T wrote:
....
Thank you. I am wondering where to get some cow poop.
We have lots of cows about, but I haven't seen anyone
selling it.

may not be around easily found if all the cattle are
free range and no dairies. the home depot option is
fine for small amounts needed if you are doing small
patch amending.

worms/worm castings are good too and you can use
those weed scraps as part of the food.


I got in late last night. I put my headset on and cut
a four foot wide swath through the weeds. When I am done
picking them and they dry out a bit, I am planning on
digging them into holes that I will eventually
plant zukes in.

you'll want some green stuff in there too, get it
in a few weeks before you put the plants in. if you
do a few layers deep alternating green stuff, brown
stuff and some dirt, topsoil and composted cow manure
you'll have a nice start. keep it damp (not needed to
be super soggy).


Here is an interesting observation. I think the weeds
were always there in my lawn. When the grass dies,
the weeds stayed.

there is usually some remaining seeds in almost any soil
unless it has been sterilized in some manner. the seeds
of some plants will last quite a long time (especially in
the more arid climates). i heard that crab grass seed
can last 75yrs... i don't much care for lawns/grass and
everything being even and perfect. a mulching mower and
frequent trimming when the wet/growing season is on will
select for plants that can tolerate that sort of treatment.
good enough for me until i can get rid of the mower
entirely.

for very hard soils i'd just go up top with hay bales
and use them to frame a small area and plant the zukes
into a mix of topsoil and composted cow manure or the worm
castings. the hay bales will eventually break down and
turn into humus. they have more weed seeds than straw
bales, but i like having green stuff eventually rotting.
some people mulch with straw, we usually have wood
chips. when those rot they turn into prime humus. if
you can find anyone trimming trees and grinding them up
they are often happy to deliver a truckload if they
happen to be in your area, just ask.

because i want woody materials to last longer rather
than rot fast i don't want things shredded too finely.
some larger chunks are good, they help hold moisture.
as a top mulch i want fairly large chips or even have
used pieces of bark to cover in between plants (sometimes
with cardboard underneath them).

really, it doesn't matter what exact organic materials
you can find or grow, most of will break down into humus
eventually if you have moisture/rains and the soil critters
to help things out (and fungi too).


songbird