That’s the one my folks had. Blue and yellow. I think it was part of the Cub Cadet line of products. Cheers Os
They are still sold at tractor supply and I know cub cadet still offers them. Even amazon sells them. They are great for leaves in the fall or grass.
Sade. This is a lawn sweep. It doesn't cut anything,it only sweeps up and tosses leaves or grass into the bin behind the sweeper head.
So guys if I build a large bin outdoors and begin my compost pile. Should I put a tarp at the bottom. Like should I keep bare soil separate from the compost pile. Then also keep a tarp over the compost and keep it covered or better to expose to the sun?
I put it on the ground. I see some folks who prefer to get it off the ground, like on a pallet. I have several piles scattered around that aren’t even contained well.
I'll probably keep the ground covered. Can't wait to send yall picks of the 20 greenhouse farm I'll be help manage. Full time as well year round. We have two large legal farms.
Mine is exposed to soil below to allow soil life to move into the compost at the bottom. Also, I keep mine uncovered to allow it to rain on it so that I don't have to water my pile to keep it active. Greens+Browns+Water+Air
All very good points up above^^^^. A few of mine sit on the ground, the other sits on top of 12" of wood chips. I believe that pile has more fungal activity then the ones sitting directly on the ground. I also add a bit more leaf mold in that pile. If your near tree's put a tarp under the pile. As Jerry and I myself have noticed tree roots will grow right into your compost.
It's a replacement for peat moss and also the carbon input in my thermal compost piles. I make it onsite as I have access to lots of leaves. It also provides a more friendly environment for fungi than peat moss does. This is because acidophiles prefer a pH range between 5.0-6.0. Peat moss has a pH of 4.4 prior to our addition of a calcium source.
Composted leaves. Breathes well, holds water well but also drains perfectly. It can be used in lieu of Sphagnum peat - light, fluffy, worms adore it. It takes alot of leaves but is the perfect base for an organic soil or can be just used in smaller amounts as a great soil conditioner. Win/win no matter how you use it. j
Sade, here is what I have going on with respect to leaf mold: The right bin is leaves I shredded last fall and I plan to use as a replacement for peat moss in soil mixes. The left bin is whole leaves that I piled together last fall. I’m using that as a carbon source when I make compost. The whole leaves take longer to break down and mold than the shredded ones do, but for the composting I’m doing it’s not necessary as they break down easily in that process.
Wow so I'm assuming this could take years to become useable in a mix? What if you could obtain some and mix in. Would this accelerate the mold process?
Shredding them up makes them available much quicker - honestly after 1 winter the shredded pile feels and looks pretty good to go! But yes, if you just pile a bunch of leaves up and let it do it's thing, it can take 1-2 full years. I can't say if mixing in some leaf mold into a fresh pile would accelerate it much. I would guess maybe it would help some since you'd be "inoculating" your pile but I don't think it'd speed it up as much as shredding leaves would.