psych, I am so -- PSYCHED! That's great.
Today is lawn waste pickup day here in tasteful suburbia. Driving past huge houses with huge lawns with 8 - 10 bags of leaves all packed to go -- thinking of all the solar energy and N, P and K that went into making them -- not to mention grass fertilizer and tree fertilizer. I was on my way to the MD and it was rainy and I didn't have time to figure out where I would put 8 - 10 bags of someone else's yard waste, but I had lust in my heart.
Composter
Oh Carrie!!! "Lust in your heart" huh??? LOL... only on DG!!
Jimmy Carter admitted it to the world, and so am I!
I HAVE LUST IN MY HEART AFTER OTHER PEOPLE'S YARD WASTE. There. I said it.
Haha, if we are all confessing, I was trying to figure out how to get 8 bags of leaves up the big hill from my neighbors. Couldn't do it, still lusting.
I'm thinking (right now, in the dark, in the rain) of going out and trying to take a PICTURE of some of these bags. Although I bet they all got picked up this afternoon. Sigh.
Ok, ok.....I am lusting after my neighbors......um..........manure! There I admitted it. I lust for his horses, lamas and goats poop!!
I lust after your neighbor's manure too -- or ANY manure. I have to buy the stuff from Home Depot.
Carrie, no need to lust ... Have you looked up the local horse farms in your area? As a horse owner myself, I can promise you that most horse owners are all too happy to GIVE AWAY manure to those willing to come and shovel it themselves. A friendly phone call will earn you MOUNTAINS of Black Magic.
In the city it took all the courage I could muster to ask to borrow a cup of sugar... In the country I have no problem at all asking if I can shovel up a load of their manure for my garden!
Zany, I think YOU should call my neighbor and telling him I am lusting over his manure. Well, maybe not "lusting". That might convey the wrong idea!! LOL
Well, I'm more of a city mouse - only horse farm in the area I know of is on the same street as the best landscaper/greenhouse/nursery in town. I think I know why, too. Besides, A. I can't shovel from the wheelchair B. my DH needs to save his bad back for shoveling snow. C. I don't need MOUNTAINS of it.
There is a mounted police force kind of park ranger type thing, and they have their own horses, obviously. I did manage to drive there one day in the summer, and now I know why the City of Boston has such gorgeous containers even in the scruffiest neighborhoods, let alone in the lovely Boston Public Garden and the Boston Common -- the greenhouse for the entire city is cleverly located at the stables.
And who would hae thought that the grooviest thread of the night would be about COMPOST?
Sure! Dmailme his name and number! Imagine his reaction to it.
Hi my name is Zanymuse from Northern California and a wonderful person from Dave's Garden happens to be a neighbor of yours. She is quite shy and has not been able to get up the courage to ask you... so would you please wave a shovel at her next time she drives by to let her know that she may come muck out a stall or dig in the pile out back?
carrielamont, Shoveling from a wheel chair could tend to be a big problem! Not to mention the hosing down of the chair when you were done!
But your DH wouldn't need to completely wear himself out if you just need enough to heat up or add to your compost pile. Just a couple of trash cans full would do it and with the money you save on buying compost he could get a snow blower or hire a teenager to shovel that snow! ;~}
Aw, fiddlesticks, Carrie. Give me a minute to come up with Plan D... I am determined to give you a load-a-chit one way or another. lol
Ok, Carrie, you might find hiring a teenager to shovel the manure cheaper than buying it at the garden store... just a thought. Also, on craigslist I have also located bunny poop for free. You might consider running your own ad ASKING for manure of whatever animal you want. The bunny people have offered me two 5 gallon buckets worth every week. All they want is for me to bring my own bucket. I give them an empty bucket, I take a bucket. That would be easier for you to personally handle than horse poop.
Great idea. Freecycle is another good place to advertise things like that.
Zany, I am laughing so hard I can't even think of a reply to that one!!
Gosh, guys, I don't know what to say -- thanks. [Yes, the wheelchair cleanup would absolutely be an issue.] [DH broke two vertebrae. It's not just a "bad back" bad back. It's a few inches the other way and he'd be paralyzed bad back. It's a groaning in agony and if I ask he'll do it no matter what it takes bad back. I actually got him to allow me to spend $$ this summer to have our patio repaired and expanded. He was prepared to do it himself on his hands and knees although he knew it would mean pain for weeks after he was done. (And I wish we had the $$ now for tuition, btw.)]
If I send $ for postage, does one of you nice people want to send me a box of it?
psychw2, that is such a great idea, I just sent a note to a friend at an elementary school to see if any of the teachers have classroom rabbits. Thanks!
ROFL ... oh my ... be careful what you wish for m'dear. Are you in the address exchange? Snort.
psych, I like it! I like it! Hmm -- what would I look under? (I hire people off craigslist all the time. What the state pays them, though, I don't know if they'd be willing to put the waders on and shovel manure.)
Carrie, come on over to the Equine forum for a wee few threads and we'll get you hooked up.
This thread is hot!
No. U R H-O-T.
There's an equine forum?
Get your self a few rabbits, if you don't have a yard full already ... they're little poo factorys. No shoveling, just put a tray under their pen and you'll have tons of tiny poo balls for your compost pile.. I have rabbits all over my yard and they snack on some of my favorite plants, but they leave little treasures that I can collect and add to my pile.
I made it just for you, Carrie: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/790760/
Can rabbits be kept outside in the winter without heating? I could build pens right over the compost pile, haha. I'd feel bad to keep them cooped up, but with all the roaming dogs in the neighborhood, and the hawk that lives in our tree, they wouldn't last long otherwise. I've always wondered about this. Is there a bunny thread?
Pets Forum?
Yes bunnys can be kept outside, they just need a GOOD cage with protection from the elements. I don't know how cold with GOOD protection from the wind and rain is safe. Check the pet forum, they'll know. I know in the summer they will need 2 liter bottles that are frozen to keep them cool enough!
edited: Post needed clarification!
This message was edited Nov 15, 2007 7:02 PM
carrielamont,
Your man sounds like he has a heart of pure gold to be willing to suffer so much for you. Ya gotta admire such a keeper!
True, he is an angel in the guise of someone who doesn't pick up his dirty clothes or eat fish or winter vegetables. The nicest part is, he thinks he's lucky to be married to me. I, of course, think I got the better part of the deal. But what good is he to me if he kills himself building a patio FOR me if I have to sit on it alone? TOGETHER, that's what I'm aiming for.
wrightie- I think you're on to something--get every poo producing owner hooked up to a gardening poo consumer!
personally, my nice day Monday was made Awesome when I got llama manure at Homestead in Davidsonville. Its conveniently piled right by the barn where you park, easy access. The guy even lent me a shovel.
sallyg, thank you so much for your concern. The only time I might be in contact with the alfafa is when I go to turn the bed. Not a problem, since it will go in the middle and I flip from the sides with a long handled potato fork. Since we've had "slim pickin" on grass clippings with our local drought, I want the alfafa to get the piles to heat up again to help break down this massive load of leaves. DH is an old pro and will add the pellets in the middle and then add the leaves which he'll probably run thru the shredder. I'm looking for more "heat" as I want it to break down faster. The alfafa will work better than anything I have access to currently. If he can't get the pellets we'll use high protein dog food.
I've always been concerned that the dog food would draw all kinds of unwanted critters to the compost pile.
Well, I've never had a problem with the dog food, psychw2. Maybe it's because we buy the cheapest stuff we can find and bury it in the middle of the pile. I'd certainly never feed it to my dogs! The ingredients are mainly veggie meal which include alfafa and with little that could be construed as meat or dairy. Those are what draw in the critters. We'll wet it down and let it act like our "fire starter" with the other materials. I'm looking for a quick "jump start" here to help break down the leaves which seem to be mainly oak, those seem to break down more slowly or so it appears. Hmm, now I'm wondering why that would be. I'll have to add that info to my notes.
Doccat5, I have mostly oak leaves too (like 99%) on my property I'm curious; if you find out just why they break down more slowly, let me know!
How about cheap cat food? probably all fishy and whatnot.
I bet oak leaves is a matter of the leaf structure itself, so leathery and glossy.
Might also has something to do with Oak being a hardwood (versus a softwood tree like maples) I'm not sure why hardwood tree leaves breakdown slower, but I read that it's better to use hardwood leaves as a mulch since they don't mat and stick together, like softwood tree leaves, allowing air and water to penetrate the soil.
Maple is among the hardest woods in North America. The only soft wood deciduous trees I know of are Tulip trees, Basswood, and other Poplars. Elm is a hardwood, and its leaves break down much quicker than most trees.
Pines and other conifers are softwoods and their leaves (needles) break down v e r y slowly.