|
Tue, Oct 30, 12 at 16:41
| Well my garden is done for the year here in So. central Indiana. I hadn't planted a garden for 15 yrs. Recently retired I now had the time to take care of a garden properly. It was my first time using compost and going organic. Rabbit manure ,compost tea, rabbit manure tea, and a little bone meal was all I used. All in all considering it was my first attempt at organic, the drought and 105 deg. temps my garden, to my suprise did quite well. I tilled up the grass sod about 6 in. deep, planted and put about 4 in. of unfinished compost as a mulch that I got from my local landfill. The compost mulch not only helped with the drougt, it also made my garden virtually weed free. I just finished spreading 4 in. of finished mulch on top of the entire garden. My question is, I have plenty of leaves to spread on top,and have access to cow manure. Should I do this too and if so which first, leaves or manure. Also would spreading kitchen scraps on top all winter help. Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| First the manure and cover that with the leaves. I have done this for many years now and find the results to be quite good with the garden ready to plant in the spring. |
|
| I keep a large supply of leaves on hand (collecting more throughout the month) and apply a fresh layer over each batch of kitchen scraps. This keeps the critters out and also allows me a source of carbon that is not "frozen solid" during the cold period. I keep these leaves in a separate bin with a cover and some in their lawn bags. A good bucket full of water on top of each addition will keep the process working even during the freeze periods. Even if it dies down, it will fire right back up in the spring. Best! |
Here is a link that might be useful: My Gardening Adventure
|
| If the manure is fresh, it should really be composted first. The leaves are best shredded to increase surface area for microbes to work on. A lawn mower will do the job very nicely. |
|
| If Marshall were to lay down the manure on top of the soil and cover that with the leaves then the manure would be composted, in situ. |
|
| Manure, then leaves, and tuck the kitchen scraps under. If you leave them on top they will dry out and not break down as quickly. Also they look ugly. Congrats on your retirement project! Isn't retirement wonderful! |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Soil Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.