need help here with soil

Discussion in 'Members' Systems' started by nub, Feb 1, 2014.

  1. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Yep. You can do that as songbird suggested; really a no-dig bed basically. If you can find enough material you could still continue with making a large compost pile separately for use in future vegie beds. There's no hard and fast rules - do what ever takes your fancy and seems logical in your situation. Unless it could cost me money if it fails, I tend to give anything a go. What's the worst that can happen? You learn something. :)

    I do a bit of everything - we have a conventional sort of compost pile...but half the time I forget to keep it moist enough or turn it or whatever, so it ends up being a cold compost pile which just takes a lot longer for everything to break down...cest la vie. Then I also do a thing at the end of the winter when I get the garden ready for new season; I pull weeds or any old spent plants and just make big piles right there and put a scrap of black plastic over it for a few weeks. Then I plant seedlings right into it when it's pretty much broken down. I also just mulch and improve the soil by repeatedly chopping and dropping in-situ... plants that self-seed again straight away or just keep rampaging...at my place that means Borage mostly but also Rocket and Warrigal Spinach and Lucerne. Then they rot away where they fall mulching and adding nutrient to the soil all the time. Good luck with your adventures in the garden. And remember, it doesn't have to be perfect, just have a go. :)
     
  2. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    I like this :)
     
  3. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

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    i wish i could let it all go Rick, but i suspect i won't be able to, so i'll disengage from reading/writing to your posts for a while... good luck with your studies and permaculture activities... :) in that we do agree, the world needs permies...
     
  4. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

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    thank you too nub, you just made my day. :)
     
  5. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

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    thank you for asking about what wasn't clear.

    yes, planting right into that layer of soil, but i'm unsure of a few things now... let me ask a few questions before i go on to talking about more details. :)

    do you have access to water at the site?

    are you able to visit reliably?

    does it flood in heavy rains?

    for layer gardening (or lasagna gardening as some call it -- i'm sure there are other names). the main idea is to get a layer of soil on top of the pile of materials that can be used as a garden bed. if the materials are really coarse you'll want to use some finer materials at the top before putting the dirt on to keep the dirt from washing down easily in the rains or as you water.

    you can add the fine materials, put the dirt on top, compact it a bit to keep it firm, water it a little, then plant your seeds. keep track of where you plant them (row markers or a regular pattern is ok to start). for many veggies it is only a few days before you'll see sprouts, keep it moist if there are no rains.

    what will you be planting? i'm sure others here have more experience with some of the plants you're going to be growing than i do. :) do you have a list?

    in your climate with heavy rains, you will likely need mulch to protect the soil from being washed away. do you know what mulch is? you can use a lot of things for mulch, as long as you do not cover the places you've planted seeds you can use almost anything to protect the soil. this will also help to hold moisture in when there is a dry spell.

    after things are up and growing then the plants themselves will help act as protectors for the soil and you may not need to mulch again until after some areas are harvested.

    after the plants have grown and been harvested you may not need to do anything to grow the next crop in that space, but if you are curious (like i am :) ) you can stir the garden bed a bit (you don't have to), or peel back the remaining top layer of soil (it may not be much left after it has settled), add more materials below if you want, the small stuff will likely be gone, the larger chunks may still remain, they are no problem to just leave for the next round of planting.

    i like mouse's reply too, there's a lot of things to learn and to try. keep asking questions, there's a lot of people here to help. :)
     
  6. nub

    nub Junior Member

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    The spot is about 30 yards from where I live.
    I am able to visit there. My children too help monitor.
    There is no water connection there.
    There is plenty of fallen leaves and sun.
    I have the basic list like sunflower , ginger, turmeric , basal, marry gold, hibiscus , yam.
    The place is well drained.
    Yes I know mulching.
    :) thank you.
     
  7. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    That's not a basic list - that's tropical heaven!
     
  8. nub

    nub Junior Member

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    :) thanks. I don't have the beans yet. Just got some seeds will get to sprouting them soon.

    We had to move the entire thing to another corner as the neighbor was not happy with what we were doing. He is into lawns, but I suspect he might change his mind soon when the grocery bill is as high as the ceiling . The new corner is better than the last one as it has a nitrogen fixer tree there.
     
  9. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

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    hi nub,

    how have things been going lately?

    have you been getting regular rains?
     

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