7 FREE Tricks to Grow Food With Limited Compost

Today’s video features 7 ways to overcome the challenge of not having enough compost for growing food, and if you apply all of these 7 methods together you may be able to completely remove the need for compost at all, but that is a more complex idea I will explore at a later date. For now, I really hope this video gives you some tools and tips to allow you to still grow food successfully in the short-term if you ever run out of compost or feel like your plants need something a little extra. Thank you so much for watching!

Ambassador for Gardena: https://www.gardena.com/uk/

Get a signed copy of my NEW book The Self-Sufficiency Garden: https://www.regenerative.press/book-store/p/pre-order-self-sufficiency-garden

-📷Patreon-
Exclusive content for gardeners wanting more from their space: https://www.patreon.com/huwrichards

-🔗Social-
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huwsgarden/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@huwsgarden

-🧵Clothing-
Awesome clothing designed for vegetable gardeners: https://huwrichards.teemill.com/

-🍴Delicious Garden Recipes
Farmer & Chef https://instagram.com/farmer.and.chef

#gardeningtips #vegetablegardening #nodig

Intro 0:00
Trick 1 0:20
Trick 2 1:08
Trick 3 2:06
Trick 4 3:19
Trick 5 4:57
Trick 6 6:25
Trick 7 7:11

source

45 Comments

@OmerBugaiski
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

It would've been better if you put a short headline to each "trick", instead of "trick 1", "trick 2" and so forth…

Reply
@mavisdavisify
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

We have some weeds that grow here that grow vigorously. They have a lot of green material and I wonder if we cut them prior to them setting any seed that they would be another source of green material in our compost or even used as chop and drop? Is there any negative reason not to do this?

Reply
@HowardChambers9679
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Big fan of grass clippings, in 2021 with the 40°c heat, the moisture retention kept most of my plants alive, then this year i dug it all in along with the shredded paper i put on top of the clippings. I know… no dig, but let's be sensible about it, soil health is more than a few centimetres deep. Judging by the amount of worms, they agree with me

Reply
@rockjockchick
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Thank you!

Reply
Anonymous
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Hi Huw,

How do you write your 5th trick? I'm not sure how to spell it… Thanks!

Reply
@MsMaine619
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

What a wonderfully arranged garden, beautiful !!! I am glad you spread information about JLF and JMS, great stuff, well presented and well spoken….Greetings from Barbados !!!

Reply
@deedaw9246
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

No leaf mold, i live in the desert.

Reply
@roberthart897
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Where do you get the barrels from? I would like to start making these liquid fertilizers… such a wonderful and practical idea!

Reply
@efraintoror3480
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

El compost es muy necesario, yo lo fabrico haciendo una especie de Bocashi, en la que incluyo polvo de roca y mm liquidos

Reply
@beataplaya
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Your garden is so neat.

Reply
@trustno1starbuck
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Just out of curiosity, I haven't found a video of Huw talking about vermicomposting. I'm surprised as it is a compost-centric (lol) garden. Any reason why?

Reply
@jennisutherland577
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Thanks Huw the most helpful video for me atm😘

Reply
@8valvestreetsociety012
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Hello Huw , like your content , what I do I chop leafs up to small bits take that and mix it 50 compost 50 chopped up dry leafes it works wonder in the veggie garden and I only have to water once a week the water retention is absolutely amazing

Reply
@golditaz5728
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

I have just saw your channel, watching few minutes of your video and subscribe right away then click the bell 🔔 😁 looking forward to see and watch more of your videos whenever I get a chance. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 💜 Have a great day!🖖

Reply
@harperhouston7251
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Wouldn't adding grass introduce too much carbon and hurt the nitrogen levels? Also using leaf spot material would keep your plants infected, right?

Reply
@NoName-ex4rf
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Trick #1 is don't use any compost!

Reply
@lizbethjane7397
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

How do you know when grass clippings has gone to seed? What do you look for?

Reply
@tgif1207
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

What are other "recipes" for plant manure teas? I don't have any leaf mold as we don't have many trees and the ones we do have have tiny leaves that disintegrate on the yard. You mention comfrey and nettles — don't have that either. I've heard cleavers can be used. Do you have any experience with that?

Reply
@MyPlantWorld
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Thanks for sharing👍

Reply
@Chet_Thornbushel
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Hey Huw, I’m curious with the technique of burying the plant scraps below the root system of a seedling- is it a concern that it could become too “hot” as it breaks down and that could be detrimental to the roots? Or is it such a small amount of greens that it won’t generate a lot of heat?

Reply
@mapofthesoultagme7143
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Instead of leaving plants on the soil, for chop and drop, can I bury them into the soil instead? Would the benefits be the same?

Reply
@tylorjames3059
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Watching Chris Evans do gardening is the top satisfaction 😀

Reply
@LaVikinga108
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Thank you, this was a super useful video – I'm off to make some JADAM fertilizer 😁

Reply
@JaiHylRubis
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

The grass cuttings you used were very brown so no problems there, you might warn not to use green fresh cuttings over an inch or two unless well dug in a few times ot mixed well with brown like sawdust, old leaves etc bc of the danger of anerobic bacteria and have them turn into grey clay like slime.

I find comfrey & nettle fermented for a few weeks into tea is a garden delight, smelly and a fly attractant as it is all plants here seem to thrive on it. lol
💖🙏🌻

Reply
@toyobafromlondon3949
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

I really love to Watch your video.very informative
Thank you for shearing 😊

Reply
@gardentothekitchenwithtracy
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Thank you huw I'm going to try the chop and drop idea . I've watched alot of your videos and they have really helped me on my allotment journey. THANK YOU.

Reply
@Lemonsandoranges-g9d
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

How did I not get a notification?
4 days passed 😪. Will complain to YouTube
Although I do have Huws book so it's kept me busy.
I feel I've joined a club.
I now choose my friends by asking …do you know Huw Richards and do you have his books.
If the answer is YES …we become friends. I wouldn't call it an obsession ……yet!
Will send the grandchildren Huws book for their birthday.

Reply
@carolgreenhill5684
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Was that 7? I don't have any beneficial plants, weeds, or grass to use as compost. If so I would already be spreading it. Please, I need the link to this beneficial water addictive, Jadam?

Reply
@KrisHammes
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Regarding chop move and drop and Huw's other videos on nettle/comfrey/grass fertiliser. Does anyone know if its ok to use any weed. I'm inheriting a unkempt allotment and its has a lot of bindweed, can you chop that or do some types of weed re-establish themselves?

Reply
@baerbelswelt
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

saw another idea lately: Pee! Sounds disgusting but its free and available daily (should be, hehe) I use it 1:10 and still experimenting

Reply
@melissagoodwin2602
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Excited about your liquid fertilizer video

Reply
@TomTom-df9ph
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Wow, how useful was this video, given me lots of good ideas, all for free. Many thanks

Reply
@FrikInCasualMode
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

What a gorgeous garden! I wish I had the time and space to build something half as awesome.
I will add, that in a pinch bedding from a chicken coop and soil from their enclosure can be used as quite good compost.

Reply
@smithy4121
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Fab video thank you, Can I please ask a question? Last year I made fermented nettle fertiliser from your video on that I was wondering if it would be worth doing the same thing with comfrey? Thanks

Reply
@gardentours
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Chop and drop and spreading grass clippings is what we do as well. You have a great variety of liquid fertilizer 👍 We use bottles as built in worm towers in our containers and nettle, comfrey and worm tea at the moment as liquid fertilizer but we're open to experiment with other varieties. Thanks for sharing 👍

Reply
@prof.cecilycogsworth3204
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Thanks!

Reply
@elizabethrowan7143
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Huw, yes I'd be interested in knowing which plants grow well with each other or can be interplanted. I have 2 small beds of about 2 by one metres so crop rotation doesn't really work.

Reply
@rosemarielee7775
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

I visited a garden where the beds were mulched with grass clippings. The beds were covered with flies! Why would this be, and is this a very temporary problem?

Reply
@richardhughes375
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Hi huw are your raised beds filled with 100% compost or soil aswell please.

Reply
@christydalgaard
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Another great one <3 plz do a collab with Gaz <3

Reply
@ceepark114
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

I have several raised beds that I plant winter rye in the fall, let it grow until spring, cut it down (chop and drop) cover with black plastic and let the sun bake it and it really helps the soil.

Reply
@davewest5776
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Could I do the same with bindweed leave to dry in a bucket then add water

Reply
@helenannetts6194
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

I buy a few bales of straw every year. Leave them out exposed to the elements for a year and then use it as mulch where I don’t have enough compost to cover all the beds. It really helps control weeds and keep moisture in the soil to reduce the amount I have to water.

Reply
@carolthomas770
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Wonderful practical natural advice for growing. Love seeing your garden too!

Reply
@kathrynmettelka7216
May 31, 2025 @ 5:17 pm

Terrific advice because, of course, there is never enough compost. I collect the leaves my neighbors foolishly throw away and love the effects of leaf mold in my garden. Imitating the way nature creates compost works for me. My plants love it. It's especially important now as we've just had 10 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures in Central Texas and no rain.

Reply

7 FREE Tricks to Grow Food With Limited Compost

Related Posts

Joel Salatin’s Cattle Rotational Grazing Technique #regenerativefarm #cattle #cows #grassfedbeef

Tomato Cage Made Easy: Cheap, Efficient, and Recyclable Technique

🌱 Top 5 Pepper Companion Plants to Help Repel Pests & Improve Flavor!

45 Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply