Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Laura McKenzie" <laurabrownmckenzie@worldnet.att.net>]

Greg, I think, has a good idea, Alan.  I'm a true newbie when it comes to 
soil so don't take my word for it.  I know you have a lot of land and I have 
only about 2 acres with only a little bit marginally useable so my 
suggestions might not help you but I'm going to re-post to this list what I 
recently wrote on another about my hugelkulture beds (apologies to several 
of you who have already read it).  Keep in mind that ALL of my beds started 
on top of solid chirt and red clay that was nearly sandstone.  We pick axed 
it to form terraces and in most spots not even the field Bermuda tries to 
grow on it.   I'll comment on the extension program in Alabama another day; 
I need to keep a positive attitude today because I have a lot of work to do 
<laugh>.

---being quote----
Hi folks!  I'm reporting in on last year's hugelkulture experiment as
promised. (The experiment was to build two hugelkulture beds. The base of 
one was double dug first with leaves added as we double dug and the other 
was left alone. Then the hugelkulture bed was built on top. We are wondering 
if the microherd ... what there is on this type of soil.... is best left 
un-disturbed or is the soil so poor that double digging helps.)

   I have 5 tomatoes in the bed that I double dug first.  I have three
tomatoes in the bed I didn't double dig first.

  All tomatoes appear to doing equally well and are free of pest and
disease.  They are nearly the same size.  Its a little early to tell if
there are more flowers on one than another so I'll report again later.  The
tomatoes in the non-double dug bed have yellow older leaves indicating
possible iron problems but its only about one leaf per plant.  Their
varieties all differ because I bought fedco's organic heirloom mixture to
try to find out which kind of tomato works well in my bed without buying
lots of different packets so I don't have a perfectly constructed experiment
by any means : )

  The peas did better in the double dug bed but only a little better,
taller and more peas. The taste was the same.  The lettuce did better in the
double dug bed by a little bit as well.  I've never grown such great lettuce
before.

    Remember that I made these beds in the early spring of 2005.  Last year
I had *ok* results with growing melons in newspaper mache pots place INTO
the beds.  This year these beds are remarkably better than any other I have
and the tomatoes are healthier than in any other bed save one... the very
oldest and best establish bed in the most optimal location in my garden.  So
within 18 months I was able to create an excellent bed  (better than most of
my other ones anyway!) using Hugelkulture.

  I was thinking today about gardening in marginal areas.  Hugelkulture
appears to be helpful for this! I plan to revamp older and poor beds a
little at a time using this method.

The two new beds we constructed in the winter of this year are doing super.
The musk melons I planted are doing *very* well.  I also set three tomatoes
into the side of one bed and these tomatoes are the healthiest and tallest
in my garden.  I didn't have luck with potatoes last year though.

Laura


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Laura's Homeschooling, Garden, and Genealogy Site
is found here: http://home.att.net/~ekyorigins
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