Joe Lamp’l shows how to make rich, black compost at home
It happens naturally, though with some scientific know-how we can further enhance the best soil amendment on earth: compost! This rich, beautiful, life-giving substance teeming with microbes and nutrients is borne from dead plants, discarded kitchen scraps and yard trimmings through the natural magic of decomposition.
By managing and aiding the decomposition process we can have rich compost even faster, but truly – you don’t have to do a thing if you don’t have the time or inclination. Nature knows what she’s doing, all by herself.
If you want to know that the bagged mulch or soil that you’re buying is free of unacceptable contaminants, such as arsenic from pressure treated wood, make sure that it has the certification seal on the bag! Learn more at mulchandsoilcouncil.org
In this episode, we dig deeper into some of this work to find out how modern science has improved on nature’s perfection, and learn how we can apply this information to our own gardens for even better results.
This episode includes the plans for an open 3-bin compost system made of repurposed shipping pallets, some do’s and don’ts of composting, and Joe shows us which items from the kitchen, office and yard to include and exclude from your compost pile.
For more information:
- Joe’s Blog from this episode: So Much to Say, So Little Time
- Chef Nathan’s Recipe from this episode: Pan-Roasted Asparagus
- GGWTV Episode 112: The Power of Worms (full episode – Vermiculture and Vermicomposting)
- Compost Your Kitchen and Household Waste
- Amendment for the Garden
- Composting Basics
- Fall Leaves – a Gift to Gardeners
- GGWTV Episode 106: Composting on a Grand Scale (full episode)
- Vermicomposting
About GGWTV
Growing A Greener World is a national gardening series on Public Television that features organic gardening, green living and farm to table cooking. Each episode focuses on compelling and inspirational people making a difference through gardening. This gardening series covers everything from edible gardening and sustainable agriculture to seasonal cooking and preserving the harvest.
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Hello. I have two questions for you: 1- I have never put newspaper in the compost, because of the chemicals in the ink. Does that not concern you? 2- You talk about pesticides and herbicides, what about people who use fertilizers?
I would like to build a pallet compost bin for our community garden.
I don’t worry about the inks in newspaper today since they’re vegetable-based inks. However, while you can compost newspaper, I recycle mine so I’m not putting newspaper in my compost bin. I also say if and when I compost newspaper, I don’t put the glossy ad circulars in the compost. I don’t really know why, except the glossiness of those pages just causes me to send them and the rest of my newspaper to the recycler while I’m at it. I have plenty of other carbon sources that add to the feedstock of my bin. I’m not sure I understand your question about the fertilizer. If you’re asking about if I compost things that have been previously fertilized, the answer is yes. Not on purpose but I’m not worried about adding food scraps for example that may not be organic. The composting process does a great job of neutralizing or deactivating many chemicals.
The bigger issue for you is in the pallet bins you choose. Make sure you read my article here on what to know before using pallets for making a compost bin. They’re a great idea and it’s what I’ve used for 10 years. But read this to be safe: https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/building-pallet-compost-bin/
Hello,
I loved this episode, as I do all your episodes. Can you please tell me where you purchased the green tined shovel that was in your compost bin. I have seen you use it in several episodes and I would love to own one.
Thanks Nycole. Here’s the link to a resource guide I put together of some of my favorite products. It’s in this guide. It also gives you a link on where to order it: http://joegardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/JG-Resource-Guide_FINAL.pdf
This episode includes the plans for an open 3-bin compost system made of repurposed shipping pallets,
I can’t find the plans for the compost system. Can you tell me how I can access them? I want to make this for our community garden.
Hey Steve. Here you go. If you need to find it in the future, just type in “pallet compost bin” into the search field. Good luck.
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/building-pallet-compost-bin/
Nice video but should check your ‘more information links’ you have more than one that is 404. You can get a wordpress plugin to track dead links down in your articles.
Had a really bad problem with white flys the last couple of years. The local garden experts advised me to dispose of the leaves rather than using them-drove me crazy sending all of the bags to recycle. I had tried white fly traps, water, soapy water to combat the flies and they ended up distroying many of my plantings of beans, tomatoes, etc. I would your view on not using the leaves and any suggestions on how to combat the white flies.
Doug
Citrus Heights, CA
So glad I found your site. We really enjoyed and learned from this composting video. It’s been very informative and I now have the info I need to take my composting to the next level.
When we bought the home we have now there was a brand new composter behing the garage. We might have taken a lot longer learning about composting if I hadn’t looked online to find out how to use it.
Our composter has a removable door on the bottom making it easier than most to work the compost inside. It’s not very big though so I think we will try to build another like the one you just showed me.
I have seen other compost bins constructed and it was more than I thought I could do but using palettes, well that’s just brillant. I am sure that with the assistance of my son and wife we can put it together.
Now I’m really look forward to 2012 gardening in our yard.
Enjoyed the show and wanted the recipe from episode 225, which was the program I watch. The most current recipe was 222 and when I put 225 recipe in address got this rude little comment.(you 404’d it. Gnarly,dude)