December 15, 2016

Good morning, I do not have a chipper / shredder, something that would be useful for pulverizing dead okra and pepper stems. Some of these can resemble small trees and their biomass takes some effort to decompose. For the most part these plants are piled up at the end of the season and during some distant century they will break down. As for the bean straw and any other of the less woody material I have found just throwing it into the chicken coop and let the ladies have at it.

Chickens have a need to scratch and peck and they are relentless. With 50 +/- hens most all of this debris is broken down into smaller pieces rather quickly. All the while they are pooping and in a very short while this bedding is ready for the compost heap. This method makes it fairly easy to get a good carbon to nitrogen mix. This material heats up very nicely. Most heatings there is that distinct smell of what I like to call fertility. Not having close neighbors, this is not a problem.

When it comes time to turn the pile, I take the covers off and let the ladies at it. The pile does get spread out pretty good but it does get things mixed up nicely. Once they have turned it, I add more water if needed and re pile it for a finishing heat. And of course the ladies are excluded at this time.

This all takes time but it sure does cut down on some of the labor.

I subscribe to a 14 day composting. Using the chickens does extend this process but not by much.

At the end of the heating, all of the material is in an advanced state of decomposition. This material can be used as a mulch or incorporated into the soil without any ill effects to seeds or plants.

Since I garden year round, the use of compost is very important. It allows for continuous cultivation. If I were to use fresh manure or to turn under green manures there would be a given amount of time that would be needed to allow all of this material to become “non lethal” to seeds or plants. Depending on the time of year this resting period would be a minimum of 2 weeks.

With compost this all becomes mute. A bed can be cleaned tilled and planted in the same day. A very nice turn around time.

One of my difficulties with compost is not having a way to exclude the hens from the compost area. Left to the hens vices the compost heaps would never heat because they would always be turning the pile. This is one of the draw backs of free range hens. A small one but a problem none the less. A pile of compost is a calling card to chickens like a fire hydrant is to dogs.

I do have some ideas how to exclude them and the selectively allow them to different piles, it is just finding that “roundtuit”. Chickens can be quite obsessive about something if they see it and crave it. If there is a way they will discover it and have access. So much for “Just dumb chickens”. On some levels they are quite intelligent. Ah yes life with fowl!!

The garden continues to become a little more productive. What kohlrabi I have is beginning to mature. I plan to have a little more lettuce this week along with chard and kale. My Asian greens are recovering from the flea beetles along with the poc choy. I have temporary greenhouses on several beds and this seems to be helping these beds mature. I expect to have beets and radishes soon. Next week I will start the Jerusalem artichoke harvest. I have my second planting of peas starting to germinate and my first sowing is about 12 inches high with a very nicely stocked bed. The parsnips harvest will start soon too. Next year I am going to attempt germinating the parsnip seeds for a better stocked bed. It is so funny but last August was a perfect temperature for parsnips but I neglected to keep them moist between the rainstorms. Carrots and parsnips need to remain consistently moist up to the development of secondary leaves or they will have a large mortality. Ah yes this fall my attention was a little scattered. Deb would say “and what else is new?” Life in the fast lane!!!