I make all my own compost. Since I landscape for a living I've got access to tons of plant material to create plenty of compost year after year. I do bring in some composted manure every couple /few years, but I get that for free from a friend that runs a dairy farm.

Last Fall I put down a lot of compost on the veggie beds. A lot. I had it delivered by the truckload. And used it all!! My garden should grow really well this season.

robertduval14 said:I make all my own compost. Since I landscape for a living I've got access to tons of plant material to create plenty of compost year after year. I do bring in some composted manure every couple /few years, but I get that for free from a friend that runs a dairy farm.

That sounds great. Of course I don't have the room even if I did have all the constant free materials.

I live in a very rural area with almost nothing behind my house for miles other than woodlands, I just use a tucked in corner of my property for the double pile. (I do 2 piles, the one I'm using, and the one that's cooking). Works nicely for me and sometimes I've got enough to let my neighbors use for their garden.

We had six bins filled but now it's down to about 3 or 4.

Jack had added so many yards of our own compost, from '93 to 2012 that the earth in the main garden is wonderful. No hard digging required. I'm a lot like Marilyn and don't feed plants with specialty foods. It becomes too exhausting. Some lucky ones, like clematis and roses, do get manure (dry) and Epsom Salt but that's about it.

robertduval14 said:I live in a very rural area with almost nothing behind my house for miles other than woodlands, I just use a tucked in corner of my property for the double pile. (I do 2 piles, the one I'm using, and the one that's cooking). Works nicely for me and sometimes I've got enough to let my neighbors use for their garden.

That sounds wonderful!

pirl said:We had six bins filled but now it's down to about 3 or 4.

Jack had added so many yards of our own compost, from '93 to 2012 that the earth in the main garden is wonderful. No hard digging required. I'm a lot like Marilyn and don't feed plants with specialty foods. It becomes too exhausting. Some lucky ones, like clematis and roses, do get manure (dry) and Epsom Salt but that's about it.

That is a really nice compost set up.

So I only have a minor small compost heap way in a corner of my backyard. But I do sort of compost in that I mulch so heavily with Fall leaves and also with think layers of straw right in the veggie beds. It all breaks down into wonderful soil.

You're doing just fine, Rita! Your tomatoes are proof of it.

pirl said:You're doing just fine, Rita! Your tomatoes are proof of it.

truth

Thanks but I have to work at it. I buy compost by the truck full. And if I didn't have my extra thick carpet of leaves I would need even more compost.

I used to go around and collect bagged leaves from the curb in my neighborhood. And I still do that but I need so many leaves that lately I have the guy that does my lawn mowing bring me leaves by the truck full that he has collected from his landscape business. You should see the pile in my driveway right after the dumping. Humongous!! And all of it gets spread about the garden beds including the veggie beds. I put it on as thick as I can so that there is a lot to break down.

The worms love it and that of course is very good for the soil.

During mowing season I fill a one ton truck full of grass clippings every day...I can easily imagine the pile, I create them on the regular.

robertduval14 said:During mowing season I fill a one ton truck full of grass clippings every day...I can easily imagine the pile, I create them on the regular.

Wow, I sure wish I had some of those grass clippings to use.

I love the raised compost boxes, Pirl! I just use an area down at the bottom of my property.....problem is, it's getting too steep for these old legs to go up & down that hill.....the neighbor behind me has a horse & chickens, but I have no way to get the manure to my property since my yard....and his stable & coops....are all fenced...neither of us has a pickup truck, & I'm not carrying manure in the back of my car! Also, the poor guy was cutting down a tree in Nov. A branch knocked him off the ladder....he was up 20'....he broke his back, & just went back to work a month ago....still going for therapy......

Thanks, Marilyn. Jack built them by directions in a book and they're still sturdy after 24 years.

Good for him....nice to have a handy person at home.....my son could do something like that, but he barely has time to breathe! He's trying to finish the 3rd floor in their house...it's a saltbox, so the rooms are a strange shape, & his 9 year old wanted a built in bed, the 11 year old wanted lots of closet space.....He's trying to please them both!

That's a job!

My gosh here it is end of March and my tomato seedlings are growing like crazy. They look really good. I look at them and it feels like I have a nursery shelf right here in my home. There are so many and really they are nice plants already.

My melon seeds that I planted last Thursday (inside) have not come up yet but I decided today I would do the cucumber seeds. So I did.

I have -
Diva
Spring Swallow
Muncher
Sweeter Yet
Pepinex
Camilla
Gemini
Anchient Chinese
Shinto Kiwa Long

I have 6 4foot by 4 foot compost bins. I add vegetative waste, coffee grinds and chick poo every day along with leaves, pine shavings, hay and anything I gather from the chicken run daily. Once it's composted it gets tilled with our mantis and added to the garden.