Here’s an excellent piece on organic vs conventional agricultural practices for all you organophiles... http://ecofarmingdaily.com/increasi...184705849&mc_cid=7902efa0d0&mc_eid=421b5bf1ce
Great read. I lone the part about plants being able to use N in forms other than Nitrate and ammonium (like amino acids). cheers os
Sorry man I am known to be a slacker sometimes - I didn’t notice this. Can you order a load of compost off of Craigslist? It’s just gonna be way expensive making enough “cannabis soil” for raised beds. Between that, a few big bales of Sphagnum Peat from the Big Box Stores, a sack of lime and some manure or manure pellets, a few basic amendments? J
Found a nice journal on phosphate solubilizing microbes. Phosphate solubilizing microbes: sustainable approach for managing phosphorus deficiency in agricultural soils
Another great cutting edge organic study... How plants harness microbes to get nutrients: Study could lead to enhanced crop growth, fewer weeds and lower fertilizer and herbicide use
Man, shout out @ElRanchoDeluxe ! He made 40 YARDS of mix for his raised beds and even has a thread about it. Not sure how much detail is in there though. Mixing 40 yards by hand impressed the shit out of me though! Wet
thanks jerry and wetdog for the help I have read a little on Hugelkultur , sounds like a great idea . My backyard has lots of branches from a pear tree that came down last fall I could use . Also I have almost a cubic yard of compost I had delivered last April . Don't know how much I'd need though which ever way I choose .Location of where it should go might be more difficult . Have to agree with the boss on that one . Will check out ElRancho's thread later today
Don’t get too hung up on the details with hugelkultur because it can help you out on any scale that you can manage. The more wood and fibrous organic material that you can put into it the better it will perform, simple as that, so use what you have. Try to wet it as much as possible before it’s buried and that will speed up the process. Pile brush, leaves, etc on the wood, then add your compost and soil, mulch it, and leave it over the winter. You can plant in the spring but the next year will be better.
The project I was working on outdoors all began with a pile of horse manure! I piled it up a couple feet high in a 5'x20' row. It had a good amount of red Wiggler's in it already. I let it sit there until spring and then shoveled it over creating another 5'x20' albeit half as tall. This butted up next to a 5'x20' oyster mushroom bed filled w spent straw, hardwood sawdust and cottonwood logs. I planted the area where the horse manure was originally Fukouka style just scattering seeds and covering with straw. The new 5x20 was only planted with 4 or 5 winter squash plants. I had enough for me, friends and 1 everyday for the chickens all winter! The Fukouka style garden was awesome to try and did great. The oyster bed was overrun with worms and I began making a hugelkulture bed out of it! I also began making a couple more hugels but unfortunately I was never able to plant any of them. I guess what I'm getting at is a large compost pile or worm bed next to your hugelkulture bed is the way to go if you ask me. ''Grow show by Rancho" I think is the name of this thread. The 40 yards @wetdog told you about is a whole nother story. RD
Thanks everyone for the advice, A Hugelkultur garden would solve a couple of problems for me. First my wife would get the garden she always wanted. I could finally deal with what's left of the yard and a half of compost that is in my backyard and all the branches and trees that came down last fall that I haven't cut up and bundled for the city to take away . Where I would like to start it there is a pile of stones that need to be moved .There is less time to do it than I thought as I have just found out I am working all Saturdays coming up till Christmas. By the way my wife had just discovered hugelkultur and was thrilled when I mentioned the idea of starting a garden this way . The GCO forum has got me interested in growing plants other than cannabis. Thanks again everyone !
I’m not sure what your pile of stones looks like, but would it be possible to use them as a border for your bed? Just a thought. Might even dress it up a little depending on the circumstances.
I have thought some stones could be used as a border ,most are small the size of a baseball or smaller there but are a lot of them . Just have to make myself move them. There are weeds (up to 3 ft tall ) growing right through them as well .
I completely agree. Cannabis is fun etc but to be completely honest I get as much or more satisfaction from my vegetables. J
I should have got some pictures - damn. I had a good half dozen extra large yellow peppers that grew in amongst the stalks and fit perfectly in the crotches and between the branches of the plants - was very cool. J
Not vegetables... but mushrooms.. I've been trying to culture mycelium in spent coffee. This is from store bought oyster mushrooms. Anyone had any success or given this sort of thing a try?
Too damn early for snow! Big Ol Baby Max couldn’t wait to come back in Believe it or not I’m still harvesting veggies - although we are getting close to the end for most. There IS still the Brussel Sprouts & Kale hanging in there. The BS can get banked up w/ dry leaves and old hay and I can still be grabbing some for the next month or two - the Kale is pretty darn hardy too! J
Got my hugelkultur garden started ,the biggest job was moving the mound of stones where I want to put it. Some logs are in place ,smaller branches sorted and leaves raked and ready . My compost pile (what is left ) is a few feet away. Hope the weather holds so the wife and I can finish it as soon as possible