What about the woods?

[wlaukaitis]

Hello,

I am looking into starting a garden next year. I may also do some composting as well.

I was thinking about the worm method and remembered finding them in the woods when I was younger. I used to walk about 15 feet into the woods, go off the path about 2 feet and scrape about 1/2 inch of "woods floor" away and there were tons of worms and that nice "worm dirt" as well.

Could this be used in the garden as well as assisting the compost pile??

Thank you for your help.

[grandpasrose]

This is "mother nature's" compost on the forest floor. Often it is referred to leaf mould. It is certainly good for your garden and your compost!
VAL

[wlaukaitis]

So this would be good to get a compost pile started or at least help. I would imagine that the deeper I go into the woods the better the compost would be (lees influence by man)

Thanks!!

[grandpasrose]

Just make sure that you are not using material that is mostly based on pine or fir or spruce, as it is quite a bit on the acidic side. You want material that is from deciduous trees. Happy hunting!
VAL

[opabinia51]

The leaf mold from your local forest floor will be great to inoculate your home compost pile with composting organisms including worms, bacteria, fungi and protozoans. Great Idea!

Given, that you have a forest near your house (provided it is a deciduous forest) you will never be short of browns. It's a good idea to stockpile fallen leaves in a leaf mold pile somewhere in your yard such that you will have leaves to add in layers to your compost pile next spring and summer when "browns" are in short supply.

Most people make a wire cage to store their leaves in but, I just have a pile in my veggie garden. Also, in about a year the unused leaves will have composted into nice crumbly soil.

If you have a corn farm near you, ask the propreitors if you can have their corn husks. That is what I did this year and the husks are great "greens" for the pile.

[The Helpful Gardener]

I have an old lightening-struck maple in my yard that has gone hollow and in the root buttress is a hole that allows me to harvest stump dirt out of it. I put some in the tumbler every time I start a new batch, and I think it's the secret ingredient to my mix. Woodland soil is just one step further down that road, and it is how Mother replenishes the soil, so who are we to argue here?

Scott