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Tue, May 10, 11 at 21:17
| Hello all,
I've broken some "rules" and now am trying to figure out how to proceed. This winter I emptied my overfull composter, with unfinished compost, into a plastic bin. Unfortunately, it got rained on and went anaerobic. I also started a lasagna bed. I got the bright idea to dump that compost on the bed. (I'm lucky my neighbors still talk to me - stank!) I had been hoping to start planting this year directly into the lasagna bed material, but I'm wondering if this is a wise idea, as the materials are still not all disintegrated. Would vegetables that are low nitrogen feeders work? Does the bed need a nitrogen fertilizer? Do the (mostly former at this point) anaerobic bacteria make planting there risky? Also, when planting into a lasagna bed, is the idea to dig at least partly into the soil below the added materials, or just to dig into the materials themselves? Thanks! Roni |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by mustard_seeds 4 -Onalaska Wisconsi (My Page) on Wed, May 11, 11 at 7:01
| Are you transplanting veggie plants or sowing seeds? I assume that when you built the lasagna bed you included ingredients with higher nitrogen - grass clippings, coffee grounds, kitchen waste?? You should not need to add any nitrogen. You should be able to plant right into the sheet mulch materials and the roots of the plants will grow down into the soil. Anaerobes should not be a problem now that you have the material spread out with air and drainage. It will all decompose. Rachel |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Wed, May 11, 11 at 11:50
| What is the foundation of the lasagne bed? Newspaper over grass? ...the lasagna bed material - does that include anything besides the unfinished compost? |
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| Pat Lansa describes how she built her lasagna bed and planted in it right away in the article linked below. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Lasagna Gardening 101
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| Thanks all! The bed does indeed include some high nitrogen materials like grass clippings, composted kitchen waste, composted manure (purchased). Otherwise it's generally the newspaper and rotting tree leaves. I'm a little confused because many sources suggest that unfinished compost temporarily holds up the nitrogen. Well -- I'll trust you all and the useful shared link: I am getting ready to plant into it. -Roni |
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| If that unfinished compost has a lot of high Carbon material in it there is a good possibility it could cause your soil bacteria to utilize all available Nitrogen as they digest that Carbon and then the N would not be available to the plants. However, if the Carbons are balanced with Nitrogen that will not happen. |
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