Continuing the discussion from I love growing this stuff: When I say this is super soil, I not only mean it, I can prove it with pics over fifty years. This garden is young. Acorn squash, zucchini, cucumbers, sugar snap peas and tomatoes over 4’ to 6’. Wait till you see the fruit. How many times fertilized? ONCE!
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Magic dirt 
, looking good 
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Absolutely stunning! 
You didn’t need our help at all darlin you got this! 
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They are all looking good
May I ask what you mixed together?
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Sure! I did a long list already. Let me look.
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Here goes. Long list.
My compost secrets: don’t do this often. Rather show off the results. Besides, most don’t believe or understand the results. There are lots of vids and help making it quick and I have no problem with their recipes. Sure cuts down on labor and time.
To start I visit the woods to find the beginnings. You’ll find it when you easily sink into the earth and under hardwoods, other than oaks (tannins, tough, long break down compost). Turn some, should be dark and have wonderful earthy smell (heavenly to me). Hopefully you’ll gather loads or buy from a reputable source that you’ve verified (no contaminants). You’ll need it. Pile it where you’ll be regularly. Add appropriate greens (no oils, dressings, meats, citrus (contentious), good are clean breads (moldy or not), egg shells (clean), bananas (worms love’m), anything else that grows and is clean. Fruit like apples. Used coffee grounds (I get them by almost truck loads and regularly), tea leaves/bags, small wood chips (needed browns, not too many, a few here and there) then turn everything one way or another and turn every few days or every day. Just enough water. Rake all hardwood leaves. Weed whip or or otherwise cut up fine these leaves. Add to pile. Other lawn debris. Turn more, turn more. Should start to heat up. Add compost starter or two liter coke with sugar on top (it works and that’s if you need it, I don’t) turn in. Have a hardwood fire nearby. Once coals cool, take burnt pieces in (you just added bio char) turn in those. Keep turning. My piles get so hot they’ll truly burn you bad. My recipe is so very close to Mother Nature and is very laborious and time consuming. A year or more. That’s why I do so many piles. You can now add bone meal, blood meal and others you see on the net and whatever I can find on sale or free. There’s good info on like YouTube. After pile is done and cool I add hundreds to a thousand red wrigglers and European night crawlers to finish my pikes and provide castings. I feed the worms a bit too. Just a little as they already have enough in the pile. I’ve done this by heart for so long and before YouTube, there’s maybe something I’ve forgot. I think @Smokeout81 is thinking of a video and knows a thing or two about this. We may be different or close. Either way both will be great. If you have questions or something I forgot just ask!
EDIT : About the time I’m adding biochar is when I trip out to the local farmer friend allowing me to gather old manure. I get lots of it by the truck load really. There’s always lots of worms coming along for the ride. Now, this is controversial for a reason. Not all farmers are even close to organic and their piles are questionable. But in this case I know them well and their practices trusting them enough to do so. Might not get rid of everything from other farms but my piles do burn very, very hot. Also, don’t forget this, when people are new to making compost they run into problems of becoming anaerobic. It’s mainly because of not turning and oxygenating compost material or the pile not finishing/starting. You want it to be aerobic/breathing/oxygenated. Keep it turned as it burns. If you have trouble starting it towards aerobic let me know, There’s the edit. Can’t believe I forgot such an important item!
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That is a well-thought-out mix. Thank you very much. Now I remember what is still missing from the compost pile at my grandparents’ house! It’s missing the charcoal and the bone meal. Thank you so, so much for that
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Man u got it !! I wish I was able to build soil like that!! Will u ship it! Lol
Do u farm ur own worms too??
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I knew I was missing something! And so memorable! Mind is slipping. I’ll edit. Go back if you wish to see.
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Looking at the responses and rereading I realized a most important item missing. It’s in the edit. Go back and read at the bottom under edit and you’ll see. It’s important.
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Got ithow often you turn it?
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Omg, like forever. At least once a week and I’m talking by hand with a transfer shovel. Now this is at first and during start to middle to end phases. After the burn and continual mixing the piles cool. This is a long road getting there as continually adding feeding the pile but it does actually begin to cool (there’s only two of us providing greens & me mostly). Coffee grounds still loading up. Alright, we’re cool. Now add worms. Next week, add more worms (you get the point). It’s then you stop turning a bit. Worms like settling down, eating, pooping and mating (to and by themselves, love the one your with). I may let them be for a month or more. But from the farm manure and the ones I buy to add, there’s always a bunch in each shovel. I have to turn in the added kitchen waste and coffee grounds I keep gathering but do it strategically in small places and vary those around each pile. Then there’s always a fresh pile beginning or starting to cook. So adding and turning here disturbs less.
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Thanks againgood to know
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Wow I couldn’t do all that work if I tried just riding on mower for hours kills me.
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If speaking of compost, yes, like slave labor. Work upon work! I like mother natures way. Others do it quick. Not a bad thing. Still works but I don’t know, mine has been working decades long.
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Yep, and I’m doing it with rheumatoid arthritis. Joints in hands sometimes screaming out. Toes, hips and shoulders let me know at night too. I refuse to quit as when I do conditions worsen. The objective is continuing into my 80’s. And at this rate would have to donate half!
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Take it easy and don’t over do it you two.
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Thank you! No, it’s just a little every day. Half days work with front and back gardens, watering & feeding. Trimming everything and supports. Compost. Planting sweet potatoes from cuttings tonight. Thinking of you to take care yourself cause we love ya!
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Always Learning. YouTube fella has awesome info! He suggest coffe grounds as I do but takes burnt wood ashes (I don’t as I use burnt wood) adds a few cups of ashes to 5 gal pale. Mixes. Let’s settle then uses the yellow/brown water at the top to carefully water with coffee grounds on top of earth covering the plants (gives potassium and phosphorus)! I’m going to be adding it to my compost piles from now on!
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Thanks for sharing Freebird. I dump them in my bushes out front never thought about putting them on my cannabis.
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