• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Shallow Creek Farm

  • Home
  • Step by Step
  • Cooking
  • Slice of Life
  • Contact

How to Make Compost Tea – Easy Step by Step Instructions

August 10, 2017 Leave a Comment

Compost Tea looks and sounds nasty!  It’s not for you!  It’s for your plants! Compost tea is packed with nutrients for the garden and it is pretty simple and cheap to make.  If I’d known it was this easy, I would have started making it years ago!  Once my supplies are gathered I can start a batch in less than 5 minutes… okay maybe 7 minutes.  But if I use the lazy girl method (described at the end of this post) I can start a batch in 1 minute and 59 seconds.  Yes, I did time myself.  My amazing neighbor, Mike, taught me how to do this. I hope you have good neighbors.  They make life so much easier!

compost tea

Supplies for Compost Tea

To make compost tea you need a large bucket, compost, an old pair of nylon stockings, an air pump, tubing, two air stones (the kind you find by fish tank supplies) and molasses.  I also like to add fish emulsion fertilzer and kelp fertilizer.

supplies for making compost tea

Step 1 – Get Water

Start by filling your bucket almost full with water.  Try not to use water that has been treated because the chlorine will kill the nutrients in the compost tea.  This time I collected water from our creek.  I’ve also had great success with rainwater. If you don’t have a natural water supply, you could use distilled water.

creek water for compost tea

Step 2 – Get the Air Pump and “Tea Bag”  Ready

Cut the tubing in half and attach each tube to the air pump.  Attach the other ends of the tubing to the air stones.  Put 2 to 3 cups of compost in one foot of an old pair of nylon stockings or into a paint strainer bag.

air pump for compost tea

Step 3 – Put everything (except the air pump) in the water

Pour anywhere from a few tablespoons to 1/8 cup each of molasses. fish emulsion fertilizer and kelp fertilizer into the bucket of water. Drop one air stone into the bucket and put the other air stone inside the compost in the stocking.  Put the stocking full of compost in the bucket.

Step 4 – Plug in the Air Pump

Set the air pump near the bucket and plug it in.  Make sure that the compost tea is bubbling.  Don’t let it just sit there without bubbling or it can get anaerobic and create unhealthy bugs for your plants. My tea has some little plants floating on the top because the water came from the creek.

Step 5 – Wait

Let it steep for at least 24 hours.  It should form a nice foam on top.

foam on compost tea

Step 6 – Apply to Plants

Once it is ready, apply it right to the plants.  Don’t let it sit around or it can get anaerobic and that would be bad for your plants.  I just put it in a watering can and pour it on both the leaves of the plant and at the base of the plant.  The compost in the stocking can be taken out and used anywhere in the garden.

compost tea
I’ve also used a lazy girl method of skipping the “tea bag” and just dumping the compost into the bucket of water.  This took about 12 hours longer to brew but still came out fantastic! This is so easy that I typically start a new batch right after I use the last one.  After a few batches, give the bucket a good rinsing out with the hose.

And there you have it!  A simple, inexpensive way to skip the chemicals and give your plants a natural, organic, nutrient-filled treat.

 

Hello friend, this post contains Amazon affiliate links which means I receive a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link, at no additional cost to you.  And no worries….I only link to products that I love! ~Rebecca

Filed Under: Garden, organic gardening, Step by Step

Previous Post: « Garlic Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes
Next Post: Grace and Beauty on the Farm »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on Pinterest

About Me

I’m Rebecca. I created this blog for those who love living on, or dream of living on, a little piece of land. Some posts are meant to inspire you to try something new,  others are just for fun.  Always, I welcome you to explore our little farm and get a glimpse of the rural life we love.

Leave your address and I'll notify you when each new post comes out!
Loading

Search

Blog Archive

  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • November 2017 (2)
  • October 2017 (2)
  • September 2017 (4)
  • August 2017 (3)
  • July 2017 (3)
  • June 2017 (2)
  • May 2017 (1)
  • July 2016 (2)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (1)
  • April 2016 (2)

Disclosure

All opinions stated here are mine.  I do my best to share what has worked for us on our little farm, but I’m not responsible for any fiascoes in your life. All written content and photos are mine, unless noted and used by permission.  If you use them, kindly link back to this site.  🙂

© 2017 Copyright shallowcreekhobbyfarm.com