Tag Archives: compost

500 gallon Worm Compost Tea Party

18 Jul

Brewing a 5 gallon batch of compost tea is no trouble.  In a couple of weeks I will kick it up a notch and be brewing up 500 gallons at a time.

We purchased a 500 gallon spray rig from Rozell Sprayer Manufacturing Co. in Tyler, TX this Spring.  In order to add beneficial microbes to our hay fields and pasture, I’m going to replace the water soluble fertilizer with compost tea.  I don’t have enough compost to spread over 100+ acres, so compost tea is the solution.

I just ordered my aquascape 4-stone pond aerator today, and this is what I will use to aerate my tea to ensure it stays aerobic.  Most of the beneficial bacteria are aerobic and will need plenty of O2.  To keep the ratio of finished compost to water the same as a 5 gallon brew (1 lb. -1.5 lbs. per 5 gallon)  I am going to need 100 -150 lbs. of compost and some larger mesh bags.   I am planning on using onion sacks for my tea bags.

Stay tuned for more information on TexasRedWorms.com “Big Time- 500 gallon Worm Compost Tea Party”

Used coffee grounds for compost and worm food.

16 Jul

Along with our families food waste, horse and cow manure, I have been adding a fair amount of used coffee grounds to my compost piles and red worm beds.  For the past several weeks I have been stopping off at some local coffee shops for their used coffee grounds.  Concerned about the acidity level of the used coffee grounds I did a little research, and found out that the acid is water soluble and mostly removed in the brewing process.  What is left is close to neutral on the pH scale and a great source of Nitrogen for your plants, compost, or worms.

For more information on how to use coffee grounds for compost and fertilizer check out Ground to Ground.