Subaru Crew Cafe

14566 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2009 at 3:59 PM

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Your Community Leaders are ateixeira and rsholland.

This is the place for Crew members to kick back, relax, and talk about...whatever!

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#14483 of 14566 Re: Leaves... [p0926] by xwesx Nov 09, 2009 (1:14 pm)
Replying to: p0926 (Nov 09, 2009 11:43 am) The leaves that fall on my yard are undoubtedly less and smaller than in areas further south, but I use my little push mower, sans bag, and mulch everything. In the spring, I rake the whole thing with my hand rake and then put what I pick up that way (about two wheelbarrows full) into my compost pile. Other than that, I do not take anything off the lawn - it is all mulched weekly and fed back to the lawn. Of course, this far north with our thin soils, my lawn needs all the organic matter it can get.
#14484 of 14566 Composting leaves by grahampeters Nov 10, 2009 (3:00 am)
Replying to: rsholland (Nov 08, 2009 7:19 pm) G'day I am fascinated. Think of all that soil nutrients that you are exporting from your property, only to have to buy in replacements as fertiliser. The problem of building a compost heap, is that it only degrades very slowly, possibly over years for leaves. If you concentrate the leaves into a tighter stack, and give it some other material to decompose, the leaves break down quicker. Here you can buy a compost activator that accelerates the decomposition process. If you look on the net, you will be able to find plans for making compost bins, Typically, you make two or three, each about a yard cubed. You can build them up with removable boards on one side so that they are easier to load and unload. Most folk in Australia who compost their leaves, use the soil from one bin as they load another. Cheers Graham Replies to this message: lucien2 (Nov 10, 2009 5:40 am) lucien2 (Nov 10, 2009 5:48 am) ateixeira (Nov 10, 2009 11:13 am) volkov (Nov 10, 2009 9:10 pm) ateixeira (Nov 11, 2009 10:46 am)
#14485 of 14566 Re: Composting leaves [grahampeters] by lucien2 Nov 10, 2009 (5:40 am)
Replying to: grahampeters (Nov 10, 2009 3:00 am) we have 2 large bins made out of worn out shipping pallets. We also have 2 decent-sized PET composters for kitchen refuse. They recommend adding a layer of leaves every once and a while to that as well. (oh, and 2 rain barrels ) As for the fall foliage, we have a blower that goes in reverse....sucks them up and mulches them into a bag. Then we dump those all over the garden beds for a winter blanket
#14486 of 14566 Re: Composting leaves [grahampeters] by lucien2 Nov 10, 2009 (5:48 am)
Replying to: grahampeters (Nov 10, 2009 3:00 am) not that we grow much, but we are gardening organically so we won't use petro-chemical based fertilizers. Despite the composting (which is going very slowly in the big yard-waste bins), we may bring in some organic horse manure right before winter, as the tomato beds weren't healthy this year. This was our 3rd year of serious veggie gardening, so we're on a steep learning curve. We figure this fall is time for some serious soil amendment and probably crop rotation next spring.
#14487 of 14566 Re: Composting leaves [grahampeters] by ateixeira Nov 10, 2009 (11:13 am)
Replying to: grahampeters (Nov 10, 2009 3:00 am) Mulching them first does help accelerate the composting, though usually I'm not turning it often enough, so only the top few inches become useable compost. I think I also need to mix in more green (they say half brown, half green is best). I can't just leave them on the ground - I get WAAAAY too many leaves, big oak leaves that kill any grass underneath. So I have to rake 'em up. I actually set up a 2nd compost pile for new leaves. The old one is now good compost, so I'll keep using it until the pile is gone. Eventually I'll rotate back again. I'm hoping that compost makes for good herbs. I'll plant that around March, with a plastic greenhouse built around it. I will share pics later, if it works out.
#14488 of 14566 Our city by kyfdx HOST Nov 10, 2009 (5:15 pm)
... vacuums up from the curb on a schedule.. They hit each street three times during the fall... So.. most people use leafblowers.. A lot of older housing with lots and lots of trees... It's a nice use of our tax dollars.. Replies to this message: subearu (Nov 10, 2009 6:48 pm) ateixeira (Nov 11, 2009 10:48 am)
#14489 of 14566 Re: Our city [kyfdx] by subearu Nov 10, 2009 (6:48 pm)
Replying to: kyfdx (Nov 10, 2009 5:15 pm) They do that here too. The village picks them up and brings them to their composting facility which is then available free to residents. -Brian Replies to this message: ateixeira (Nov 11, 2009 10:48 am)
#14490 of 14566 Re: Composting leaves [grahampeters] by volkov Nov 10, 2009 (9:10 pm)
Replying to: grahampeters (Nov 10, 2009 3:00 am) Growing up in the UK, every gardener had a compost "tip" as we used to call it, but any serious gardener had 3 : one you were adding all your organic waste to, one that was maturing and one who's soil you were using. Carrying kitchen scraps out to the compost tip was one of my jobs as a child. Replies to this message: ateixeira (Nov 11, 2009 10:46 am)
#14491 of 14566 Re: Composting leaves [volkov] by ateixeira Nov 11, 2009 (10:46 am)
Replying to: volkov (Nov 10, 2009 9:10 pm) I guess I need to add a 3rd to my current 2 piles, then.
#14492 of 14566 Re: Our city [subearu] by ateixeira Nov 11, 2009 (10:48 am)
Replying to: subearu (Nov 10, 2009 6:48 pm) We had leaf pickup at my previous house (trash was included, too), which also had much lower property taxes, but here in Potomac we pay much more tax and get far fewer services. Lame. At least the public schools are good.