Backyard Composting

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by jerry111165, Aug 23, 2013.

  1. Actually.....maybe...
     
    I'm starting to form the idea that I only want to plant edible trees, but I bet those gumballs would make great firestarters like pinecones.

     
  2. Hey everyone! Just finally started to recycle my grow soil but also composting!

    I made a soil sifting box out of random things,around the shed so I just wanted to show off a litte bit :p
     

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  3. Really consider Chestnut trees. One of the most important food sources there was till they were wiped out in the 1920's (scientist with a 'good idea').

    Google "Chestnut Blight" and/or Durstan Chestnut. Lots of informative reading.

    I planted 2 last spring and might plant more this spring. The tree farm shippes a limited number to certain WalMarts in the SE in early spring.

    A most worthy tree to re-introduce. A bit of reading will convince you also.

    BTW, the sweet gum was a joke. It would be akin to planting Poison Ivy on purpose.

    Cd
     
  4. #1244 Anatman, Jan 29, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2015
    The Alpujarra mountains of Granada, Spain is absolutely loaded with Chestnuts. People there treat the trees and the wood like it's sacred, and I don't blame them. They show absolutely magnificent colors in the summer and fall, with the bright green (yet deadly) spiky chestnut pods. I tried eating a chestnut raw one time....only once...
     
    Instead of halloween, the region where I lived (La Taha) had a big chestnut festival. The town square was filled with firepits roasting chestnuts and everybody painted their face with the black soot, it was a pretty fantastic experience.  The wood was prized there and it was practically a crime to burn it, (I got chewed out on at least one occasion).
     
    I don't need any reading to convince me to plant this tree. (I really had no intention on planting sweetgums, but I didn't catch the joke and it's hard for me to tell people, "No"). :confused_2:
    [​IMG]
     
    (This was a badass hike, I took a midday nap in a Roman-era mill/bridge house.)
     
    Here's an example of how the ceilings looked in the farmhouses where I stayed (chestnut beams):
    [​IMG]
     
    I really regret not taking some of these seeds home with me...
     
  5.  
    What's with the rocks in the ceiling construction?
     
  6. Off work for a short while so I was bored and took some garden pictures.
    I have much to shred for my compost bin and there's still much more to pull. :)
     
    AssortedYardPhotos 003.JPG
     
    The cover crops are doing well.
     
    AssortedYardPhotos 002.JPG
     
    The Christmas Cactus looks beautiful. This was my mother-in-laws plant and she passed away a year or so back and I took it to take care of it as they all tell me I have a green thumb. lol
     
    AssortedYardPhotos 001.JPG
     
    A lone rose along the fence. This is called, "Grenada."
     
    AssortedYardPhotos 005.JPG
     
  7. #1247 MotaMike, Jan 29, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 29, 2015
    Don't tell Jerry it's been in the high 60's here.
    Low High 50's to low 60's today though. Brrrr ;)
     
  8. Reading for whomever:
     
    http://www.chestnuthilltreefarm.com
     
    The really neat thing is, these are grown from seed. That means, over time, they will spread and grow naturally and hopefully, eventually make a comeback. If I live long enough to see mine bear seeds, they will certainly be sprouted and spread around.
     
    SB
     
    Keep checking the website. I snagged my 2 from WalMart last spring. Feb or March was when they were available. For larger amounts, bareroot from the tree farm might be a better option. I simply don't have enough room for more than 4. But if I did .........
     
    Wet
     
  9. I think it's a product of tradition. There's a lot of rock that breaks off in big, thin sheets around there so I think they just started using chesnut and those stones b/c they were what's available, then it seems there's some type of gravel /plastic sheeting deal on top of that. I never asked about the stones, though...
     
  10. #1250 Anatman, Jan 30, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015
    10 TREE COMBO PACKAGE   PACKAGE FOR ZONES 6-9:
    3 Dunstan Chestnuts 18-36"
    3 American Persimmons 12-24"
    2 Southern Crabapples 12-24"
    2 Sawtooth Oak Trees 12-24"
     
    Any of these harmful to horses?
     
    :yummy:
     
  11. Good question, but I have zero experience there.
     
    Ask the tree farm?
     
    Wet
     
  12.  
    How's the outer roof top finished?  Traditional thatch type roofing?
     
  13. #1253 Anatman, Jan 30, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015
    Some nicer houses were finished with some clay like tiles, but most had something like some type of concrete-like slurry. The area was dominated by the Moorish Empire and that is visible in the buildings and the agriculture setup (flat tiers of fields cut into mountain sides and irrigation waterways that are interconnected through the towns and all stem from the local river).
     
    [​IMG]
     
    There's little wonder why all the ruins I saw had collapsed-in roofs...
     
  14. :confused_2:  :laughing:  :laughing: 
     
    Wet
     
  15. #1255 waktoo, Jan 30, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2015
     
    Wow!  It sure looks pretty there!
     
    In retrospect, I would imagine that the stones in the ceiling were used as insulation (duh!).  Stone is a great insulator, and a poor conductor of heat.
     
    Stone makes for a hell of a headache too, when the roof begins to give way...  :eek:
     
  16. "Hi Stephen

    While these trees are not considered "toxic" I would not recommend planting them in a pasture with horses unless they are sufficiently fenced off from the horses.
    These trees are bareroot seedlings - so they are 18 to 36" when you receive them. they will need protection from wildlife, horses or livestock. As they grow and produce fruit and nuts - you will need to fence them off unless you want the animals to eat them.
    I have horses and I know how they like to eat the nuts and leaves of my big live oak trees, but my trees are decades old.
    I would also be worried about the possibility of a horse chocking on one of these nuts too.
    Hope that helps you.
    Kim

    Chestnut Hill Nursery & Orchards"
     
     
    I'll let you come over in a few years when my persimmons are fruiting :ey:
     
  17. Update on my luebke compost..

    I brought about 70 gallons of compost inside for the winter, and I am very glad that I did. 40 or so gallons were stored in a trash can in my garage, 15 gallons went into a worm bin, and another 10-15 gallons went into soil mixes and mulch etc..

    The compost stored in the trash can in the garage was turned once per week on average. I have an identical trash can that is always empty sitting next to the full one. When I go to turn it, I just xfer it from one can to the other using a nursery pot. I didn't bother to drill any holes in the cans.. this compost has been amended with kelp, neem, crab etc and any extra malted grain teas, kelp teas, coconut water, w/e that I had from irrigating the garden went in there too over the course of the last couple of months.

    I am very happy to report that the texture of the compost has improved greatly over this "curing" period. It holds its shape when I squeeze it in my hand, but crumbles with a light touch. Not dripping wet.. not dry.. it is just right. :D i'm so excited :metal: :metal: I highly recommend bringing compost in for the winter and will probably continue to do this for the rest of my days. This compost is now probably 10x better than it was when I first brought it in. Some heating cables probably would have helped even more, as my garage is frequently very cold, but it seems to be working well without too :D

    Gonna screen thru the worm bin here in a bit and see what goodness is waiting in there :yay:
     

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  18.  
    TJ, I bring big totes of compost indoors every fall and have been doing this for many years. Do I remember that you ended up planting some comfrey? The last two years I have been layering my compost totes with comfrey leaves - LOTS of comfrey leaves from the final fall comfrey harvest each season. It breaks down very quickly and my results using the resulting "supercharged" compost have been nothing short of fantastic.
     
    Nice job dude.
     
    j
     
  19. since we're on the topic. brought a large  tote of compost in for the winter. getting busy and distracted with other things I let it dry out. can I rehydrate and bring back dormant life? any other suggestions?
     
  20. It was you that inspired me to start doing this and I'm super glad that you did! And correct, I did plant some comfrey last year. I love that stuff! You are definitely right, it breaks down uber fast. I froze a small amount for my worms and they took care of it in no time. I'm hoping to double the size of my comfrey patch this year. Can never have too much of that good stuff! :) take it easy man.

    I'm sure it is fine. I would just re-wet it and try to keep it moist from now on. Do you have any malted grains? Some malted grain teas wouldn't hurt :) enzymes, ftw!
     

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