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Originally Posted by Poverty Flats  Just wanted to be clear, am I to understand that I need to prepare the soil at my grow spot around now or within a month? |
Yes exactly. During winter, everything is still so it's still good as we "speak". Starting in March, as it warms up, you want to have the holes ready so the manures and meals have time to warm up and to attract bugs/worms that will decompose them by the time summer comes (June). Keep the plants in pots with a less hot mix until then. Compost takes 1 year to be made. Horse manure, seaweed and meals take less (4-5 months is good). Some manures like chicken and cow take 1 year: careful! I'd say mid March/beg. April is the latest to add manures and meals (Feb is good enough). If you do the holes later, just use older store bought and less manures but more peat, worm castings and potting soil/sand/old dirt. You can always feed them with organic teas as long as you have some micro organisms in there (worm castings, fish, compost....). You can find less hot equivalents (alfalfa for blood meal for example...) if needed. Or add lime/cinders (after the manures) if it's too acidic (test the pH before putting plants in if nec.).