Harvesting my Chicken Run Compost - Black Gold!

[gtaus]

And just saying that out loud made me feel lazy and brilliant all at the same time!

I don't consider finding a better way to complete a job as being lazy. I mean, you can chop down a tree with an axe, and work really hard. Or, you can use a chainsaw and fell the tree in a couple of minutes.

Years ago, I heard a joke about an aging pitcher that was getting interviewed on his pitching. The interviewer asked the pitcher, "you used to throw so hard and everyone feared your fast pitch, why don't you use it anymore?" The aging pitcher responded, "I pitch just as hard today, but the ball doesn't go as fast!"

In my case, I work just as hard as I did when I was much younger, but I don't get the same amount of work done! I am just as tired after a 4-hour job today that I was after the same 8-hour job years ago.

Except for my composting and sifting. With the cement mixer compost sifter, I can work a fraction of the time and get loads more compost sifted then I ever did before with the manual sifter. I don't work nearly as hard today, and yet, get much more done with my tools. Likewise, I can load up my 4-wheeled carts with 3X the amount of material but it's so much easier on the back than my 1-wheeled wheelbarrow.

Working smarter on many of my routine yard jobs is allowing me to enjoy those activities much longer in my life.

Using the Square Foot Gardening method and growing stuff in raised beds has allowed me to grow more food in less space, while at the same time I have reduced the amount of bending over to maintain my gardens. I now have 2X the gardening space I did 20 years ago, but it is easier to maintain in almost every aspect. Winning!

 

[gtaus]

I had hoped to start some seedlings this year inside the house, using my chicken run compost to mix in with other potting material to make soil blocks. But some of seeds I bought indicate I need to start them 8-10 weeks before our last frost date. For me, that's like next week. Unfortunately, I still have over 2 feet of snow outside and there is no way I will be able to sift any chicken run compost for many weeks yet.

So, change of plans for the moment. I watched a YouTube video on using 3-inch net pots in lieu of soil blocks. Like soil blocks, these net pots have the advantage of air pruning the roots of the plant, due to the slits in the pot, which is supposed to reduce or eliminate any transplanting shock. Also, you don't have any spiraling of the roots, like in a solid container, which causes the plant to get root bound.

Another advantage of using these net pots is that you don't need any special soil block mix to keep things together. You can just pack in any potting soil and call it a day. So, I ordered a 50 pack of these 3-inch net pots from Amazon for $15.00 and they should be here in a few days.

On Sunday, I purchased five 48-inch long LED shop lights for use as grow lights to hang on a seed starting rack that I will make out of reclaimed lumber and pallet wood. They were on sale at Menards - normally $20.00 each but on sale now for $10.00 after rebate. Each light is rated at 5,500 lumens and has a 4,500K rating. From what I understand, 6,500K would be the best, but as a seed starter light, anything from 4,100K-6,500K will work well. In any case, I was not going to buy "grow lights" which were around $60.00 each!

That should get me started on growing some of the early plants. Maybe later on, in 5 or 6 weeks, I can sift some chicken run compost and make soil blocks for any remaining plants I want to start early.

Later in the spring, or this summer, I am thinking about building a pallet wood greenhouse with cattle panels or PVC tubing for the arch.

Lots of gardening projects to work on this year and take advantage of all that black gold compost I have sitting in the chicken run.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Just when it starts to feel like winter will never end, we had a nice warm weekend and things are already starting to green up, like the hops and mint I have around my run to the tiny peach trees I planted in the run last year.

And the fact that several neighbors do their fall cleanup in the spring came in handy. They had 15 bags of leaves they were looking for somewhere to dump. Add that to 7 or 8 barrels we got from tidying up the yard, and the run got a major influx in carbon just in time for the warm weather. Good stuff.

 

[gtaus]

Just when it starts to feel like winter will never end, we had a nice warm weekend and things are already starting to green up, like the hops and mint I have around my run to the tiny peach trees I planted in the run last year.

Just when it starts to feel like spring might come, we got another 3 day blizzard shutting down the schools, canceling most activities, and dumping about 1 foot of new snow on us. It could have been worse, but the storm tacked north of us in it's final approach.

My raised garden beds are 16 inches high, and after this latest snowfall, my raised beds are under at least 6 inches of snow on the top. So, we still have 2-3 feet of snow out in the yard.

And the fact that several neighbors do their fall cleanup in the spring came in handy. They had 15 bags of leaves they were looking for somewhere to dump. Add that to 7 or 8 barrels we got from tidying up the yard, and the run got a major influx in carbon just in time for the warm weather. Good stuff.

That's fantastic. Not only did you get to help out your neighbors, but you enriched yourself in terms of goodwill with the neighbors and future composting for your use. I always say the world needs more composters and we would all have a better place to live.

 

[NanaK]

They had 15 bags of leaves they were looking for somewhere to dump.

What a great score! I have a neighbor that donates her leaves to my compost bin too. It really helps out. Part of our land if forest so I still have some to get up here too.

My raised garden beds are 16 inches high, and after this latest snowfall, my raised beds are under at least 6 inches of snow on the top. So, we still have 2-3 feet of snow out in the yard.

Hope the white stuff is out of your way and you see the soil soon.


Weather has been wonderful here the last few weeks. Cabbage and peas growing nicely in the garden. Everything has a nice rich compost mix worked into the garden and other empty rows ready to plant. I often say the best thing I've ever done for my garden was get chickens!

I have a bunch of annual flowers, tomatoes and peppers I've grown from seed mostly hardened off and ready to plant in the garden. Now we are getting a cool spell and rain. Wed and Thurs it was in the high 80's. Yesterday it was in the 40's. Back to 60's for daytime but tonight and tomorrow night in the upper 30's. Plants are in my unheated greenhouse. I have 6 tomatoes I planted way early on purpose (and lots of smaller ones). The big ones are in 1-2 gallon pots begging for the garden and sunshine. They are a couple feet tall. DH says he'll help me move them inside or get the small heater for me. Can't ask for better than that. Not sure what I'll do.

Weather is always a roller coaster ride this time of year.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Just when it starts to feel like spring might come, we got another 3 day blizzard shutting down the schools, canceling most activities, and dumping about 1 foot of new snow on us. It could have been worse, but the storm tacked north of us in it's final approach.

My raised garden beds are 16 inches high, and after this latest snowfall, my raised beds are under at least 6 inches of snow on the top. So, we still have 2-3 feet of snow out in the yard.

Wow, yes, we had something of a non-winter in southern new england this year. Even in a bad year, we get snow that'd shut down 85% of the US - the exception being that stretch at the top of the country from upstate NY through WI...I never complain about snow and cold to someone who lives there.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Yes, with the weather starting to warm and not a lot of carbon inputs since the fall leaves, the timing of leaves was well-timed.

I recently let 16 new 2-month old hens out into the compost run, was nice to start seeing them very quickly figure out the way things work, scratching and uncovering snacks.

 

[gtaus]

I recently let 16 new 2-month old hens out into the compost run, was nice to start seeing them very quickly figure out the way things work, scratching and uncovering snacks.

Yes. When I first got my chicks, I was concerned that they would get bored out in the chicken run. So, I tried a number of chicken toys for their amusement. Nothing really worked and the toys went unused or became obstacles to go around. They were more interested in digging up the grass and looking for bugs to eat. When I converted my chicken run into a chicken run compost system, they seemed to love it. They spend all day outside scratching and pecking in the compost litter. Chicken TV for me. Composting in the process as I watch.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Yes. When I first got my chicks, I was concerned that they would get bored out in the chicken run. So, I tried a number of chicken toys for their amusement. Nothing really worked and the toys went unused or became obstacles to go around. They were more interested in digging up the grass and looking for bugs to eat. When I converted my chicken run into a chicken run compost system, they seemed to love it. They spend all day outside scratching and pecking in the compost litter. Chicken TV for me. Composting in the process as I watch.

Yes, chickens want to chicken. You just gotta let them. I find in my run if I ever want to up the fun a bit, all I need to do is walk out with a pitchfork and turn two or three fork-fulls over and there's a hen party at the worm and bug buffet.

From my understanding of TV ratings, "watching compost...err...compost" typically rates slightly above "watching paint dry" on BTV (boring tv). Throw in chickens, and it's a ratings bonanza.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Memorial Day is coming up, which means tonight was the Cub Scout pack's annual cemetery cleanup, and a nice influx of carbon for my chicken run compost system.

I'm going back to pick up the 2nd load tomorrow, after I dump this load in the run in the AM.