An easy way to bag Mel's Mix by yourself

Thought this might help some of you with bagging your Mel's Mix. (my thanks to Mike Baker for serving as model and helping me bag 38 bags the other day)

I
use 1 cf sand bags. We have a 1 cf box (interior measurements) made of wood which I filled and
dumped into a Rubbermaid trash can that tapers down and fits nicely
into the sand bag. I cut the bottom from the trash can so that it holds 1 cf.


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We then dump the mix from the cement mixer into the trash can, but you could easily shovel from the tarp.


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You grab hold of the sand bag and lift.


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As you lift, the mix drops out of the bottom of the trash can into the bag.


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Voila!


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The bag is then ready for a cable tie (we found this is better than using the "string" that is attached to the sand bag.

This is the easiest way I've found to bag by myself. Bagging in 1 cf bags is easier for women (me) and also my older customers.

NICE! Now all I need is a cement mixer.

Even if you need to make it on a tarp, but would be easier to shovel into the trash can than directly into a bag.

What a GREAT idea!!! I have been wondering how the best way to store excess MM until I need it. This looks like something I could do easily without having to ask DH to help.
Thanks for sharing.

I have used similar sized sandbags to store coarse sand , after the builders left me with a ton and a half of it but instead of using a bin I found some plastic sheet that you could roll up , cut it to ten inches more than the diameter of the sack and three inches taller , round the corners in the top two inches put a hole to take some 1/4 inch rope to make a pulling out handle , roll it to the sack size less a smidgin and ducktape it to that size .

I then slipped the rolled up plastic into the sack ..as it will stand up on its own . Then filled the tube till just over 3/4 full , withdrew the plastic by pulling on the rope handle and tied offf the sack .

The filled sacks stand up on their own without having to " bounce them around " or haver someone bend over them whilst filling them or get their fingers covered in shovel rash and it's easy to slip a sack barrow under them to take then away to a place of storage .

I also found the bonus of this idea is not only does it store flat when the tape is removed , it can also be used to fill other sacks and old used plastic feed bags of differing diameters with neat compost etc.. and also be used as a clean kneeling space on the ground to put a nice soft kneeling pad on

great way to store extra mix

wonderful tip. I save my compost bags and reuse them but never have enough.

I've heard that a good source of bags is coffee places that grind their own beans.

HOWEVER, they will NOT keep water out, so you need to store them in a dry place once filled.

Interesting !! Those almost look like the feed bags my bud used for giving me manure the other day.. I also found sand bags on Sportsmans warehouse ... I think the price was about 20 bucks for 25 bags...



Great Idea !!

Thank you!! I've been wondering how to get my compost from my home to my community garden and this is a great help! The peat and the vermiculite are already there (and I hope still there), so when I mix it and my compost and have leftovers I can do this to bring it home.