@MDBuds leaf mold holds 300 times its weight in water. It was the inspiration for the various water beads/soil amendments that we have now. It also makes excellent food for worms. Your on the right track.
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@Rye exactly and it also builds up a nice humus which kind of “glues” everything together when it decomposes into compost. Hoping to take advantage of that to keep everything in the soil. Currently working out how much nitrogen I would need to add to compensate for all the extra carbon from the dry leaf material.
In my experience about 1/3 to 1/5 weight wise of plant material. So 1 part brown to 1/5 of a high nitrogen source, by weight. But that’s a outside pile that I plan to let sit for a while.
For inside you can always use a cover crop (micro clover etc) for no till. Or guano if you ok with animal products. For long term slow release theres always rabbit manure, probably the best manure to use both in compost or directly as a slow release nitrogen source.
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@Rye oh I use manure in my organic compost. I’m just trying to figure out the veganic bit. Haven’t used alf alfa meal a lot so I’m looking up the average N03 content so I can get the ratio right.
I have bat guano, chicken manure, and steer manure galore sitting around because I am trying to remineralize my back pasture before I do a small greenhouse grow this spring/summer.
Alfalfa or pinto bean would be good. I
@Rye already have the compost for the leaves going. Half much and half twigs and dry leaves with some mycho. Added some humus from my vegan veggie compost to jump start it. Just gotta source my green materials now to throw on top and let it cook.
Raw, nitrogen rich, veganic is gonna be hard to find this time of year. Most the green stuff is gone. Perhaps sprouts of some sort? I’ve seen people do racks of various sprouts as a compost source and a food source.
In the spring will be an excellent time to build a longterm veganic compost. With the new growth bring up minerals from deep and the plethora green.
I planned to do some bean sprouts and cover clover with my winter grow as companions so that’ll help. I’ll probably do a pot or two of alf alfa as well. Already have some basil, mint, and chamomile I can chop and throw in too for some NPK as well.
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Where we at with this doc, since last time we have spoken I have been diving into this rabbit hole. I was so confused how my first plant looked great with no bottles etc 
Veganics/ NoTill is definitely the way to go but at the moment I believe I have bitten of more than I can chew.
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One suggestion with the coco coir replacement for sphagnum peat moss… if coco is used it must be baked after each grow cycle. You can do this by leaving it in the hot sun or actually baking it in an oven “literally”… use a sheet pan line it if preferred. Bake at around 140° for 25 min…Also you can use your spent soil/soiless as a compost pile starter…
@CkNugz I do use my spent soil and compost it.
I’m not worried about baking my coco because it exceeds 140f in the compost pile and it kills all anaerobic pathogens and bugs.
I toss it in with my leaf mulch and veggie compost. I have tweaked my recipe and method a bit since this post trying to dial in a recipe that will work seed to harvest with little or no amendment.
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@Henry still dialing it in man. So far the leaf mulch and veggie compost created a really nice humus and really helped the coco hold on to everything. Near the end the mix ran out of phosphorus and potassium so not quite seed to harvest yet but close.
Decided to add some soft rock phosphate to the mix and some langbeinite for phosphorus and mixing the kelp meal with some wood ash and banana peels to make a potash compost.
Working on getting the ratios and ph right currently. As soon as I get the new mix where I want it I’ll test it out and update you guys.
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@CkNugz yeah those cytokinins and the auxin from liquid kelp and kelp meal are great. Always get huge root balls from using the stuff.
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@CkNugz I have. I don’t grow purely veganic and still do organic. I just experiment with different methods and soil compositions. Trying to develop my own seed to harvest living soil without having to buy starters and amendments all the time etc…
I know if I get the mix right I’ll be golden and then I can just grow or farm whatever I need and save loads of money.
Currently the best mix I have done yet has been a loam with chicken manure, steer manure, worm castings, bat guano, bone meal, azomite, lime, gypsum, silica, coco coir, mulch compost, biochar, kelp meal, leaf compost, and a 12 blend mychorrizae. It got me seed to harvest but it was a little hot and had too much nitrogen so I didn’t get a fall fade and it slightly stunted the buds. They were still decent buds, just not as big and terpy as they could have been. Lol
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Sul-Po-Mag…I meant…
Nestor garrido I meant…
Cheers Doc, trying to make something similar here in the UK. In the mean time I have found what I believe to be a good supplier. Currently in the midst of some autos that are loving it. Have a look and see what you guys think, it’s a spin on the coots mix with local ingredients
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@Henry that’s a good mix. Anything with bokashi ferments in it is usually really good. Loaded with microbial life and great for starting and maintaining a living soil.
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Let’s hear about it. I’m interested for when I get started again.
I’ve had the same happen to me, multiple times. I’ve asked an attorney before and if you have the funds to take someone to court, it would still have to be absolutely proveable. Sometimes, life presents me with lessons on purpose. If I look behind me, does it feel good to do and is it a moment where correction is absolutely needed? (Involve the greater good) I don’t like bringing the past to my future, you know? As long as intentions on my part are solid and pure of 
, then I should have nothing to worry about, you know?
Otherwise, if I just use an NDA to include intellectual rights moving forward, to also include 50% up front and the rest payable upon delivery, blah, blah…
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