Spent brewery grains

[SteveP]

Has anyone used spent brewery grains in making compost? I am thinking about starting a compost pile using spent grains, coffee grounds, wood chips and some extra mushroom compost for the garden. I stopped by a local micro brewery today and they said they would be glad to give me some, as they just throw them away. I am going to ask at some coffee shops about used coffee grounds and I have the wood chips and mushroom compost which is bulk stuff from a local mushroom farm. Does this sound reasonable? Oh, and I have a couple of bails of straw from last year that has been outside since last year.

I have never composted before, so any tips or instructions would be much appreciated.

Has anyone here used spent brewery grains before?

[pmcgrady]

I had a friend that raised around 600 head of cattle and used rice hulls and brewer mash in his cattle feed. He would get semi loads of it, and the piles of it would get really hot, almost to the point of combustion. It's great stuff if you have something to mix it with.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by pmcgrady

I had a friend that raised around 600 head of cattle and used rice hulls and brewer mash in his cattle feed. He would get semi loads of it, and the piles of it would get really hot, almost to the point of combustion. It's great stuff if you have something to mix it with.

I have been doing some reading up on using it and have read it gets hot, composts quickly and is a good source of nitrogen and microbes. Worm farmers apparently use it in their worm beds. Apparently it gets very rancid as it breaks down and attracts animals, so the highly recommend covering it well.

I have also read it is a great addition to a compost pile and then used in the garden. I have also read it can be buried in a trench between rows, covered with soil and let the worms do the rest. I plan on going ahead and giving it a try this year and see how it goes. It's free.

[seaeagle]

Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/glyphos...-of-20-brands/

[pmcgrady]

Originally Posted by seaeagle

Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/glyphos...-of-20-brands/

If they tested more things like bread, flour, rice, vegatables (fresh and canned), fruit...
Pretty much anything edible, 90% would test positive.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by seaeagle

Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/glyphos...-of-20-brands/

I try to keep things as chemically free as I can, but I can never be 100% sure. I feel confident my garden produces a much cleaner, healthier product than store bought foods. Beer being contaminated with Roundup is something I had never thought about, but it doesn't surprise me. Thank you for bringing that up. I wonder if the process of beer making removes a lot of the chemicals in the grains?

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by pmcgrady

If they tested more things like bread, flour, rice, vegatables (fresh and canned), fruit...
Pretty much anything edible, 90% would test positive.

I have little doubt that you are correct.

[velikipop]

Yes I use the beer mash in my composter and it is a great addition. It really gets the heap hot real fast.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by velikipop

Yes I use the beer mash in my composter and it is a great addition. It really gets the heap hot real fast.

Thanks. It's good to hear from someone who has tried it. And it's something that can likely be acquired for FREE.

[velikipop]

Yes, it is free. I get mine from the local university's beer brewing lab. I am sure that some of the smaller craft brewers, if there are any in you area, would be happy to let you have some.

Alex

[PhilaGardener]

Originally Posted by SteveP

I have little doubt that you are correct.

They spray glyphosate on mature grains to kill the plants, which then dry out uniformly for harvesting.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_desiccation

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by PhilaGardener

They spray glyphosate on mature grains to kill the plants, which then dry out uniformly for harvesting.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_desiccation

Thats scary stuff. Thank you for the link. I feed my garden foods to my family and grandkids and I don't want to risk their health and well being.

[SQWIBB]

I have had luck with recycling mash, the Black Soldier Flies REALLY love it.
sorry for the cheesy music.

[Soilsniffer]

>> Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.

>> If they tested more things like bread, flour, rice, vegatables (fresh and canned), fruit... Pretty much anything edible, 90% would test positive.

Careful! That sounds like evidence that evil Monsanto may very well be correct when they say Roundup becomes inert and harmless after three days.

[seaeagle]

Monsanto also says that Roundup doesn't accumulate in organs in the human body, but it is found in chicken eggs. Doesn't that blow their whole scientific theory up?


Anyway the second case is now being tried and Monsanto appears to be losing again.



"The unanimous verdict by the six-person jury in federal court in San Francisco came in a lawsuit filed against Roundup’s manufacturer, agribusiness giant Monsanto. Edwin Hardeman, 70, was the second plaintiff to go to trial out of thousands around the country who claim the weed killer causes cancer."


https://ktla.com/2019/03/19/roundup-...ury-finds/amp/