and nasty organisms can grow in it that you DO NOT WANT IN YOUR GARDEN.
Hi Josh, do you ever add ashes and coffee/tea grounds to your compost?
Do you leave the compost thermometer in the pile all the time, or would rain hurt it? And speaking of rain, do you tarp the pile, or do you keep it from getting over-wet some other way?
You can leave the thermometer in. Tarp your pile to prevent excessive inflow of water and excessive loss of moisture from wind and sun evaporation. Tarp helps maintain more even temperatures too,
Take it out, despite the mfr’s claim that it’s waterproof, mine got water inside after a slight rain. I put the dial part in a plastic bag with a silica pack to dry it.
can I make a compost bin with the fencing not as high? like, half as high?
Soo where can I find one of those dogs? It's stay command is PERFECT lol
Made a compost pile and within a day it was up over 130 so I turned it the next day it was up over 1:40 so I turned it again the next day it was up over 150 can your compost heat up too fast
Are grass clippings that are 3 weeks old considered green or brown?
In theory, could you put a perforated 3" pipe(s) in the long axis of the pile to add water and oxygen? Like having the top open to add water and having a cap with a fitting for an air compressor to attach to?
@matt sabo
Check out JohnsonSu bioreactor composting. No turning.
How do you store your manure before you start composting?
The dog behind you is it real. I've seen it in 2 spots. Just curious.. Thanks for sharing this, Hopefully will be doing this method.. God bless.
Would it be the same as allowing it to sit for a year?
We use cedar chip a lot can those be add as carbon
So would fresh hay and manure from a dairy be good nitrogen source
My compost is outside now but I don’t know the way to go about keeping it activated after it rains
Where can I get a thermometer like that please? My hubby and I are just getting started at our new to us homestead. The “soil” is all sand! We have no lawn but I’m getting greens from neighbors. I’ve never seen a thermometer like that-thank you!
Search Amazon for compost thermometers. I bought one on Amazon recently.
How hot and how long does it need to be to kill the seeds?
If it rains a lot where you are should you cover it
Extra stinky compost might mean you've got some anaerobic activity going on and it's producing methane. You might not be turning the compost often enough or not breaking up clumps thoroughly enough. Without oxygen being mixed into the compost, it basically does the exact same thing that happens inside a cows stomach and make a stinky goopy compost. It won't harm the compost but it will take longer and it will stink.
Is the compost pile supposed to be left open to the rain all the time?
I have a tumbler composter and it's always too wet. What can I add to it? I have some ground up egg shells, would that help? I don't normally add leaves or grass to it.
Is your tumbler made of plastic with few or no holes? Since there is no way for excess moisture from draining away, the batch becomes too wet. Maybe you can drill some holes in non-structural locations around the circumference if the barrel.
How long does my chicken compost need to sit to be safe for garden?
I have yet to find a five tine fork.
you have to buy a 6 tine and cut one off. lol
I hope that you can help me because i am about ready to give up. I just started raising chicken's. I made a compost pile with straw from the coop, grass, dried leaves, an veggie scraps. I started it 5 week's ago , it is 3 1/2 tall an 3 feet wide. I water it when it starts to look dry. I have tried turning it every two days for awhile an then about every 3 days , but it doesn't help. The whole time i've had it , it has only gotten up to 60-65 degrees. i turned again today an some of the grass an straw is starting to look dark but the rest still looks the same as the day i started. What is wrong with it ? i am 67 an this is my first time trying this.
More greens
All my compost is producing is flies. How do you fix it?
Having trouble with this. Made compost piles according to the video, one was cranking along at 130 deg being turned regularly, then temp plummeted- turned again, it didn't come up. Turned again and added water as it seemed too dry. Temp hasn't moved. What do I do now? Add more nitrogen?
More greens
Where i can buy a compost termometer?
I have a question, You don't profit this gas emissions of the pile for electricity or natural gas for cooking?
If the pile stays aerobic, it is only losing mostly carbon because the bacteria have no way of holding on to it. If it goes anaerobic, your generating combustible gases, but in too small a quantity to economically collect. What is happening is that the gasses increase global warming… they are up to 250 worse than co2. Anaerobic compost can also kill your plants.
I struggle to break down the wood chips in my compost pile. Do you know what that could be? The rabbit manure and the grass/greens break down easily, but not the wood chips. Any idea? :)
Wood chips breakdown much slower. Add urine or some cow/horse or sheep/goat manure to give more nitrogen. Rabbit manure has much lower nitrogen content. That’s why you can spread it directly into the garden.
Wood chips, shavings, & sawdust can take years to breakdown due to their extremely high c/n ratio. Adding more high nitrogen materials like fresh manure helps, but it will still take years. If it is not completely composted, adding it to your soil will deplete the soil of nitrogen. I keep wood chips, shavings, & sawdust in separate compost piles since it takes so long. And have other compost piles in which I use other browns which do not have such a high c/n ratio like hay, straw, dry grass clippings, tree leaves, and garden plants after they are done bearing.
Wouldn't it be easier just to leave in a pile and turn as needed and not transfer back and forth in wire fencing? Does the pile need full sunlight?
He made this pile to show people how to compost with lutte space. In the opening you see him turn his pile with the tractor.
💚🌞
Mines been at 160 for over a week
I can swear I can smell the fertility.
😂😂😂
there should be an electric mixer that can mix this pile "in place"
Is it a statue of a dog on the background? Lol
I'm lazy I would just build two of the same kind of metal wire stations side by side and just move it from one station to the other rather than take one apart and put it back together in another spot.
Would wasted hay with goat pee and poo work as a green?
Another major problem for most people living in urban areas that they don’t have access to unchlorinated water such as well or spring water! As the chlorine and other additives destroy the life of the microbes that create the compost!
Is there benefit to adding worms to your compost pile? Would it help in the beginning to break things down?
I think if your compost is too warm or hot, worms would die off.
@@babyroot3479
I was thinking putting them in at the very start, but your point makes sense.
I bet the series will show you only the classic (commercial) weed seed and pathogen free compost aimed for max volume in minimum amount of time. Excellent stuff for starting seeds and mulching. But the last stage should be the natural migrating in of worms and other critters. These will turn your compost into garden gold. Some people try to create that by using special worm bins. So let your compost pile cool down and give the worms time to move in and digest. If they don't, you should worry about the quality of your subsoil below your compost pile. It may be too acidic or worse. Cleared my wife's garden of all unwanted stuff and only saw 3 worms. Started my slow compost bins on a paved area and out of the blue several types of worms appeared and started munching the goodies, after cooling down. Hope this helps.
@@earlshine453
I appreciate it. I hadn't considered that and was only thinking of trying to get production quicker.