Compost Tea

Compost tea is a wonderful thing to use in your garden- your flowers and plants will love you for it. Believe it or not, the $12.00 bottle of tea is super easy to make and it will cost you almost nothing. You probably already have most of the items in your garage or garden.

Worm Tea

Huge fan of worm tea- not just because it's a free part of the worm composting process but because of how it makes our vegetable garden grow! Collecting the worm tea is super easy. Depending on they type of worm composting bin you made or purchased- you may have a spout to just pour the tea out. If not, you can layer your homemade bins to make it easier to collect the tea. See an article I wrote about how to make a Rubbermaid compost bin for more info.

Compost Tea Recipe

A small bucket of compost (Approx 4 cups)
3 Tbsp of molasses (organic would be best)
3 Tbsp of fish emulsion
2 Vitamin C (500mg tablets) or 3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Spring or Distilled Water (or de-chlorinated tap water)
Porous Bag or Panty Hose
Pour the compost into the bag, mix in the molasses (food for the bacteria and fungus), fish emulsion (for extra nutrients), vitamin c (for the bacteria). Close the top of the bag and suspend it in the bucket full of water. Cover the bucket and let set for 2-3 days stirring once a day. Remove the compost tea bag and dump into your garden. Use the tea immediately- do not store- the beneficial ingredients die too quickly (some within and hour).

Review of Compost Tea Brewers

Books about compost tea

Compost Tea Making: For Organic Healthier Vegetables, Flowers, Orchards, Vineyards, Lawns by Marc Remillard

The Compost Tea Brewing Manual

Teaming with Microbes- the organic gardener's guide to the soil food web

Compost, Vermicompost and Compost Tea: Feeding the Soil on the Organic Farm by Grace Gershuny

The Field Guide II for Compost Tea by Ph.D. Elaine Ingham (Author) and Ph.D. Carole Ann Rollins (Editor)