Most 'economical' method of building up soil?

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Tracy, I do not know if walnut trees do well in your area, neither what chemicals were used in that old septic, but if it is all fine...
My grandma (in Ukraine) planted walnut tree near old septic place, she did not use chemicals. That tree was huge and productive.
My entire lot with the house on it is only 50 by 100 feet. I planted single sour cherry tree, no space for more. No fruit yet.
From my childhood, I can still taste fresh peaches picked at my grandma place. Juices running along your arm as you bite into it.
Good luck with all your planting. It is going to be lots of work that will pay hopefully with good produce. Enjoy.

So, I feel sort of silly but I noticed today that what I thought were hickory are actually black walnuts.
Luckily, none real close to my garden areas. I've been chopping little volunteers around the house all week.
I started a new thread regarding my soil tests.

[efisakov]

Tracy, my grandma grew English walnut tree. The shells were so thing, I was able to put two in my hands and press one against the other to crack.
But cleaning them from the green skin was not an easy task. Since I was impatient, my hands would get all black and my mom would be not pleased. School was starting at about the same time. Good old times...
sorry for changing topic again

On the topic, I know that even paper can be used to build the soil, even grow mushrooms. Newspapers have to much ink, magazines as well. Boxes picked from local stores can be used for that. Maybe...

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by efisakov

On the topic, I know that even paper can be used to build the soil, even grow mushrooms. Newspapers have to much ink, magazines as well. Boxes picked from local stores can be used for that. Maybe...

Modern newspaper ink uses vegetable oil and carbon black. Newspaper is not toxic and good food for worms. The slick color advertising paper is mostly ok too, in spite of what you may have heard. It mostly uses clay to get that "shiny" appearance. Most the colors non toxic. Unfortunately that isn't 100% though. So a dogmatic person will still separate out the color advertising from the black and white newsprint.

There was a time when newspaper inks had toxic chemicals in them. That's where this myth got started. But actually the printer's unions are quite strong and the inks used today are much safer due to pressure from the union to protect worker safety.

[efisakov]

Thank you, Scott, that is good to know.
How do you use it?

[Tracydr]

I use a lot of newspaper. Seems like I'm always running out!

[Cole_Robbie]

In pricing treated lumber to make raised beds, cutting down trees to use instead would save me a lot of money.

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

In pricing treated lumber to make raised beds, cutting down trees to use instead would save me a lot of money.

Just don't use those black walnuts or hickory trees for them.
I pick up appliance boxes from the dumpster behind the appliance store and lay them out flat in the garden between rows or where I want to smother the vegetation. They break down over the course of the Summer and then you can till them in or put wood chips on top of them if you want.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Thank you, Scott, that is good to know.
How do you use it?

I lay it 6 layers thick right on the sod or soil in a strip 1-4 feet wide. Then I cover it with mulch, hay, straw, grass clippings, or wood chips.

If the crop needs planted in "cultivated" soil, I make the strips one foot wide with just a couple inches of cultivated soil between and plant the seeds in that furrow. If I am planting tomato, broccoli, pepper, or any similar seedlings, I make the strips 2 feet wide and plant right through the mulch and paper, letting grass grow between the rows.

I also sometimes make wider beds for sprawling fruits and vegetables like melons.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Redbaron

I lay it 6 layers thick right on the sod or soil in a strip 1-4 feet wide. Then I cover it with mulch, hay, straw, grass clippings, or wood chips.

If the crop needs planted in "cultivated" soil, I make the strips one foot wide with just a couple inches of cultivated soil between and plant the seeds in that furrow. If I am planting tomato, broccoli, pepper, or any similar seedlings, I make the strips 2 feet wide and plant right through the mulch and paper, letting grass grow between the rows.

I also sometimes make wider beds for sprawling fruits and vegetables like melons.

Thanks,Scott! I was wondering how your system would work when direct sowing.

[Tracydr]

I posted this on the thread about my soil test results but for those of you not on there, you might find this interesting:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/...cs142p2_033488

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Tracy, my grandma grew English walnut tree. The shells were so thing, I was able to put two in my hands and press one against the other to crack.
But cleaning them from the green skin was not an easy task. Since I was impatient, my hands would get all black and my mom would be not pleased. School was starting at about the same time. Good old times...
sorry for changing topic again

On the topic, I know that even paper can be used to build the soil, even grow mushrooms. Newspapers have to much ink, magazines as well. Boxes picked from local stores can be used for that. Maybe...

I ordered a cast iron, Black Walnut sheller. May as well take advantage of all the nuts falling on my porch and gardens!

[joseph]

I drive 4 foot tall wooden stakes into the soil in various places in my garden. They are adored as roosting places by several species of birds who deposit free fertilizer. If I didn't drive in the stakes the birds wouldn't sit in my garden, and the nutrients would be gifted to someplace outside my loop. The stakes essentially allow me to bring in nutrients from outside my loop.

[beeman]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I ordered a cast iron, Black Walnut sheller. May as well take advantage of all the nuts falling on my porch and gardens!

What ever you do don't allow those green husks, or the leaves to get into the soil, or the compost.
I allowed the squirrels to bury stuff in the garden, this forms a surround of Jugalone and nothing grows in the vicinity of the nuts.
Then next year they try to dig them up, scattering seeds everywhere
Some plants are susceptible and won't grow due to 'Walnut wilt', a major problem.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

In pricing treated lumber to make raised beds, cutting down trees to use instead would save me a lot of money.

You can have some of mine!

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by beeman

What ever you do don't allow those green husks, or the leaves to get into the soil, or the compost.
I allowed the squirrels to bury stuff in the garden, this forms a surround of Jugalone and nothing grows in the vicinity of the nuts.
Then next year they try to dig them up, scattering seeds everywhere
Some plants are susceptible and won't grow due to 'Walnut wilt', a major problem.

I'm very concerned about this. I've been throwing the shells out of the garden when I find them. They're everywhere so it's really hard to gather leaves and pine straw without black walnuts.