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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] goat berries mulch

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Pumpkin Lady <pumpkingal@clearwire.net>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] goat berries mulch
  • Date: Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:22:39 -0600

Thanks for the input everyone. Pardon me if I am a bit skeptical and do some controlled experiments before dumping them wholesale on growing plants. ;-) I asked because I see "you can use them fresh" on the net but also "oh, don't do that they'll burn the heck out of your plants!". I was hoping several someones with goats would weigh in with what they do.

Peter: I will separate out the urine soaked bedding. I don't know if I will remain one of those diligent muckers when it gets cold, but right now, I'm pretty good about cleaning everything up every couple of days. I have energy issues, so I try to keep up with things wherever possible because large projects tend to bog down in the middle. I'd rather have them clean. I read a lot about ammonia pneumonia in goats in winter with deep bedding and I'm paranoid.

Right now, there's not a LOT of bedding that gets soiled. At night I pen them in a large 3-sided shed with a dirt floor with a deep bedded, raised protected area...kind of like a stall or a shed within a shed. They mostly don't seem to spend much time in the bedded area unless it gets really cold or windy. I'll move them to another pen and replace the dirt in the shed next fall before winter. During the day they run on one of several small pastures attached to the shed area.

Zachary Domike wrote:

time before planting into GB - but you will have a constant supply, so at some point will need to shift to a separate compost drum

I'm not actually sure I will have as much as you think I will. ;-) I don't have very many goats and they stand about as tall as my knee, fully grown. I also have a lot of beds I will be growing, and if they can go down as they are made, I can use them for fertilizer as I have it. I will have to decide what to do with the feces when they get wormed, though. Not sure I want that on the beds. Still, there shouldn't be too much of that if I manage my parasites well.

You make the whole compost thing sound very simple, everyone does, but it just doesn't work for me. I've tried several things. I will keep your idea in mind, although it will have to be an old metal trash can, not tires. Won't have them on the place, too much fire hazard.

Thanks,
Morgan




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