What is Compost Tea?

tea for your plants, not your mug!

day 2 of the brew process

Compost tea is a living biological amendment made by brewing compost with oxygen, water, and microbe-supporting ingredients to multiply beneficial soil organisms.

At Bee the Buzz, our compost tea program is rooted in ecological land care principles and designed to support long-term soil and plant health naturally without relying on synthetic inputs.

Benefits include:

  • Improved soil biology

  • Increased nutrient availability

  • Better moisture retention

  • Stronger root systems

  • Reduced plant stress

  • Healthier, more resilient landscapes

Visit us at Bedford NH Farmers Market Tuesdays 3-6p to purchase fresh compost tea, learn about application methods, and talk native plants, pollinators, and ecological landscaping.

activated compost, ready to be brewed!

What’s our process?

At Bee the Buzz, our compost tea is brewed in small batches using an intentionally biological process designed to support healthy soil ecosystems and resilient plants.

A few days before brewing, we begin by “activating” high-quality compost with microbe-supporting ingredients including molasses, oats, humic acid, crab shell meal, azomite, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, and more. As the biology wakes up and begins feeding, the compost naturally heats up and becomes highly active.

Two days before market, we begin the brewing process by adding 8–10 pounds of this activated compost into 50 gallons of actively aerated water. Using aquarium pumps and custom PVC aeration systems, the brew remains continuously oxygenated to support beneficial aerobic microbial life.

Throughout the brew cycle, we continue feeding and encouraging microbial growth with ingredients such as fish hydrolysate, liquid kelp, humic acid, and flour. Midway through the process, the compost bag is swapped with a fresh activated batch to help maintain strong and diverse microbial populations throughout the brew.

On the third day, the tea is bottled fresh for market.

Because the tea is alive and biologically active, we recommend using it within approximately 10 hours of purchase for best results.

The goal isn’t simply to feed plants, it’s to help build healthier living soil from the ground up.