We’ve been brewing compost tea and using as a foliar feed for most of our crops. It’s a very basic process and has, for us, been a great way to add nutrients on the cheap. The basic recipe – add about a shovel full of finshed compost to a five gallon bucket. Add an ounce of mollasses and fill the bucket with water. Note: chlorinated water will be counter productive to the process – it kills the beneficial bacteria and fungi in the compost. So, if your water is chlorinated, let it sit out over night before introducing compost. This should be enough time for the chlorine to evaporate. The compost needs to be aerated for a day or two. We use an aquarium aerator ($10 at the local big box store). Stirring many times per day should do the job too, but may take a few extra days. Strain the tea through cheesecloth into your watering can or small sprayer and, as our friend Red Beard puts it, “say hello to the plants” with a good watering.
