Ask and you shall receive....

I wanted pine needles to mulch this years new strawberries and blueberry bushes. The local park gave permission to collect from the trails. This week it was closed for deer hunting and visitors are not allowed in the park.

So, driving around I remembered seeing big pine trees about 600 ft off the road. The trees belong to a farmer that cuts our hay. With permission there I was in somebody's yard raking up someone else's stuff....feeling goofy and happy at the same time. Hauled off two large stuffed lawn bags of pine needles. I've met the nicest people this year that give away all kinds of free composting/mulching stuff. The hardest part is learning to ignore the awkward part of asking.

*LOL* That's so funny! I totally understand this behavior.

For the past 2 falls I've raked the sides of my street where pine needles collect in gobs. Tens of wheel barrows full. So everyone on the street has a nice front berm and all the drains are cleared. Fortunately my street has hardly any traffic once the summer folks are gone, so I'm think the needles are pretty clean.

CC

That's Great!! I Love It. I am validated when I hear stories like this. We are not weird, we are not weird, altogether now, we are....

hahahaha... y'all are just pain weird!

now you just behave there Bob..once again, we are not weird, we are not weird, c'mon Bob you too, we are not...

last fall while visiting my sister I saw that she had bagged up about 20 very large bags of pondarosa pine needles, and unfortunately I was heading on a trip and could not ask for them, THIS YEAR she offered, and whenever they came out to visit us (at the lake) they brought another 10 very large bags, so I have tons of pine mulch for my 130 raspberry bushes and 20 blueberry bushes...
The only way I got that many raspberry bushes is by neighbours getting rid of their bushes in favour of more lawn ???????
It is just so cool when things work out so well, one persons garbage is anothers.......treasure (or worm food, or mulch, or...._

Went to town for some shopping today. All along the road are leaves and pine straw. Some yards are just covered with leaves. I bought a box of lg leaf bags. Now to get up the nerve to stop and ask!

We are not weird!
:fall: :fall: :fall:

GWN
What the heck??
Your avatar carrot should force you to apply for a conceal and carry permit.
I mean, geez, that thing is crazy big and could hurt someone.

littlejo
if you wait a coupl days the dear folks might rake em and bag em. All you have to do is ask to take them! I got my eye on a house up the road with pumpkins and corn stalks still on the porch...I think once you get into the spirit of asking, it's almost like testing or daring yourself to Do it again...AND remember of course...we are not weird....

Oh..almost forgot GWN I am sooo jealous of all those raspberry and blueberry bushes you have, and to think so many of them were free, oooo-weee!

force you to apply for a conceal and carry permit.

Well lets just say this about that..,
the "weapon" is of no risk to anyone anymore.... YUM
The thing about raspberries, it seems ... that after you have had them for a few years, you always have lots to share.
What I really love about them is that they are ever bearing and have these HUGE fall raspberries LONG after you expect to have fruit.
Well worth considering fruit,....
Janet

We are not weird, we are not weird!

That is so cool you guys have gotten so much great stuff!

Over the years I have had people tell me they have taken their kids and all of them raked leaves at the park in the middle of the night as if the park service would stop them. I have seen people raking from the Junior High School down the street and from the sidewalk that backs up to a block wall fence behind houses.

I am nervous of asking people for pumpkins and kitchen scraps for nitrogen. Gotta get my gumption up!

I was given some blackberry starts (branches with leaves) and didn't get them planted in time because I was canning zillions of plums and plum jam. I had them in a cup of water and they drank it like crazy. They were dead before I realized there was no more water in the cup. I was so broken hearted and also embarrassed that I wasted them.

We are all WISE and will have the best gardens next year because of all our hard work in gathering!

I am nervous of asking people for pumpkins and kitchen scraps for nitrogen. Gotta get my gumption up!

The thing I ask all the time is... "what is the worst that could happen" and as life has gone on, I have gotten SO far beyond caring what anybody thinks about me....
I may seem weird, but when it really comes down to it, I am completely normal

For sure Gwn! As for that carrot, you did great!

You folk are really weird. I only asked my closest neighbors for their leaves. They though I was weird but they weren't complete strangers. I love ya all!

we are not weird we are not weird
we were able to rake our neighbors leaves this year

and GWN you have to tell us what kind of carrot that is and what the heck did you feed that thing!! my son went crazy when he seen it!!
hugs
rose....singing....we want big carrots like GWN's.....we want big carrots like GWN's!

meatburner wrote:You folk are really weird. I only asked my closest neighbors for their leaves. They though I was weird but they weren't complete strangers. I love ya all!

Yep we are! But you have crossed over by asking your closest neighbors and they thought you were weird! To me you have joined the weirdo club! Meatburner's a weirdo too!

Now I have all these lovely pine needles, spread them over the plants yesterday. Check the weather and it's going to be cold mornings but the next few days going to be daytime highs near or in the low 60's.

Not sure what is best for the strawb and blueb's -- cover at night and pull back the pine straw during mid day? Leave it alone or take everything off?

Just a wild guess, but I'd leave the pine needles on full time until it begins to warm up in the early spring. That's what I plan to do in my garden, at least.

llama momma wrote:That's Great!! I Love It. I am validated when I hear stories like this. We are not weird, we are not weird, altogether now, we are....

LOL!!! DH and I went on a weekend & raked up the leaves from the community pool parking lot a couple of months ago to stuff our compost pile with--does that count as weird?

FamilyGardening wrote:
. . .
we were able to rake our neighbors leaves this year
. . .

I was able to get my neighbours to rakes their own leaves and mulch them, all ready to toss onto my pile.
The leaves they gave me actually came from my own trees, as the prevailing winds blow their way. I had about 12 bags tightly packed. I could not lift one bag, had to drag them across my lawn.
Next spring I will be giving them some compost and also some worm castings. Gotta get them back for next year.

Donnainzone10-- yeah i was confused when the temps hit in the low 20's at night but warmish 50's and 60's what to do about existing mulch. I mulched before dark yesterday and here it is midafternoon and 46 degrees and the mulch seems to have kept MM frozen-ish. Well, I'll count on the strawberries being tough little plants, they've been through some extremes their first year and haven't failed yet.

Mollyhespra you are not weird, the people who don't understand what we do are the ones missing out, says me anway! I read somewhere the leaves from one large tree give about 50 dollars worth of free fertilizer. If that's true and was common knowledge, people would charge us to take their leaves. But shush I didn't say that.....

Kelejan - you are doing great getting your neighbors to mulch for you. I have r gotten mostly blank looks from people when I ask to return the favor with next years compost or worm castings. Had one person ask for some tomatoes next year. Oh yes, I can do that