This is John Kohler with growingyourgreens.com.
Today I have a very exciting episode for you.
What we're going to do today is fill this bed and one of the question actually I get
a lot is, 'hey, John, how many times do you use your compost and after every season do
you like shovel it out and get new stuff?'
No, no, no.
You don't want to be doing that.
You know, I can equate soil to like a fine wine, you know, a fine wine supposedly with
age and with time they get better.
Well, with time and added nutrition, your soil only improves from the original state
it was in because most topsoil are devoid of minerals, they don't have like biologic
activity like fungus and friendly bacteria in there.
They all work in symbiosis to make your soil really rich.
So, there's no way that I'd want to take this out and out new stuff in unless I was actually
selling it for about $100 a yard, then you can have all you want, but after every season
what happens is this compost literally sinks down.
So, let me show you how much this has sunk just in this past season here.
So, you can see here on this it's literally dropped down at least 4 inches.
The soil of it used to be up here to the op and in addition to the top what happens is,
I don't know, for some reason, the soil sunk and is not even down here.
So, we need to fill all this area up with some soil.
I like to fill my raised beds all the way up to the brim because underneath here is
actually a good space for these guys.
Check it out.
Underneath there, if you don't fill up the soil al the way it gives a place for snails
and slugs to hide and we don't want these guys in the garden.
They're going to actually eat your stuff.
So, that's why I like to fill this up to the brim and actually underneath with the soil
so that these guys can't get in there.
So, what today's episodes going to be about is we're going to go to Sonoma compost to
pick up some soil to fill up this bed and we're going to show you the whole process
of picking it up, bagging it up and bring it back so we can fill up the bed and plant
some vegetables.
So, now we're here at Sonoma compost and this is where I get my compost and they've saved
like a tons and tons and tons of waste going instead of going to landfill it comes here.
So, all the yard scraps, food waste and food trimmings, things like that, they take that
out of the regular waste stream, they divert it here, they turn it into compost so that
you and me can buy it.
Even vineyards and farms can buy this stuff and reenrich their soil and make it a lot
healthier.
So, what we're going to go do today is we're going to go pick up some of the biodynamic
compost.
So, this is where all the magic happens.
They got big huge piles of compost that's composting.
I mean, after all, compost happens, and they got different stacks and different stages
and they got the big orders like turning the compost and I think right no they're going
to load up an 18-wheeler with the compost.
When I originally built the bed in front of my house, I did get one of those big 18-wheelers
loaded up with compost and they literally dumped that in the front, like in the street
and the sidewalk, covering the sidewalk and the street.
We had to take it wheelbarrow at a time.
I think I got 55 cubic yards of compost to begin with.
So, I mean, that's how serious I am about compost.
I mean, after all, we are what we eat and we are what I eat, especially I the plants
coming out of the ground.
They are what they eat or what they feed on which is the earth, which is compost.
So, it's very important and critical that you get a high quality, organic, and even
biodynamic compost.
So, when you get to Sonoma compost, there's 2 areas.
On the right side of the building, this is where you're going to drive up if you have
a truck and they're going to take the big loader and load it up for you.
You're actually going to drive to the left of the building, where we're going to go right
now, if you're just driving up in your car to load up with prebagged stuff or if you're
going to bag up your own.
So, on this side of the building we got little piles that you can actually bag it up yourself
and some piles they have some stuff prebagged.
So, you just literally pick up the bag, toss it in your car, pay for it, and get going.
They have all the different grades of compost, from the regular Sonoma compost, the high
test compost, the feather-light mix, and they also have the mallard, which is what I used
to get, but we're going o tog over to the other side, where they have the biodynamic
Sonoma compost and the biodynamic high-test compost.
So, let's head over there next.
We're going to bag up some biodynamic.
So, over here they got the Sonoma biodynamic compost, but we're going to get the high-test
biodynamic compost.
That's like the top level and their best stuff.
No matter which one you buy, they now have basically small piles in the back that you
can come and shovel your own, or if you take a look here, they got a prebagged up for you.
So, you don't even have to shovel it, you don't even have to bring bags, you just literally
pick these up, load them in your car, drive away, and I can defiantly tell you that this
is the cheapest price for biodynamic compost in Sonoma county.
Normally, number 1, biodynamic compost is really hard to find and number 2, it's an
amazing affordable deal.
You have no excuses if you live in Sonoma County not to have good soil, 'cause you can
use this compost.
I'm not going to get the Sonoma biodynamic, I'm going to get the Sonoma high test biodynamics.
So, that's next door and what I'm going to do for even better deal than just buying the
prebagged stuff, you can bring your own bag.
So, brought a bunch of bags here and we're literally going to just fill these bags up
with the compost.
So, it takes some back-breaking labor.
To save labor, you might want to come on a dry day.
If you come right after it rains, the compost is more wet.
That means it's also heavier.
Also, they charge you by the bag, so whether you bring a big bag or a small bag, it's the
same price, so get the largest bags that you possibly can.
Another question may come up.
'John, where do you get the bags?'
these are standard feed sack bags.
So, where do you get feed sack bags?
Well, at a feed store.
So, go to your local feed store.
They may give you the used bags or they may sell them to you for a nominal cost.
They may also sell you, you know, feed sack bags for not too expensive but you could use
those to fill them up so that you can just transport compost in a normal car without
having a truck.
So, basically we got a 5-gallon bucket with the hole cut out of it.
We're just going to put this in here and this acts as a funnel to keep the bag stable and
line it up and just start scooping all the compost in.
So, I figure my car can hold about 9 of these bags.
So, we got some work to do to fill up all 9 bags and put them in the car.
So, I'm going to get back to that and show you when we're all done.
So, here' the worlds first.
I'm getting my first bag of biochar.
I've been looking for this stuff for a long time.
It's just a standard unmarked bag.
I think this is like 20 pounds for $20 and, you know what is biochar?
Biochar is kind of like charcoal but it's not, you can't just take briquettes, you know,
from the barbeque and put it on your garden.
That's not going to work and those briquettes may actually be treated with some actually
nasty chemicals.
So, you want to get the real biochar stuff and what this is going to do this is also
going to build your soil.
So, now you might be thinking, 'John, I'm so confused.
What do I have to put in my garden to grow?'
Well, you really don't need the biochar What you need is the compost or biodynamic compost
and then I'd highly encourage you to put rock dust and then after that, maybe the microrhyza
and then the biochar, but, you know, all this and the garden and soil, it all works in the
big system.
All this stuff comes together to grow the best food possible.
So, why not, if you're going to garden or do anything.
One of my teachers says, 'if you're going to take the time to do something, take the
time to do it right.'
So, just get the biochar.
It's $20 and it's going to build up your soil so that you can have the best richest soil
and the best richest food.
So, we're going to take this back to the car, load it up, and get out of there.
So, we got the biochar.
We got 8 bags of the biodynamics compost.
We're going to put this down here.
Barely fit.
So, we picked up some nice huge pots for my trees from recycle town for a really good
price and they're going to go in the car, too and now hopefully if I planned it right,
this going to shut.
Right.
So, I'm ready to go home with our mounds, literally, of compost and all the good stuff
we got today.
So, we made it back and now we're going to reenrich this bed.
We dug up a couple of the small spinach plants that basically reseeded itself and they started
coming up.
So, we have those in some boxes.
We're going to replant those after we top everything off.
First step, always, you want to top off every season, which is what I recommend, and you
want to put in some rock dust.
So, I got a bag of rock dust here and conveniently there's a hole in the bag.
So, It's just literally dribbling out the bottom of the bag and we're just going to
evenly distribute it throughout the bed and I'm probably going to shovel it around a little
bit.
Now, the recommended dosage is one pound per one square foot.
So, the net thing I like to add is earthworm castings.
So, we got a half bag here.
I'd probably do a whole bag but a half bag's good enough.
Shake this guy out evenly distribute it in the bed.
Once again, what I'm doing now is building my soil so I have rich soil 'cause, you know,
we are what I eat and the plants are what they eat.
SO, you want a lot of good nutrition I the plants.
Besides the rock dust, I might add some kelp to it as well, but, you know what?
These things are extras.
You don't really need them.
You don't really need rock dust, although I highly recommend it.
You wan tot get the optimal growing, the best, highest quality food, then you may wan to
consider using some of these things.
I mean, you could just plant in the field behind your house and things would probably
grow but they may not grow as well, and once again, we want to try to do the best we can.
If you can afford some of these things, then by all means, get them, and if you can't,
that's fine.
Work with what you got.
Next, the big guns got to come out.
So, this is a heavy son of a gun.
You got to.
This is heavy.
We got a bag of the biodynamic compost we're just going to carefully dump in the bed.
Alright, got that bag dumped out.
I don't think one bag's going to do it.
We're going to have to dump a couple more bags on here.
I'm just going to go ahead and cover some of the rock dust up and get some of this stuff
mixed in with the earthworm castings and the rock dust.
I mean, you could use a shovel but I got all the drip tubing in here and, you know what?
I just like to sue my hands, especially when I got gloves on.
So, we're just going to mix this stuff up and here's bag number 2.
Emptied half this bag just using a scoop, actually.
These things are heavy.
Going to just dump this guy out.
I mean, it takes a lot of cubic feet of compost to fill this up.
I mean, it looks like it went down like that much but that's over a probably 4 foot by
about, I don't know, 12 foot area.
So, dump this guy out next.
So, this one bed's already taken 2 of my 8 bags and I got a lot more beds that I still
need to fill up.
So, I'm going end up filling the rest of this up and we'll be back at you when we're all
finished.
So, I'm just about done smoothing this out.
The sun's going down and that's been a pretty full day between doing this and doing my regular
work, taking breaks to come out and work in the garden, and I want to encourage everybody
to basically get out in your garden every day, get some sun, get some fresh air and
sunshine on your skin.
Nothing could be healthier than that.
I'm glad I got my garden bed reenriched and next somebody asks me, 'Hey, John what do
you do with your compost every year?
Do you take it out and replace it?'
The answer's no and I'm going to tell them to watch this video.
I basically supplement and add more compost, organic and biodynamic compost, the rock dust,
and the earthworm castings and maybe some kelp powder and some other things and other
tricks up my sleeve so that it Could grow really high quality fruits and vegetables
because, after all, that's my goal and that's why I'm doing it.
In any case, hopefully you enjoyed this episode and this reminds you that, you know, in order
to enrich your garden, use compost not bagged conventional fertilizers.
Build you soil because, just like a good wine, the soil only gets better with age if you
take care of it.
Once again, my name is John Kohler with growingoyurgreens.com.
We'll see you next time, and remember, keep on growing.