As shared in my book Compost Everything, this method of feeding plants allows you to stretch fertility a long, long way and re-use “waste:”
Many people have written in to say how much they appreciate this simple method for creating liquid plant fertilizer.
As Gardener Earth Guy commented on the video:
“This is the absolute best garden trick I’ve learned in a long time. My banana have gotten giant, sweet potato have rope vines, and loquats are getting giant. What doesn’t get a chop n drop goes in the bin.”
You can throw in weeds, fruit, kitchen scraps, urine, manure… just find organic matter and throw it in. I like a wide mix. This is a pretty simple batch, only containing moringa, compost, cow manure and urine. I did get some Epsom Salts after making the video and will throw that in next. A 55-gallon drum like this can easily feed 10,000 square feet of corn for a growing season. I know – I’ve done it!
It beats making “normal” compost and having to spread it all around.
You can have greener thumbs by this weekend!
34 comments
GREAT!!!!!
Can I put chicken litter in it?
Many thanks!!!!
Sure – I have.
Hi Dave…can we spray (foliar feed) the swamp water on leaves of plants…will it create any problem
My plants have done well with it.
What about leafy greens if they are still young plants like maybe two inches high or so? Will it be safe to eat them by the time they are ready to harvest?
Yes, I’m sure – I’ve done that.
Hi David
A few more questions: I have read on other web sites that anaerobic composting can create e.coli and salmonella if left too long. I am using a 50 gal food grade barrel sitting in full sun with about six inches of wood chips then about 12 inches of chicken litter (pine shavings), then topped with green crop residue, spoiled sweet potatoes, and daikon radish tubers and greens.
Should I be concerned about the disease?
How long should I let it cook before using?
Can I recharge with additional matter and water or should it be cleaned periodically?
David, thank you very much for all the wonderful information you give us.
It is sincerely appreciated.
Jeff Williams
Hi Jeff,
Sure, it can be in there. I don’t worry about it, though. I just don’t put it onto plants I plan to eat right away. I usually let barrels rot for at least two weeks before starting to use the water.
All the best,
David
Thank you, David.
It’s very much appreciated.
[…] Dave’s recipe for compost tea is another great and free source of fertilizer which I had not heard about until this year. It uses waste plants, weeds, etc from your garden and yard, but doesn’t take as long as traditional composting. It’s basically composting in water – letting stuff rot right in a covered bucket or barrel, while extracting nutrients from weeds and garden waste. You end up with a stinky “compost tea” which can then be diluted and used on your crops throughout the season. Did mention this was free? I’ve included a link to the page. I’m definitely giving this a whirl this season. I think I’ll try it in an old cat litter bucket, since it already has a lid. […]
[…] Dave’s recipe for compost tea is another great and free source of fertilizer which I had not heard about until this year. It uses waste plants, weeds, etc from your garden and yard, but doesn’t take as long as traditional composting. It’s basically composting in water – letting stuff rot right in a covered bucket or barrel, while extracting nutrients from weeds and garden waste. You end up with a stinky “compost tea” which can then be diluted and used on your crops throughout the season. Did mention this was free? I’ve included a link to the page. I’m definitely giving this a whirl this season. I think I’ll try it in an old cat litter bucket, since it already has a lid. […]
[…] Dave’s recipe for compost tea is another great and free source of fertilizer which I had not heard about until this year. It uses waste plants, weeds, etc from your garden and yard, but doesn’t take as long as traditional composting. It’s basically composting in water – letting stuff rot right in a covered bucket or barrel, while extracting nutrients from weeds and garden waste. You end up with a stinky “compost tea” which can then be diluted and used on your crops throughout the season. Did mention this was free? I’ve included a link to the page. I’m definitely giving this a whirl this season. I think I’ll try it in an old cat litter bucket, since it already has a lid. […]
Dave, I was wondering it would be feasible to use the contents from a composting toilet for the compost portion of the mix. Also, your dilemma of having to cart rainwater down to the garden could be alleviated by filling your 5 gallon buckets with your garden hose AT the garden site and let them sit uncovered for 24-48 hours (longer if you wish) to allow the chlorine to evaporate out. That is why swimming [pols need to have chlorine added daily to control algae and bacteria because it does evaporate so quickly.
I would worry about the safety of that. Safer to bury that material in the ground or put it into a compost pile to cook down.
Thanks Dave, really enjoy all the great material you and the family produce.
It has been very helpful and I hope that everyone may benefit from your books, blogs, and videos; I know I have.
I do have one question, if that’s OK.
When using DFSW (which I’m using to pre-charge bio char); what level of dilution (if any) is appropriate for applying to corn and at what frequency? If memory serves, in “Compost Everything”, you mentioned that you had applied to to some corn without additional dilution bi-weekly and they loved it. Is that correct?
I would go read my copy of the book to confirm but I recently lent it out to someone and they’ve been excessively occupied of late and I don’t want to bother them.
Also, it gives me an additional reason to write and communicate our appreciation for all the work, energy, care, knowledge, and really hope you’re spreading; things which the world really needs at the moment.
Kind Regards
Did I hear on one of the videos about your fetid swamp fertilizer not to put it on brassicas?
If this is true, please explain why?
Thank you,
Chris
I added 1 cup of swamp water (fermented about 2 months) to my watering can. I watered my container tomatoes that were doing fantastic. The next day, they were brown and beyond saving. What did I do wrong? Thanks!
Oh dear! What did you put in the original mix?
I used weeds, radish greens, collards, and a cup of my compost. My swiss chard and kale in the ground did well with the same application. I wonder if it was too strong for container plants? Or should I not use it on tomatoes? Thanks!
Might be the containers – too strong. But I’ve never had things happen that badly.
Me either. My Tromboncino pretty much ignored it. All the other plants got an extreme growth boost
Love it! At a month old in this Tennessee summer. It has really changed the water into a deep dark green. We tested small parts of each plant bead with 1 qt in a 2 gallon waterer.
Black sunflowers leaves have doubled in size and plants are 6″ taller than the rest
Corn has grown 6″ i 5 days (i have pictures)
Okra did not seem to care one way or another
Trombincino squash did not seem affected
But Tromboncino is planted with a lot of bacterial fixed purple yard long pole beans.
I always plant the troboncino on a trellis with lots of inoculated pole beans and i never fertilize either one.
Gonna try on brassic and carrot seedsas well as cucumber trellis.
Added some to watermellon and cantelope hills yesterday.
I would love to see some pictures. This is good info.
Dave, is it ok to use non organic certified vegetables thrown out by grocery stores to make swamp water. My local grocery store throws away vegetables every day that are perfectly good vegetables. I picked up onions, bananas, cucumbers, lettuce, strawberries, kiwi, squash, kale, zucchini, apples, jalapeños, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes and a grapefruit. I cut them all up and put them in a 30 gallon food grade screw lid barrel filled with well water and have had it cooking for 2 weeks now. My wife has some concerns about using it because we don’t know if the vegetables are safe to use on the garden because of not knowing if they have been sprayed with chemicals. This is our first time making swamp water and don’t want to mess up our soil. Is it safe to use?
I would use it – a lot of things break down. If it was very toxic, people would be dropping like flies from the veggies they eat.
David, after the organic material gives up its nutrients can you remove them and add them to your traditional compost pile? I figure they couldn’t hurt and would give it a second chance to feed my garden. I’d hate to see that stuff get thrown out. Also do you think any seeds would be killed off with enough time fermenting in the fetid swamp water?
Yes, that’s what we do. Or we throw the stuff at the base of a fruit tree as mulch. After some months of fermenting, I don’t worry about seeds coming through.
Can I use swamp water I made last year?
Yes.
Thank you for asking this. I started a batch October 2022. I’ll dilute to be on the safe side.
Can I put raw shrimp/fish in swamp water?
Yes.
Does it matter if the barrel.is closed or not? My thinking is that it needs air for the bacteria to break stuff down but also the smell is terrible.
It doesn’t seem to matter – closing it keeps the mosquitoes out, too.
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