If i wanted to water occasional with an organic soup

harleysilo · March 30, 2010

of good stuffs, what would be best and how much would i need to add of it to a 5 gallon bucket?

dice · March 30, 2010

I go by handfuls: kelp meal, alfalfa, chickweed, comfrey leaf,
clover, nettles are all good (wear gloves to handle the nettles).
Couple of tablespoons of molasses with it. I use hot water and
let it soak over night. I just do that to dissolve more of the
nutrients faster, but the hot water may also disable any
live pathogenic organisms that may be on the plant material
(fungi, etc).

harleysilo · March 31, 2010

I see i can probably get kelp meal at HD/Lowes. Clover is growing in my yard. Alfalfa.....don't they sell cubes of that in bags for horses? Chickweed may be growing in my yard too.

Nettles? Where to buy? Comfrey Leaf?

What about grass clippings soaked in water in general?

dice · March 31, 2010

I have not tried grass clippings. Alfalfa is usually cheaper at an
animal feed store. You can get 50-lb bags of alfalfa meal or
bales of it for usually under $20. I only know where to get
comfrey leaf in small quantities (herb suppliers), but you can
grow plants of it in a garden. Nettles typically grow in
moist, wooded areas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle

barkeater · March 31, 2010

Why all this extra work?

Incorporate what you need for the season when you turn the ground over. More importantly, the roots won't be turning up to get the nutrients. When they do that you make them more susceptible to drought requiring even more work and expense.

habitat_gardener · March 31, 2010

I have nettles growing in the sunniest part of my garden. They're swallowing up the onions, and I've already scalped that batch of nettles twice.

When I first wanted to grow nettles, I tried seed and got nothing. So I found a garden locally that had extras and imported a plant, which reseeded. Now it comes up every winter. I eat them as a winter green and make nettle tea (for me). As it gets warmer and I need the space to plant tomatoes, I'll pull them out for garden tea.

I buy alfalfa pellets at the same store where we get dog food and dog toys. I haven't found a source for organically grown alfalfa (or seed meals), though.

For comfrey, all you need is a 4-inch piece of root. I wouldn't buy comfrey leaf; I'd try to get a plant started. Once you have one plant, it's easy to propagate as many as you want.

Borage is another good one. Really, any "weed" that mines the soil to bring up minerals is good for a garden tea and for the compost. I wouldn't use more aggressive weeds such as mallow, bermuda grass, bindweed, etc., or anything that produces too much seed.

March 30, 2010	#1
harleysilo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Woodstock GA Posts: 418	If i wanted to water occasional with an organic soup of good stuffs, what would be best and how much would i need to add of it to a 5 gallon bucket?

March 30, 2010	#2
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I go by handfuls: kelp meal, alfalfa, chickweed, comfrey leaf, clover, nettles are all good (wear gloves to handle the nettles). Couple of tablespoons of molasses with it. I use hot water and let it soak over night. I just do that to dissolve more of the nutrients faster, but the hot water may also disable any live pathogenic organisms that may be on the plant material (fungi, etc). __________________ -- alias

March 31, 2010	#4
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I have not tried grass clippings. Alfalfa is usually cheaper at an animal feed store. You can get 50-lb bags of alfalfa meal or bales of it for usually under $20. I only know where to get comfrey leaf in small quantities (herb suppliers), but you can grow plants of it in a garden. Nettles typically grow in moist, wooded areas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle __________________ -- alias

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March 31, 2010	#5
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Why all this extra work? Incorporate what you need for the season when you turn the ground over. More importantly, the roots won't be turning up to get the nutrients. When they do that you make them more susceptible to drought requiring even more work and expense.

March 31, 2010	#6
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	I have nettles growing in the sunniest part of my garden. They're swallowing up the onions, and I've already scalped that batch of nettles twice. When I first wanted to grow nettles, I tried seed and got nothing. So I found a garden locally that had extras and imported a plant, which reseeded. Now it comes up every winter. I eat them as a winter green and make nettle tea (for me). As it gets warmer and I need the space to plant tomatoes, I'll pull them out for garden tea. I buy alfalfa pellets at the same store where we get dog food and dog toys. I haven't found a source for organically grown alfalfa (or seed meals), though. For comfrey, all you need is a 4-inch piece of root. I wouldn't buy comfrey leaf; I'd try to get a plant started. Once you have one plant, it's easy to propagate as many as you want. Borage is another good one. Really, any "weed" that mines the soil to bring up minerals is good for a garden tea and for the compost. I wouldn't use more aggressive weeds such as mallow, bermuda grass, bindweed, etc., or anything that produces too much seed.