Collecting soil

[DeLuDe]

Alright. I need some soil for the flowers at home and I don't want to buy it. Instead I wanna drive around and find some.

Can you give me some tips?
Are there any indicators of a rich healthy soil?
How deep should I dig?
What's a safe way to sterilize a large amount (i. e. other than in the pot/oven/microwave)?

Thanks

[RifeHeretic]

It would be best to go to your local dump and get some compost. The dump in my area gives it away for free. Good indicators are dark, not clumping, soil. The smell should radiate health as well.

It would probably be more efficient compost your yard clippings.

[winder]

Exactly.

I love the fall yard work as it allows me to collect a couple of cubic yards of compost for the following spring.  After smoldering in its own warm for a few months, it becomes a useful blend from the combination of carbon-rich brown leaves and nitrogen-rich green grass.  On its own the grass is somewhat dense, and own their own the leaves are too fluffy, but together they make for a porous, rich mix that takes little else to make plants happy in flower beds.

Such stuff is quite the contrast to the dense thick clay we have here that chokes stuff to death.

This year I got smart and put in a second compst pile, so now there is a pile on each end of the yard - less commuting into and out from the piles this way.  I also increase the total pile capacity by 3x.

[RifeHeretic]

Winder, do you just heap your clippings and leaves together and let them sit? Do you mix at all, or just let nature take its course?

Wish there was enough room for two piles here development rates are high enough to kill an ox.

[winder]

I have the piles contained on 3 sides with wire mesh fencing.
The open fourthside allows easy access.

Everthing goes through a mulching mower into the bagger en route to the piles.

Afterwards, I should turn the piles to aerate and accelerate the composting, but I don't.

Nature takes its course ad has several months to do so.

Coming out of the pile, again the mulching mower is used and the pile transferred via the bagger to the flower beds.  This step helps break up the compaction that has taken place during the composting.  I just spread the pile a bit and pick it up with the mower.

I have found critters nesting in the pile due to its warmth.

I do mix the compost with potting soil for the planters.  At first, the mix is almost too porous, but then as the roots fill in, all becomes just right.

[Cassie]

I make my compost in a heap, a pile on the ground, and I usually have more than one going - one composting and the other being piled up.  I like to turn them  a couple of times. I cover them with sheet of plastic or whatever. The heap should be damp, not dry or wet.
For people in smaller dwellings one can make or buy a worm farm which will digest your scraps and make compost for you in a small container.
Another good idea is a rotating barrell which turned frequently will give compost in six weeks.
I have also heard of apartment dwellers who put their scraps in black plastic bags on the balcony, turning every so often.

[RifeHeretic]

Hmm, gonna start one a pile or two in spring. I want a worm farm!!  :?