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Caceres, Spain

Today I am happy and tired. I got a truck of Platanus hybrida and Populus nigra leaves. Loaded by hand! My wife said I am crazy :)
Well, I think I am going to mix them with caw manure, in order to acelerate compostage and make a nice compost, as I adviced to more than one here. The thing is I made many compost pits in my life, but not with leaves, and then I doubt about wich percentage of leaves and manure to mix: 50/50, 70/30, 30/70,.... Maybe is nor a very important question to determine the result, but as I can choose the ingredients for this magic potion, I'd like to know your opinions.
Don

11/28/2002 4:40:13 PM

Bristol, ME ([email protected])

I believe 70% browns to 30% greens is the called for combo. I use equal amount of browns and greens..makes a nice black mix quite rapidly.

11/28/2002 5:46:45 PM

Cologne / Germany

Yo Don, taking all that stuff to your next season patch is incredible work. Everyone says "loads of..", just carry a single bucket of manure by hand...I have a backyard patch and no chance to transport any "big and heavy hardware", but I bought some "tiny hardware" like a leaf shredder, a small tiller...just need to bring in the "good stuff" by hand.

11/28/2002 6:13:30 PM

[email protected]

Carlos,

The ratio is probably not as important as the quality of blending. By that I mean, chop the leaves as fine as reasonably possible. Finer is better. Then blend the 2 ingredients as well as you can. Anything even close to 50/50 will work well if it's thoroughly blended. Too much brown will take some time & may take down your N. Too much green, & the matter may stall before spring. If it's very cold, the whole thing may stall either way. Think balance.

Steve

11/28/2002 10:12:24 PM

Caceres, Spain

Thank you friends, I'll try betwen 50/50 and 70/30 for the brown (more or less, of course) and I tried to blen them as fine as possible. But, Steve I'd like very much to chop the leaves, but I don't have even a lawn mower to do that. Is my horse who mow the grass in the farm. Have you seen it? -:) Anyway, winters here are pretty mild and I believe that in spring we'll have a nice black gold pit, better than if it were only from manure, don't you think so?
Hey Floh, I really understand you, do you know what in those moments do we use to say here?: the greyhound run fast, but if the path is long, faster the mastiff run (I espect the translation was no so terrible).

11/29/2002 1:04:35 AM

Montoursville, PA

Don Could you put the leaves in the barn for your horse to trample. They would go to smaller pieces for sure and suck up urine at the same time. In my compost pile I like to use a mix of greens, browns, manure and shreaded newspapers. I add a little soil and turn it about twice in our fall season and twice in the spring season. In our coldest weather I throw a plastic cover over the pile. It never quite makes completely finished compost. I use it nearly all for the whole garden.

11/29/2002 1:00:45 PM