Leaves from dump
I noticed alot of worms in the leaves from the dump so I figured they must be ok. They usually get them right after they fall from the trees along the streets so I assume they are no too poluted. I know cigeretts are bad for tomatoes but in the compost I would thing they would be decomposed quick like coffee grounds! My father used to get them from the local street guys and had like 10 dump truck loads every year. the guys always came to see m dad for a beer and some simson lettuce which he was noted for every early spring! I remember playing in them since they were 5 feet high all over his 50 by 100 garden. We also had chickens that would wonder through the leaves! That was over 50 years ago and I was working in the garden with him but my other brothers of 3 were not interested. We lived 50 feet from the Rolling Rock brewery where my brother worked so we had plenty of beer!! Leaves for beer!
Bobber,
I'm not 100% sure if I'm answering a question or just enjoying talking about a common interest.
Our family has been heavy leaf application users in the garden for 30+ years, after witnessing a man who put 5 ft of leaves on in the fall and never had a weed. He grew great tomatoes.
A friend has a similar arrangement as your dad did 50 yrs ago. Gets the leaved dumped by the city on the driveway. We have used the worms(big ones) for fishing. Blue gill don't seem to mind.
As for the cigarettes, we know they are in the leaves from the street clean up, but there aren't that many. They decompose in the piles and aren't noticable a year later(most have been eaten by the critters.
He also has the city dump leaves directly onto the garden, butts and all. We notice no difference in his veggy out put. But a big differnce in fewer weeds.
I'm not 100% sure if I'm answering a question or just enjoying talking about a common interest.
Our family has been heavy leaf application users in the garden for 30+ years, after witnessing a man who put 5 ft of leaves on in the fall and never had a weed. He grew great tomatoes.
A friend has a similar arrangement as your dad did 50 yrs ago. Gets the leaved dumped by the city on the driveway. We have used the worms(big ones) for fishing. Blue gill don't seem to mind.
As for the cigarettes, we know they are in the leaves from the street clean up, but there aren't that many. They decompose in the piles and aren't noticable a year later(most have been eaten by the critters.
He also has the city dump leaves directly onto the garden, butts and all. We notice no difference in his veggy out put. But a big differnce in fewer weeds.
-
lifegrower
- Full Member
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:19 pm
- Location: Dennisport, MA
Leaves are always safe, and their deep roots bring up micronutrients from the deep, dark, depths. They take a while to compost unless shredded, and some grass clippings mixed in help things along. We get ours from landscape contractors.
Then, as somebody else said, we bury our beds in leaves in the fall, which enables us to (1) harvest root veggies in January, and (2) pull back the leaf mulch in spring to reveal the richest soil imagineable for spring planting.
Good luck!
Then, as somebody else said, we bury our beds in leaves in the fall, which enables us to (1) harvest root veggies in January, and (2) pull back the leaf mulch in spring to reveal the richest soil imagineable for spring planting.
Good luck!
-
lifegrower
- Full Member
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:19 pm
- Location: Dennisport, MA
My dad got at least 15 big dumps of leaves in his 50 by 100 garen every year and got them tilled under and they just seemed to disappear with tons of worms. The big difference is that he had 50 chickens thaqt went through the leaves every day. I would think that that added nitriogen fro the manure made the garden with leaves even better. We raised half the garden with corn! That was 50 years ago!