Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["mtncats" <mtncats@myway.com>]

Paul, I was very pleasantly surprised at what a thick layer of wood chips 
under the dirt in my (new) raised beds accomplished.  No apparent difference 
the first year, but after that it was clear (in comparison to a bed that had 
no wood chips).  I got our Dept of Transportation to deliver a couple of 
dumptruck loads.  Worked so well I'd be willing to pay next time, if I 
couldn't get it free.  Large chips, not sawdust or planer chips.

I compost (low temp) in the aisles between the permanent beds.  Makes for 
minimal material moving.  Foot traffic is no problem.  Also a very convenient 
place to throw the few weeds that manage to sprout in the beds.  Mine are 
close to where I can dump my imported manure.  Efficiency of motion.  I 
prefer to use most of mine harvesting.

One place I'd differ is your suggestion of "salvage boards" for the form.  
I've gotten 6 yrs from my red oak timbers, which I knew were the wrong 
species when I used them.  Won't do that again.

Seems to me that much cheaper lifespan costs can be found with material that 
resists rot.  My next beds are tire boards 
http://www.noble.org/Ag/Horticulture/raisdbed/rb07.html.  Ferrocement is 
another good choice.  While making long-term soil plans, seems prudent to 
make long-term frames.  Very short beds of course need little or no frame.  
My back prefers tall.

Tom (in central Virginia with early spring plantings)




 --- On Sun 03/11, TradingPostPaul < tradingpost@riseup.net > wrote:


There was a book titled "The $64 Tomato". You can spend so much on a 
gardenthat the original idea of saving on food costs is down the 
proverbialtoilet. And you can make it too much work to be worth the trouble 
in thefirst place. Typical garden layout is the problem. Planting in rows 
leavestoo much empty space to grow weeds, and too much ground to water. 
Permanentbeds can grow twice as many plants as single rows; you walk on the 
aisles,not between plants, so they're all equidistant from each other. Do 
themath. Leaving it unmulched also means more weeds and more watering. 
Read:more expense, more work. Tilling in all sorts of expensive 
soilconditioners and fertilizers (organic or not) means machinery, fuel, 
fumes,and trips to garden stores for bags of this and that. And expense. A 
fewloads of aged manure from nearby farms or stables or chicken 
operationstakes some effort but it's cheap. Dig in decomposed organic matter 
frommost any source. It'll buffer pH swings and add 
micronutrients as well asconditioning your soil structure for better drainage 
and moistureretention. The beauty of soil building is you get it done this 
year anddon't have to repeat the process next time or ever. You just add 
morecompost of some sort to the surface to start each season and keep 
itmulched. A lot of us have months without rain and water bills. The big 
keysto cutting costs are  bed layout, soil organic matter, and mulch. Except 
for the cost of rabbit fencing, we're setting up forty framed bedson a 
shoestring this year. We're getting pickup loads of aged manure fromnearby 
farms, and spoiled hay, and wood chips from the county for mulch.I'm digging 
in small amounts of greensand and alfalfa meal, but the cost isminimal since 
it's a one time thing in bulk. Cull and salvage boards framethe beds to hold 
the mulch in place in wind. All in all the cost is afraction of what a good 
tiller would cost, and next year the cost will bealmost zero and no-till will 
mean much 
less work for next year. paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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