Growdo Baggins
Active member
@VerdantGreen one more thing if you don't mind. I was going to make a post about this but I'd like to ask what you think. Do I need to filter rain water if I'm using it for irrigation?
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I put together a leaf mold pile today, and wanted to show someone.
- Thread starter Growdo Baggins
- Start date
Plookerkingjon
Active member
Chunky pigs idea of mulching it up is a phenomenal suggestion he's on the right path he's giving you great advice I would also if I were you suggest grabbing clean cardboard in an area that you're going to want to grow in and cover all your leaf mold piles with cardboard. You can also go to your local Forest try to find the oldest hardwood tree black cherry Oaks Maples Birch Beach whatever the case may be go to the base of the oldest one that you can find get to the main trunk get that leaf mold you'll know immediately because it looks like coffee grounds and it smells phenomenal get a bag of it bring it home add that to your leaf mold litter pile can't go wrong I'm full of all sorts of neat tricks you can use in nature in the forest to bring the forest pest prevention vigor Etc etcetera into your Gardens at home. And I apologize for the not being able to send messages and stuff like that there's a bunch of settings and options here at the site that I haven't quite figured out yet
Do some reading on Hugelkultur
Plookerkingjon
Active member
There's this Channel and I have four other channels of folks if you're interested that I'd love to share with you
I call your gardener and raise you a God
Growdo Baggins
Active member
Dude, I really like this. And thank you a lot for posting sharing the link. I love a good link. This really makes a lot of sense and I'm def going to try it. My main problem is going to be finding wood that isn't just pine.
Growdo Baggins
Active member
I need to get better about using YouTube. I have a friend who learns so much on it. I just have a hard time watching for more than 5 min. I read info well though. I'm going to using YouTube more though. I'll check this out
Rico Swazi
Active member
like to read ?
hugelkultur Forum at permies
Spent lots of time there even becoming a member but everything is open source now so no need really
look for untreated unpainted rotting wood for your hugelbeet
found a bunch sitting on a burn pile that I buried in a problem area with clay soil early last year
be sure to cover your compost heaps and piles to prevent leaching
leaf mold piles optional IMHO
Good luck Mr Baggins
Rico Swazi
Active member
gave bins too fragile for soil to friends for leaf mold project
holes in the bottom for the worms to crawl in and out
took about a year undisturbed for the leaves to become friable with bits of white fungi throughout
had a good portion of castings along for the ride also
Agreed not much nutrient value but plants do love a good trip on humic acids
+1 for the distinction between the two piles
Growdo Baggins
Active member
Dang man, I honestly have to say thanks again in a big way. That forum was something I needed but didn't know I needed. I'm reading Permaculture a Designers Manual by Bill Mollison right now. It's got me really interested. It's a lot to read, but I'm learning a lot. I thought of getting an easier Permaculture book to read, but it seems like I can't go wrong with one I'm reading, so I'm stick with it. I'm very excited about that forum thanks again.like to read ?
hugelkultur Forum at permies
www.permies.com
Spent lots of time there even becoming a member but everything is open source now so no need really
look for untreated unpainted rotting wood for your hugelbeet
found a bunch sitting on a burn pile that I buried in a problem area with clay soil early last year
View attachment 18800112
View attachment 18800113
View attachment 18800114
be sure to cover your compost heaps and piles to prevent leaching
leaf mold piles optional IMHO
Good luck Mr Baggins
Rico Swazi
Active member
Yeah, any of those early pioneers the likes of Bill Mollison, David Holmgren, Reny Slay, Rachel Carson, J. Russel Smith, and Sepp Holzer are all great to read just try not to let it over whelm would be my advice. When you need to take a break from reading, take a walkabout to see if the neighbors have leaf piles and/or rotted wood tucked away.
Be a good time to meet the neighbors if you haven't already. They can be and have been for me an incredible resource of local materials. Return the favor with fruits and veggies or compost and things become symbiotic, harmonious or just plain better for the effort.
I acquired this acre in '95 as a stepping stone to a larger parcel but loved the 'hood' far too much to leave. How much property did you say you have to work with?
Wishing you all the best with being a good caretaker/steward of the land. You are off to a great start IMO.
Be a good time to meet the neighbors if you haven't already. They can be and have been for me an incredible resource of local materials. Return the favor with fruits and veggies or compost and things become symbiotic, harmonious or just plain better for the effort.
I acquired this acre in '95 as a stepping stone to a larger parcel but loved the 'hood' far too much to leave. How much property did you say you have to work with?
Wishing you all the best with being a good caretaker/steward of the land. You are off to a great start IMO.
Growdo Baggins
Active member
I also have 1 acre, but was very lucky to move next door to a very good older couple who used to run a horse farm. They've got soil outside their hay barn that's very black with the most worms and insects I've ever seen in soil. It's funny that you mentioned that about neighbors bc I've scored hay, black soil, worms, leaves, banana trees that I used for compost, from their farm. They're older and I help them a lot around their house bc their children don't live close. They are really great people and when I get it together they're going to let me let a cow graze on their pastures with the horses. They're actually over here right now bc my parents are visiting and they're all meeting. I'm on the couch on my phone, lol. They're all old people talking, lol.
Man I was thinking kinda the same thing about this house and property. This is supposed to be a starter house but once I've put in years of work to get the farm where I want it, I'm not going to want to move and start over.
I've been loving Permies. Already met a few good people and have gotten a plan together for a hugelkulter, also some really good ideas for around here. I bought a rain barrel. It's a fabric one. I haven't tried it yet. I'm trying to finish this gardening book I bought. I haven't gotten to the vegetable section yet and I'm needing to start getting certain veggies ready right now. But I'm not sure which ones. I know potatoes and onions need to be getting ready soon for where I live. Also prob need to start my tomatoes.
Fungalfreude
New member
I saw this thread while scouring the Web for info on organic soil and thought I'd join up to post. Hello!
I'm a new grower too, and after years of research (including reading teaming with microbes) two soil amendments have really caught my attention: biochar and leaf mould.
From what I've read, your pile of leaves will take up to 3 years to be fully decomposed, due to the slow, cold fungal decomposition process. One way to speed this up could be to water it with a fish hydrolysate solution- it is apparently an excellent food source for fungi. I haven't heard of anyone else doing this, and I haven't tried it on a pile of leaves myself, the idea just came to me recently and seeing your thread made me want to share.
Here's a link to a recipe with a bit of background: https://joegroworegon.wixsite.com/fermentationfarmer/fish-fertilizer
Also, for a reliable uk source of ready made leaf mould check out https://www.leafmould.co.uk . It also has info on the formation and benefits of leaf mould, which you might find useful.
Hope this helps, and happy growing!
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Three Berries
Active member
Limestone will help speed up the decomposition. To much is anti fungal though. I guess you could measure the pH of the pile squeezings Tree material will be a low pH, wood especially.. I've found the bark and branches to be quite good at stopping plants seeds from spouting and inhibits root branching with grass and seed. Worse under hardwood nut trees with a lot of tannin.
Growdo Baggins
Active member
That's a good recipe. I didn't know much about it, but it seems do able. Thanks for the link.
