I like yours and i am doing it now but smaller version. All my 50-55 gallon bags doesn’t contain any soil, just saw dust and garden/kitchen scraps. I put the perforated pipe and over time, i planted in it and converted the perforated pipe to in-ground vermicompost
@survivalpodcasting I do something similar with a much simpler method (in my opinion). In the Fall a receive loads of shredded leaves from a landscaper. I build a pile that is 10-15 feet diameter and 4-feet high, held with welded wire fence. As I build it, every 10-12 inches of leaves I add, I will sprinkle some soil/compost for the microbes, and wet it thoroughly. Then in late Fall when the pile is still warm but before very cold weather, I throw in a bunch of worms. After that I do nothing more. The pile stays warm thru the Winter, worms find the spots they like convert into worm castings. So it's a combo of fungal/vermi/microbial breakdown. It's ready to use in the Spring 18-months later. I could use it sooner, but that's a good amount of time for full breakdown. Super easy, never goes anaerobic, and makes amazing compost. But I can't take the credit. I learned this method from Tom Bartels in a video he made explaining it. Let me know what you think. I'd love your input on the method, if you want to see another way of doing it that is. I'll drop the link here, hopefully youtube won't delete it. ua-cam.com/video/u9ZOI_coqFA/v-deo.html
Excited to crack mine open this spring, built one last spring and it has shrank vertically at least 12". Will be building again and adding in some other things as well, thanks Jack for the class on HFS for this
Whenever I think the price for a class is too high, I start googling for that same information. So far, I've never needed to come back to the advertised course, because the information is out there for the taking.
Great video! i currently have five trash cans ive turned into reactors Second year doing it and i have to say what comes out is blake gold. This year added biochar and a few layers of leaf mold, time will tell. best explanation ive seen on how these work, i leave my one tube in better that way. glad i found you subscribed
Great video Jack, loved seeing that steam rising. This year i will be experimenting with different shapes. Im looking at making them slightly smaller than the diameter of a raised bed, then when its time to open them up just build a raised bed around them with at least 6 inches of space between them so i can pull the fencing out. I am trying to have less shovel time with the whole process. Oh, so i did an experiment last year with planting directly into them and put it under full shade to make it as difficult for the plants as possible. Ummm 🤔, i had cucumbers using the tree as a trellis lol. It was not the outcome i expected considering I'm in Eastern Ohio.
I'm wondering if you'd like to try an experiment of "capping" a new pile with biochar? For me it collected most of the offgasing and for any other use after that by charging etc it was the most active char ive come across. Not sure if it was just placebo, some good fired char, it became a good feed source or if the steam actually contains an insane quantity of the good guys
This is great stuff! I've seen that a lot of bioreactors are built on pallets (for airflow on the bottom?) but it looks like yours is directly on bare dirt. Is that right? I'm assuming your columns provide enough air flow, even all the way to the bottom?
This is all in my course. We did pallets, zero gain for an extra thing added you don't need. Dr. Johnsons are 6 feet high these are only 3, that is also by design on my end. Last by having ground contact we are cultivating and harvesting even more IMO.
Unfortunately, we had sub-freezing weather for much of January, so I am sure my bioreactor did freeze. I made it in October/November. The course was well worth the money.
1. It will be fine. 2. A mitigation technique is install a 300 watt aquarium heater set to the lowest setting in the center of it during winter. This will create a safe zone for your biology. Then it will simply recolonize as temps come up.
I am wondering about using some kind of heavily perforated pipe, not drainage piping, but filter pipe maybe. I'll consider the course. Been thinking about this system.
You can use the pipe to start, just remove it after the pile has settled. the straw/wood pile will not collapse into the breathing holes for long enough if you built it well. Mine isn't a year old and the holes are still open enough, but my piles are mostly straw as I had a ton of straw and less chips.
You really need some N in there. 15-20% is ideal. But something as simple as green grass clippings will do that for you. Some use a sack of alfalfa pellets, coffee grinds also work. People have pulled off all dry leaves, it is good compost but not the same more "leaf mold" but all chips is going to make a very chunky and not well balanced product. I mean literally we are talking a wheel barrow or two of greens being enough. Now FRESH chips that have a lot of green still in them, that will work by itself very well. So it depends.
Why don't you do that since you are so convinced it is worth doing. Oh and let me guess what I will see if I look at your channel. Without even looking I bet it says, "This channel doesn't have any content" because people that make comments like this 99.5% of the time don't actually do anything. 🙄
@survivalpodcasting hi there, I thought this vid was really cool. Catching the gas you got pumping off that thing seems like an achievable goal that would also be really cool. Who made compost in your cornflakes?
I like yours and i am doing it now but smaller version. All my 50-55 gallon bags doesn’t contain any soil, just saw dust and garden/kitchen scraps. I put the perforated pipe and over time, i planted in it and converted the perforated pipe to in-ground vermicompost
@survivalpodcasting I do something similar with a much simpler method (in my opinion). In the Fall a receive loads of shredded leaves from a landscaper. I build a pile that is 10-15 feet diameter and 4-feet high, held with welded wire fence. As I build it, every 10-12 inches of leaves I add, I will sprinkle some soil/compost for the microbes, and wet it thoroughly. Then in late Fall when the pile is still warm but before very cold weather, I throw in a bunch of worms. After that I do nothing more. The pile stays warm thru the Winter, worms find the spots they like convert into worm castings. So it's a combo of fungal/vermi/microbial breakdown. It's ready to use in the Spring 18-months later. I could use it sooner, but that's a good amount of time for full breakdown.
Super easy, never goes anaerobic, and makes amazing compost. But I can't take the credit. I learned this method from Tom Bartels in a video he made explaining it. Let me know what you think. I'd love your input on the method, if you want to see another way of doing it that is. I'll drop the link here, hopefully youtube won't delete it. ua-cam.com/video/u9ZOI_coqFA/v-deo.html
This is awesome. I am planning to build a few for my gardens. Thank you for posting this. I appreciate it. The trolls just like to hassle goats
Excited to crack mine open this spring, built one last spring and it has shrank vertically at least 12". Will be building again and adding in some other things as well, thanks Jack for the class on HFS for this
Whenever I think the price for a class is too high, I start googling for that same information.
So far, I've never needed to come back to the advertised course, because the information is out there for the taking.
Great setup and advice. I've started to use hessian/ burlap cloth in the garden instead of landscape fabric. Got tired of picking up bits of plastic.
Turning compost gets quick compost but slow compost gets the best compost. 👌👍😁
I will happily pay $40 for this class. How can complain about that? Thanks for what you do, jack.
Great video! i currently have five trash cans ive turned into reactors Second year doing it and i have to say what comes out is blake gold. This year added biochar and a few layers of leaf mold, time will tell. best explanation ive seen on how these work, i leave my one tube in better that way. glad i found you subscribed
Great video Jack, loved seeing that steam rising.
This year i will be experimenting with different shapes. Im looking at making them slightly smaller than the diameter of a raised bed, then when its time to open them up just build a raised bed around them with at least 6 inches of space between them so i can pull the fencing out.
I am trying to have less shovel time with the whole process.
Oh, so i did an experiment last year with planting directly into them and put it under full shade to make it as difficult for the plants as possible. Ummm 🤔, i had cucumbers using the tree as a trellis lol. It was not the outcome i expected considering I'm in Eastern Ohio.
Thank you Jack! My goal this summer is to make a few of these, after I pay for the course.
Don't let the keyboard warriors up set you. Some have never left there parent basement, and suddenly they are experts
Moto is correct 😁👍👌
Agreed. Chill bro.
I'm wondering if you'd like to try an experiment of "capping" a new pile with biochar? For me it collected most of the offgasing and for any other use after that by charging etc it was the most active char ive come across. Not sure if it was just placebo, some good fired char, it became a good feed source or if the steam actually contains an insane quantity of the good guys
Good followup. I detest people that want everything for nothing
This is great stuff! I've seen that a lot of bioreactors are built on pallets (for airflow on the bottom?) but it looks like yours is directly on bare dirt. Is that right?
I'm assuming your columns provide enough air flow, even all the way to the bottom?
This is all in my course. We did pallets, zero gain for an extra thing added you don't need. Dr. Johnsons are 6 feet high these are only 3, that is also by design on my end. Last by having ground contact we are cultivating and harvesting even more IMO.
What are the best brands of landscape fabric? I need to dive back into that class. LOTS of good information in the course.
Looked to me like the MyPex kind of woven fabric? I'm curious about this too.
Where do i get the class intrested
Unfortunately, we had sub-freezing weather for much of January, so I am sure my bioreactor did freeze. I made it in October/November. The course was well worth the money.
1. It will be fine.
2. A mitigation technique is install a 300 watt aquarium heater set to the lowest setting in the center of it during winter. This will create a safe zone for your biology. Then it will simply recolonize as temps come up.
I am wondering about using some kind of heavily perforated pipe, not drainage piping, but filter pipe maybe. I'll consider the course. Been thinking about this system.
You can use the pipe to start, just remove it after the pile has settled. the straw/wood pile will not collapse into the breathing holes for long enough if you built it well. Mine isn't a year old and the holes are still open enough, but my piles are mostly straw as I had a ton of straw and less chips.
@CopperKnight1 i see, is it hard on your back pulling the pipes? I rather build once and be done
@@agrosyntrop they come out easily. The pile settles in but doesn't grab the pipes at all and I used corrugated drain pipe.
I'm going to try the fence/fabric for my second pile next spring if I have enough chips/straw to build two piles.
Have you had anyone make it just from a woodchip delivery? How did it turn out?
You really need some N in there. 15-20% is ideal. But something as simple as green grass clippings will do that for you. Some use a sack of alfalfa pellets, coffee grinds also work.
People have pulled off all dry leaves, it is good compost but not the same more "leaf mold" but all chips is going to make a very chunky and not well balanced product. I mean literally we are talking a wheel barrow or two of greens being enough.
Now FRESH chips that have a lot of green still in them, that will work by itself very well. So it depends.
I like leaving my woodchips in the piles from drop off for a few years. The amount of worms in them after two years is crazy
This looks simple enough to not be too hard to build…..I’m more interested in exactly what the mix in the digester/reactor is.
Awesome to see someone is contributing to this kind of “tech” This is the future, this is how we save the world
She's a beaut Jack.
Catch that gas with like hot sir balloon it could have cloth valves that build pressure. Burn methane free energy. Seems like easy solution
Why don't you do that since you are so convinced it is worth doing. Oh and let me guess what I will see if I look at your channel. Without even looking I bet it says, "This channel doesn't have any content" because people that make comments like this 99.5% of the time don't actually do anything. 🙄
@survivalpodcasting hi there, I thought this vid was really cool. Catching the gas you got pumping off that thing seems like an achievable goal that would also be really cool. Who made compost in your cornflakes?
On foe & 'nem grave.