Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Greg Richardson]

Quote: Just remember most of what you torch will grow back.
I use that technique on my long gravel drive way also.
If I was you I'd torch it then spread out your coop stuff as much as you can in that area.
That will help the old torched stuff from coming up as much.

I'd continue to dump it in there.

Something to consider............

Especially being a home school family why not you and your kids learn how to garden together?

Your 20x20 space would grow a lot of food.

Kids can learn a lot from growing food.
From following instructions to experimenting with different methods it will open up a whole new world for all of you.

Just think, every day part of your school day would be going out there maintaining your garden.
I know your kids already know where their food comes from but when they are involved in growing what they eat it takes on a whole new meaning.
Come fall they can plant a winter garden.

Sure, during the winter that time slows down but then part of your school work could be looking at the records they kept as part of their home work.
What grew well?
What techniques could we change for better yield?
What can we grow different this summer?
How about we build projects that allow us to grow vertically utilizing all our space?

How can we use the food we grow to enhance our meals and our health?

Your kids being home schooled is a perfect situation for a garden.

What makes gardening so great is if you never did it as a kid and know nothing the net has everything you need.

Next post I'll give you many links to help if you end up considering it.

Even if you don't the links may help others.

 

[Greg Richardson]

Garden Help Links............

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/teach/

http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/index.php

http://gardeningjones.com/blog/videos/

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/

http://www.permies.com/forums/

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=11

http://www.tomatodirt.com/index.html

http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=44

http://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-kale/

 

[FirewifeJess]

Greg - thank you SO much for all those links and the great post above it! I had considered gardening as part of school and know it would benefit us all to get outside purposefully each day, it's just hard. William is finally at an age where he's beginning not to need a long nap every day now, which frees us up a lot. Also...the weather = ugh! It's a hassle just getting ME outside to the coop each day, let alone all the kids.

I think what I'll do to start is torch the whole area, spread poop over all of it this whole spring/summer, and plant part of it in the fall for a winter garden. Or maybe we could do a really small area together just to start out this summer. We will finish school completely mid May, perhaps the rest of the month can be spent preparing a garden together. One bummer: we need a longer hose. It doesn't quite reach the garden.

 

[Greg Richardson]

You might start out small growing chicken/human food like sunflower & pumpkins which are extra fun food for the kids.....................

Tips on growing giant sunflowers........
http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/grow-sunflower.html

I bought my sunflower seeds from this link....................
https://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/product-info.php?pid644.html

Also you can get pumpkin seeds there
https://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/product-list.php?pg1-cid75.html
or look around the net if you want the giant atlantic dill seeds from growers as they carry them at the link but I think you have better success for realy big from dedicated growers.

 

[RaZ]

You can start a lazy weed control programme right now and avoid a ton of labour.

Spread newspaper out in the garden area you want weed free. Use 6-7 layers of damp paper. Use the coop cleanings to hold the newspaper in place. By springtime, you will have smothered most of the weeds and prevent the weed seeds from germinating. You can do this a section at a time and have the kidletts help.

I teach a lot of elementary school age kids how to garden and compost and they really seem to enjoy it. They learn quite a bit and it seems like fun to them and not work.

PM me if I can help.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Yes someone else told me about the newspaper thing too! I'm putting out an APB for newspaper on FB as we speak! Then I'll clean the coop and spread the mess over top. I can't wait to at least START the process of a workable garden, even if it takes me a couple years to work up to using the whole space.

Thanks everyone!

 

[VelvettFog]

Yes someone else told me about the newspaper thing too! I'm putting out an APB for newspaper on FB as we speak! Then I'll clean the coop and spread the mess over top. I can't wait to at least START the process of a workable garden, even if it takes me a couple years to work up to using the whole space.

Thanks everyone!

Newspaper, cardboard (pull the tape off first, don't use shiny, printed on), paper grocery bags, paper feed bags, old cotton sheets, anything that will break down.

I would:

1. Cut the weeds down to ground level (weedeater is fine - leave them there on the ground)
2. Cover the area with your carbon of choice (from the list above - if you use newspaper I suggest using close to 1/2" thick. I like cardboard the best)
3. Cover with your coop cleanings (or better yet another layer of 'green' - such as fresh lawn clippings or the cleanings from your poop-board)
3.a If you were able to put down a another layer of green, put the coop cleanings as your next layer
4. Wet it down.

That's a very basic sheet compost like what Hallerlake mentioned.

 

[Slinglings]

Quote:
Jess, why do you put it in the trash? (here it would be illegal, but it's also a big waste of landfill space and fertilizer! If you don't want it, I'm sure you could easily find a gardener to take it off your hands. We pay a ton for trash removal, I would hate to pay to have all of that hauled off with the trash)

I have no inclination to compost it so I use the green waste trash bin. I just don't have time! My kids are the priority and I don't have the know-how or time to get the garden started, so we can't use it anyway. Question though...could I put all that poop and shavings in one corner of the garden and just spread it out? I currently have a completely wasted space of a 20'x20' raised bed surrounded by stone and all it grows are wildflowers and weeds. I don't WANT to compost, simply don't care. I know those are blasphemous words around these parts and maybe if I had more strength or help to get my yard/garden sorted out I'd want it, but I do need to get rid of it. We're even thinking of torching all the weeds in the garden so they don't grow up again in the spring. It's just a mess. I'll take a pic and post it.
You don't have to do a darn thing except dump it somewhere. Nature (and the chickens) will do the rest

 

[Slinglings]

Quote:
Jess, why do you put it in the trash? (here it would be illegal, but it's also a big waste of landfill space and fertilizer! If you don't want it, I'm sure you could easily find a gardener to take it off your hands. We pay a ton for trash removal, I would hate to pay to have all of that hauled off with the trash)

I have no inclination to compost it so I use the green waste trash bin. I just don't have time! My kids are the priority and I don't have the know-how or time to get the garden started, so we can't use it anyway. Question though...could I put all that poop and shavings in one corner of the garden and just spread it out? I currently have a completely wasted space of a 20'x20' raised bed surrounded by stone and all it grows are wildflowers and weeds. I don't WANT to compost, simply don't care. I know those are blasphemous words around these parts and maybe if I had more strength or help to get my yard/garden sorted out I'd want it, but I do need to get rid of it. We're even thinking of torching all the weeds in the garden so they don't grow up again in the spring. It's just a mess. I'll take a pic and post it.
Yes, you can. It will compost in place. It is called sheet composting. Someday, when your kids are older, you will have a great place to plant.

In the City of Seattle, animal droppings are not allowed in green waste. They have to be double bagged and put in the trash.
Even chicken droppings? I thought it was just stuff like dog/cat. Doesn't matter, I put it in the garden anyway...but I don't see why they would allow meat, for example, in the food/yard waste, but not chicken droppings.

 

[Slinglings]

Quote:
Jess, why do you put it in the trash? (here it would be illegal, but it's also a big waste of landfill space and fertilizer! If you don't want it, I'm sure you could easily find a gardener to take it off your hands. We pay a ton for trash removal, I would hate to pay to have all of that hauled off with the trash)

I have no inclination to compost it so I use the green waste trash bin. I just don't have time! My kids are the priority and I don't have the know-how or time to get the garden started, so we can't use it anyway. Question though...could I put all that poop and shavings in one corner of the garden and just spread it out? I currently have a completely wasted space of a 20'x20' raised bed surrounded by stone and all it grows are wildflowers and weeds. I don't WANT to compost, simply don't care. I know those are blasphemous words around these parts and maybe if I had more strength or help to get my yard/garden sorted out I'd want it, but I do need to get rid of it. We're even thinking of torching all the weeds in the garden so they don't grow up again in the spring. It's just a mess. I'll take a pic and post it.
Yes, you can. It will compost in place. It is called sheet composting. Someday, when your kids are older, you will have a great place to plant.

In the City of Seattle, animal droppings are not allowed in green waste. They have to be double bagged and put in the trash.
Even chicken droppings? I thought it was just stuff like dog/cat. Doesn't matter, I put it in the garden anyway...but I don't see why they would allow meat, for example, in the food/yard waste, but not chicken droppings.
I went to the SPU website and the only thing it mentions specifically is dog poop and cat litter.