5 Composting Myths You Should Stop Believing Right Now

What if I told you your compost should actually smell GOOD?? In this video, we bust the top 5 myths and misconceptions about composting and by the end you will be armed with the info you need to build the ULTIMATE compost pile!

IN THIS VIDEO

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:18 - Myth 1: Compost Smells Bad
01:22 - Myth 2: Compost Attracts Bugs & Pests
02:29 - Myth 3: You Have To Follow Specific Recipe
03:13 - Myth 4: Compost Takes Too Long
04:39 - Myth 5: Compost Kills Weed Seeds

DISCLAIMER

[MyFocusVaries]

I just throw my garden waste in a pile. It gets rained on, it gets some sun. Eventually it becomes compost. I'm very hands off

[josie_]

This will probably get buried but I have something cool to share! I went to one of my local farmers markets and went to talk to one of the Master Gardeners from UW there. They are recommending the Epic Gardening YouTube channel to gardening newbies!! 🌱

I figured I’d tell y’all because I’ve been a subscriber for a while and love your content, plus a whole freaking university master gardener is plugging you guys! 🎉

[fudroysmith]

I just built my first 3 tier compost bins out of pallets. I'm stoked! No idea what I'm doing, but I'm doing it!

[Game.Like.A.Mother]

Extra tip if your compost has ants it’s because it’s too dry or too brown! Adding greens and water will help clear them out and speed up the breakdown ❤

[dianec]

We started composting about 8 years ago. My husband built a bin and we just started putting all our garden waste and any waste from fruits and veggies, egg shells, coffee grounds, nuts… and we just let it go. It wasn’t long before everything turned to dirt. We use it in all our flower beds and the garden and this year in my new raised bed that he built for me so I don’t have to bend over in the garden. Bad back. Our plants grow like crazy every year. The bin is pretty trashed just from the elements so looks like he’s gonna have to make a new one, but it’s worth it. Don’t over think it people. Any composting is better than no composting. Great video!

[alinapung]

I started composting many years ago simply to stop our family food waste going into landfill. We just chucked food waste into an plastic compost bin. When it got smelly, I would riped up cardboard and pile it on top. I didn't have a plan to use it in our garden but when we moved the compost bin, an apricot seed germinated and now has grown to a tree larger than myself! Also we have got butternut pumpkins out of seeds that have germinated from our compost pile. I manage my compost a little better now, but getting started was very easy and you learn what to do with it along the way

[dustman]

The bugs are doing a significant portion of the work breaking down your compost. Having lots of bugs means active biology in the area, also good.

[MrEzekiel]

When I first started composting I was obsessed with hot composting. It does feel great to get that right. But a cold pile is more interesting imo. And less stressful lol

[rifraf]

Great video. I compost nearly everything and just don't worry about the smells or vermin. I'm sure they are in there but that just makes good food for the hawks and owls. Keeping food waste out of the garbage means I get no smells whatsoever in the house. Having a tiered compost where you can move the piles down the line is nice but it takes up a bit of space and can't really be moved, I started with 2 tier and I liked how it worked but eventually created cubes out of 4x4 legs and 1x scraps tying the sides together, when I want to turn the pile I just wobble the box off (no bottom) and flip it over to wherever I want it to be next (usually right next to the pile). Works hot or cold.

[Nico-de-gallo]

I went down to my local tractor supply and bought cheap garden straw not knowing it was full of weed seed. I spent the next week plucking the sprouts out of the garden. Then I found that straw makes excellent brown material for compost and i threw all that mulch into the compost. Now my compost pile is turning into garden gold. A handful of greens with two handfuls of straw every time I add to it. And the weed seed? Let them sprout and turn the pile, adds even more organic material!

[munkee]

I cold compost. It takes up to 18 months but works well enough for me as I am disabled. I pile all my material inside a fenced in 3x3 section of my yard. My son turns it two or three time per year. I just grab what I need each spring and have never had a problem. It basically turns into worm castings each year anyway.

[RealBradMiller]

I composted in a fabric grow bag; cardboard, grass, houseplant and garden clippings, coffee grounds, tortillas, bread, leaves, small twigs, old beer, yogurt, and on and on!
I filled the top to level it with a bit of soil, then planted it up with some tomatoes, basil and an orange noah morning glory. The toms and morning glory can grow up and around the shed the bag is next to. Threw some mulch on top, and let's hope it all goes well!

[stevecharters]

Anaerobic composting is perfectly valid, especially if you have a cold climate. Fill black plastic bags with vegetable waste, seal them and leave them outside over winter then dig them into raised beds or add them to conventional compost when the weather warms. Weed seedlings that pop up from mulch or compost are generally quite easy to pull before new seed heads form. Chop and drop, or add them directly back into the pile.

[simplysimple]

Composting is the single most important environmental thing that we as a human race can do to keep the environment healthy. Every single city and county should have a composting program. Where I live there is a private organic recycling program that gives out free mulch once a month on the 1st Saturday and charges on the 2nd wednesday. Not sure what the rates are. I’m cheap so I only go on the free day🥴🤣 Some of the best mulch/compost I’ve ever used.

[johnwhitteron]

Great vid. You missed one of the most wasteful myths about composting. I have been composting for over 30 years and am constantly 'informed' by newcomers, who have seen all the gardening shows and videos, that you CAN't put Onion, Garlic or Citrus in a compost bin. This may be true of 'worm farms', though I haven't tested this, it is certainly a myth when it comes to composting. As always, it would be unwise to throw vast quantities into your pile at one time, anything organic will compost in a well managed system. I don't have space for a large set up like yours but use two enclosed black compost bins. One is processing whilst the other is filling. I use chicken wire underneath the bins to stop any rodent problems... simple. Your point about many people trying to overcomplicate things is a very valid one. Composting is a very straightforward process and is as old as gardening itself.

[wvhaugen]

"Weeds are your friends."
An underappreciated concept.

[TomsBackyardWorkshop]

I just put all my composting material in a big bin and wait. It doesn't get hot enough to kill all the seeds but at the bottom of the bin is a pile of black compost ready to add to my spring garden. I do get some surprise plants sprouting up when I use it but unless its a weed I dont want I consider it a bonus.

[cloverhighfive]

I sometimes use kitchen scraps to help my surroundings and minimize landfill without waiting for it to compost 😁 Kitchen scraps smoothies!!

I'm not gardening much per se (got 3 buckets of potatoes going - thanks for the tips - and a few tomato plants are coming), but my soil is so poor for my flowers n stuff... I have some small (I live alone) lazy compost going on in bins, but I enrich my beds with kitchen scraps smoothies!!!
I sometimes use my make-a-hole thing to aerate and fill up the holes with the smoothie.
My baby lilac twig went from struggling to pushing new shoots and leaves in 2 weeks!

[Psikeomega]

One of my favorite things to do since i dont have anywhere near enough brown waste matter on my property to compost properly, is I shred my junk mail (for security) and then i substitute it in as legally mailings can't contain any toxic substances. Really saves my pile.

[Gsyncro]

When Covid hit, I moved into my GF's house and at the time she had a garden that wasn't being used. She said it would be cool to have chicken seeing how I basically grew up with them around when I was a kid. So I got to work designing a chicken coop attached to the garden. Now this does cut the area you can use in half but each year we have one side of the fenced area holding the chicken and the other half used as a garden and we swap it ieach year. The net result is self fertilization and zero weeds!! The chicken will eat anything that tries to live in there!! Also, the other day I was sipping my coffee and looking at them scratch around all over the place... literally holes dug in this year's garden and I was telling my GF "look at that, they're tilling the garden and all it costs us is trying to find egg cartons"

So if you can keep hens in your area, do it! it's super cool, they're great critters to be around with and they love social interaction. Then you can just dump everything in the pen and they'll process it! Meat is top of the list and they'll pick bones dry so you never have to worry about other vermin being attracted, they take care of that pronto!!