There is a buzz brewing around compost tea in Ventura these days, mainly due to the efforts permaculture advocates David White of the Ojai Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Ron Whitehurst of Rincon Vitova. Because of these two soil revolutionaries, we've been able to build a momentum that brought 30+ folks together at Green Thumb Nursery for a hands on compost tea workshop.
We set up two microscopes, brought soil building and permaculture books and manuals, handouts, and a few attendees went home with a gallon of tea teeming with microbial life. Samples of local soil allowed people to see and smell the difference between the tired soil of industrial farms and the super soil of living compost. We were excited! Most everyone attending had active compost piles in their backyards, but few had attempted making actively aerated compost tea. This is why these workshops are so important. The connections we make create a network of shared knowledge and experience.
Just like the connections in the life of the soil food web, we're better when we're feeding each other. So come out and grow with us. Actively Aerated Compost Tea is brewing with potential. Over the next few months we'll be building measuring and adapting our knowledge of the science and the art of AACT.
Ventura Coop can deliver AACT to you directly, or help you establish your own brewing system. Contact us at 805.765.1892 for more information.
Related Links:
Ojai CRA, Dr. David White
Rincon Vitova, Ron Whitehurst
Soil Food Web, Elaine Ingham
This was so much fun. I just love Ron!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compost tea demo you gave at the Cornucopia Community Garden. I am excited to make my own.
ReplyDeleteI tend to wash my vegetables in tubs of water and then throw the veggie water in the yard. Now I'm thinking I should throw the veggie water into a rain barrel and make tea.
Might it be possible to make the tea in a water barrel where some of the tea will be sprayed on the yard and then more water will be added to the partially empty barrel? Does this dilution pose a problem to the tea's microbe community? Or do you need to use up each batch of tea before adding fresh ingredients?
Thanks.