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new garden question
Have about 500 sq ft that I want to make into garden for next year....this
area is grass now. what is best way to get this area ready for next year? I just today found a source for coffee grounds today, and was thinking to spread coffee grounds over grass and then cover with plastic....then till next spring.....I don't know if this is best plan....any advise appreciated..... |
new garden question
In article ,
wrote: Have about 500 sq ft that I want to make into garden for next year....this area is grass now. what is best way to get this area ready for next year? I just today found a source for coffee grounds today, and was thinking to spread coffee grounds over grass and then cover with plastic....then till next spring.....I don't know if this is best plan....any advise appreciated..... Cheap Dave, lazy Billy here to recommend that you look at the web sites below. http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm http://organicgardening.about.com/od...n/a/lasagnagar den.htm http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ.../Lasagna-Garde ning.aspx Lasagna gardening is no dig gardening, although if you could double dig it the first year, and that would be the end of the digging. http://www.wikihow.com/Double-Dig-a-Garden http://www.organicgardening.com/feat...19-934,00.html http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/double-digging.html Either way be sure to add your amendments to the organic material, manure, phosphate, and potassium, when you prep the garden area this Fall. Plastic (clear) is good, if your trying to kill off weeds with solar heat (solarization), but it will keep the moisture out as well (not a good idea to my mind). Lasagna gardening will pretty much bury the problem of weeds. Oh, yeah, coffee grounds can be used on blueberry plants and potatoes with no harm, but compost them first before you used them on any other plant. -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system.* ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
"George.com" wrote in message ... "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , wrote: Have about 500 sq ft that I want to make into garden for next year....this area is grass now. what is best way to get this area ready for next year? I just today found a source for coffee grounds today, and was thinking to spread coffee grounds over grass and then cover with plastic....then till next spring.....I don't know if this is best plan....any advise appreciated..... Cheap Dave, lazy Billy here to recommend that you look at the web sites below. http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm http://organicgardening.about.com/od...n/a/lasagnagar den.htm http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ.../Lasagna-Garde ning.aspx Lasagna gardening is no dig gardening, although if you could double dig it the first year, and that would be the end of the digging. http://www.wikihow.com/Double-Dig-a-Garden http://www.organicgardening.com/feat...19-934,00.html http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/double-digging.html http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-No-Dig-Garden http://www.fbga.net/Lasagna%20gardening%202004.htm I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. rob The video on this page is a laugh. The joker mows his leaves up to make mulch TWICE. He mows them TWICE. Roftl. Once is more than adequate. Twice is just wasting time you could be on the couch with newspaper or snoozing. http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Inexpensive-Mulch |
new garden question
"George.com" wrote in message ... "George.com" wrote in message ... "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , wrote: Have about 500 sq ft that I want to make into garden for next year....this area is grass now. what is best way to get this area ready for next year? I just today found a source for coffee grounds today, and was thinking to spread coffee grounds over grass and then cover with plastic....then till next spring.....I don't know if this is best plan....any advise appreciated..... Cheap Dave, lazy Billy here to recommend that you look at the web sites below. http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm http://organicgardening.about.com/od...n/a/lasagnagar den.htm http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ.../Lasagna-Garde ning.aspx Lasagna gardening is no dig gardening, although if you could double dig it the first year, and that would be the end of the digging. http://www.wikihow.com/Double-Dig-a-Garden http://www.organicgardening.com/feat...19-934,00.html http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/double-digging.html http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-No-Dig-Garden http://www.fbga.net/Lasagna%20gardening%202004.htm I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. rob The video on this page is a laugh. The joker mows his leaves up to make mulch TWICE. He mows them TWICE. Roftl. Once is more than adequate. Twice is just wasting time you could be on the couch with newspaper or snoozing. http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Inexpensive-Mulch Let me explain a little further. The joker mows up his leaves. He opens the catcher and explains that the leaves are somewhat mulched up. He then explains that he will mow them again. Eh? He wants them mulched up finer. Why? He spreads them on his drive way and mows them up again. By that point my leaves are on the garden & I am on the sofa with a nice cup of tea & the newspaper. rob |
new garden question
"George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1
I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. |
new garden question
In article , Charlie wrote:
On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system. ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
In article , Charlie wrote:
On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:51 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. No disagreement witcha on this and what I have done also, but my take and thinking, after Fran's post, is lay down a good layer of worm bait and food, such as cooked rice and pasta, veggie trimmings May I see the wine list?;o) , rotten fruit and trimmings, etc., *under* the cardboard, with amendements, in order to give the crawlers a head start on doing their business, and then continue with the layering. Just a slight variation on the procedure to which we subscribe. No argument, but I doubt that worms would see much difference between cardboard or newsprint vis-a-vis leaf mulch, or straw. As far as the alfalfa, one needs to find the right balance perhaps. I think parts of my garden suffered from alfalfa meal overdose this year. At least I had what appeared to be nitrogen burn on some things that I likely OD'd with too much alfalfa meal and blood meal. Particularly in my potted mix. I've had the same problems with alfalfa pellets, which I use in my lettuce patch, but with a much lighter hand in pots now. Manure Chicken Diary cow Horse Steer Alfalfa Fish Emulsion N 1.1 .257 .70 .70 3 5 P .80 .15 .30 .30 1 1 K .50 .25 .60 .40 2 1 You can see that alfalfa is almost three times stronger in "N" than chook doo. I still use it (pellets) in the lettuce, and carrots because I don't want to bury the plants under mulch. Otherwise, I've never had a problem with baled alfalfa as a mulch. Charlie The tomatoes are starting to come around, producing a little more each day. Koralic came in first, followed by Stupice. Everything else is very green. Happy to report that we no longer need to put on music for dinner. The crickets arrived two nights ago. With the stair lights on, it is nearly magical outside in the evening. (We eat late.) -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system. ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
"Billy" wrote in message ... In article , Charlie wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:51 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. No disagreement witcha on this and what I have done also, but my take and thinking, after Fran's post, is lay down a good layer of worm bait and food, such as cooked rice and pasta, veggie trimmings May I see the wine list?;o) , rotten fruit and trimmings, etc., *under* the cardboard, with amendements, I think the operative word, Billy, in my suggestion was 'chuck'. I could substitute it with the word 'bung' to try and reflect the approach I am taking. No just 'do nothing gardening', but 'close enough is good enough gardening'. rob |
new garden question
Charlie wrote in message
On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Lazy Cow is another name I'm quite prepared to answer to. I don't see why I should do something if all those tireless wee wrigglers will do a lot of the soil prep for me. |
new garden question
Charlie wrote in message
As far as the alfalfa, one needs to find the right balance perhaps. I think parts of my garden suffered from alfalfa meal overdose this year. At least I had what appeared to be nitrogen burn on some things that I likely OD'd with too much alfalfa meal and blood meal. Charlie I often use lucerne (alfalfa) straw as a mulch but I notice in another post that you refer to alfalfa pellets. Can you buy lucerne (alfalfa) in bales such as you'd feed to a horse as this stuff is magnificent as a mulch. Or even if you could buy it in the chaff form should also be good. It's ideal for gardens but not for cattle. My old lecturer when I was doing a farm animal production course used to say that feeding lucerne to cows was like feeding chocolate to children. |
new garden question
On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 23:05:31 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote: Charlie wrote in message As far as the alfalfa, one needs to find the right balance perhaps. I think parts of my garden suffered from alfalfa meal overdose this year. At least I had what appeared to be nitrogen burn on some things that I likely OD'd with too much alfalfa meal and blood meal. Charlie I often use lucerne (alfalfa) straw as a mulch but I notice in another post that you refer to alfalfa pellets. Can you buy lucerne (alfalfa) in bales such as you'd feed to a horse as this stuff is magnificent as a mulch. Or even if you could buy it in the chaff form should also be good. It's ideal for gardens but not for cattle. My old lecturer when I was doing a farm animal production course used to say that feeding lucerne to cows was like feeding chocolate to children. Do you happen to know when you harvest alfalfa? After reading about it here, I decided to grow it in bare patches. Some is about 18" tall and blooming. Kate |
new garden question
In article ,
"George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , Charlie wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:51 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. No disagreement witcha on this and what I have done also, but my take and thinking, after Fran's post, is lay down a good layer of worm bait and food, such as cooked rice and pasta, veggie trimmings May I see the wine list?;o) , rotten fruit and trimmings, etc., *under* the cardboard, with amendements, I think the operative word, Billy, in my suggestion was 'chuck'. I could substitute it with the word 'bung' to try and reflect the approach I am taking. No just 'do nothing gardening', but 'close enough is good enough gardening'. rob It's just Mr. Occam and his razor again. No sense making anything more difficult than it has to be. But tell me again, why is Chuck underneath the Hessian with a bung? All sounds rather "kinky" to this country boy. Must be what comes from spending your life up-side down ;O) -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system.* ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
In article , Charlie wrote:
On Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:46:32 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , Charlie wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:51 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. No disagreement witcha on this and what I have done also, but my take and thinking, after Fran's post, is lay down a good layer of worm bait and food, such as cooked rice and pasta, veggie trimmings May I see the wine list?;o) , rotten fruit and trimmings, etc., *under* the cardboard, with amendements, I think the operative word, Billy, in my suggestion was 'chuck'. I could substitute it with the word 'bung' to try and reflect the approach I am taking. No just 'do nothing gardening', but 'close enough is good enough gardening'. rob It's just Mr. Occam and his razor again. No sense making anything more difficult than it has to be. But tell me again, why is Chuck underneath the Hessian with a bung? All sounds rather "kinky" to this country boy. Must be what comes from spending your life up-side down ;O) Dammit, Billy, I done tolja ta quit callin' me Chuck!!! And it's a damned log I'm *tryin* to stay under, not some effing German mercenary and they ain't no bungin' involved, of any sort, you old effer!!! *Charlie*.....not Chuck What's up . . . err, hmmm? -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system. ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
In article , Charlie wrote:
On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 23:05:31 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Charlie wrote in message As far as the alfalfa, one needs to find the right balance perhaps. I think parts of my garden suffered from alfalfa meal overdose this year. At least I had what appeared to be nitrogen burn on some things that I likely OD'd with too much alfalfa meal and blood meal. Charlie I often use lucerne (alfalfa) straw as a mulch but I notice in another post that you refer to alfalfa pellets. Can you buy lucerne (alfalfa) in bales such as you'd feed to a horse as this stuff is magnificent as a mulch. Or even if you could buy it in the chaff form should also be good. It's ideal for gardens but not for cattle. My old lecturer when I was doing a farm animal production course used to say that feeding lucerne to cows was like feeding chocolate to children. I'm unable to find small bales locally this year, at least ones that aren't contracted or weedy as hell, and don't feel like driving thirty odd miles for a few bales. Most producers and farmers are now baling in the 1500 lb round bales. A bit unruly to wrestle into my small garden. ;-) I'm using chopped leaves and old moldy straw this year for mulch. I use alfalfa pellets and meal in potting mix and incorporated in compost and the mulch. Meal sounds like the chaff you mention. Meal is ground alfalfa which has the consistency of, say....hmmmm......wheat germ, and is good for incorporation or as a slurry with water in compost (thanks to catdaddy, gets a heap smokin'), but I find tends to form a crust when used as mulch. CHalrie No feed stores that sell in bales? 1500 lbs is a lot to buy all at once. Bales I get must weigh 50 lbs or so. -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system. ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
In article , Charlie wrote:
On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 22:58:47 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Charlie wrote in message On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Lazy Cow is another name I'm quite prepared to answer to. I don't see why I should do something if all those tireless wee wrigglers will do a lot of the soil prep for me. Uhhhh.....yeah....right....*you* may answer to that, but *I* ain't about to call it out. Shit, old Charlie knows how to tread thru a minefield!! ;-)))) You know why they call it PMS, right? Mad Cow was already taken. (Billy already running) -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system. ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
Charlie wrote in message
On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 23:05:31 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Charlie wrote in message As far as the alfalfa, one needs to find the right balance perhaps. I think parts of my garden suffered from alfalfa meal overdose this year. At least I had what appeared to be nitrogen burn on some things that I likely OD'd with too much alfalfa meal and blood meal. Charlie I often use lucerne (alfalfa) straw as a mulch but I notice in another post that you refer to alfalfa pellets. Can you buy lucerne (alfalfa) in bales such as you'd feed to a horse as this stuff is magnificent as a mulch. Or even if you could buy it in the chaff form should also be good. It's ideal for gardens but not for cattle. My old lecturer when I was doing a farm animal production course used to say that feeding lucerne to cows was like feeding chocolate to children. I'm unable to find small bales locally this year, at least ones that aren't contracted or weedy as hell, and don't feel like driving thirty odd miles for a few bales. Most producers and farmers are now baling in the 1500 lb round bales. A bit unruly to wrestle into my small garden. ;-) I'm using chopped leaves and old moldy straw this year for mulch. I use alfalfa pellets and meal in potting mix and incorporated in compost and the mulch. Meal sounds like the chaff you mention. Meal is ground alfalfa which has the consistency of, say....hmmmm......wheat germ, and is good for incorporation or as a slurry with water in compost (thanks to catdaddy, gets a heap smokin'), but I find tends to form a crust when used as mulch. Chaff is much bigger than wheat germ - more like half the size of a corn flake. I like it because it doesnt' crust up - good for letting the water through but mulches tiny seedlings well without having them disappear below the mulch. |
new garden question
Charlie wrote in message
On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 22:58:47 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Charlie wrote in message Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Lazy Cow is another name I'm quite prepared to answer to. I don't see why I should do something if all those tireless wee wrigglers will do a lot of the soil prep for me. Uhhhh.....yeah....right....*you* may answer to that, but *I* ain't about to call it out. Shit, old Charlie knows how to tread thru a minefield!! ;-)))) Wise decision :-)) I can go from dead placid to prize bitch in a nanosecond. :-)) |
new garden question
"Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , Charlie wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:51 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. No disagreement witcha on this and what I have done also, but my take and thinking, after Fran's post, is lay down a good layer of worm bait and food, such as cooked rice and pasta, veggie trimmings May I see the wine list?;o) , rotten fruit and trimmings, etc., *under* the cardboard, with amendements, I think the operative word, Billy, in my suggestion was 'chuck'. I could substitute it with the word 'bung' to try and reflect the approach I am taking. No just 'do nothing gardening', but 'close enough is good enough gardening'. rob It's just Mr. Occam and his razor again. No sense making anything more difficult than it has to be. But tell me again, why is Chuck underneath the Hessian with a bung? All sounds rather "kinky" to this country boy. Must be what comes from spending your life up-side down ;O) I should have written felt underlay, and whatever Chuck is doing being felt in his garden I, hmmmmmm, don't need to know more about thank you very much. As for the bung, if you want to offer me one just make it substantial please in the back pocket. rob |
new garden question
"Charlie" wrote in message ... On Fri, 7 Aug 2009 20:08:12 +1200, "George.com" wrote: I think the operative word, Billy, in my suggestion was 'chuck'. I could substitute it with the word 'bung' to try and reflect the approach I am taking. rob Yeah, well, I'm scratching me arse and trying to figure if I've been directly, or indirectly, insulted or what. (Bloody cheeky often obtuse bloke rob is, he is) Charlie, who just this minute remembered the cider laid down and is going for an opener and bottle this very minute... why, does chuck take the odd bung? Does George like his kungpow spicy? Why would George steal from the Yankees? George is getting upset! Worlds are colliding. It's all just slipping away, and you're letting it happen. rob |
new garden question
In article ,
"George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , Charlie wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:51 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. No disagreement witcha on this and what I have done also, but my take and thinking, after Fran's post, is lay down a good layer of worm bait and food, such as cooked rice and pasta, veggie trimmings May I see the wine list?;o) , rotten fruit and trimmings, etc., *under* the cardboard, with amendements, I think the operative word, Billy, in my suggestion was 'chuck'. I could substitute it with the word 'bung' to try and reflect the approach I am taking. No just 'do nothing gardening', but 'close enough is good enough gardening'. rob It's just Mr. Occam and his razor again. No sense making anything more difficult than it has to be. But tell me again, why is Chuck underneath the Hessian with a bung? All sounds rather "kinky" to this country boy. Must be what comes from spending your life up-side down ;O) I should have written felt underlay, and whatever Chuck is doing being felt in his garden I, hmmmmmm, don't need to know more about thank you very much. As for the bung, if you want to offer me one just make it substantial please in the back pocket. rob OK, that's it. Spankings all around ;O) -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system.* ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
Charlie wrote in message
On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 23:12:28 +1200, "George.com" wrote: Does George like his kungpow spicy? Why would George steal from the Yankees? George is getting upset! Worlds are colliding. It's all just slipping away, and you're letting it happen. rob Hmmm.....first you have me scratchin' me butt, and now I'm scratchin' me head! Ah well, nothing better to do on a hot Sat. nite than try and translate Robspeak into something poor old addled Charlie can unnerstan'. Charlie I think George just might have had a few too many cleansing ales when he was writing his post as I too haven't got a clue what he's on about and I can generally understand Kiwi posts :-)))). |
new garden question
In article
, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Charlie wrote in message On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 23:12:28 +1200, "George.com" wrote: Does George like his kungpow spicy? Why would George steal from the Yankees? George is getting upset! Worlds are colliding. It's all just slipping away, and you're letting it happen. rob Hmmm.....first you have me scratchin' me butt, and now I'm scratchin' me head! Ah well, nothing better to do on a hot Sat. nite than try and translate Robspeak into something poor old addled Charlie can unnerstan'. Charlie I think George just might have had a few too many cleansing ales I don't think that is possible. Alcohol frees the body from the tyranny of the mind. Can't ever be too free. when he was writing his post as I too haven't got a clue what he's on about and I can generally understand Kiwi posts :-)))). The medium IS the massage. -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system.* ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
"Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , Charlie wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:51 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. No disagreement witcha on this and what I have done also, but my take and thinking, after Fran's post, is lay down a good layer of worm bait and food, such as cooked rice and pasta, veggie trimmings May I see the wine list?;o) , rotten fruit and trimmings, etc., *under* the cardboard, with amendements, I think the operative word, Billy, in my suggestion was 'chuck'. I could substitute it with the word 'bung' to try and reflect the approach I am taking. No just 'do nothing gardening', but 'close enough is good enough gardening'. rob It's just Mr. Occam and his razor again. No sense making anything more difficult than it has to be. But tell me again, why is Chuck underneath the Hessian with a bung? All sounds rather "kinky" to this country boy. Must be what comes from spending your life up-side down ;O) I should have written felt underlay, and whatever Chuck is doing being felt in his garden I, hmmmmmm, don't need to know more about thank you very much. As for the bung, if you want to offer me one just make it substantial please in the back pocket. rob OK, that's it. Spankings all around ;O) I note charlie responded to the spanking comment. As for me Billy, just pass me the bung mate. Used note & brown envelope & I'll keep quiet. Cheers. rob |
new garden question
"Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Charlie wrote in message On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 23:12:28 +1200, "George.com" wrote: Does George like his kungpow spicy? Why would George steal from the Yankees? George is getting upset! Worlds are colliding. It's all just slipping away, and you're letting it happen. rob Hmmm.....first you have me scratchin' me butt, and now I'm scratchin' me head! Ah well, nothing better to do on a hot Sat. nite than try and translate Robspeak into something poor old addled Charlie can unnerstan'. Charlie I think George just might have had a few too many cleansing ales I don't think that is possible. Alcohol frees the body from the tyranny of the mind. Can't ever be too free. when he was writing his post as I too haven't got a clue what he's on about and I can generally understand Kiwi posts :-)))). The medium IS the massage. Gees, the reference is just staring you in the face. If relationship George walks through that door, independent George will die. A George divided against himself cannot stand. Aw, lets just go back to talking about Chuck being felt in his garden. rob |
new garden question
In article ,
"George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message .. . In article , Charlie wrote: On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:51 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Thu, 6 Aug 2009 13:58:38 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "George.com" wrote in message news:h5bfs1 I'd not bother with the plastic and instead cover the area with cardboard or old felt carpet underlay. Whatever comes free and second hand. A carpet layer will often have second hand hessian underlay they are happy to part with for free. Coffee grounds, food scraps, leaves, grass clippings. Chuck it all on top of the hessian or cardboard and leave for a few months & you have a garden. I think this system works even better if you chuck all thos things under the free top layer. I like to let the worms get at it and do a lot of work for me. But then my soil is rotten and hard and wormless so I also dig up some worms from my veg garden, dig a tiny bit of soil so thye at least have some soil cover and then do what you describe. hmmmm.......doh. This makes good sense, in that the worms don't have to chew thru the cardboard/hessian/whatever before they begin to work. Same weed reduction results, but faster soil improvement results. Thanks for the idea, Wormwrangler. Charlie I would suggest that you first lay down your soil amendments (manure, rock phosphate, potassiun [wood ash, what ever]), then your cardboard, or newsprint, and then cover that unsightly mess with the mulch of your choice (I prefer alfalfa), then if you want to go full gonzo, spread some green manure seeds (I'd go with rye or buckwheat to condition the soil [make it looser], or some legumes to add more nitrogen to the soil). In any event, the worms will thank you for it. No disagreement witcha on this and what I have done also, but my take and thinking, after Fran's post, is lay down a good layer of worm bait and food, such as cooked rice and pasta, veggie trimmings May I see the wine list?;o) , rotten fruit and trimmings, etc., *under* the cardboard, with amendements, I think the operative word, Billy, in my suggestion was 'chuck'. I could substitute it with the word 'bung' to try and reflect the approach I am taking. No just 'do nothing gardening', but 'close enough is good enough gardening'. rob It's just Mr. Occam and his razor again. No sense making anything more difficult than it has to be. But tell me again, why is Chuck underneath the Hessian with a bung? All sounds rather "kinky" to this country boy. Must be what comes from spending your life up-side down ;O) I should have written felt underlay, and whatever Chuck is doing being felt in his garden I, hmmmmmm, don't need to know more about thank you very much. As for the bung, if you want to offer me one just make it substantial please in the back pocket. rob OK, that's it. Spankings all around ;O) I note charlie responded to the spanking comment. As for me Billy, just pass me the bung mate. Used note & brown envelope & I'll keep quiet. Cheers. rob .. . . and in gardening news, I just discovered that many of my plants are hermaphrodites. Only in California;O) Since we're in the garden, he said, leaning against the fence. I like sweet corn, not super sweet, I still like to be able to taste the corn flavor, but I've noticed that even with trying to select the perfect corn, not only I, but my CSA as well, seem to produce corn that is starchy. On the other hand, I can go to the local market and get corn that is sweet, that I presume was picked all at the same time. What's up with that? I think I'd be willing to grow some hybrid corn, just for the sake of having good corn on the cob, while I'm learning on my "Golden Bantam". What corn works for you? -- Racial injustice, war, urban blight, and environmental rape have a common denominator in our exploitative economic system.* ~Channing E. Phillips http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm |
new garden question
In article
, Billy wrote: What corn works for you? Silver Queen was our favorite. Currently not enough sun here but with our oaks dying maybe light enough too soon. Bill whose basil is unbelievable and yes it rained again today HARD. ...................... Dinner From Rec.recipes again Chorizo Cabbage Scramble This started out as a typical recipe for unstuffed cabbage but has been seriously adjusted in the direction of TexMex. 1 small head cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups) 1 lb bulk Mexican-style chorizo 1/2 cup uncooked instant brown rice 1 small onion, chopped 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with chipotle OR 1 can plain diced tomatoes + 1-2 Tbsp minced chipotle en adobo 1 Tbsp brown sugar 2 tsp salt Crumble and cook chorizo in large skillet. Drain fat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add diced tomatoes with liquid from can. Add minced chipotles if using plain tomatoes. Add rice and brown sugar. Stir until the rice is well mixed in and the brown sugar has disolved. Add shredded cabbage and stir together with chorizo mixture. Cover and cook about 15 minutes until cabbage has softened and flavors have blended. Add salt to taste if needed. The scramble can be eaten as-is or used as a stuffing for tacos, tamales, etc. ............................... I use long grain rice -- Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA |
new garden question
"Charlie" wrote in message ... On Sun, 9 Aug 2009 19:36:27 +1200, "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Charlie wrote in message On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 23:12:28 +1200, "George.com" wrote: Does George like his kungpow spicy? Why would George steal from the Yankees? George is getting upset! Worlds are colliding. It's all just slipping away, and you're letting it happen. rob Hmmm.....first you have me scratchin' me butt, and now I'm scratchin' me head! Ah well, nothing better to do on a hot Sat. nite than try and translate Robspeak into something poor old addled Charlie can unnerstan'. Charlie I think George just might have had a few too many cleansing ales I don't think that is possible. Alcohol frees the body from the tyranny of the mind. Can't ever be too free. when he was writing his post as I too haven't got a clue what he's on about and I can generally understand Kiwi posts :-)))). The medium IS the massage. Gees, the reference is just staring you in the face. If relationship George walks through that door, independent George will die. A George divided against himself cannot stand. Aw, lets just go back to talking about Chuck being felt in his garden. rob Chuck is beginning to feel like a well trodden carpet.... Stop being such a fuss pot charlie. What you do with a bit of crumpet in your grotty garden is your business, none of mine. Not being a wowser of course. Most of the February cider got bottled yesterday. Looks good, nice n clear and a good smell. Not going to try any for a few more months yet though, give it time to mature well. rob |
new garden question
"Charlie" wrote in message ... On Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:35:55 +1200, "George.com" wrote: "Charlie" wrote in message . .. On Sun, 9 Aug 2009 19:36:27 +1200, "George.com" wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: Charlie wrote in message On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 23:12:28 +1200, "George.com" wrote: Does George like his kungpow spicy? Why would George steal from the Yankees? George is getting upset! Worlds are colliding. It's all just slipping away, and you're letting it happen. rob Hmmm.....first you have me scratchin' me butt, and now I'm scratchin' me head! Ah well, nothing better to do on a hot Sat. nite than try and translate Robspeak into something poor old addled Charlie can unnerstan'. Charlie I think George just might have had a few too many cleansing ales I don't think that is possible. Alcohol frees the body from the tyranny of the mind. Can't ever be too free. when he was writing his post as I too haven't got a clue what he's on about and I can generally understand Kiwi posts :-)))). The medium IS the massage. Gees, the reference is just staring you in the face. If relationship George walks through that door, independent George will die. A George divided against himself cannot stand. Aw, lets just go back to talking about Chuck being felt in his garden. rob Chuck is beginning to feel like a well trodden carpet.... Stop being such a fuss pot charlie. What you do with a bit of crumpet in your grotty garden is your business, none of mine. Not being a wowser of course. Butt of course not. Most of the February cider got bottled yesterday. Looks good, nice n clear and a good smell. Not going to try any for a few more months yet though, give it time to mature well. rob I bottled in twelve ouncers after a month in secondary and cracked one open last weekend and was pleased with the carbonation, aroma, clarity *and* taste. Charlie That seems like only 3 odd months after fermentation? Thats alcoholic territory charlie. "Chuck is getting drunk". "Chuck likes his cider young". rob |
new garden question
"Charlie" wrote in message ... On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:00:28 +1200, "George.com" wrote: That seems like only 3 odd months after fermentation? Thats alcoholic territory charlie. "Chuck is getting drunk". "Chuck likes his cider young". rob Thank you for reminding me of something I oft forget, in my desire to be clever, but often find myself in a position of being too cute by half, a quote whose attribute is in question, but valid nonetheless..."Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." sorry Charlie, you have lost me. Way too subtle. I'm not game to try it yet even after 6 months, don't want to be dissappointed, rather be pleasantly surprised. Am thinking maybe of taking a bottle down to a local park & getting the opinion of the resident drunks. rob ps got a load of home brew kit from a mate who knew I was making cider. Included was an oldish stout brew mixture. I made that up and set it a few weeks. My near neighbour is a semi-alcoholic. I offered him a few bottles. He gratefully received. That was 2-3 months ago. A couple weeks back neighbour was weaving his way home down the street after an sunday afternoon at the boozer. I was walking the dogs. As we passed I offered him some more booze. His reply, "naaaah, thanks mate, I'mmmm (long drawl) ok, ha ha ha". Couldn't even give the stuff to near alcoholics. Didn't think it was that bad & I dislike the stuff. rob |
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