I'd like very much to begin preparing raised beds later on this year for a veggie garden in spring of '09.
Thoughts are to lay out newspaper to smother the grass.
From there I've definitely got access to horse manure & straw, grass clippings, and oak leaves. I could probably get my hands on cow manure and duck poop. I'm sure I'll have left over peat moss to toss in.
Come to think of it, if any of my neighbors around here have an algae bloom in their ponds, I could get my hands on wheel barrels full of algae.
Anything else anyone would like to suggest?
I've been tossing our coffee grounds, egg shells, left over rice from our steamer, my tea bags, and veggie scraps in my composter for years. I do plan on adding the contents of the composter to the raised beds.
I read in another thread somewhere that somebody was picking up coffee grounds somewhere. I don't recall who posted they were grabbing coffee ground but I know where there is a coffee house that I could ask for their grounds and I think I just might do that.
I read in another thread somewhere that somebody was picking up coffee grounds somewhere. I don't recall who posted they were grabbing coffee ground but I know where there is a coffee house that I could ask for their grounds and I think I just might do that.
Score one for TheLorax!
I stopped in at this coffee shop called Starbucks this morning. It's a chain around here and they're quite popular. Walked in and asked if I could please have some of their coffee grounds on a regular basis. The manager told me they didn't have too many as it was early in the day but that their coffee grounds were free to anyone who asked for them. He passed a bag over the counter that was about 15 lbs! Oh my word! At least 15 lbs! I felt like doing a happy dance right on the spot.
Everybody hit Starbucks! Evidently they have some sort of a corporate policy where they prefer to give the grounds to gardeners rather than throwing them out.
There's this restaurant we go to every week. They do a big business. I wonder if I would be pushing my luck if I asked them to save their veggie scraps for me? Suppose it can't hurt to ask.
I stopped in at this coffee shop called Starbucks this morning. It's a chain around here and they're quite popular. Walked in and asked if I could please have some of their coffee grounds on a regular basis. The manager told me they didn't have too many as it was early in the day but that their coffee grounds were free to anyone who asked for them. He passed a bag over the counter that was about 15 lbs! Oh my word! At least 15 lbs! I felt like doing a happy dance right on the spot.
Everybody hit Starbucks! Evidently they have some sort of a corporate policy where they prefer to give the grounds to gardeners rather than throwing them out.
There's this restaurant we go to every week. They do a big business. I wonder if I would be pushing my luck if I asked them to save their veggie scraps for me? Suppose it can't hurt to ask.
I get veggie scraps from our local Mom and Pop pizza parlor. coffee ground from Starbucks, and DH has a new friend who does organic landscaping and we're getting all his clippings. WOOHOO!!
[img]https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll45/doccat5/100_1053_edited.jpg[/img]
More compost in the making. I also have finished stuff as well
[img]https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll45/doccat5/100_1057.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll45/doccat5/100_1053_edited.jpg[/img]
More compost in the making. I also have finished stuff as well
[img]https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll45/doccat5/100_1057.jpg[/img]
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opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
Quick question on coffee grounds. I'm hauling home bags of this stuff daily now. My composter isn't all that big and I still haven't settled on what I'm going to do with the raised beds and was wondering if I could use these coffee grounds as a mulch directly to a bed of Iris? Would coffee grounds be too nutrient dense to do that? I tossed out corn gluten meal which looks rather shocking and the coffee grounds would help cover up that horrible looking yellow that's out there right now.
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opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
Good! I've got enough stock piled to do half the iris bed. By the end of next week, I can coat the entire bed. It looks nice too. I'll work some in and I'll sprinkle some on top.
So umm, exactly how bad does it smell if it piles up good and high? Bad enough to deter door to door salesmen?
Muchas gracias.
So umm, exactly how bad does it smell if it piles up good and high? Bad enough to deter door to door salesmen?
Muchas gracias.
opabinia51,
Those bags are full of oak leaves and we've left them that way deliberately. I added Bokashi juice to them and we are letting them "cook" in the bags. Once they ferment a bit more we'll add them to my new beds and turn em in. The microbes in the Bokashi are highly aerobic and love to eat this stuff.
Now when I hear the "hype" about using a tiller, I just blow em off, I'm adding new microbes as I go. LOL
Those bags are full of oak leaves and we've left them that way deliberately. I added Bokashi juice to them and we are letting them "cook" in the bags. Once they ferment a bit more we'll add them to my new beds and turn em in. The microbes in the Bokashi are highly aerobic and love to eat this stuff.
Now when I hear the "hype" about using a tiller, I just blow em off, I'm adding new microbes as I go. LOL
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opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
So in your experience do the bags smell when you open them up?
The reason I ask is:
Even if you are using a facultative aerobe if there is no oxygen they will not be able to do their work and if there are any anaerobes in with the leaves, they will be the ones who will go to work.
Given the fact that you just have leaves in there, there won't be much nitrogen for the anaerobic bacteria to work with though.
The reason I ask is:
Even if you are using a facultative aerobe if there is no oxygen they will not be able to do their work and if there are any anaerobes in with the leaves, they will be the ones who will go to work.
Given the fact that you just have leaves in there, there won't be much nitrogen for the anaerobic bacteria to work with though.
There are holes in the bags. No smell other than that of fresh earth. I'm quite impressed with this method. DH will eventually spread most of the contents of those bags out across the back area, to help enrich the soil in that area.
We have a steady supply of grass clippings, leaves etc, as DH has a buddy who does landscaping and lawn maintenance. He's pushing organic and I'm helping him understand how it works. It's all pretty cool!
I would love to have a separate forum on Bokashi and EM1. It's a fascinating subject and makes perfect sense to me as far as doing organic gardening is concerned. I know my soil is good, I've been using only organic methods for over 25 years, but I think the Bokashi will only make it better by increasing the beneficial microbes available in the soil. It's not as hard for me to improve my soil, since I haven't used the "junk" on it in years.
I have gradually converted a lot of the neighbors who use to think we were nuts.......LOL I'd like to see what the Bokashi could do with some ground that has had nothing but chemicals etc on it. According to the information on the EM1 sites, they've been using this to improve soil in areas all over the world. Very interesting.
We have a steady supply of grass clippings, leaves etc, as DH has a buddy who does landscaping and lawn maintenance. He's pushing organic and I'm helping him understand how it works. It's all pretty cool!
I would love to have a separate forum on Bokashi and EM1. It's a fascinating subject and makes perfect sense to me as far as doing organic gardening is concerned. I know my soil is good, I've been using only organic methods for over 25 years, but I think the Bokashi will only make it better by increasing the beneficial microbes available in the soil. It's not as hard for me to improve my soil, since I haven't used the "junk" on it in years.
I have gradually converted a lot of the neighbors who use to think we were nuts.......LOL I'd like to see what the Bokashi could do with some ground that has had nothing but chemicals etc on it. According to the information on the EM1 sites, they've been using this to improve soil in areas all over the world. Very interesting.
If you know about this Bokashi and have experience with it, please stick a whole new thread under Permaculture... it was while reading about Permaculture practices that I first started running into Bokashi all over the place. From what little I read, I am VERY interested in learning as much as I can sponge off of you about this.
Haven't run into EM1 but I bet I'd like to. Start a whole new thread over there on this EM1 too while you're at it. Sounds exciting to me! (Clears throat... work to earn your keep Virginian!)
For what it's worth, there are a lot of people around here who think people who have gone organic and native are nuts. Tide does seem to be changing though.
Haven't run into EM1 but I bet I'd like to. Start a whole new thread over there on this EM1 too while you're at it. Sounds exciting to me! (Clears throat... work to earn your keep Virginian!)
For what it's worth, there are a lot of people around here who think people who have gone organic and native are nuts. Tide does seem to be changing though.
Well, that makes two of us who are pedigreed with papers then. I'm certifiable too. Just ask my husband! Gosh I love The Helpful Gardener, I run into so many people who are certifiable!
Now, get your nose out of the rose forum and toddle on over to the permaculture forum and do your thing with Bokashi and what ever this EM1 deal is. I have got to get off this computer and out of this house or I am going to be in trouble!
Now, get your nose out of the rose forum and toddle on over to the permaculture forum and do your thing with Bokashi and what ever this EM1 deal is. I have got to get off this computer and out of this house or I am going to be in trouble!
I've been picking up large kitchen bags (plastic, with drawstrings) of coffee grounds (and some tea) from a local independent coffee/tea shop. I've picked up maybe three or four times, and they're always very nice--both the grounds AND the people!
It saves the shop $; they can have a much smaller garbage collection bin than otherwise if gardeners come and pick up the coffee grounds. Here in El Cerrito, our yard-waste containers are emptied every other week, but there's no food-scrap disposal program other than us good ol' independent gardeners!
If you have a worm bin as well as compost piles, worms really do love coffee grounds. I had a worm bin until the El Niño winter a few years ago, when the hard-working worms drowned in the rain while I was too sick to go outside.
Now my worms just live in the Biostack; I hope I don't kill them again...
But yes, coffee grounds are terrific! I may be pushing the maximum % of coffee grounds in compost, but I haven't found out what that % is yet...
Cynthia H.
El Cerrito, CA
It saves the shop $; they can have a much smaller garbage collection bin than otherwise if gardeners come and pick up the coffee grounds. Here in El Cerrito, our yard-waste containers are emptied every other week, but there's no food-scrap disposal program other than us good ol' independent gardeners!
If you have a worm bin as well as compost piles, worms really do love coffee grounds. I had a worm bin until the El Niño winter a few years ago, when the hard-working worms drowned in the rain while I was too sick to go outside.
Now my worms just live in the Biostack; I hope I don't kill them again...But yes, coffee grounds are terrific! I may be pushing the maximum % of coffee grounds in compost, but I haven't found out what that % is yet...
Cynthia H.
El Cerrito, CA