DIY Charcoal And Biochar For Homestead Use ~Epi-013

Description

Today's show is a great primer for those of you new to the concept and practice of making charcoal and biochar. We will cover:

What is charcoal vs. what is biochar?
The MANY things you can do to increase your homestead productivity with charcoal AND biochar
HOW to make your own charcoal - we'll cover the theory, and then a bunch of practical methods and the characteristics, pros and cons of each.
4 Ways to make biochar from charcoal - there are more, but these are a great way to start

If you are a grower or a producer, charcoal and biochar deserve a place on your roster of regenerative techniques that take what is typically a waste or nuisance (brush, slash, excess carbonaceous material) and turn it into a multi-generational asset in your soils and throughout your landscape and home. Plus, making char is fun!

Show Resources

Jon Jadai of Pun Pun Organic Farm in Thailand talks through his low-tech method of making charcoal with a 55 gallon drum TLUD.
DIY Instructional Video from Aqueous Solutions on making your own 55 gallon TLUD.
Charcoal Trench method
Our curated YouTube playlist of a bunch of different charcoal making methods.
Biochar
- ARTICLE: Uses in poultry farming
- ARTICLE: Biochar in cattle farming
- PDF Instructional for conducting clean, safe, effective top-lit burn piles in the forest to make char.
- ARTICLE: 55 Uses For Biochar