Compost 101

Thanks Rootdoctor for answering my thread. You must need much more compost than I do but just same I never have enough. I grow in rasied beds made of 8" wide boards and aluminum sheeting to add another 12 inches of depth for a total of 20" depth. I have a total of 215 square feet of growing area in these boxes.

The problem with using grass and leaves is that the leaves come in the fall and the grass in the summer. I have to pile up leaves then wait for summer to get the grass and I just don't have enough room for piling all the leaves I would like. Have a big yard but had to put up a latice fence in front of the compost area to keep the other member of the family happy, a good thing to do. :-) Since I will be 80 this year I can't do the work I used to but have no complaints since I am doing better than most at my age.

Sparks

Hello! Sparks, your reply made me laugh. My Dad has the same "issue" with my Mom. We haul in 12 cu yds of well rotted horse manure 5 times a week - get it free from local horse farm. Dad wanted to "re-do" his lawn and we had to bring it over in very small loads even though it has no odor. Mom just couldn't bear the thought of "stuff" all over! Their lawn looks just great now!

We live on 3 acres of clay which is why we haul in the manure.

By the way, my husband wants to know if your screen name means that you were / are a radio operator?

Great Stuff RootDoctor !!!!!

I love my dogs and do have a compost pile. Root's worms need ID tags and "Owner-loves-em" tags. Thanks for the info. esspecially since it makes sense. Frank

DW just pointed out that my Robin came back today,Mort the Robin,made the mistake of feeding him worms when he was young,he would sit right next to me where ever I was in the yard,he knew if I was digging and found one,I'd toss him a worm,now I don't worry about alot of robins in my yard,he won't let another one come near the yard,LOL
Sparks I'm lucky that DW knows it take compost to make the yard look the way it does,so I never get complaints from her.

Hi Dohopp.
Yes, I was a radio officer in the merchant marine for about ten years starting in 1942. My first trip was unlicensed, was on a sailing vessel "SV Tango" that took lumber down around Cape Horn to South Africa. Gave up the sea (which I still love) after meeting a little gal on a short cruise to Cuba, she is now DW of nearly 52 years. I have never regretted the decision.

Sparks

What a wonderful story, Sparky..., and you actually went to sea under sail? What a fabulous bit of history to have lived!

Adam.

Sparks - you just brought a tear to my eye! God Bless!

Sparks, if you can get your hands (or better yet, a shovel) on horse or cow manure, it'll do the same thing. In fact, I don't compost the rabbit poo I get, but put it straight on the garden. (I can get a lawn tractor cart full of rabbit berries free 2x a year, so it's too precious to compost :o) I can get cow pies free all year long, so long as I take care to not come between the mamas and their young'uns in the field behind us.

Thanks all, I appreciate the comments. As for the SV Tango, there is a book written about it in which I have one chapter. It was written by a newspaper reporter and a lot of it is dry. I generally don't say anything about that trip as it sounds too much like bragging and is hard for some folks to believe. I was asked a direct question here so thats why I put it in. I have newspaper clippings and some of the book saved in my computer to back up the story.

Sparks

I'd like to hear more Sparks,this has been very entertaining!!

Sparks ~~~

What's the name of the book?

I love a good sea story, and sailing ships and smaller wooden craft are a particular passion of mine. I've taken classes in sail lofting and wooden boat construction. In one class we worked on building a modified copy of Joshua Slocum's 37' LOA oyster sloop Spray.

http://www.woodenboat.com/wbschool.htm

I've been to sea in small boats, from 41 ~ 67 feet LOA (most of them were plastic..., please don't hate me for it), and spent a lot of my younger days fantasizing about looking up at a full set of canvas, wind whistling through the rigging.

Adam.



This message was edited Monday, Mar 17th 5:22 PM

Sparks, seems like lots of Merchant Marines or other Service personnel during that time don't, as they call it brag. Both my Dad and my husband's Pop were involved during those years and only upon very recent insistent prodding by us have revealed stories we never dreamed of. A very self-less bunch you all are! Still, would love to hear a few stories/the chapter if you'd oblidge.

By the way, there are a few pet stores in Lexington - maybe they have rabbits and would give you the 'stuff', also a riding stable that might share their horse's doo.

Wow! All of a sudden this thread has switched from composting to sea stories. I can include some attachments if someone will tell me how to do it. LOL Of course all of this is now overshadowed by the upcoming war.

Aotearoa, no apology is necessary. I became a fan of Slocum's and had hoped to build my own 34 foot ketch but it was not to be. The Tango was 365 feet long, a six masted baldheaded schooner. The name of the book is "Tango Around the Horn". Will give you more information if you are intersted.

Sparks

Sparks ~~~

Amazon does not have it, but the NY public library does ;~).

Thanks!

Adam.

Who hasn't dreamed of sailing around the horn,now it is nice to talk to someone that has done it!!My time on the water was mild,running a charter boat on the great lake.This is one of my favorite mugs,by Leonard Pearce,called "Rounding the Horn"

Hey, that's a gorgeous mug. Time to belly up to the bar, boys.

Adam.

I have one that is called greyhounds of the sea,it is more like the ships I think Sparks is talking about,I'll see if I can find the papers on it.

Dohopp Ithought maybe your DH had been or, is a radio operator since he called attention to my screen name. Also forgot to address the tear in your eye. LOL I will say I have not made the best financial decesions all of my life but would not trade that for the family I have, three wonderful daughters, two great sons-in-law and nine grandchildren. A very close family although spread across the country.

That is a beautiful mug Rootdoctor, didn't know so many ship loving folks were in here. My ship did not look that beautiful. Aotearoa, glad you found the book, hope you enjoy. Make sure it is the second edition, my chapter is only in that one, they didn't know where to find me at the time the first edition was being prepared.

Now I am in complete agreement with Aotearoa, lets belly up to the bar.

Sparks

I don't think this is the place for talking more about the Tango but if any of you are interested in some of my articles you can e-mail through Daves and I will send them to you.

Sparks

You Have Mail!

Rootdocter, If that "You Got Mail" was addressed to me I have not received anything as yet and it is now after 12 noon. I will just send you a blank e-mail so that you have my screen name.

Sparks

It was Sparks,and I did,could be my end.

I did receive Rootdoctor's e-mail but had deleted it. I get a lot of junk mail and just delete without opening, if anyone sends me an e-mail from here please put Dave's Garden in the subject plus whatever else you want. I do catch the Dave's Garden part and open. I have macular degeneration and don't always see everything in the subject box that well.

Sparks

My brother-n-law makes homemade beer and sent me the mead (sp?) from the bottom of the barrel to put in my compost bin which i'm getting ready to start. Is this supposed to go into a compost bin? He's not a gardener (doesn't ever plant anything!) but thinks he is and assured me it would be good in the compost pile. My husband also has about 150 chickens is chicken poo a good substitute for rabbit?

Bo,chicken tends to be hot,if you have a place you can put it,and let it sit awhile,if not load it up,anymanure is better then none,LOL,I have not heard about the mead,I will try about anything.

Hi Hillbilliebo,
I used to use a lot of chicken manure when I was able to get it. It is great for mixing with leaves as I discussed earlier in this thread but it is really to hot to put around you plants when fresh, it could burn them.

Sparks

Thanks rootdoctor and sparks for the info I wouldn't want to burn up my plants! But putting it in the compost pile that i'm starting for next year sounds like a plan.

Ah yesss...chicken poop...ain't nuttin like it! Love it!
And chickens love it, especially when they leave it behind (no pun intended)!

I use it, hillbilliebo (bo, for short, eh? or billiebo?)...but use it when it's well rested/cured. Even then it doesn't take much.

Your beer mead is basically hops, and possibly barley...I'm sure it'll be fine for your compost bins, especially if you mix it with some good leafy stuff and/or chick poo...And speaking of chicken poo..(and taken from another thread);

I'm glad I'm not a butterfly, tasting with my feet...
My shoe-less toes, my heels, my soles
Sampling all they meet!
They'd send a dire message
And much to my chagrin...
It may not be in such good taste
To cut thru the chicken pen! ô¿ô

Bo's fine and thanks for the info the meads going into the pile and the chicken poo in smaller amounts than rabbit poo.

Great Bo,Let us know how it turns out,I will be interested to see some of your Drunk worms,LOL!Welcome to Daves,as you can see,we are a fun bunch!