Compost tea, and manure tea, are currently in vogue, and every time I talk to someone about them, I end up laughing at the silliness of it.

A compost or manure tea is simply a large bucket of water, with compost or manure dumped in, and then the water drained off for use in the garden. In other words, a VERY diluted solution of a FEW of the water soluble nutrients contained in the compost or manure.

Compost and manure tea are no different than applied liquid fertilizer. Liquid fertilizer is LESS effective than solid organic fertilizer (compost and manure are both solid organics).

Compost or manure tea will provide some nutrients, but they do not enrich the soil. It is not an efficient way of using the whole benefit of the compost or manure - in other words, it is a fad. An enchanting idea that does LESS for your garden than the application of manure or compost in a traditional manner.

You get more out of the compost or the manure to just scatter it on the surface of the soil. They then create the same effect as the tea each time you water - they gradually wash down into the soil. They have the added benefit this way of adding to the organic matter in the soil and improving the soil, not just providing a little nutrients.

Compost or manure tea is a WEAK nutrient solution, and there is simply no magic in them, only more WORK. And most people end up putting the leftover compost or manure solids on the garden anyway. Why go to the extra work? It makes no sense!

Scattering manure or compost (or organic matter to compost on the surface), is nature's way of enriching garden soil. There is NO down side to this.

I've heard people claim that the compost or manure tea is useful in certain situations, because of how well it delivers nutrients. But it is not factually sound to say so! There is NO benefit you can get from a compost or manure tea that cannot be gained simply by letting NATURE do the work using scattered compost or manure, right there in the garden.