Re: gardenwriters Digest, Vol 8, Issue 34

**"Jeff Lowenfels" j*@gardener.com**

Compost tea information and standards:  You can get good information from
the International Compost Tea Council, ICTC located at
http://www.intlctc.org/ . This has great FAQ's etc.  Good Links can be found
at www.alaskahumus.com .It is an industry group with outside advisors. Very
good FAQs.

Tom Alexander, publisher of Growing Edge ( a great magazine if you haven't
seen it) is correct that once you put your plants on a aerated compost tea
regime, it changes the way you garden. . I would add that it is the soil
foodweb science that makes compost tea such a fascinating and popular
subject with western gardeners, farmers and grape-growers. Here in
Anchorage, with only 100,000 gardeners at best...we have 10 places selling
tea, two professional yard applicators and several mainstream nurseries
selling tea brewing kits and supplies. This might have something to do with
the :)cr*ppy)  weekly column I write....but the results are fantastic and
the practice is now established!

As for the East, it is actually getting easier to find sellers and the
subject is worthy of some articles. I am told the World Trade Center Area
had its microbiology reintroduced by aerated compost teas.

As for standards, if you write about compost tea, it is important to tell
readers that  all commercial tea makers should be able to provide tests
showing the microbiology in the tea. Soil Foodweb, Inc has about 7 labs
around the world that provide standardized testing  The fountain of
information is www.soilfoodweb.com and Dr. Elaine Ingham who spoke to GWA
two years ago. Tea needs to have good bacteria AND fungi counts. There is
good tea and not so good tea. However,- this is information for writers who
want to do stories.  I am now on the same card with Lon: if you want to ask
questions about making tea, testing it etc, then I guess we need to move
over to the organic site.

I don't know about Rain Gardens, but we are having Frost gardens up here
this week.

Cheers,

Jeff L.

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