My ramblings on composting

[jeanettehs]

When I was young & full of energy I tried compost many different ways, piles, bends, barrels, bags, boxes, it all takes up space, time & its a lot of work. 100 gallons of organic material makes about 10 gallons of compost.

Last fall I had a mountain of tree leaves I put some in a 100 gallon container then week after week I eventually put the other 400 gallons in the 100 gallon container. Now I have about 70 gallons of very good compost. 6 months from now it will probably be 50 gallons of compost. About May when weather is nice I will till it into the soil.

This year I am mowing the grass so the clippings blow into the garden. Tree leaves fall I mow them so they blow into the garden. I have lots of dead garden plants thrown along the back of the yard to die & dry I mow them so they blow in the garden. Then I till the soil it has to be tilled anyway. This is about as effortless as it gets.

I avoid putting grass clippings in my garden beds. It tends to take root and then I have to battle the grass. As it is I am battling crabgrass in my vegetable beds. The only thing I have found to control that is continual pulling and digging out.

[Gary350]

About 95% of the population around here sprays Monsanto Weed B Gone on their yard so they have a beautiful yard that looks golf course grass. I am sure all that toxic poison gets into their trees and bushes too. People rake their tree leaves, trim bushed, cut trees, throw it along the side of the street, city trucks pick it up and take it all to the county mulch center where it is all chopped into tiny pieces. After it ages 1 year it is free to anyone that wants it. 40 years ago when not many people used toxic poison on there yard I use to get that 1 year old aged mulch to till into my garden soil but now days I don't trust that stuff in my garden. I wish I had 2 dump truck loads of that to till into my garden soil that is free of toxic cancer causing poison.

[ACW]

About 95% of the population around here sprays Monsanto Weed B Gone on their yard so they have a beautiful yard that looks golf course grass. I am sure all that toxic poison gets into their trees and bushes too. People rake their tree leaves, trim bushed, cut trees, throw it along the side of the street, city trucks pick it up and take it all to the county mulch center where it is all chopped into tiny pieces. After it ages 1 year it is free to anyone that wants it. 40 years ago when not many people used toxic poison on there yard I use to get that 1 year old aged mulch to till into my garden soil but now days I don't trust that stuff in my garden. I wish I had 2 dump truck loads of that to till into my garden soil that is free of toxic cancer causing poison.

Here in London I too am careful with my input ,this timee of year I "steal" our local road sweepers bags of leaves from the abundant trees in our street ,OK there may be a few bits of the local kids candy wrapper in it but the only chemicals would be from city air pollution ,part of our kitchen and garden waste plus a good neighbours help make a very good all round compost in one of my 3 plastic compost bins where worms slugs ,snails and pillbugs work on the mix.which takes around 6 months to reach a good consitency with minimum strring.