Soil Question
 

Okay, so I gardened for teh first time lat year planning some veggies like
tomatoes, zuchinni, eggplant, peppers and beans. After everything was in I
put down a few layers of newspaper and some cedar mulch around it. I was
told this would help with inhibiting weed growth, which it did. Anyhow, what
do I need to do to get the soil ready again this year? I'm guessing remove
the much but should I mix in manure or compost in the soil to give it some
nutrients?
Thanks

Soil Question
 

Greetings, if using manure it must be well-composted. Add some compost
to the site and more mulch as needed.

Soil Question
 

I'm totally new so what exactly does everyone mean by organic matter?
Anything??? or specifics?


wrote in message
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Ottawa wrote:
Okay, so I gardened for teh first time lat year planning some veggies
like
tomatoes, zuchinni, eggplant, peppers and beans. After everything was in
I
put down a few layers of newspaper and some cedar mulch around it. I was
told this would help with inhibiting weed growth, which it did. Anyhow,
what
do I need to do to get the soil ready again this year? I'm guessing
remove
the much but should I mix in manure or compost in the soil to give it
some
nutrients?
Thanks

If last year's mulch is well-rotted, I/d leave it and mix it in. Add
some leaf mold, compost, or rotted manure -- if you have it -- and mix
that in, too.

Nicest thing you can do for your soil is add organic matter to it.

Soil Question
 

"Ottawa" wrote in message

I'm totally new so what exactly does everyone mean by organic
matter?
Anything??? or specifics?

The very simple rule of thumb is that "organic matter" is anything
that has once lived or been through a herbivore's digestive system.
It can be grass clippings or dead bodies or manure or old leaves or
newspapers or pine mulch. BUT not all organic matter is equal. For
example pine needles are acidic and do well as a mulch on strawberries
but not on some other plants. Manure from horse, cow and sheep and
others is great in almost all situations (and I don't worry about
whether it is well rotted or not), I use it fresh but would never use
fresh hen poo. Old autumn leaves are best left to rot either on top
of a bed you'll use next spring or in a "leaf mulch" bay. I've even
buried old hen bodies and they work too.

Soil Question
 

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"Ottawa" wrote in message

I'm totally new so what exactly does everyone mean by organic
matter?
Anything??? or specifics?

The very simple rule of thumb is that "organic matter" is anything
that has once lived or been through a herbivore's digestive system.
It can be grass clippings or dead bodies or manure or old leaves or
newspapers or pine mulch. BUT not all organic matter is equal. For
example pine needles are acidic and do well as a mulch on strawberries
but not on some other plants. Manure from horse, cow and sheep and
others is great in almost all situations (and I don't worry about
whether it is well rotted or not), I use it fresh but would never use
fresh hen poo. Old autumn leaves are best left to rot either on top
of a bed you'll use next spring or in a "leaf mulch" bay. I've even
buried old hen bodies and they work too.

animal crap
worm cast (worm poo)
green manures (clover, legumes etc which are grown and then sacrificed to
add nutrients to the soil)
back yard and bought compost
mushroom compost
peat moss
leaves
sea weed
used coffee grounds
types of hay, types of straw
cardboard, paper
saw dust/wood shavings
grass clippings
wood chip
even sewerage compost

these can all be classed as organic composts/matter/mulches. From top down
the first 3 will feed your soil, composts will supply some nutrient but as
much as anything will improve the structure of your soil (sometimes called
'conditioning your soil' or 'soil conditioners'), peat moss onwards are good
mulches to suppress weeds but equally so are composts (I use mushroom
compost alot myself). Sea weed is increasingly recognised as a very good
additive to soils or compost. Sewerage compost is at the bottom as it comes
from municipal sewerage treatment. Some sewerage may contain pathogens which
means caution applying to edible crops and may also contain residual heavy
metals which are also of a concern. Wood chips can make good mulch but don't
dig them into the soil as they can lock up nitrogen.

A good organic fertiliser, apart from your animal poo, is blood and bone.
Made from remnants of freezing work off casts.

rob