We Buried Common Kitchen Scraps in the Garden and THIS Happened 🤯
TLDRIn this intriguing gardening experiment, the video explores the effects of burying six common food scraps under tomatoes to enhance soil fertility. The food scraps include an old sourdough starter, tahini pasta, a pot of beans, garden scraps, catfish heads, kitchen scraps, farm-fresh eggs, and a control with no additions. The tomatoes are grown in identical conditions, and meticulous care is taken to control variables such as soil, water, and gopher protection. Over time, it's observed that the tomatoes with eggs and the control (no food scraps) show more bushiness and potential for growth, while the catfish head tomato lags, possibly due to slow decomposition. The findings suggest that while composting is ideal for soil fertility, certain food scraps can temporarily hinder plant growth if they are too complex or large to break down quickly. The video concludes with a recommendation to use compost and a hint of curiosity about the potential benefits of using eggs in the garden.
Takeaways
- 🌱 **Soil Fertility Experiment**: The video documents an experiment comparing the effects of different food scraps on tomato plant growth.
- 🍅 **Control Group**: A control tomato plant was grown with no additional food scraps to compare natural soil conditions.
- 🥚 **Eggs as Fertilizer**: Whole and cracked eggs were buried to see their effect on plant growth, with surprising results.
- 🐟 **Catfish Heads**: Contrary to common belief, burying catfish heads did not yield the best results and was the least effective.
- 🥗 **Kitchen Leftovers**: Everyday kitchen scraps like pasta and beans were used, but did not outperform other methods.
- 🌿 **Garden Scraps**: Weeds and garden waste were effective, possibly due to their high nitrogen content and smaller particle size.
- 🪨 **Eggshells**: Eggshells were found to be the only remnants in the soil, indicating that other organic matter had fully decomposed.
- 🐛 **Signs of Life**: A rich ecosystem of worms and pill bugs was discovered in the soil where kitchen scraps were used.
- 🍃 **Vegetative Growth**: The control and egg plants showed less vegetative growth but more fruit production compared to others.
- 🔍 **Decomposition Matters**: The size and type of buried food scraps affected the rate of decomposition and nutrient availability to the plants.
- ♻️ **Composting Recommended**: The conclusion was that composting is a more effective way to use food scraps for gardening purposes.
Q & A
What was the main objective of the experiment described in the transcript?
-The main objective was to determine the effect of burying different types of food scraps directly into the garden on tomato plant growth, to see if all food scraps are equally beneficial and if the method of burying them matters.
What types of food scraps were used in the experiment?
-The food scraps used included an old sourdough starter, tahini pasta, a pot of beans, garden scraps, catfish heads, standard kitchen scraps, farm fresh eggs, and a control with nothing buried.
How were the tomatoes grown to ensure the experiment's validity?
-The tomatoes were grown in identical conditions: started from the same seed company, grown in the same soil, at the same time, with the same growing conditions, and watered using drip tape controlled by a timer.
What was the role of the steel mesh basket in the experiment?
-The steel mesh basket was used to prevent gophers from digging up and consuming the buried food scraps, which could have interfered with the results of the experiment.
What was the initial observation after two and a half weeks of the experiment?
-The initial observation was that the tomatoes with kitchen leftovers (Tahini), garden scraps (Oxalis), and kitchen scraps (Scrappy) looked similar in growth. However, the tomato with catfish heads (Noodle) was lagging behind, possibly due to slow decomposition.
What was the surprising result after 10 more days of the experiment?
-The surprising result was that the tomato with eggs (Eggbert) and the control tomato (Roma) showed more bushiness and potential energy for growth compared to the others, despite the catfish head tomato (Noodle) still lagging.
What was the final outcome of the experiment regarding the effectiveness of the different food scraps?
-The final outcome showed that the catfish head (Noodle) was the least effective, while the control and the egg (Eggbert) performed the best in terms of ripeness and yield. The middle group included the kitchen leftovers, garden weeds, and standard kitchen scraps, which were roughly the same.
What was the reasoning behind the poor performance of the catfish head in the experiment?
-The poor performance was attributed to the complexity and size of the catfish heads, which were difficult to break down quickly into nutrients the tomato plants could use. This led to a potential anoxic or acidic environment that hindered plant growth.
What did the experiment reveal about the importance of particle size and surface area in decomposing organic matter?
-The experiment revealed that smaller particles with a larger surface area decompose more quickly and are more bioavailable to plants. This is why the finely chopped kitchen scraps disappeared completely, while larger, more complex items like catfish heads did not decompose as well.
What recommendation was made based on the results of the experiment?
-The recommendation was to use compost, which is a more refined and bioavailable form of decomposed organic matter. Additionally, using whole eggs might be considered due to their close performance to the control, but generally, a more natural and less complex approach to gardening was advised.
What was the overall conclusion about the use of food scraps in gardening based on the experiment?
-The overall conclusion was that while some types of food scraps can be beneficial, they may not be the most effective way to boost soil fertility. Compost, being a more refined and immediately usable form of organic matter, was deemed a better choice for gardening.
Outlines
🌱 Garden Experiment with Food Scraps
The video introduces an experiment to determine the impact of different food scraps on tomato growth. Six common food scraps are buried under tomatoes grown in identical conditions to compare their effect on soil fertility. The gardener, with over a decade of experience, expresses surprise at the results. The setup includes growing Italian Roma tomatoes from the same seed company, using the same soil and growing conditions. The soil is controlled by broad forking and drip tape watering on a timer. Gophers are deterred with steel mesh baskets, and the experiment aims to find the best method of burying food scraps to enhance plant growth.
🚿 Post-Hurricane Tomato Update
After two and a half weeks and a hurricane, the experiment reveals mixed results. Tomatoes named Tahini, Oxalis, and Scrappy show similar growth with no fruit yet. The Noodle tomato, fertilized with catfish heads, lags behind, possibly due to slow decomposition. Eggbert and Roma tomatoes, with eggs and no additives respectively, exhibit more bushiness and potential energy for growth. The control theory suggests that complex food matter like catfish heads may take longer to decompose and release nutrients, affecting plant growth.
🍅 Harvest Time and Reflections
By mid-September, most tomato plants bear fruit, but their growth has intertwined. The pasta dish (leftover) seems to be the least successful, while the garden weed (Oxalis) has improved. The fish-based Noodle still has a smaller canopy but produces fruit. The control and egg-fertilized plants have merged, with the control having more aphids. The ripest tomatoes are from the control group, suggesting it was the most successful in terms of ripe yield. The video concludes with the decision to weigh and analyze the tomatoes and soil conditions to determine the most effective food scrap for fertilization.
🔎 Digging Up the Results
The final segment involves harvesting and weighing the tomatoes, revealing the control group as the clear winner in terms of ripeness and yield. The catfish head (Noodle) is the least effective, with small fruit and less yield. The middle group, consisting of kitchen leftovers, weed scraps, and standard kitchen scraps, perform similarly. The egg-fertilized (Eggbert) is a close second to the control. Upon digging up the buried scraps, it's discovered that the kitchen leftovers have completely decomposed, while the egg shells and some food scraps remain. The conclusion is that compost is likely the best option for fertilization, due to its bioavailability and decomposition, and that surface area significantly affects decomposition speed.
🌿 Back to Basics Gardening Advice
The video concludes with the recommendation to use compost for gardening, as it is pre-decomposed and readily available for plant uptake. The experimenters also suggest that using eggs might be beneficial, based on their results. They advise against using complex food scraps like catfish heads, which can hinder nutrient intake for plants. The final advice is to garden in a natural way, avoiding unnecessary complexity, and to let the decomposition process occur in a compost heap rather than directly in the soil.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Food scraps
💡Soil fertility
💡Italian Roma tomatoes
💡Control experiment
💡Broad fork
💡Drip tape
💡Gophers
💡Anaerobic
💡Surface area
💡Particle size
💡Decomposers
Highlights
An experiment was conducted to determine the impact of burying different food scraps under tomatoes to boost soil fertility.
Six common food scraps were buried under identically grown Italian Roma tomatoes to compare their effects on plant growth.
The food scraps included old sourdough starter, tahini pasta, a pot of beans, garden scraps, catfish heads, kitchen scraps, farm fresh eggs, and a control with nothing buried.
The experiment aimed to control variables such as soil, water, and protection from gophers to ensure accurate results.
Tomatoes were grown in a controlled environment with drip tape watering managed by a timer to ensure equal conditions.
The initial observation showed that tomatoes with catfish heads were lagging in growth, possibly due to slow decomposition.
Tomatoes with eggs buried showed promising growth, with more bushiness and potential energy for development.
The control tomato, with no additional food scraps, also exhibited robust growth, indicating the natural soil's capability to support the plant.
After 10 days, the tomatoes with catfish heads were still the smallest, while the egg and control tomatoes continued to show strong growth.
The experiment revealed that particle size and surface area of the buried food scraps significantly affect decomposition rates and nutrient availability.
The final results showed that the tomato with catfish heads was the least productive, likely due to the complexity and size of the organic matter.
The control tomato and the one with eggs had the highest yield and ripeness, suggesting that simpler, more readily available nutrients are beneficial.
The garden weeds provided a surprising amount of vegetative growth, possibly due to the quick release of nitrogen from the decomposing material.
The experiment concluded that compost, which is a finished product of decomposition, would be a more effective soil amendment than raw food scraps.
The use of a whole egg was considered a curious yet close alternative to compost, based on its performance in the experiment.
The researchers recommended against using complex food scraps directly in the garden and advocated for the use of compost for better plant growth.
The experiment provided insights into the decomposition process and the importance of microbial activity in nutrient cycling for plant growth.
Transcripts
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