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Old 24-05-2017, 01:33 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default Straw and Rain


Well straw anyway , the rain never showed . I got the entire garden
covered with straw today , and it's looking like I'm headed in the right
direction . My soil is in much better shape now than a couple of years
ago . When I started gardening here 4 years ago I didn't realize how
easily the best part of the soil would wash away . Not only does the
straw slow the flow and help control erosion , but it puts much-needed
organic material into the soil . Except for about 3" of topsoil , what
we have here is clay silt and rocks - rocks from grain-of-sand size to
bigger than I can lift alone .

It erodes easily ... but what I'm doing works . I have high hopes for
this year . I'm using a 50/50 mix of compost and manure plus a
tablespoon of Epsom salts to enrich the soil in each hole I plant a
seedling in . I'll be using the same in the hills for cukes/zukes/etc
.... and this year I don't have a major construction project (and my
wife) looking over my shoulder . Depending on the weather , I expect to
get the rest of this years choices planted by Thursday some time .
Tomorrow is my annual VA physical and probably more rain , but Thursday
looks good .

--

Snag

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Old 26-05-2017, 09:53 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 330
Default Straw and Rain

On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 7:31:38 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well straw anyway , the rain never showed . I got the entire garden
covered with straw today , and it's looking like I'm headed in the right
direction . My soil is in much better shape now than a couple of years
ago . When I started gardening here 4 years ago I didn't realize how
easily the best part of the soil would wash away . Not only does the
straw slow the flow and help control erosion , but it puts much-needed
organic material into the soil . Except for about 3" of topsoil , what
we have here is clay silt and rocks - rocks from grain-of-sand size to
bigger than I can lift alone .

It erodes easily ... but what I'm doing works . I have high hopes for
this year . I'm using a 50/50 mix of compost and manure plus a
tablespoon of Epsom salts to enrich the soil in each hole I plant a
seedling in . I'll be using the same in the hills for cukes/zukes/etc
... and this year I don't have a major construction project (and my
wife) looking over my shoulder . Depending on the weather , I expect to
get the rest of this years choices planted by Thursday some time .
Tomorrow is my annual VA physical and probably more rain , but Thursday
looks good .

--

Snag


Our garden is on a slight slope, so my wife came up with a method to slow erosion. She made raised mounds perpendicular to the fall line of the hill so that the water gathers up behind them and slows the current. On the long paths between garden sections that follow the fall line, she dug dips between the perpendicular mounds and made small hills between the mounds, again to slow the rush of water and channel it behind the mounds where the vegetables are planted.

Paul
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Old 26-05-2017, 10:50 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default Straw and Rain

On 5/26/2017 2:53 PM, Pavel314 wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 7:31:38 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well straw anyway , the rain never showed . I got the entire garden
covered with straw today , and it's looking like I'm headed in the right
direction . My soil is in much better shape now than a couple of years
ago . When I started gardening here 4 years ago I didn't realize how
easily the best part of the soil would wash away . Not only does the
straw slow the flow and help control erosion , but it puts much-needed
organic material into the soil . Except for about 3" of topsoil , what
we have here is clay silt and rocks - rocks from grain-of-sand size to
bigger than I can lift alone .

It erodes easily ... but what I'm doing works . I have high hopes for
this year . I'm using a 50/50 mix of compost and manure plus a
tablespoon of Epsom salts to enrich the soil in each hole I plant a
seedling in . I'll be using the same in the hills for cukes/zukes/etc
... and this year I don't have a major construction project (and my
wife) looking over my shoulder . Depending on the weather , I expect to
get the rest of this years choices planted by Thursday some time .
Tomorrow is my annual VA physical and probably more rain , but Thursday
looks good .

--

Snag


Our garden is on a slight slope, so my wife came up with a method to slow erosion. She made raised mounds perpendicular to the fall line of the hill so that the water gathers up behind them and slows the current. On the long paths between garden sections that follow the fall line, she dug dips between the perpendicular mounds and made small hills between the mounds, again to slow the rush of water and channel it behind the mounds where the vegetables are planted.

Paul

We've never had to do those things. Happens we live on the dirt
deposited for thousands of years on an ancient sea, now the Gulf of
Mexico. I have often wondered how gardens are done on sloping ground.

When we were in Yemen we found out how it was done for eons. Take a
mountain and plateau the sides with a ridge on the outside. Even water
was used up completely, going down the mountain side. I was amazed at
the quality and quantity of the vegetables in those gardens. Of course
there was a lot of human labor used up for centuries but they did get
the food.

I'm still happy to be a flat lander. G

George, in 90F Harris Cty, TX
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Old 26-05-2017, 11:33 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 678
Default Straw and Rain

On 5/26/2017 2:53 PM, Pavel314 wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 7:31:38 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well straw anyway , the rain never showed . I got the entire garden
covered with straw today , and it's looking like I'm headed in the right
direction . My soil is in much better shape now than a couple of years
ago . When I started gardening here 4 years ago I didn't realize how
easily the best part of the soil would wash away . Not only does the
straw slow the flow and help control erosion , but it puts much-needed
organic material into the soil . Except for about 3" of topsoil , what
we have here is clay silt and rocks - rocks from grain-of-sand size to
bigger than I can lift alone .

It erodes easily ... but what I'm doing works . I have high hopes for
this year . I'm using a 50/50 mix of compost and manure plus a
tablespoon of Epsom salts to enrich the soil in each hole I plant a
seedling in . I'll be using the same in the hills for cukes/zukes/etc
... and this year I don't have a major construction project (and my
wife) looking over my shoulder . Depending on the weather , I expect to
get the rest of this years choices planted by Thursday some time .
Tomorrow is my annual VA physical and probably more rain , but Thursday
looks good .

--

Snag

Our garden is on a slight slope, so my wife came up with a method to slow erosion. She made raised mounds perpendicular to the fall line of the hill so that the water gathers up behind them and slows the current. On the long paths between garden sections that follow the fall line, she dug dips between the perpendicular mounds and made small hills between the mounds, again to slow the rush of water and channel it behind the mounds where the vegetables are planted.

Paul


I have done a little terracing too . Probably later this summer if I
have time , or during the winter I plan to add some cedar board as
retaining "walls" to accentuate the terraces . My rows (for the few
things I plant in rows) are all perpendicular to the fall line .

--

Snag

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Old 26-05-2017, 11:59 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 330
Default Straw and Rain

On Friday, May 26, 2017 at 4:50:18 PM UTC-4, George Shirley wrote:
On 5/26/2017 2:53 PM, Pavel314 wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 7:31:38 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well straw anyway , the rain never showed . I got the entire garden
covered with straw today , and it's looking like I'm headed in the right
direction . My soil is in much better shape now than a couple of years
ago . When I started gardening here 4 years ago I didn't realize how
easily the best part of the soil would wash away . Not only does the
straw slow the flow and help control erosion , but it puts much-needed
organic material into the soil . Except for about 3" of topsoil , what
we have here is clay silt and rocks - rocks from grain-of-sand size to
bigger than I can lift alone .

It erodes easily ... but what I'm doing works . I have high hopes for
this year . I'm using a 50/50 mix of compost and manure plus a
tablespoon of Epsom salts to enrich the soil in each hole I plant a
seedling in . I'll be using the same in the hills for cukes/zukes/etc
... and this year I don't have a major construction project (and my
wife) looking over my shoulder . Depending on the weather , I expect to
get the rest of this years choices planted by Thursday some time .
Tomorrow is my annual VA physical and probably more rain , but Thursday
looks good .

--

Snag


Our garden is on a slight slope, so my wife came up with a method to slow erosion. She made raised mounds perpendicular to the fall line of the hill so that the water gathers up behind them and slows the current. On the long paths between garden sections that follow the fall line, she dug dips between the perpendicular mounds and made small hills between the mounds, again to slow the rush of water and channel it behind the mounds where the vegetables are planted.

Paul

We've never had to do those things. Happens we live on the dirt
deposited for thousands of years on an ancient sea, now the Gulf of
Mexico. I have often wondered how gardens are done on sloping ground.

When we were in Yemen we found out how it was done for eons. Take a
mountain and plateau the sides with a ridge on the outside. Even water
was used up completely, going down the mountain side. I was amazed at
the quality and quantity of the vegetables in those gardens. Of course
there was a lot of human labor used up for centuries but they did get
the food.

I'm still happy to be a flat lander. G

George, in 90F Harris Cty, TX


My wife grew up in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. She said they taught about terrace farming in elementary school back then.

Paul


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Old 27-05-2017, 01:25 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 851
Default Straw and Rain

On 5/26/2017 4:59 PM, Pavel314 wrote:
On Friday, May 26, 2017 at 4:50:18 PM UTC-4, George Shirley wrote:
On 5/26/2017 2:53 PM, Pavel314 wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 7:31:38 PM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote:
Well straw anyway , the rain never showed . I got the entire garden
covered with straw today , and it's looking like I'm headed in the right
direction . My soil is in much better shape now than a couple of years
ago . When I started gardening here 4 years ago I didn't realize how
easily the best part of the soil would wash away . Not only does the
straw slow the flow and help control erosion , but it puts much-needed
organic material into the soil . Except for about 3" of topsoil , what
we have here is clay silt and rocks - rocks from grain-of-sand size to
bigger than I can lift alone .

It erodes easily ... but what I'm doing works . I have high hopes for
this year . I'm using a 50/50 mix of compost and manure plus a
tablespoon of Epsom salts to enrich the soil in each hole I plant a
seedling in . I'll be using the same in the hills for cukes/zukes/etc
... and this year I don't have a major construction project (and my
wife) looking over my shoulder . Depending on the weather , I expect to
get the rest of this years choices planted by Thursday some time .
Tomorrow is my annual VA physical and probably more rain , but Thursday
looks good .

--

Snag

Our garden is on a slight slope, so my wife came up with a method to slow erosion. She made raised mounds perpendicular to the fall line of the hill so that the water gathers up behind them and slows the current. On the long paths between garden sections that follow the fall line, she dug dips between the perpendicular mounds and made small hills between the mounds, again to slow the rush of water and channel it behind the mounds where the vegetables are planted.

Paul

We've never had to do those things. Happens we live on the dirt
deposited for thousands of years on an ancient sea, now the Gulf of
Mexico. I have often wondered how gardens are done on sloping ground.

When we were in Yemen we found out how it was done for eons. Take a
mountain and plateau the sides with a ridge on the outside. Even water
was used up completely, going down the mountain side. I was amazed at
the quality and quantity of the vegetables in those gardens. Of course
there was a lot of human labor used up for centuries but they did get
the food.

I'm still happy to be a flat lander. G

George, in 90F Harris Cty, TX


My wife grew up in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. She said they taught about terrace farming in elementary school back then.

Paul

I grew up in Orange County, Texas. Made money during planting season and
harvest season for rice. Planting you stood with a flag so the people on
the tractor sled planted the rice starts in a straight row. During
ripening and harvesting we kept the rice birds out of the fields waving
those same flags plus getting to fire the little cannons that were gas
fired. Also slung 40 lb bags or rice in stacks to be put on the train later.

Here 60 odd years later, I went through Orange County and there were no
rice fields. Lots of jobs were lost as California took over the rice
growing along with Arkansas.

Every other kid in elementary school back then was a rice farmer's,
truck driver's, etc. kid, who also worked in the fields. That was 65
years ago and was about the only way a 12-year old could get spending
money or else you worked in the local one owner grocery store owner. My
Dad worked in a refinery for 40 years but we sure ate a lot of rice when
the strikes hit.

This country boy went on to work in several US states and at least four
foreign countries. To old to wave off crop dusters anymore. But I still
have the memories. Now I'm passing the history of us to our great grands.

George, happy to have good memories at this age
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Old 27-05-2017, 03:35 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Pavel314 wrote:
....
Our garden is on a slight slope, so my wife came up with a method to slow erosion. She made raised mounds perpendicular to the fall line of the hill so that the water gathers up behind them and slows the current. On the long paths between garden sections that follow the fall line, she dug dips between the perpendicular mounds and made small hills between the mounds, again to slow the rush of water and channel it behind the mounds where the vegetables are planted.


in some places they have farmed for so long that
each season they take dirt from the bottom of the
field and move it back to the top.

it helps a great deal to have the terrace edges
planted with something to hold the soil in place
and also to mulch any bare dirt so the rains don't
hit it so directly to break it off where it can
wash away.

a contour line can be detected by an A frame or
any kind of level. contours are great to know for
an area because if you are going to do any terracing
you'd want the terraces to be level and on contour
lines to keep as much water in place to soak in
instead of washing your topsoil away.

here it is so flat that our contours only vary by
a few feet over the whole course of the property.
still i do plan and arrange everything to take the
water flows into account as even with such small
drops it can still take your topsoil, organic matter
and nutrients away.

and i have to be aware of what is potentially
coming at us from "uphill".


http://www.anthive.com/project/water/


songbird
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