How to Make Rich Organic Compost Tea for Your Garden

Are you tired of using chemical fertilizers for your garden? Did you know that you can use your kitchen scraps to make your own organic compost tea? This compost tea will not only add nutrients to your soil, but it will also add microbial activity to make your soil living. In this blog, I'm going to show you how to make rich organic compost tea using kitchen scraps. Let's get started!

Step 1: Blend Kitchen Scraps

To start making the compost tea, first, add water in a blender. Next, add your kitchen scraps. I'm using banana peels, apple peels, greens, watermelon rinds, and used coffee grounds. These kitchen scraps contain various nutrients that will be beneficial for your plants. If you're concerned about pesticides, you can use organic apples that are free of pesticides or apples that you grew in your own orchard.

Step 2: Dilute the Solution

After blending the kitchen scraps, you want to dilute the solution as it might be too thick. To do that, pour it into jugs and dilute it with water. I'm also adding eggshells to my compost tea as it helps to add calcium into the soil.

Step 3: Store the Compost Tea Concentrate

I'm using milk jugs that I saved and rinsed the milk out of after I was done with the milk to store my compost tea. I'm adding the compost tea concentrate right into the milk jug. To ensure the compost tea can breathe and prevent flies and other insects from laying eggs, you want to punch a few holes in the jug using a nail. This makes our compost tea concentrate.

Step 4: Aerate the Compost Tea

This step is crucial to prevent maggots from growing in the compost tea. You want to create optimal conditions to store the compost tea. You can use five-gallon buckets or trash cans to store your compost tea concentrate. Just make sure you keep it covered and have some small holes for aeration.

Step 5: Steeping Method

There are two ways to make compost tea - brewing method and steeping method. I'm using the steeping method, which is simple and requires no air pump. The brewing method requires constant aeration and is a bit more complicated.

Step 6: Use the Compost Tea

You can store this compost tea for six months or even up to a year, just make sure it doesn't dry out. If it's drying out, just add some more water. To use the compost tea, dilute it with water and then water your plants with it. You'll see a difference in the growth of your plants within a few weeks.

Conclusion

Making your own compost tea is a simple and cost-effective way to add nutrients and microbial activity to your soil. Start using your kitchen scraps today and enjoy the benefits of a thriving garden.