Basic Yard Farm Actively Aerated Compost Tea Recipe

 Aerated Compost Tea Recipe

To make a 5 gallon bucket brew, use 4 gallons of chlorine-free water, 3 cups of good compost, 1cup of worm castings in a micron bag, 2 Tablespoons of Atlantic Gem, 1 Tablespoon of unsulphured molasses. Brew for 24 hours. Dilute 10 parts chlorine free water to 1 part brew. Use right away, do not store leftover tea. Apply on and around plants bi-weekly for beautiful, abundant results! 

About the Ingredients

Compost
Good compost is your friend. Compost is broken down organic material, full of good bacteria, fungus, microscopic worms, and unseen animals called protozoa. Using the best quality and freshest compost will make all the difference in your compost tea. Learn how to make it yourself and your gardens will always flourish.

Fish Hydrolysate
Made from a slurry of ground up fish, the fishes own stomach acids digest the fish parts (proteins) into useable smaller parts (amino acids, vitamins, lipids, etc.).  Fish hydrolysate is different than emulsion in that it is not heated during production, leaving the essential constituents useable to bacteria in their most valuable forms. Fish hydrolysate comes in liquid and powdered form. The powder granules have been show to provide an excellent substrate for fungal growth.

Worm Castings
Worm castings are like gold, worm poop gold. Worms eat up anything in the soil they can, their guts grind the material and load it with some of the most beneficial bacteria around. Then they poop it out, leaving a tiny pellet of available nutrients and beneficial biology. There are different grades of worm castings, and you will get what you pay for. Find castings that are clearly all castings, no sand, twigs, stems or seeds. Lower quality castings are acceptable for amending into your garden beds, but use the best you can find for your compost tea.

Minerals
Minerals act as a material for microbial life to attach to while growing in your compost tea, some becoming available to the plants through bacteria and fungal action. Minerals in your tea will promote the growth of bacteria and fungi that utilize them for growth. Azomite, Kelp Meal, and Glacial Rock Dust are three of the best minerals you can add to tea. They provide micronutrients to both plants and microbes.