Lessons from the Bogarden: Compost Tea & Using Compost

Trying to maintain rich soil without the use of artificial fertilizers can seem daunting today when we are taught through marketing to think that you need to add miracle grow to get good results in the garden. However, preparing compost tea is an easy and free method for introducing nutrients along with beneficial microorganisms to your soil. Seth Pritchard touched on a few methods for preparing compost tea when he spoke to our class a few months ago. However, I found a few low-tech methods for producing this nutrient rich brew without having invest in air stones and any other fancy equipment.
First, I found a simple method in Rodales's Garden Answers: Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs which has proven to be a helpful guide all around. This book's suggested method for producing compost teas is to put a shovel full of compost in a porous bag (burlap, pillowcase, etc), steep it in a bucket of water for a few days, and then dilute it to the color of tea. I am currently trying this method because many of the seedlings in the bogarden are not growing very well, which leads me to suspect that the soil is poor in nutrients. It is relatively easy however I question its effectiveness because there is no way of keeping oxygen levels high in the soil unless you occasionally pull the bag out and break the soil up. Seth Pritchard's method is similar to this but it ensures a steady supply of oxygen by using air stones to saturate the soil while it is submerged.
Another way to produce compost tea without having to do any major engineering is to simply place a handfull of compost in a clay pot sunk half way in the ground next to your seedlings. Place water in the pot when plants are watered and compost tea is made in the pot and immediately diffused directly to the roots of the plants. This may be a good option for the campus garden to avoid having to repeatedly haul tea/fertilizers to campus.
Finally, we recently came in contact with two guys who are starting their own verme-composting business. They collect the worm castings (excrement) from the bottom of the pile and sell the juices as liquid fertilizer. I applied the fertilizer a few weeks ago and the plants have noticeably improved. I spoke with the guys today and they told me that their juice wasn't particularly rich in nitrogen, so if one is to use worm castings as a compost tea, keep in mind extra nitrogen may be needed around flowering time to ensure proper vegetable production.