Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

Well, young man, my lack of enthusiasm for wood chips has something to do 
with the fact we're in a semi-arid treeless prarie. A garbage collection 
facility near town does chip brush waste, free for the taking, but I think 
people grab it for horse barns soon as they chip it. I will have to get 
pickup loads from a big brush chipping center further away. Will try chips to 
keep down weeds between 70 or so raised beds, but try used bedding straw for 
the actual mulch on the beds.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 11/14/2009 at 12:56 PM Smittyctz6 wrote:

>I see your point.. Fast is best for you..Too bad you didn't have a nice
>hunk
>of land to set aside for a wood chip pile. I'd send you some of this
>compost
>via Snail mail overnight to get you started. It is sort of like making sour
>dough, the right culture and boom you have Bread or in this case composted
>wood chips.
>BTW I have .42 of a acre on a south east running slope. my composting
>operation is down over a steep bank that abuts my neighbor's yard. I have
>to
>fit things in tight so my terraced garden can take up a goodly part of the
>remaining yard, Down the slope it bottoms out into a small woods that I'm
>turning into forest garden, probably be done when I'm dead LOL  Oh and BTW
>again.. I am 56 with a hearet condition and diabetes plus I ache like a son
>a gun most days.. But I have a heart to grow things..I think my FATHER put
>it there when HE made me..  (c:
>
>
>On Sat, Nov 14, 2009 at 12:09 PM, Tradingpost <tradingpost@lobo.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> Well, I started this list to learn more, to have my views challenged or
>> improved, as well as to spread what's out there on the Internet. You guys
>> have tossed out the conventional wisdom on wood in soil and apparently
>your
>> results speak for themselves. Good. My limitation is, (at my age) I have
>to
>> plan in terms of soil building for *this market season* - not the
>following
>> seasons. Which means fast composting. That is, learning and passing on
>> techniques many people can do to get growing right now, typically with
>> little space and funds, as food hazards multiply and unemployment keeps
>> spreading.
>>
>> Above all, don't let me discourage anybody from disagreeing or improving
>on
>> what we know.
>>
>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>>
>> Many types of jobs will cease to exist: public relations executive,
>> marketing directors, et cetera. I think work will be very hands-on,
>> and a lot of it will revolve around food production.
>>    -- James Howard Kunstler, 2003
>>
>> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>>
>> On 11/14/2009 at 8:01 AM Smittyctz6 wrote:
>>
>> >Not to be little your wisdom my friend, but some one forgot to tell ole
>ma
>> >nature that wood doesn't belong in the soil, because she has a mighty
>host
>> >of digesters that work ceaselessly turning wood into soil.  I use her as
>> >not
>> >to offend others in my belief that the Creator made all this happen.
>But
>> >I'm off track.
>> >Whether you believe in billions of years or thousands of years wood has
>> >been
>> >breaking down into soil. I have been doing the same thing on a less
>grand
>> >scale for 14 years and the results are amazing in my own personal garden
>> >and
>> >landscape. The wood I put in the soil was gone within 2 years of putting
>> it
>> >in after I composted it for one year with Compost and manure.  Now it
>> takes
>> >only a half year from newly chipped wood to half finished compost ready
>> for
>> >the beds. The original soil filled with the right microbes and Macrobes
>> >came
>> >from a old rotted log. Wood has it's decomposers as do all living
>things,
>> >even us.. So all told I have wood in the soil break down within 3 full
>> >years. With no problem?  I must be a wizzard!!  LOL
>> >
>> >
>> >Paul wrote:
>> >"False choice. Wood chips don't belong in the soil anyway; unlike
>> >cellulose,
>> >lignin takes too long to break down and robs nitrogen from growing
>plants.
>> >Wood chips make great mulch, and mulch pays for itself in weed control,
>> >yield, soil improvement, and irrigation costs. We have to take in the
>Big
>> >Picture."
>> >
>> >--
>> >Bruce Smith
>> >InHisThyme Homestead
>> >
>> >@{--+----+------+------------
>> >
>> >A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will
>> >bring
>> >heaven to your soul.  ~Author Unknown
>> >
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>>
>>
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>
>
>
>--
>Bruce Smith
>InHisThyme Homestead
>
>@{--+----+------+------------
>
>A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will
>bring
>heaven to your soul.  ~Author Unknown
>
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