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Post by quambie on Aug 18, 2010 19:06:25 GMT 8
I am old fashioned, I like to turn the soil over in my veggie patch, but every time I pick up a mag and read all about no dig gardens and how good they are we will see this year . I have two three metres wide gardens that are 26 metres long that I dig in one I have it full of beans climbing and bush French onions a few lettuces and left over Savoy cabbages from the winter the second one I have Garlic carrots peas broad beans onions cauliflowers parsnip leaks and silver beat. The new one is twice the size of the other two gardens, its taken three huge bails' of pea hay to get a large covering over the whole thing then I made wholes in the hay and put in my home made compost then a few lines across the garden the same compost this will hold all the summer veggies Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and the like Last year I told you all that I lost everything with the heat this new way I am told is the way to go and you will not loos anything, Well the competition is on Today I got the first plants to go into this new garden Tomatoes, chillies, Bock Choy, and I have loads of seedlings coming on. As the summer goes on I will compare the three gardens and see what I loose from each one, and I will have a great rundown on what one will be the way to grow your veggies in the future Experts V`s Novice if you like any pointers Trev
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Post by annieyokie on Aug 19, 2010 10:07:11 GMT 8
Trev is your hay garden above ground or in a dug trench .Do I get the recipe??? ;D Your compost is it % chook poop . Iv got to do better this year too . Anyone else
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Post by organic girl on Aug 19, 2010 12:18:11 GMT 8
Well I am not brave enough to plant any veges as it looks like I won't have enough to water them over summer. Trev I also like to turn the soil over but have found over the years I just don't get the time. I have settled on a system of turning some and leaving some to sit. To be honest I haven't seen much difference in the outcome, which makes me think that all that digging might just be for me and not for the plants?
The only thing I have been brave enough to plant is fruit trees. When I clean out the chook shed I use the straw and manure to put around the trees. I know they say the manure should be aged but I just figured that the straw would filter it and it would break down slowly. The results on the citrus trees have been fantastic.
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Post by annieyokie on Aug 19, 2010 13:09:21 GMT 8
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Post by quambie on Aug 19, 2010 13:21:34 GMT 8
Hi annieyokie its above the ground put the pea hay about 18 inches deep to start with, then watered it down left it for a week then dug the wholes out of the hay piled it up each side and put the compost in the whole that's where the veggie plants will sit . as for the Compost, all the chook poo horse and cow and sheep and bedding news papers cardboard orange skins banana skins tea bags coffee grinds weeds and anything that the chooks will not eat. I have two large sections that I lined out with old roof sheeting that came off this place when we put the new one on. The two parts hold about two tonne each when it done the other two I have are for horse poo and cow poo the sheep poo seems to hold on the outside ok. It takes a long time for it to rot down nearly all the summer. I have no way to turn it over so I keep it wettish and covered it with a large tarp while that's brewing I start on the new one. and you will be surprised it will not go far I am nearly out and the new one is not covered yet . hope this helps \ Trev
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Post by quambie on Aug 19, 2010 13:29:32 GMT 8
HI organic girl I bought a new walk behind cultivator last summer and its the best thing I have loads of manurer around me that I get for free as much as I want or need so I am lucky that way that's why I chose to go dig I cant see the sense of putting all that lovely poo on the top and just leave it there and grow into that I love soil it taken me three years to get the soil this good and I had to start that on the top of the ground we had it to hard to do anything with I broke two forks and a spade trying so I build up all the humus and poo mix on top its now about 350 to 400 mill deep and works all I have to do is to find an answer for the sun and I have tried shade cloth Trev
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Post by organic girl on Aug 19, 2010 14:06:02 GMT 8
Trying to do the same here. Not much top soil, need to create something myself. And then there's the rocks - have taken a full barrow load out of every hole I have dug for the fruit trees. I've got muscles on my muscles! Too scared to use a cultivator as we have so many small granite rocks.
could you plant a hedge to shelter the veges from the hot afternoon sun?
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Post by quambie on Aug 19, 2010 18:01:17 GMT 8
It took me years to get the soil but its worth it when you get it up and going you will wonder what the fuss was all about and your mussels will fade Bugger I had them where are they now Trev
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Post by annieyokie on Aug 20, 2010 6:29:53 GMT 8
Thanks Trev . Looks like I have some work ahead of me .
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Post by organic girl on Aug 20, 2010 7:41:02 GMT 8
has anyone tried the permaculture method where you use the chooks to create topsoil. You fence off an area, throw in a few bales of straw, give them lots of scraps and after a few months it should be nice rich soil. I haven't tried but it seems like a lot less work. I am hoping to start a small trial area shortly and see if it works.
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Post by annieyokie on Aug 20, 2010 9:33:00 GMT 8
Might try ' I have a permaculture book will look it up
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Post by quambie on Aug 20, 2010 17:50:39 GMT 8
I had 22 roosters roaming around on the bit I am going to use for no dig for about two months I hope they got shot of the weed seeds Trev
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Post by ikbokchook on Aug 21, 2010 9:05:52 GMT 8
Sounds like a good idea trev! You'll have to let us all know how it goes! I've got my chooks next to my horse's yard and chuck a couple of poos over daily - they LOVE to have a scratch in it! The soil in my chook pen is FANTASTIC! Although I don't grow veggies in it (I probably should!) Trev - I've had my chooks in the same pen for years and recently fenced off a bit for an orange tree - the weeds that grow on the inside of the fence are amazing!! Hope your roosters got most of the weed seeds, but I wouldn't hold your breath!!
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Post by quambie on Aug 21, 2010 9:31:49 GMT 8
I hope that they did but with all the hay there the weeds should not show but with my luck in the veggies patch anything happens Trev
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Post by quambie on Aug 24, 2010 19:32:53 GMT 8
How many frost do I have to put up with that's the 4t day on the trot and they tell me that its not over yet The risk I took with the summer veggies went belly up Trev Hi annieyokie You can still grow veggies while your getting the soil fixed up I did but it just gets better each year
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