Compost Tea and the Organic Vegetable Garden

Soil quality and depth are the keys to a successful organic garden. Deep, loose topsoil provides the space for strong roots to grow. Of course, not every garden is blessed with the ideal topsoil. Any soil, however, can be turned and loosened and essential nutrients added. Instead of using chemical fertilizers, gardeners can add organic materials through the wise use of compost.

Adding Compost Benefits a Garden

Garden soil needs to be alive with beneficial microbes and bugs. Compost is the best way to introduce them into the soil. Even nature’s best soil is improved by adding organic material. Soil loaded with organic material holds on to water better, drains better, and stays fully aerated.

Here are some of the perks of adding organic compost material:

• Turns compacted soil into loose soil
• Increases plant growth
• Decreases run-off and reduces water usage
• Provides beneficial organisms and nutrients to plants
• Replaces toxic garden chemicals
• Decomposes harmful chemicals, pesticides, or other toxins
• Increases the nutrition and flavor of fruits or vegetables.

Using the Compost Tea Alternative

Compost is a solid mixture that must be turned into the soil to work. Compost tea is a liquid that can easily be sprayed onto the plant itself or poured into the soil. Compost tea:

• Adds beneficial microorganisms
• Drenches the soil to improve root system
• Saturates the leaves to reduce disease.

Compost, as a solid material is best applied 2-3 inches thick and roto-tilled into the existing soil. That’s a lot of compost! Compost tea requires much smaller amounts of compost. The process of brewing compost tea actually grows and increases the numbers of microorganisms. It’s a way of maximizing a compost resource.

Brewing Compost Tea at Home

The best compost tea is an aerated mixture. Even so, it’s easy to make at home. Brewing the tea uses aquarium pumps to force rich air bubbles through the liquid. Microorganisms need that oxygen to grow. When it is steeped but not aerated, the compost tea may not include many live organisms. It’s more like plain stagnant water, and much less beneficial.

After several days of brewing, compost tea is ready to apply. As a foliage spray, it is applied full strength. The solution is sprayed generously to the undersides and tops of a plant’s leaves. The tea may also be diluted and applied as a soil drench, where solid fertilizers are not practical. Either way is effective and safe for family, children, or pets.

Most organic gardeners prefer to avoid using chemical fertilizers. Compost is an organic fertilizer and a safer alternative. Using compost tea is an easy way to add billions of microorganisms to a healthy organic vegetable garden. It’s better for the environment, the water supply, and safer for growing healthy foods.