Timothy Norton

Aydan Demir wrote:Have you noticed any difference between chips with more leaves mixed in versus mostly trunk wood?

I have to agree with your experience. If I get chip that contains all of the leaves, twigs, and everything else it tends to break down faster. This material tends to compost if left all alone in a big pile compared to  just trunk wood which tends to get more fungal in my experience.

Depending on how sharp the chipper blades were, I find that the trunk heartwood tends to stay in larger chunks that tend to persist in the environment longer. I try and earmark this type of material for my frequently traveled pathways. My mulch loads tend to not be homogenous so as I dig through it with a fork, I will decide where the wheelbarrow load will be destined based on how much green material is forked up.

Where I live in the Northeast, I feel the extreme weather that effected my homestead the most came in the early spring with an unusually warm period followed by a cold snap which destroyed nearly my entire fruit harvest for the year. While I get no fruit, it seems that the trees and shrubs have put that extra energy in growing! I consider this a good thing as my fruiting trees/bushes are on the young side still. This is now an investment in future fruit production!

It has, however, been one of the wettest summers the area I live in has had in a while. With the natural slope of my property, I have not had issues with excess water luckily.

On the site of where an old oak stump by the road ended up getting ground into the earth when the tree was removed.

I'm somewhere in the area of a third of an acre. I live right on the edge of a village so I'm backed up to woodland. It is really incredible what you can still do when your footage is limited. I keep figuring out new ways to create growing spaces because I stumble upon new plants I want to grow!

I can't help but smile like a fool every time I look at my pumpkin patch. The happiness this mess of vines brings me is priceless. There have been a couple losses at the edges of the mass as deer smash and nibble immature fruit but deep in the leaves is growth. While I did not plan to have the patch reach into my flowering spaces, it isn't the end of the world. I will just have to plan better next year!

Surely!

For example, I have been rather impressed with Rouge vif d'Étampes pumpkins this year. Not only have they been vigorous, but they have no signs of mildew while a nearby gourd has been rather beat by it.

Marketmore 76 cucumbers is a common heirloom strain in my area and for good reason. It performs well in both drought and wet years.

I'm loving all the photos of your yarden! I'm trying to do the same on my little plot. Thank you for the inspiration.

If possible, separate the pellets from the bedding as they can be used immediately in gardening areas or stored for future use. I have not tried composting rabbit bedding/urine indoors but have found it to be a little pungent during handling. I would want to make sure I had enough carbon rich material to balance it out.

I like the idea that Douglas gave of utilizing a garbage bin or similar container. If for some reason you get a big whiff of ammonia, you will know to add more carbon material to the layer the next time. You then periodically put it outside in a big pile so it gets mixed up and (hopefully) start hot composting from all the mixing.

I've had issues with squirrels for a few years. It turns out that the squirrels stayed in the area because of a combination of the proximity to a year-round bird feeder and convenient lodgings kept them nearby. My garden was just an added benefit. We have now limited when we put out feeders to certain seasons and plugged up some holes in an outbuilding; the squirrels have mostly gone off to greener pastures now. While squirrels will travel over open ground, if you can expose more open space before they can reach your garden it could deter them. Arial predators at least would have a better chance deterring them for you!

I still experience some limited fruit loss from squirrels, but I am not losing the entire crop like before.

Thank you all for the bit of relief, it is nice to know that this is a normal process when certain conditions are met.

To be fair, I'm pleased with the prospect of having some free mulch material to utilize before the big leaf drop occurs. It also helps me balance out my garden trimmings when placed in the compost.