I dug out an old book of mine called "5 acres and independence" by M. G.
Kains.

Anyways, he suggested that when you are planting grapes, to throw a couple of
bones in the bottom of the trenches prior to planting. On paper, it seems like
a good way to add some REALLY slow release fertilizer to the roots.

Has anyone done this? I was under the impression that the oils and fats and
stuff on the bones hinder the process. Although, being under a foot of soil,
there wouldn't be any smells or cats digging in to find them.

Possibly, after you cook down your Thanksgiving turkey (day 6 or turkey!) and
make soup, a huge amount of the fats and things would have been boiled off. Do
you just throw all that stuff into the hole and go with it?

I realize that the book is dated, but even the Native Americans would throw a
couple of fish heads in there corn mounds--and it seems to have sustained them
for thousands of years.

thanks
john

(Bpyboy) wrote in
:


Has anyone done this? I was under the impression that the oils and
fats and stuff on the bones hinder the process. Although, being under
a foot of soil, there wouldn't be any smells or cats digging in to
find them.

I would think the oils and fats and stuff would be goobled up quickly by
bacteria and who knows what else as long as the soil is biologically
active. But if you don't bury them deeply enough, I think the problem is
with animals smelling the oils and fat and looking for a meal.

If I recall correctly, as long as you can get rid of the oils and fats
it's very good to put in the garden. Some old timers may tell you about
animal problems after putting down commercial bone meal preparations ....
I'll like to hear if anyone is still having problems regarding that.

-- Salty

I've been wondering about this myself. I have a *lot* of bones I need
to dispose of quickly. Is the garden a good place for them?

Yeah, i'm running out of places to hide the bodies too.

In article ,
Salty Thumb wrote:

(Bpyboy) wrote in
:


Has anyone done this? I was under the impression that the oils and
fats and stuff on the bones hinder the process. Although, being under
a foot of soil, there wouldn't be any smells or cats digging in to
find them.

I would think the oils and fats and stuff would be goobled up quickly by
bacteria and who knows what else as long as the soil is biologically
active. But if you don't bury them deeply enough, I think the problem is
with animals smelling the oils and fat and looking for a meal.

If I recall correctly, as long as you can get rid of the oils and fats
it's very good to put in the garden. Some old timers may tell you about
animal problems after putting down commercial bone meal preparations ....
I'll like to hear if anyone is still having problems regarding that.


Our 150# black Newfoundland, Natasha (RIP) could smell bone meal a mile
away and dug quite a few pits as a youngster. Fortunately she outgrew
the habit after she was around two years old. I used to have to hose
her off with the garden hose--- what a mess LOL.

In article ,
(Bpyboy) wrote:

I dug out an old book of mine called "5 acres and independence" by
M. G. Kains.

Anyways, he suggested that when you are planting grapes, to throw a
couple of bones in the bottom of the trenches prior to planting. On
paper, it seems like a good way to add some REALLY slow release
fertilizer to the roots.


That is one of my all-time favorite gardening books. My dad used to do
that in his garden and he always had fabulous gardens.

It is a really good book . I aquired mine one x-mas, when a nutty cousin (he's
still nuts) gave it to me from his back pack when he realized that he didn't
bring me gift for the holiday. I read it, and a couple by Bradford Angier
(especially "How to live in the woods on pennies a day) and they shaped a lot
of views.

what's driving me nuts these days is that, as a student, I don't really have a
place to invest a lot of time and things into. just to move in a year or so.

I'm here to help out with my tiny little garden, and try to amass info from
everyone for when this firewalk is over.

john

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote in
news

Our 150# black Newfoundland, Natasha (RIP) could smell bone meal a
mile away and dug quite a few pits as a youngster. Fortunately she
outgrew the habit after she was around two years old. I used to have
to hose her off with the garden hose--- what a mess LOL.

Interesting. But I wonder if it's still a problem? I guess that
incident was around 7 years ago? I picked up a package of bone meal for
my mom recently and it said some fancy smancy stuff about a "special
steam purification process", so I wonder if that got rid of whatever
attracts animals, and if something similar could be done with home-made
bone meal etc.

-- Salty

P.S. I remember some people mentioning trench composting bones without
any problems.

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 16:56:54 GMT, Salty Thumb
wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote in
news

Our 150# black Newfoundland, Natasha (RIP) could smell bone meal a
mile away and dug quite a few pits as a youngster. Fortunately she
outgrew the habit after she was around two years old. I used to have
to hose her off with the garden hose--- what a mess LOL.

Interesting. But I wonder if it's still a problem? I guess that
incident was around 7 years ago? I picked up a package of bone meal for
my mom recently and it said some fancy smancy stuff about a "special
steam purification process", so I wonder if that got rid of whatever
attracts animals, and if something similar could be done with home-made
bone meal etc.


Being the paranoid person that I am, I wouldn't use bone
meal in the garden because of BSE (mad cow disease). One
case of it was recently reported in Canada.

I just wouldn't want to be spreading bone meal around my
place, and certainly not in the garden with the edibles.

Pat

In article ,
Pat Meadows wrote:

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 16:56:54 GMT, Salty Thumb
wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote in
news

Our 150# black Newfoundland, Natasha (RIP) could smell bone meal a
mile away and dug quite a few pits as a youngster. Fortunately she
outgrew the habit after she was around two years old. I used to have
to hose her off with the garden hose--- what a mess LOL.

Interesting. But I wonder if it's still a problem? I guess that
incident was around 7 years ago? I picked up a package of bone meal for
my mom recently and it said some fancy smancy stuff about a "special
steam purification process", so I wonder if that got rid of whatever
attracts animals, and if something similar could be done with home-made
bone meal etc.


Being the paranoid person that I am, I wouldn't use bone
meal in the garden because of BSE (mad cow disease). One
case of it was recently reported in Canada.

I just wouldn't want to be spreading bone meal around my
place, and certainly not in the garden with the edibles.

Pat



I wondered about that too. I don't think they've found anything that
kills prions yet.

In article ,
(Bpyboy) wrote:

It is a really good book . I aquired mine one x-mas, when a nutty cousin
(he's
still nuts) gave it to me from his back pack when he realized that he didn't
bring me gift for the holiday. I read it, and a couple by Bradford Angier
(especially "How to live in the woods on pennies a day) and they shaped a lot
of views.

what's driving me nuts these days is that, as a student, I don't really have
a
place to invest a lot of time and things into. just to move in a year or so.


I'm here to help out with my tiny little garden, and try to amass info from
everyone for when this firewalk is over.

john


You might try bonsai until you are able to settle in one place.

In article
,
Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote:

In article ,
Pat Meadows wrote:

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 16:56:54 GMT, Salty Thumb
wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote in
news

Our 150# black Newfoundland, Natasha (RIP) could smell bone meal a
mile away and dug quite a few pits as a youngster. Fortunately she
outgrew the habit after she was around two years old. I used to have
to hose her off with the garden hose--- what a mess LOL.

Interesting. But I wonder if it's still a problem? I guess that
incident was around 7 years ago? I picked up a package of bone meal for
my mom recently and it said some fancy smancy stuff about a "special
steam purification process", so I wonder if that got rid of whatever
attracts animals, and if something similar could be done with home-made
bone meal etc.


Being the paranoid person that I am, I wouldn't use bone
meal in the garden because of BSE (mad cow disease). One
case of it was recently reported in Canada.

I just wouldn't want to be spreading bone meal around my
place, and certainly not in the garden with the edibles.

Pat



I wondered about that too. I don't think they've found anything that
kills prions yet.

The steam sterilization process will *not* kill BSE prions. (I'm a beef
cattle rancher, and have been playing real close attention to the whole
BSE deal.)

Jan

(Jan Flora) wrote in
:

In article
,
Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote:

In article ,
Pat Meadows wrote:

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 16:56:54 GMT, Salty Thumb
wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote in
news om:


Our 150# black Newfoundland, Natasha (RIP) could smell bone meal
a mile away and dug quite a few pits as a youngster.
Fortunately she outgrew the habit after she was around two years
old. I used to have to hose her off with the garden hose---
what a mess LOL.

Interesting. But I wonder if it's still a problem? I guess that
incident was around 7 years ago? I picked up a package of bone
meal for my mom recently and it said some fancy smancy stuff about
a "special steam purification process", so I wonder if that got
rid of whatever attracts animals, and if something similar could
be done with home-made bone meal etc.


Being the paranoid person that I am, I wouldn't use bone
meal in the garden because of BSE (mad cow disease). One
case of it was recently reported in Canada.

I just wouldn't want to be spreading bone meal around my
place, and certainly not in the garden with the edibles.

Pat



I wondered about that too. I don't think they've found anything that
kills prions yet.

The steam sterilization process will *not* kill BSE prions. (I'm a
beef cattle rancher, and have been playing real close attention to the
whole BSE deal.)

Jan


All the more reason to figure out a way to home compost bones ... at
least until 'crazy chicken' disease becomes a problem. :-)

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 23:08:39 -0500, Phaedrine Stonebridge
wrote:


I wondered about that too. I don't think they've found anything that
kills prions yet.

I don't think so either.

For me personally, this is a case of 'I'd rather be safe
than sorry'. There are plenty of soil amendments that don't
involve bone meals.

Pat

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 23:10:35 -0500, Phaedrine Stonebridge
wrote:


what's driving me nuts these days is that, as a student, I don't really have
a
place to invest a lot of time and things into. just to move in a year or so.


I'm here to help out with my tiny little garden, and try to amass info from
everyone for when this firewalk is over.

john


You might try bonsai until you are able to settle in one place.

Nothing wrong with container gardening either. I've grown
an awful lot of veggies and herbs in containers.

Pat