Lawn Mower ~

[creister]

Tom,

Get as many leaves as possible and dump them and shred them up with your lawn mower. The only thing you may want to do, is add a little extra nitrogen, as leaves are high in carbon. I just put about some alfalfa pellets. I also don't till, just let them lay. Soil gets better every year.

I posted a question at gw a while back about mulches keeping the soil cooler in the spring. Consensus was that they did not. Gimmie is right about the nutrient value of leaves. I get all kinds here, oak, maple, pecan, mesquite, mulberry, ash. Haven't seen anything but good.

The poster who was worried about looking crazy, I just go knock on the door. I also bought a gasoline powered shredder vac (Echo brand) and go and rake yards and shred them up.

Leaves are great stuff, don't let them go to waste.
I remember my grandfather always put all the fall leaves in his garden area. He always had great gardens.

[Gimme3]

Tom,...man i'm envious of anyone that can get and use seaweed in their garden...You aughta be growin County- Fair winners there, real soon...)))

Bob is tellin ya rite on air vs. water w/regard to which medium retains it's temperature easier. If i plant a tomato very early, into cold soil (which i always do, 4 or 5 like that each spring, jus to get a few on the Go) i will pull the mulch out away from the plant in about a 18 inch dia. circle around it, and i've always done that because...after years of adding OM, the soil is almost black. I've thought that by getting the Sun onto the immediate rooting soil, instead of having the mulch absorb it's heat, that the immediately surrounding soil of the plant would warm slightly better.

If you think about how insulation works...it Dont...when it's wet. Airifying your mulch around a young started plant in cold soil will certainly be warmer than a wet mat.
Conversely, on a cold night, in early spring, i've used dry mulched leaves to protect an hold in the little warmth a plant had. If ya jus keep in mind how insulation works in an attic...shouldnt be no problems.

I dont know if you can grow clover there, and have it available in early spring as a cut, green mulch. Maybe seaweed will do what Clover does...i dont know. But if you take a good couple of pounds of lush thick clover and bury it around a young plant about 3 inches deep in a circle, and place it outside the immediate root ball by about 4 inches, so that it cant burn the roots...it will heat up the soil by 10-15 degrees...lol...for about a week. Criester mentioned Alfalfa...u can do the Same thing...w/alfalfa pellets, no risk, an pure benefit, as long as you do it Rite, and dont put it too close to where roots should be within a week or two. Clover...will have it's own moisture...alfalfa will need wetting in.

For those that can find em...in my experience the absolute fastest decomposing, easiest to use leaves come from Pecan trees. I love to use them when i find someone rakin up an baggin em. They'll disappear, and turn yo soil black and friable...mighty quick.

If you dont mind, Tom, i'd like to re-mention that i'm still lookin for information or data re: the Nutrient value resident in a fresh-fallen acorn. I know that many animals could not survive without them, but in my searching the net, i been unable to locate any specific scientific data on what is actually in an acorn. Any tips would be appreciated (and it relates to this topic, i want to know if they might also be a valuable fertilizer, as well as to try an gain a greater understanding of how their acidity is broken down). Thanks...)))

Also...thats good news on the Stump....sounds like the Micro-herd is workin overtime for ya...)))

[tjg911]

Leaves are a good amendment for your soil. As mentioned, I'd avoid black walnut if possible otherwise use whatever you have or can get. The more broken down the leaves are by mowing or shredding the faster they can decompose in the soil for next year.

I add some leaves in the fall and till them in. I have never used leaves to cover the soil nor have I grown a cover crop for the winter. I suppose if you live in an area that exposes your soil to constant winds then it is a good idea to grow a cover crop (something with roots vs just leaves sitting there that would just blow away) to stop erosion. I would not till the leaves into the soil in the spring therefore I would not recommend putting them on the garden as a cover over the winter.

Leaves are carbon and require nitrogen to break down. By turning those leaves into the soil in the spring they will take (steal) nitrogen that your plants require. This is why I don't and would advise against covering the garden with leaves over the winter and tilling them in come spring.

I get dump truck loads of shredded leaves delivered by a local lawn care guy who is happy to have a place nearby to dump them. I let them sit and breakdown so after 2-3 years they look more like soil than anything else. I use them all summer in the compost bins and I add just 1-2" of the shredded leaves before rototilling. When totally decomposed, I spread them for mulch in the summer and will also till them in come fall.

I used to think that you can't have too much organic material in the soil but I don't buy that anymore. I add manure and leaves because they are good amendments but within reason. I used to add too much manure and leaves thinking I was just doing a super job (I add pretty good soil to start with) but more is not always better. You can have too much organic matter in the soil (!) as I found out in a very comprehensive soil test. I had double the rate of organic material I should have had and I had issues with too much salts or phosphates (I forget) from all the cow manure! I now only add manure to the garden every few years, about 1-2" vs the 4-5" I was adding. I add some shredded leaves each fall but again not a lot.

So unless your soil is in terrible condition I'd be moderate with the addition of organic material. If you are building quality soil from junk then I do think you can heap it on but in a garden with good soil a little goes a long way. If you think of this as a natural process, how many leaves or manure in a pasture would a given area receive naturally? I am totally organic so I believe in organic methods, it is not that I am decrying them. I just caution that sometimes too much of a good thing is too much!

Tom

[Tomstrees]

Creister -
Would grass clippings in with the shredded leaves provide the nec. nitrogen needed for leaf growth? Last thing I want to do is have a lack of N ~ Even balcance is key ...

Tjg911 -
T , you bring up some interesting points, and I think I shouldn't go over-board with my shredded leaf levels.
I grow organic as well ... NO NOTHIN THANKS!
Daconil ??? MG ??? Its poison I tells ya ! lol ~ If the plant is in trouble in my garden ... planting a sucker it is ~ and if that doesn't work out ??? Plants pulled and
"soil-rehabilitation" it is ~

Gimme3 -
My soil , in my garden spot before was clay/sand in some places ... its improved ALOT ;
In my opinion (within moderatation)
you have to replenish your garden every season ...
I only grow tomatoes and peppers (heavy feeders) ...
I mean you have to give back what you take right ???

I don't have a big patch, so crop rotation
to me is a thought of the fututre ! :wink: (soon)

Regarding the seawed:
I live at the Bayshore of NJ ... like 1/2 mile
away from my own bay-beach ...
I've been collecting seaweed doing for a few years now ... the turn out HAS been awesome - After applying the seaweed even as a mulch, you can see the plants perk up in just a couple days after application ...

I get a large black garbage bag full at
a time a few times a season ~

But let me tell you ... if I lived near a
fresh water pond/lake I'd be living in seaweed !!!
My brother and I were talking about doing that next summer ... my parents live on a lake littered with seaweed and sun fish ...
alittle of both would certainly do a garden good ~ :wink:
I'm sure Native Americans would agree with me that
fish guts is the stuff that makes plants grow !

ATT : COPY AND PASTE IN WORD !!! LOL ~
Gimme3 -
Are you looking for nutritional value of
acorns for people ? for animals ? or for use as compost ?
I found this:

Acorns are attractive to animals because they are large and thus efficiently consumed or cached. Acorns are also rich in nutrients. Percentages vary from species to species, but all acorns contain large amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats, as well as the minerals calcium, phosphorus and potassium, and the vitamin niacin. Total food energy in an acorn also varies by species, but all compare well with other wild foods and with other nuts.

Acorns also contain bitter tannins, the amount varying with the species. Since tannins, which are plant polyphenols, interfere with an animal's ability to metabolize protein, creatures must adapt in different ways to utilize the nutritional value that acorns contain. Animals may preferentially select acorns that contain fewer tannins. Creatures that cache acorns, such as jays and squirrels, may wait to consume some of these acorns until sufficient groundwater has percolated through them to leach the tannins out. Other animals buffer their acorn diet with other foods. Many insects, birds and mammals metabolize tannins with fewer ill-effects than humans. Several human cultures devised acorn-leaching methods that involved tools, and that could be passed on to their children.

Species of acorn that contain large amounts of tannins are very bitter, astringent, and potentially irritating if eaten raw. This is particularly true of the acorns of red oaks. The acorns of white oaks, being much lower in tannins, are nutty in flavor, which is enhanced if the acorns are given a light roast before grinding. Tannins can be removed by boiling chopped acorns in several changes of water, until water no longer turns brown. Being rich in fat, acorn flour can spoil or get moldy easily and must be carefully stored. Acorns are also sometimes prepared as a massage oil.

Acorns were a traditional food of many indigenous peoples of North America, but served an especially important role in California, where the ranges of several species of oaks overlap, increasing the reliability of the resource.

Acorns, unlike many other plant foods, do not need to be eaten or processed immediately, but may be stored for long time periods. In years that oaks produced many acorns, Native Americans sometimes collected enough acorns to store for two years as insurance against poor acorn production years. After drying them in the sun to discourage mold and germination, Indian women took acorns back to their villages and cached them in hollow trees or structures on poles, to keep acorns safe from mice and squirrels. These acorns could be used as needed. Storage of acorns permitted Native American women to process acorns when convenient, particularly during winter months when other resources were scarce. Women's caloric contributions to the village increased when they stored acorns for later processing and focused on gathering or processing other resources available in the autumn.

Women shelled and pulverized those acorns that germinate in the fall before those that germinate in spring. Because of their high fat content, stored acorns can become rancid. Molds may also grow on them.

Native North Americans took an active and sophisticated role in management of acorn resources through the use of fire, which increased the production of acorns and made them easier to collect. The deliberate setting of light ground fires killed the larvae of acorn moths and acorn weevils that have the potential to infest and consume more than 95% of an oak's acorns, by burning them during their dormancy period in the soil. Fires released the nutrients bound in dead leaves and other plant debris into the soil, thus fertilizing oak trees while clearing the ground to make acorn collection faster and easier. Most North American oaks tolerate light fires, especially when consistent burning has eliminated woody fuel accumulation around their trunks. Consistent burning encouraged oak growth at the expense of other trees that are less tolerant of fire, thus keeping landscapes in a state in which oaks dominated. Since oaks produce more acorns when they are not in close competition with other oaks for sunlight, water and soil nutrients, eliminating young oaks more vulnerable to fire than old oaks created open oak savannahs with trees ideally spaced to maximize acorn production. Finally, frequent fires prevented accumulation of flammable debris, which reduced the risk of destructive canopy fires that destroyed oak trees. After a century during which North American landscapes have not been managed by indigenous peoples, disastrous fires have ravaged crowded, fuel-laden forests. Land managers have realized that they can learn much from indigenous resource management techniques, such as controlled burning, widely practiced by Native Americans to enhance such resources as acorns.

or are you looking for something like this:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: (100 grams)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 509

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

% Daily Value*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Fat 31g 48%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carboydrates 54g 17%
Dietary Fiber 0g ~
Sugars 0g ~
Protein 8g 16%

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Iron 5% Calcium 5%


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs



Nutrient Information
Vitamins %DV
Vitamin A 0 IU 0%
Retinol 0 mcg
Retional Activity Equivalent 0 mcg
Alpha Carotene 0 mcg
Beta Carotene 0 mcg
Beta Cryptoxanthin 0 mcg
Lycopene 0 mcg
Lutein + Zeaxanthin 0 mcg
Vitamin C 0 mg 0%
Vitamin E 0 mg 0%
Vitamin K 0 mcg 0%
Thiamin 0.149 mg 9%
Riboflavin 0.154 mg 9%
Niacin 2.406 mg 12%
Vitamin B6 0.695 mg 34%
Vitamin B12 0 mcg 0%
Folate 115 mcg 28%
Food Folate 115 5.6 mcg ~
Folic Acid 0 mcg ~
Dietary Folate Equivalents 115 mcg ~
Pantothenic Acid 0.94 mcg 9%


Minerals %DV
Calcium 54 mg 5%
Iron 1.04 mg 5%
Magnesium 82 mg 20%
Phosphorus 103 mg 10%
Potassium 709 mg 29%
Sodium 0 mg 0%
Zinc 0.67 mg 4%
Copper 0.818 mg 40%
Manganese 1.363 mg 68%
Selenium 0 mcg 0%


Fats %DV
Total Fat 31.41 mg 48%
Saturated Fat 4.084 mg 20%
Monounsaturated Fat 19.896 mg ~
Polyunsaturated Fat 6.052 mg ~

_____________________________________

If I'm way off let me know ! lol ~ Tom

[username5]

Originally Posted by creister

Tom,

I posted a question at gw a while back about mulches keeping the soil cooler in the spring. Consensus was that they did not.

I think this depends where you live and the spring weather. In Wisconsin I have taken to removing mulches in beds I want to warm the soil up in. Our warm season is only about 3 months, 4 if we get really lucky so there is no time to waste when it comes to warming soil.

Mulches insulate the soil, although not all mulches are created equal. Leaves while a terrific soil amendment tend to mat together even when shredded with the mower come spring time and I have found ground frozen under them while the ground next to them is thawed.

Then again the ground freezes here to a depth of around 3-4' deep. Warmer climates may not notice the cooling effect of mulch in the spring to the same degree.

[landarc]

Tom,
Any leaf material you add to your soil raw will bind some nitrogen as a funtion of decay. Adding lawn clippings will actually bind the nitrogen faster as it tends to break down faster. However, it is not a bad thing to do as it can accelerate the process. Unless, of course, you fertilize your lawn with a synthetic nitrogen fertilizer which can introduce far more nitrogen that natural processes would normally occur. Which would, I think, be a not so good thing.

What I would do is add some kind of natural fertilizer at a low rate to spike the nitrogen through the winter and into early spring. I suspect, looking at your harvest pics that you are not N deficient in your soil right now. By the way, as is always the case with decay, the nitrogen is returned to your soil once the decay is done. We were taught the Nitrogen Cycle in school, might be somehting you would find interesting.

[Tomstrees]

Ok, Landarc ...

Just so everyone knows, I grow everything organic ~

Now, what kind of natural fertilizer
to spike the N level ?

Will start googling the cliffs notes on
the Nitrogen Cycle ! lol ~

Tom

[natural]

Tom,

I am a certified organic grower. Some organic sources of nitrogen are the animal byproducts blood meal, bone meal, fish meal, feather meal (chicken, that is). In your area maybe you could find crab/shrimp shell meal. Non-animal sources could be cottonseed meal or soybean meal, just to name a few.

Bill

[dcarch]

There is a fish store in town. I am sure they will be happy for me to take away some of their fish scraps.

Is that O.K. to use? I will of course bury the scraps deep.

dcarch

[landarc]

Back when we used to fish more around here, the fish scraps and bones went into the compost heap. The fish heads went into a soup, but, that is a different story. The fish scraps worked well, but, there are various things, such as bone meal, fish meal etc... Using meal is a bit faster incorporating into the soil than whole fish.

I use a seafood blend fertilizer that is ready made from Fox Farms, mostly because I am lazy and they do all of the blending and calculating application rate for me.

[Tomstrees]

Landarc ~

Seafood blend fertilizer from Fox Farms ?
I'm goona look into it ...
hey , they deliver ??? ~

Tom

[landarc]

I just happen to use this product because my sister recommended it. there are others that I have seen that are quite similar. I should think that there is a nursery close to you that might have this or something similar.

http://www.foxfarmfertilizer.com/products_drytime.html

[creister]

Hey Tom,

Alfalfa pellets are a great source of organic N. I use it to fertilize my lawn, gardens, add to the compost pile, etc. Very high in nutrients. Most are about 2-3% N. A 50 lb. bag costs about 9 dollars here. I usually put out about 10 lbs./500 sq. feet. The grass will help.

You might look into growing Hairy Vetch as a cold season cover crop. USDA did some tests with it on tomatoes in Maryland. They will even send you the little book about it. Go to their website. In a nut shell, vetch is a legume, which will fix nitrogen in the soil. You plant it about a month before first frost. and let it be. It is cold hardy down to around 5 degrees. In the spring, cut it down before planting, and use as a mulch. Works real well. I did it last year, and will be doing it again this year.

[Tomstrees]

I'm thinking about laying a mowed leaf layer
of 2-3 inches with some grass clippings ...
let it "Sit" over winter - and till come spring ...
Thats what I'll do ~

Tom

[dcarch]

May be a very silly thing.

I have mixed lots of oak leaves, ground up small branches, and ash from the fireplace and B.B.Q. pit into the soil.

It seems to me that this might be the right environment for morel mushroom also. So I bought some morel spore to mix in also. We'll see how it goes.

Heirloom tomato with morel mushroom sandwich. Heaven for the palate!

dcarch