Grow mediums - What kind and when? - Page 2

dice · August 31, 2009

Quote:

I figured I'd get him to dig about 3' down, and till the entire area, so that when I lay the beds, I have a lot more leeway for error. Sound about right?

If you want to use that bed this year, in a season that begins
within a few weeks, you do not have a lot of other choices.
You would need to either cultivate the soil where the beds will
be or build a raised bed on top of them to avoid the effects of
existing compacted soil.

For next year, however, if you can put a thick mulch on it over
the winter, the beds should be ready to go by spring without
needing to till or cultivate (some farmers always do that, but
it is not necessarily required). The mulch does not have to be
leaves or wood chips, either. A foot of free horse manure from
a stable with a thin layer of leaves or shredded yard debris
on top works great. (Rabbit, llama, and alpaca manures are
also good choices. Bird and cow manures you probably want
to mix up with plant material and compost for a season before
using as a mulch.)

huntsman · August 31, 2009

Thanks, dice -

Once we get the ground loosened up and in good order, I'll certainly keep it that way, and as you say, there's no other choice. Spring starts tomorrow - officially - and it's certainly warm enough.

I've already had the toms out in trays as they harden off, prior to planting.

(Really wish I had time to put that raised bed feature in, though...I can see my back taking a pounding from my new hobby!)

dice · August 31, 2009

Farmers who have large fields have rather different issues
than gardeners in this context. Covering a few hundred
square feet of vegetable beds with a foot of organic matter
over a winter is not that hard of a challenge, particularly if
one has a pickup truck to haul in stuff that one finds for free
locally, or a chipper/shredder and plenty of trees and shrubs
around, etc.

Covering 20 acres with a foot of mulch over the winter may cost
more than a farmer finds practical, however. They will usually
decide that seeding it with a deep-rooted winter cover crop,
whether they turn it under in spring or not, is a more cost
effective approach to alleviating soil compaction.

huntsman · September 1, 2009

I'm going to try the winter crop route -

In for a penny...!

August 31, 2009	#18
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Farmers who have large fields have rather different issues than gardeners in this context. Covering a few hundred square feet of vegetable beds with a foot of organic matter over a winter is not that hard of a challenge, particularly if one has a pickup truck to haul in stuff that one finds for free locally, or a chipper/shredder and plenty of trees and shrubs around, etc. Covering 20 acres with a foot of mulch over the winter may cost more than a farmer finds practical, however. They will usually decide that seeding it with a deep-rooted winter cover crop, whether they turn it under in spring or not, is a more cost effective approach to alleviating soil compaction. __________________ -- alias

August 31, 2009	#17
huntsman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa - GrowZone 9 Posts: 595	Thanks, dice - Once we get the ground loosened up and in good order, I'll certainly keep it that way, and as you say, there's no other choice. Spring starts tomorrow - officially - and it's certainly warm enough. I've already had the toms out in trays as they harden off, prior to planting. (Really wish I had time to put that raised bed feature in, though...I can see my back taking a pounding from my new hobby!)

September 1, 2009	#19
huntsman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa - GrowZone 9 Posts: 595	I'm going to try the winter crop route - In for a penny...!