This post shares the poll results for the second installment of the Book Club series and also announces the extended time window for each book going forward.
I'm about halfway through "The Living Soil Handbook" What a boatload of good information that is.
I have created soil lasagna. On the bottom, dead wood, around that, straw, backyard soil, ash, sawdust, peat moss. (every layer has some peat moss) Above that is soil from Bancroft that should be loaded with minerals, mixed with compost. Just under the top layer is some living soil that I didn't disturb any more than I had to. On top is a thin layer of backyard soil mixed with peat moss and on top of that is 3" of straw. All covered tightly with glass.
This is four 3'x8' raised beds, I will do a mound when I get these all done.
I have plants that could go in now but I want to let it stew for a bit. Compost tea brewing for the event.
I expect it all to die so I will not be disappointed with any eventuality.
Oh, 7 apple trees are alive and will probably make it. They were a little scrawny but I'm giving them outside sun every day if there is any.
Right on! How are those apple trees coming along now? I have about 20 in little pots started this spring and some are about 2 feet tall now. Gonna be finding them homes in food forest projects soon. :)
Down to four. I put seven outside in clay pots and chipmunks dug up three of them, damaged beyond repair. They have fences around them now. They aren't growing much outside though. I gave them some tea the other day. Hints on soil improvements to get them going?
Also designed a canopy for my raised beds using deer fence, they were digging in my gardens as well. I put ground up peanut shells in my compost, I think that gets them excited and they dig.
Went out and sourced about 50 lbs of zebra mussels and sand from Lake Ontario breaking them down to add to my compost pile. Someone told me that zebra mussels work good for mulch because critters don't like to walk on them. Maybe. Should go get a bunch of seaweed too.
I have one raised bed producing, the rest are in various stages. Going out today to get the screws I need to put up the eaves trough that will fill my rainwater containment system that will water my gardens. Then I can finish the rest up. I'll have four 3x8 lasagne raised beds and a Kugel (?) mound.
As I said, I have one producing, it's pretty cool grazing in my backyard.
Hey that is great my friend, four wild apple tree seedlings is four more than 99.9999 % of people have going in North America so your doing well! :)
I have found that there is a tiny window in between when the roots reach the bottom of a given container and when the apple tree seedlings (grown from seed) will decide to stop growing new leaves for the year, but if you repot them sequentially right as the roots touch the bottom of the pot into bigger pots, they will keep going (sometimes growing three feet plus in one year). Once they slow down they may not grow anymore in height for that season (though sometimes if I re-pot them into a slightly larger pot the roots grow and it triggers a second growth spurt for the season). Usually though, once the growth slows/stops, that is it for the season and you should just care for them as they will maintain that size until repotting in fall or spring and brining into an unheated enclosed space for the winter (a garage or shed).
That is so awesome about the zebra mussels, nice work!
That sounds like an impressive start you have going there, thanks for the update.
I'm about halfway through "The Living Soil Handbook" What a boatload of good information that is.
I have created soil lasagna. On the bottom, dead wood, around that, straw, backyard soil, ash, sawdust, peat moss. (every layer has some peat moss) Above that is soil from Bancroft that should be loaded with minerals, mixed with compost. Just under the top layer is some living soil that I didn't disturb any more than I had to. On top is a thin layer of backyard soil mixed with peat moss and on top of that is 3" of straw. All covered tightly with glass.
This is four 3'x8' raised beds, I will do a mound when I get these all done.
I have plants that could go in now but I want to let it stew for a bit. Compost tea brewing for the event.
I expect it all to die so I will not be disappointed with any eventuality.
Oh, 7 apple trees are alive and will probably make it. They were a little scrawny but I'm giving them outside sun every day if there is any.
Bah, there are ground up leaves in there too. I didn't have a kitchen sink.
Right on! How are those apple trees coming along now? I have about 20 in little pots started this spring and some are about 2 feet tall now. Gonna be finding them homes in food forest projects soon. :)
Down to four. I put seven outside in clay pots and chipmunks dug up three of them, damaged beyond repair. They have fences around them now. They aren't growing much outside though. I gave them some tea the other day. Hints on soil improvements to get them going?
Also designed a canopy for my raised beds using deer fence, they were digging in my gardens as well. I put ground up peanut shells in my compost, I think that gets them excited and they dig.
Went out and sourced about 50 lbs of zebra mussels and sand from Lake Ontario breaking them down to add to my compost pile. Someone told me that zebra mussels work good for mulch because critters don't like to walk on them. Maybe. Should go get a bunch of seaweed too.
I have one raised bed producing, the rest are in various stages. Going out today to get the screws I need to put up the eaves trough that will fill my rainwater containment system that will water my gardens. Then I can finish the rest up. I'll have four 3x8 lasagne raised beds and a Kugel (?) mound.
As I said, I have one producing, it's pretty cool grazing in my backyard.
Hey that is great my friend, four wild apple tree seedlings is four more than 99.9999 % of people have going in North America so your doing well! :)
I have found that there is a tiny window in between when the roots reach the bottom of a given container and when the apple tree seedlings (grown from seed) will decide to stop growing new leaves for the year, but if you repot them sequentially right as the roots touch the bottom of the pot into bigger pots, they will keep going (sometimes growing three feet plus in one year). Once they slow down they may not grow anymore in height for that season (though sometimes if I re-pot them into a slightly larger pot the roots grow and it triggers a second growth spurt for the season). Usually though, once the growth slows/stops, that is it for the season and you should just care for them as they will maintain that size until repotting in fall or spring and brining into an unheated enclosed space for the winter (a garage or shed).
That is so awesome about the zebra mussels, nice work!
That sounds like an impressive start you have going there, thanks for the update.