Re: Leaves, compost, leaves...

bnoles 12/15/2012, 11:20 am

NHGardener wrote:

YES!!!! YES!!! I'll take them all!

Be careful what you wish for. I just learned this guy with the free leaves on Craig's List delivers with a 18' foot long and 9' high tandem dump truck and has 25 loads available.

I had to turn it down as the truck is too big for my concrete drive way Mad

Triciasgarden 12/15/2012, 3:40 pm

Oh no! Not a gift horse!

**llama momma** 1/13/2013, 2:48 pm

My composting effort of Autumn 2012, finally finished!
For your viewing pleasure, a record of my declining sanity:

Buried in leaf bags
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos11

Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos11

No..Really buried, what was I thinking??
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos12

a couple ofthe many ingredients --Some aged manure
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos13

Some grape pomace
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos14

Grape stems and coffee grounds
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos15

Leaf corral #1
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos16

Leaf corral #2
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos17

150 leaf bags finally emptied, insane effort for one old llama momma
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos18

2 Leaf corrals, 5 filled compost heaps = happiness
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos19

Cook, baby Cook
Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos20

The end!

Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Compos21

CapeCoddess 1/13/2013, 2:57 pm

WOW!!!!!!!!!!

And I thought *I* was busy out there today!

Wow! You win the crazy award, sister! Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 3170584802

LM, Are the leaf corrals for composting, or just for leaf mold, or a holding cell? If composting, why is there cardboard around them?

CC

**llama momma** 1/13/2013, 3:03 pm

Thank you for the Crazy Award, I know I worked pretty hard at it.
jocolor

Some freaky warm weather allowed me to finally finish it the last couple days. The corrals are for storing and or leaf mould, whatever, I just wanted a lot of leaves and not worry about gathering much next year. The cardboard holds everything in real well, the wire for the corrals was 2 by 4 inch, I didn't like how the leaves fell out. Someone on this forum mentioned to line it with cardboard. I have access to a lot of boxes. It's not pretty but it sure works well.

CapeCoddess 1/13/2013, 3:09 pm

But it IS pretty! What a Face

Only to us, of course. And all that space. A composters dream come true! Makes me want to move out to Ohio.

Take a bow! Well done!

CC

**Turan** 1/13/2013, 3:13 pm

**llama momma** 1/13/2013, 3:18 pm

Oh gosh thank you. Embarassed

Thanks toturan too! Stop it! Smile

Now I can expand with a couple more sf boxes and not worry if I have enough compost. Figure its like money in the bank. Also want to add compost to the flower beds and trees. Didn't know how bad the commercial fertilizer was for the flower beds a few years back. Think I nearly killed my beds. This should work.

FamilyGardening 1/13/2013, 3:50 pm

Cool

LL cant wait to watch it all break down into black gold!!

Happy gardening
rose

**llama momma** 1/13/2013, 5:35 pm

You are right! Thanks Rose!

bnoles 1/13/2013, 7:30 pm

Hi LM....

Wow! I am so envious. I know how much work is involved as I harvested only about half of what you have going and it nearly killed me. Looks like you will have plenty stored up for the future and can now sit back and relax knowing that it was all worth while.

GREAT JOB!

**llama momma** 1/13/2013, 9:31 pm

Thanks Bnoles!
I was greatly inspired by this forum. Kept reading over and over again how folks can get their hands on greens but keep struggling with a good supply of browns year round. You are right, the work was tremendous. I'm 56 so yes it could have done me in. Shocked

Went slow and it took months. Didn't think it wold get finished, punched holes in the bottom of the last 50 bags or so, to let them drain from snow and rain. Lucky to have a few more very warm days to finish up.

**Kelejan** 1/14/2013, 2:44 am

Kelejan wrote:I hereby proclaim Llama momma as our champion leaf collector for 2012.

Everyone else gets an honourable mention.
If anyone feels they can beat LM's total, send in your numbers.
.

That's two awards llama momma has won.
Liitle does she know that there is a lot more work to be done. Very Happy

**llama momma** 1/14/2013, 6:27 am

[quote="KelejanLiitle does she know that there is a lot more work to be done. Very Happy

[/quote]

Are you suggesting the 5 piles, now 20ft long, won't turn themselves over?? Or self-sift then head over to the garden? Laughing

Why Kelejan, its just One shovel at a time.. rofl

In time it will break down tremendously with less volume to deal with. My new years resolution was to begin aerobics and weight training, turning piles will count as weight resistance!
sfg smile

**Kelejan** 1/14/2013, 8:06 am

llama momma wrote:[quote="KelejanLiitle does she know that there is a lot more work to be done.

Are you suggesting the 5 piles, now 20ft long, won't turn themselves over?? Or self-sift then head over to the garden? Laughing

Why Kelejan, its just One shovel at a time.. rofl

. . .

[/quote]

Love your attitude, llm. Your'e right, one shovel at a time. Unlike food storage, the stuff can only get better even if you don't do anything to it at all. Anyway, I am sure you will let us know how everything goes so the we can award you another commendation.
Do you have any mechanical means of helping you turn/sift things?e.g. Worms? Very Happy

I have seen some contraptions on YouTube where people show off their inventions. Some of them look really neat.

webbee 1/14/2013, 12:39 pm

I found that a hay fork turns piles better than a garden fork or shovel, in case you want to slack on the exercise program.

This January thaw has been especially useful to me too. Can we schedule that in every winter?

I've also tried composting leaves in bags without much success in the past, perhaps because it seems there isn't enough air flow through the bag.
In use, I like rabbit wire cages the best, so far. Next year I will have 3 pallet composters to test if they work as well as the wire cages. Rabbit wire is 2"x3" wire frequency and chipped leaves don't seem to come out the sides.
The cardboard trick looks promising if you can get air movement through the pile. Perhaps vertically weaving cardboard strips in the wire with some space for air passage would work better than the cardboard surround. You could also punch holes in the cardboard with a hay fork. If you don't have enough air flow the leaves don't seem to compost in any usable time frame.

**llama momma** 1/14/2013, 3:29 pm

[b]Kelejan[/b] wrote:
Do you have any mechanical means of helping you turn/sift things?e.g. Worms? The worms will stay in the bins for right now. Come this March will be one year for the worm bins and I'm concerned with mature worm bin syndrom. I'd like to get them through that period then see about moving them outside. And mechanical means that you mentioned? None other than a shovel, fork plus my 206 bones and 640+ muscles.
I have seen some contraptions on YouTube where people show off their inventions. Some of them look really neat.

Sounds like I'll be heading over to youtube, thanks!

Webbee, Yes let us schedule a few guaranteed warm January days each year! Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 3170584802

Also, you are correct I should get the right kind of fork, such as a lightweight hay fork you mentioned. Instead, I have a heavy 4 prong garden fork that is probably better suited to breaking up soil clods.
I have not tried rabbit cage wire for composting. I've lined the wooden pallet heaps with chicken wire where the wood slats are broken or the slat opening seems too wide. Just tie it on and works fine. Something to keep in mind if you try pallets in the future.
Like your idea re: the leaf corrals if I was composting them. But its just a holding pen for all the heaps. If any of it turns to leaf mould that's fine too. I'll also pull leaves from it all year round for the mini worm farm. : )

plantoid 1/14/2013, 4:40 pm

Congratulations LLM
Just think, you can now start collecting this years ingredients Laughing

You'll find that if you're just after a few worms to kick start worm tubes or make a wormery a few that you find as you move compost around will soon multiply in the right conditions.

My lidded bottomless Dalek bins have many many worms moving through the moisture droplets on the inside of the lids.

Yesterday I counted 43 worms on just one inside of a lid , there was also a slack handful of them trying to circumnavigate the inner wall.

**llama momma** 1/14/2013, 5:24 pm

plantoid wrote:Just think, you can now start collecting this years ingredients
...make a wormery a few that you find as you move compost around will soon multiply in the right conditions. Love the idea, last year I put a shoebox in the ground with a couple holes, filled it with worm food goodies and collected those worms for my worm tubes and they multiplies all summer long.
Yesterday I counted 43 worms on just one inside of a lid , there was also a slack handful of them trying to circumnavigate the inner wall. I Love it. Way too cool, you are perfectly in synch with nature, congratulations!

GWN 1/14/2013, 5:50 pm

WOW LM could you take a picture every month of those piles, would love to see how they break down.

**llama momma** 1/14/2013, 7:10 pm

Hi GWN - You are right!
Since November, leaf corral #1 was filled to the top 3 times already. If I remember I'll take another picture the middle of Feb.
Stay tuned Wink

bwaynef 1/14/2013, 7:20 pm

Kelejan wrote:
If anyone feels they can beat LM's total, send in your numbers.

I haven't been troubled to bag any leaves this year, but this is about a 4th of my leaves. Closest to the camera they're above my knee. Furthest from the camera, near the gardenias, they're above my waist ...and I'm 6'2".

I'm just waiting on the city to come suck them up! If anyone would like some, they're yours. Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Leaves10

Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Leaves10

**llama momma** 1/14/2013, 7:31 pm

Leaves may be garden gold but after what I just went through, my stomach cramped a little. pale

but I see the humor too rofl

You could corral them for later on?

Triciasgarden 1/15/2013, 12:45 am

Boy I go away from the computer for a day and look what you did LlamaMomma! Every picture I looked at my mouth fell open more and more. It is down around the floor right now, lol! You did an amazing job! It sure looks like you will be ready with plenty of compost come Spring! I was thinking how could you still have some green grass and non-snow covered ground. We have had continual snow on the ground since before Christmas and last night's temp went down to -4 degrees. I am so envious of your weather right now for building compost piles. You are sure getting a nice workout because it works out so many areas of your body!

Your Llamas look so nice in the background! I have to go look at your pictures again, lol!

Triciasgarden 1/15/2013, 1:08 am

[quote="bwaynef.[/quote]

I haven't been troubled to bag any leaves this year, but this is about a 4th of my leaves. Closest to the camera they're above my knee. Furthest from the camera, near the gardenias, they're above my waist ...and I'm 6'2".

I'm just waiting on the city to come suck them up! If anyone would like some, they're yours. Leaves compost leaves - Leaves, compost, leaves... - Page 9 Leaves10

[/quote]

That sure is a massive amount of leaves! Have you thought of putting a free ad in the paper or somewhere saying you have leaves. You have such an amazing amount and probably get more than your fill every year, but there may be others who have very little or none that would love them! Just from what I can see of your yard and trees, it sure looks peaceful and relaxing!

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