Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] Cheap way to increase organic matter

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Jim Fruth" <jfruth@tds.net>
  • To: "NAFEX" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: Jackie Kuehn <jakuehn@verizon.net>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Cheap way to increase organic matter
  • Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:17:51 -0600

When I moved here, most of my land was yellow blow sand and what little organic matter there was, was one shade grayer than yellow. Now I have up to 14" of rich black dirt, the envy of area farmers and it didn't cost me a cent.
When I moved here, I lived on a dead-end road with very little traffic from except my (few) neighbors. I put up signs saying, "Leaves and Pine Needles Wanted," and word spread quickly. People from miles away brought me their leaves and I spent my Winters spreading them. The most I received in a single year was over fifty cubic yards. I removed the wheels from a semi-circular metal garden cart, fastened a piece of flat iron around the opening big enough to hold a 30 gallon can, making a make-shift sled that moved easily across the snow for moving leaves to where them would be laid down.
When Spring came I tilled them in as best I could.
I still put up my signs every Spring and Fall but I'm fussier now. Nowadays, I only want pine needles and pine needle/leaf mixtures. I hire neighborhood kids to spread them. Every two or three years each area of my one acre garden/orchard gets a new covering of mulch and every Summer tourists drive by to see a garden with no weeds.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
For jams, jellies & syrups:
www.bberryfarm.com
(877)265-6856 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page