Brendan O'Poultney

Thanks so much for sharing your thought and practice, everyone! It’s definitely helping me develop an approach for my situation.

Scott Stiller wrote:I’m probably in the minority on this one. I chop and drop everything. If it’s something I eat (including weeds) I don’t care how many seeds drop. A great deal of my gardens are volunteer plants. Most things I like can be easily noticed if they regrow in spring. Things I don’t like are plucked out when small. When I plant I stomp down whatever’s there then walk on it while in the garden.

I’m inclined in your direction, so will at least chop-and-drop whatever lambsquarter I don’t use, though in seed. I like Rebecca Norman’s point that it prefers disturbed soil rather than mulch; so we’ll see what my mulch can mitigate! Chris is right: TISTAFM!

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:. . . Extra mulch, or extra work and maintenance. It depends on how you prefer to garden.

I usually chop off nuisance seed heads and put them in a barrel of water to rot. . .

Well put. And I’m going to experiment with the soaking method you and Rebecca use.
Experiencing my dialog with the Land - listening, intervening here, letting go there - is still very much shaping how I prefer to garden! So I appreciate you lending me some of your experience on my way!

Rebecca Norman wrote:. . . grasses sometimes have more ability to sprout and spike up through mulch, and are said to hinder the growth of trees.

Hugo Morvan wrote:. . . i personally do not accept grasses to grow anywhere on my path or in my beds. Grass is a fierce competitor, although i appreciate it's endurance and do see the mycelia around it's root zone, i haven't heard of any proof that letting it be is of any benefit to my veggies.

That’s what my gut says about grasses, too. I had been on top of pulling them while the clover fills in; but they’ve loved the weather these few weeks and got away. I’m not getting all of them, but I’m not dropping them either. (Now I know to soak before further composting.)
Rebecca, a smelly seed soak sounds . . . good!

Hugo Morvan wrote:. . . I still hope reading a differing opinion has shed some light on your situation.

Very much! Thanks for sharing, and best to you, too.

I was unable to tend the beds and land for several crucial weeks. Now there's a lot gone to seed. I don't have relevant experience, so I'm asking what my realistic options are.

If I leave things I'm eating - like lambsquarters, amaranth, and velvet leaf - will the seed loads they drop commit those beds to those species in perpetuity?

I ask because I'd anticipate doing end of season chop-and-drop, but I note lots of people who mention chop-and-drop add something like, "as long as they haven't gone to seed."

Thanks in advance for any experience you might share.

Thank you so much for the important perspective, Doc RedHawk and Dave!

I skipped that straw and instead added aerobically decomposed leaf matter to my mix (and did find some perlite).

(I'd originally intended that straw as substrate for oyster mushrooms - and if submersion isn't technically pasteurization, it plays a parallel role in knocking back competition with mycelial spawn. So glad to know that that process undermines soil health!)

Grateful,
Brendan

Hi, Everyone. I'm building a little soil for some raised beds (raised because bedrock's only a couple inches down!). I don't have perlite, nor grain hulls (the mills around like they used to be). But I found some straw I'd been pasteurizing anaerobically (so it's stinky); it's broken up by weedwhacker. Might THAT serve as an aeration component?

Thanks!

Thanks for the link and response, Brian Rodgers! I looked at "How to Care for Your Septic System," and it looks like I'll have to consult "a septic service professional" for advice. I'll reach in that direction, too.

But I'm also hoping for a permacultural point of view here. ;-)

Hey, Permies. First post here!

I purchased and moved onto 10 forested acres in Vermont (Zone 5a) in May. I've cleared a field to set up solar (done) and as wild and foresty a garden as possible (planning).

I'm hoping for feedback about septic concerns that should inform how I locate and perhaps construct my composting system and Hugelkultur beds. What kind of perimeter should I keep from the septic system leach pipe? I will be moving to a bucket-toilet system, but would like to keep the flusher for some guests. So the septic won't be pure grey (although I'm open to that, if that's what makes possible what I hope to do).

Composting. I'd like to set up a composting bin system about 20’ south of the leach pipe. The grade in question is slight (maybe up to a foot drop in that distance). But is it still too close? I’d like to put it directly on the ground so as not to hinder worm, fungal, and microbial mobility. Or, this close to the leach pipe, should I elevate my bins?

Hugelkultur beds. I’d like to set food beds up down-grade and west of the leach field. The slope in question is fairly steep. From the middle of the leach pipe to the solar panels (about 100'), the drop is 10' - 15'.

Below are some images from SketchUp.

This is an aerial representation of the Zone of Development, north to the top. Although the contour lines aren't 100% accurate in their specific placement, each one represents a 5' altitudinal change. Below the house, just to the west, sits the garage/shop and septic tank. The solar panels are in the northwest corner. These are already in place. The beds and "permanent" composting system are not yet. I have ~30 hardwood trees and brush from the felling, some of which I will use in the beds.



This is a more 3D-ish look from west to east at the Zone of Development.



This is an aerial depiction of the 10 acres, bounded on the north and west by the dirt roads; the east and south boundaries are drawn in.



Thanks for any feedback!
MycoMan