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| Last fall I used up all the finished compost that I had made (a couple of wheel barrels full) and added aged chicken manure mixed with shredded leaves, pine needles and put that over cardboard to cover a large nasty patch of weeds..... Now this Spring, it is not ready yet to plant in yet, but I have planted iris and strawberry plants around it and they seem to be doing well.
But now when I look at my old compost pile, all I see is what we have been tossing in there most of the winter and it has not broke down yet, there is nothing ready to use in the vegetable garden. Any suggestions as to what to use atound the vegetable garden near asparagus and peas as a compost/much that the worms will like? I don't want to buy commercial compost because I don't really know whats in it, plus the expense. I like straw but the seeds always grow grass. Will grass clippings get too hot for a vegetable garden if they are mulched? They always turn black and steam in my compost pile the summer, so I am hesitant to put them fresh in the vegetable garden. I really love gardening and want to stay organic due to health reasons, for example, there is a chemical in some herbacides that can produce symptoms similar to myasthenia gravis in people. Terry |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| What is the level of humus, residual organic matter, in your soil? What is your soils pH? What is the nutrient level of your soil? How well does your soil drain? How well does your soil retain moisture? What kind of life is in your soil? How is the workability of your soil? Many people do not seem to realize that the seeds from the straw they often use as mulch is just from the plant that the straw comes from, Oats, Wheat, Barley, etc. and that it is not a problem. Small compost piles do not get digested during the winter because there is not enough volume to keep the bacteria that digest the material working, or the material is quite wet and freezes deeply. start by contacting Cornell Cooperative Extension Service about a good, reliable soil test and then dig in with these simple soil tests, 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Cornell soil testing
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- Posted by hamiltongardener CAN 6a (My Page) on Tue, May 10, 11 at 13:40
| Hey Terry, I would put a layer of cut grass around the asparagus as long as the grass hasn't gone to seed. I've done that around plants before with nice results, just make sure it's a thin layer, an inch or two thick. Kimmsr, I don't think the cut and paste really answers the question. |
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