Living organic soil from start through recycling

[YosemiteSam]

Along those lines here comes another one of "those" questions.

For the sake of argument lets say I am looking at needing 100 cubic ft of compost/wc for my mix. Realistically how long would it take me to be up and running on that...from scratch today?

And my follow up...just how bad are commercial products? Could I start with commercial and maybe improve it with aerobic teas, minerals, etc over the winter?

Is there any strategy to have this ready to go next summer? Or is that fucking patience thing gonna get in the way

and...got some stinging nettles soaking in water along with one more alfalfa plus kelp teas going...starting to suspect these teas satisfy me inner mad scientist desires.

 

[Scrappy4]

Along those lines here comes another one of "those" questions.

For the sake of argument lets say I am looking at needing 100 cubic ft of compost/wc for my mix. Realistically how long would it take me to be up and running on that...from scratch today?

And my follow up...just how bad are commercial products? Could I start with commercial and maybe improve it with aerobic teas, minerals, etc over the winter?

Is there any strategy to have this ready to go next summer? Or is that fucking patience thing gonna get in the way

and...got some stinging nettles soaking in water along with one more alfalfa plus kelp teas going...starting to suspect these teas satisfy me inner mad scientist desires.

Here is one of those terrible answers we all hate, it depends. It depends on your starting material. When I use leaves cut into small pieces as a base material I lose about a third, if I were to use loose alfalfa I might lost more than half in volume. Grass clippings and green materials all but disappear. So the denser the materials are and type of your starting materials makes a difference.

Commercial products are all over in quality. In your case I think your safer if you bought in bulk over compost in plastic bags. But other than that or a microscope your at their mercy......scrappy

 

[YosemiteSam]

It is the quality I worry most about. I can get bulk compost but the only thing the local university extension wants to talk with me about is steering me towards one "low in salts". Which tends to make me think the fact that it won't outright kill my plants immediately is the height of organic around here

Gonna need to spend some time on MMs site obviously. Like I said I ain't a genius...but obviously a lot depends on how good the humus part is with this stragegy...at least I think I see it that way

 

[ClackamasCootz]

CC, Gascan, whats your impression of VE's Mega Worm castings as far as store bought products go? Ive been using them for quite a while since I come up short on my own EWC production,

Thanks
GS

GS

They're 'decent' - about a 7 out of 10 on my scale. I would suggest that you also look at the GroundUp product at Naomi's - they're about an 8.

I would opt for the GroundUp casting probably for a couple of other reasons that may not apply to your garden

And if you were willing to drive to Camas you can buy a paint bucket full for around $11.00 - screened and they are a "10" on anyone's scale.

The finest I have ever seen.....

CC

 

[shmalphy]

YS

If you have access to plenty of organic material, it should be no problem. I would make a huge compost heap. Once the material is broken down by the heap the worms can eat it easier. My compost heap is FILLED with worms so it is the best of both worlds.

If you can get manure, it breaks down everything MUCH faster thermally and worms love it. I would also suggest Lacto B.

 

[GeorgeSmiley]

GS

They're 'decent' - about a 7 out of 10 on my scale. I would suggest that you also look at the GroundUp product at Naomi's - they're about an 8.

I would opt for the GroundUp casting probably for a couple of other reasons that may not apply to your garden

And if you were willing to drive to Camas you can buy a paint bucket full for around $11.00 - screened and they are a "10" on anyone's scale.

The finest I have ever seen.....

CC

Ahh, thats right..... youre talking about NW RedWorms right? You mentioned them to me about 2 years ago and I promptly forgot. lol Yeah I just looked at their site, coarse, medium or fine? Ill head out there soon.

Thanks again,
gs

 

[all natural]

Ahh, thats right..... youre talking about NW RedWorms right? You mentioned them to me about 2 years ago and I promptly forgot. lol Yeah I just looked at their site, coarse, medium or fine? Ill head out there soon.

Thanks again,
gs

Awesome thanks for this tip. I live like 30 mins from there i think ill take a trip real soon

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Yeah I just looked at their site, coarse, medium or fine? Ill head out there soon.

Thanks again,
gs

I used to buy the coarse for no particular reason

 

[MrSterling]

I'm basically stockpiling store references for my move to PDX. I'll have all my gardening bases covered before I even arrive.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I'm basically stockpiling store references for my move to PDX. I'll have all my gardening bases covered before I even arrive.

Check out this company, OBC, in Canby. This is a good example of a wholesale nursery supplier.

CC

 

[shmalphy]

Notice how many types of "nutes" they sell at the nursery supplier. I counted 3...

Also notice how it is called fertilizer. and comes in dry powders with plain labels. No sharks or hot rods.

When I started using a wholesale nursery supplier, this was the first indication I had something was amiss at the "hydro store"

 

[MrSterling]

I went into a hydro store recently for large size perlite since my local rural stores don't carry it. They were charging something like $40 for what looked like half an ounce of mycorrhizal fungi in a fancy container. I couldn't help but chuckle.

About Portland; I don't know if I can handle all that rain. I've mostly spent time there in the summer.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Portland's annual rainfall is 1" more than Dallas, Texas - hard to believe isn't it?

 

[all natural]

Portland's annual rainfall is 1" more than Dallas, Texas - hard to believe isn't it?

Yeah I am from the east coast and it rains a lot more there. plus the snow. Its more a constant mist out here during the fall thru spring. once the summer starts it doesn't rain much. I love the weather here, no snow really, not like we got back east. Actually I have only seen one or two snowy days here. the summer is real mild we hit 96 today but it hadnt hit 90's all summer til today. I moved here from las vegas and I do not miss the summer there at all.

 

[all natural]

I went into a hydro store recently for large size perlite since my local rural stores don't carry it. They were charging something like $40 for what looked like half an ounce of mycorrhizal fungi in a fancy container. I couldn't help but chuckle.

About Portland; I don't know if I can handle all that rain. I've mostly spent time there in the summer.

the hydro stores are useful for a few things. But they dont seem to understand organics at all. Whenever I explain how Im growing they always try and push some crap on me. I was even offered a gallon of compost tea for 15 bucks once.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

If anyone is really, really bored you could go check-out the Perlite Institute where you'll learn where the overwhelming majority of Perlite ends up. It isn't potting soils.

At this site you will be able find producers all over the US - and once you step out of the grow store paradigm you see how cheap it is.

The large chunk is particularly inexpensive - unless of course it has a Fox Farms label stick on the side. Then the price goes up 300%+ - the crank Perlite by the truckload in Portland at Supreme Perlite Company.

Big mystery indeed.........

all natural

Yeah - we hit 103F today but humidity was only 20% so it's not all that bad. Good business day for the grow stores though!! Mite spray, mold cures, general stupidity, etc. - yep a banner day.

I planned ahead and got barley seed extract made so I sprayed them a couple of times during the hottest part of the day. I've got the August in Portland pretty much down - it sucks. High temps and outrageous humidity - laboratory conditions for raising Spider Mites and Powdery Mildew. Absolutely perfect.

Tough times for Cash Crop Stupid and his buddy, Sum Dum Luk here in River City. Rose City, Stumptown and whatever else they come up with.

Keep Portland Weird!

CC

 

[all natural]

barley seed extract eh. I learn more and more every day from your posts CC. Thank you for that!! I have been real lucky and have never seen a mite. I also grow in a top floor apt and only from seed. So that may help keep them out of my tent I dont know. *knocks on wood*

Ive been applying the aloe vera and the ful humix and my plants are looking great!! i even bought a aloe plant today to grow so i can use fresh aloe next time.

 

[Gascanastan]

Notice how many tyoes of "nutes" they sell at the nursery supplier.

Also notice how it is called fertilizer. and comes in dry powders with plain labels. No sharks or hot rods.

When I started using a wholesale nursery supplier, this was the first indication I had something was amiss at the "hydro store"

No hot rods or sharks huh......clearly that aint not good fertolizerz....

Hey coot...I was gonna say...PDX is gonna get weirder...

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I'm ready for a new round of weirdness perhaps.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

all natural

Barley extract - sprayed to reduce heat stress. I have absolutely NO science at all. I collect old books on gardening, farming, etc. and this one came from a book published in the mid-1800's in England by a 'gentleman farmer' - pretty interesting digging through old writings.

Free too - Gutenberg Project has resources you wouldn't believe. I have 'almost' the entire body of writings by Luther Burbank - all free.

Soil & Health Library is another resource that will amaze you. It's run by Steve Solomon the famous PNW gardening writer and the original owner of Territorial Seed Company.

CC