Compost tea is a living, water-based extract made by brewing high-quality compost to activate and multiply beneficial microorganisms. These microbes—bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes—help re-establish healthy soil food webs, making nutrients more available to plants while supporting root development and overall plant resilience. When applied to soil or foliage, compost tea works with natural biological processes rather than relying on synthetic inputs.
The benefits of compost tea include improved soil structure, increased nutrient cycling, enhanced disease suppression, and greater drought tolerance. Over time, regular applications can reduce dependency on fertilizers, rebuild depleted soils, and support more productive, ecologically balanced growing systems—whether in backyard gardens, urban farms, or larger agricultural landscapes.
Decelera Teas
Decelera Teas take their name from two intertwined roots: celeritas, the Latin term for speed or swiftness, and celery—from the early Italian di sceleri, itself derived from the Greek selinon, a parsley traditionally eaten slowly for its therapeutic and medicinal qualities. Together, these meanings reflect a guiding principle of the Crooked Farmz Decelera Tea library: slowing down to offer good medicine—for plants and for ourselves—delivered fresh and in season.
A Crooked Farmz summer CSA subscription includes four compost teas—MYCO, FLORA, AQUA, and ENDO. Each is produced through a shared extraction and brewing process, then fine-tuned with seasonally appropriate micro-amendments to support plant health at different stages of the growing cycle.
1. MYCO
(Late May – Early June)
STRUCTURE/EMERGENCE: A fungi-forward compost tea brewed to launch the growing season. Designed to stimulate mycorrhizal activity and fungal networks, it supports strong soil–root relationships in the rhizosphere, laying the groundwork for healthier, more resilient plants later in the summer.
2. FLORA
(Early-Mid July)
BALANCE/VITALITY: As plants establish, flower, and set fruit, this tea introduces additional organic inputs drawn from the local ecology. It encourages microbial diversity and biological balance, supporting vigorous growth and improved resistance to pests and disease.
3. AQUA
(Early-Mid August)
ENERGY/AQUATICS: Focused on nutrient and water cycling at peak season, this tea draws on amendments from fish and seaweed to enhance mineral availability and moisture efficiency. It supports the development of healthy fruits, vegetables, and perennials while reconnecting soil life to the deep time of lakes and oceans.
4. ENDO
(Mid-Late Sept)
ENDURANCE/CIRCULARITY: A closing-season blend that emphasizes renewal and continuity. This tea helps extend harvests during longer summers, supports quick crop turnover for succession planting, prepares beds for garlic and overwintering bulbs, and restores soil biology as the growing cycle comes to rest.
Crooked Farmz 