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organic The Hot Pepper All Organic Grow

Maybe a poll for a separate forum? :rofl:
 
 
That should needle a mod or two, I think it's been brought up a few times hehehe. It is kind of strange though, most forums of this size separate the two main styles to reduce arguments/tension.
 
Why start a topic but then not start the topic?
 
It's not really needed and sort of pandering a false presumption when you include the word "all".  People have been talking about their organic methods for years already.
 
On the small scale most of us grow, there is negligible to zero negative effect of adding select non-organics to an organically enhanced grow so long as you are mindful of what you're doing.
 
I also use none organic fert's. A member had brought up the idea about a discussion about it I thought why not start one. It ether takes off or it doesn't. Ether way one does not know until one starts a thread that never goes any where.
 
Fair enough. 
 
I compost everything uncooked, fruit, vegetable, coffee ground, egg shell, or remotely related from inside, and then everything yard-waste I have room for.  If something can go into the pile instead of trash then it does.
 
I take the low maintenance approach to composting.  I do not turn or water.  That means it takes a season longer to convert compost to soil.  I am happy to wait a season and not do that work, turning the compost when I need to scrape the bottom off  in spring and am refreshing soil when fall makes me pull plants out and compost them too.
 
That improves the nutrient level and texture of my otherwise dense, high clay soil, but plants still grow better with regular, low doses of good ole 10-10-10 non-organic fertilizer.
 
I am a bit crazy for composting.  My worm bins get the best vege scraps and I have been known to grate carrots and the like for them.  The worm bin can only take 5oz a day so most other kitchen waste goes into one of my two little compost bin which probably holds about only about 150 gallons.  I actually have 2 this size so one composts while the other is being filled.  I have a final compost heap which is larger and I want to build a frame for.  It is more for hot composting and killing weeds. It gets lawn clippings, chipped trees etc and a little soil mixed through it and is probably a few cubic yards.  I think of it as mainly producing bulk clean compost,
 
I pull up concrete stepping stones and collect worms that like to hang out under them, as well as those busy in the compost.
 
If a compost pile is too much to manage, tossing stuff in a bucket far enough away that the bugs don't bother you works too, but if the bucket doesn't have drainage holes then you probably want to keep it covered so it doesn't become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
 
I dont have any specific desire for all organic, but due to my soil, I dont need fertilizer. Most of my plants are around 6ft tall and 3-4ft wide, producing hundreds of pods.

I have a raised bed and for soil, I filled the thing with horse manure from my parents farm. The manure is a mix of shavings, hay, and of course horse pee/poop. Some of it had been decomposting for 6-10 months, some was quite fresh.

This soil just grows stuff like crazy. Id recommend people get in touch with a local farm with horses.
This stuff was also absolutely brimming with worms.
 
While horse manure works well it can hold some serious nasties if not given enough tine to cook. The stuff that has sat for 6+ months should be fine but the fresh stuff could cause serious health issues.
 
I have never really thought about horse manure as a health hazard.  Composting it is great as if can kill any seeds and grains that pass through.  If the horses weren't fed any grains I would not bother composting.
 
https://www.bayequest.info/static/pdf/manure.pdf
 
The above suggest horse manure, while understudied, is pretty safe.  That makes sense given humans long relationship with horses.  I was also able to find this which suggests in certain circumstances horse manure can carry salmonella.
 
http://www.examiner.com/article/read-this-before-you-dump-that-horse-manure-your-vegetable-garden
 
My approach will be to compost if time allows.
 
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