Serve up some easy-to-brew compost tea to your garden.               Photo by Quincy Benton

Brewing compost tea

You can give your plants food and water in one if you serve your plants compost tea. To prepare for a compost tea party for your garden follow these simple steps:

• In a large container--plastic trash barrels work nicely--mix 1/2 compost with 1/2 water.

• Cover container.

• Stir every few days with a long stick or a broom handle.

• Wait one week.

• Dilute the dark brown tea until the fluid resembles weak tea.

• Strain through a cheesecloth, if desired, or simply do your best to pour off the compost tea without straining.

• Or, to begin, put your compost in an old pillowcase, which will serve as a giant tea bag. After a week, simply remove the pillowcase with compost--no straining required. You may add the compost back in your bin or pile or to your garden.

• Apply compost tea to leaves with a foliar sprayer for quick absorption of nutrients. Or use a watering can to pour the compost tea at plant roots.