Books again.

[charlesModerator]

Yes indeed!
Karen, current usage of the phrase “compost tea” refers to a brew of microbes. Not to soakings of smelly organic matter! And I agree with you that they are not worthwhile for those of us who have compost.
It’s another case of confusions arising from language and the same term being applied to vastly different things.
And Tris I agree about the b.d. Preps, the time needed, it’s more worthwhile for larger areas than allotments. Or do a whole allotment site….!

[KarenParticipant]

I do believe that compost tea is kinda a multi-faceted thingy… I came across this site which concludes….and I can´t help but agree with the conclusion.

Compost Tea

Conclusion:

If you want to make some compost tea, go ahead. You will probably not harm anything and you just might have some fun doing it. But understand that there is currently no evidence that compost tea is any better than using just compost. Be a smart gardener and just spread the compost on the soil as a mulch. Nature will do the rest.

I guess ultimately… everyone has their own personal experiences…and from my own personal experience and logical conclusion… best to just add the compost and manure and let everything work itself. 🙂

[KarenParticipant]

🙂 Charles! Thanks for clarifying that …. and btw…. your method of the soaking smelly organic matter is NEVER stinky… I tried it out and my 5litres bucket didn’t stink to high heavens as I didn’t add water to it and just piled over and over the nettle and comfrey.

[StringfellowParticipant]

Hi all. We seem to have gone a little off piste here but it’s an interesting discussion. Can we clarify things a little here as I’m a touch lost! Are we saying that, if you apply compost/ manure as a mulch to your soil:

1) Applying old school compost teas (made via the steeping method) aka Black Jack or anaerobic teas is superfluous.

Or,

2) Applying modern compost teas (microbes) made aerobically via air pumps creating vast amounts of bubbles etc. is superfluous.

Or,

3) Both!??

Karen, your link and therefore conclusions seem to be based on the first?

This gardening lark keeps you on your toes 🙂

[KarenParticipant]

Haha! Heya Stringfellow… that made me giggle… 🙂 and I do think we are going a wee off the books again topic

I do strongly believe is both. I am no gardening guru compared to Charles… there will be microbes in every form of compost.
the method 1) is like what I believe most gardeners embark on in general while method 2) is like getting into the nitty gritty details of “creating more microbes”?

If you read Masanobu Fukuoka´s book One Straw Revolution… he pretty much advises one to just observe how nature works…

I have tried using compost tea (even soaking compost in water – this compost m referring to is not the comfrey and nettle) and it occurred to me that it just doesn’t really make any sense when I could just put the compost directly on the beds It is like just “double work”.. Our compost heap contains all compostable materials, newspapers, horse manure, etc

Ha! Moral of the story… read and follow Charles books and we wont go too wrong. And because my neighours are always commenting that our plants looks soooooo healthy and vigourous too. Everyone has been also trying to get hold of horse manure from the neighbourhood after sharing my experience with them. 🙂

[KarenParticipant]

Now…. back to the related books topic….

(please excuse me if I write too much … it´s just that I get really excited and eager to share my own personal experiences and books that I come across)

It was pretty much through Maria Thun´s book (I have her” book” about 10 years ago that got me interested in biodynamics etc) that I realised the most common mistakes made by people when it comes to watering their plants.

“When plants are accustomed to being watered their roots delve less deeply into the soil , so in hot dry periods they become dependant on watering to survive”

It all makes perfect logical sense.! No one “believes” me when I tell them that I don’t water my established plants until I explain the logic behind it and they get it.

So… pretty much Maria Thun and Charles´ methods are the guiding stars in our garden. The best of both worlds 🙂

[charlesModerator]

Hi Karen and Stringfellow,
The compost tea confusion arises because of using that phrase for two different things.
What I refer to as true compost tea is made aerobic ally (with oxygenating pump, molasses feed and only a little compost) and I think it’s worthwhile, but doubt it’s viability for gardeners.
The older type of compost tea is anaerobic and I agree Karen, of limited value except perhaps for pot plants.
Maria Thun on watering, that is a sound principle but …. Shallower rooting and fast growing plants such as salads, spinach and celery will thrive more when encouraged with occasional and through watering.

[StringfellowParticipant]

Thanks Charles and Karen, I’m now clear on things! It would be fantastic to be able to organise brewing teas and making bio-dynamic preps on a scale to cover our whole allotment site. Unfortunately, at the moment, we actually have a few tenantless plots and they have returned ‘to nature’. It’s all to do with available time and priorities I guess.

I can also see that applying compost teas to golf course fairways allows the benefits of compost without disrupting play!

“One Straw Revolution” arrived today 🙂

[KarenParticipant]

Hi Charles,

I do agree that there`s no hard and fast rule… I suspect our salads and lettuces got bitter quick as well as flowering quick (going to seed) due to the lack of constant balance watering especially in hot weathers. As it is the plants quick instinct to propagate in unfavourable conditions. In addition, they are shallower rooting plants. I will most definitely pay more attention to the watering needs of the salads and lettuces now and conduct the experiments in my previous question thread about bitterness in salad leaves. 🙂

Cant wait to get started! Am raring to go!

[StringfellowParticipant]

Hello. Just an update to this thread and possibly info to log away for next winter when we’re waiting for the starting gun!

“One Straw Revolution” is an interesting read and the overall essence of which I gleaned was to work with nature and seek the simplest path. His specific method is not entirely applicable to our climate but still much food for thought.

Eliot Coleman has three main books; his primer “The Four Season Harvest” is good and expanded upon in “The New Market Grower” and the winter section of this is enhanced in “The Winter Harvest Handbook”. All really, really good, informative books by a food gardening ninja!

There are also some really interesting looking books that date back to the early 1900’s which are listed in his bibliographies; so plenty to keep anyone busy during next years long winter evenings!

Please add any other gems and best to all for the season ahead.

[Author]

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