Using Compost Tea in Your Garden

Making compost for the garden has long been a popular hobby. It is even more relevant today as it can be a great way to recycle waste in these environmentally aware times. Composting in the home can take many forms and one simple and yet effective way is to make “compost tea” – all you’ll need is water and some garbage. That simple recipe is all you need to grow healthy, beautiful plants all summer long.

Garden compost improves your soil and will lead to strong plants that are better able to fend off droughts and diseases. A well made compost will greatly improve the soil structure and drainage ability of the soil. It also acts a great quality fertilizer providing nutrients in an organic and natural way. Compost tea is basically taking well prepared compost that you have made and steeping it in water to make a liquid feed for your plants. Compost and water are the only ingredients you need to create a fantastic feed known as compost tea.

Compost tea will give many of the same benefits to a plant as regular garden compost but it can also then be used as a spray / liquid feed. When used as a foliar feed, sprayed directly on the leaves, it increases the amount of nutrients available to the plant and helps fight foliar diseases. It will even increase the nutritional value and improve the taste of vegetables.

There are many different recipes to follow but really it comes down to using what is available and following a plan. Rain water is the best water to make compost tea but you can still use ordinary tap water if rain is scarce. The problem with tap water is that it often has a lot of chlorine in it which can kill off the beneficial bacteria that are crucial in the composting process. If you need to use tap water it is best to let it sit for a few days before use.