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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing
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[Livingontheland] gardening without tilling and virtually no weeding
- From: "Douglas Willhite" <drwillhite@earthlink.net>
- To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>, <pumpkin@xanadoo.com>
- Subject: [Livingontheland] gardening without tilling and virtually no weeding
- Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2008 07:56:49 -0700
Morgan,
I don't grow veggies for market like Paul, and don't make any claims to be
an expert. I don't keep notes and I'm not very organized or scientific about it.
Just grow for the wife and I...and for our chickens, and a few neighbors. Here's
what we do and it seems to work fine for us:
1. We use nine large raised bed containers ranging in size from 4'x8' to
3'x30'. Some are made out of cement blocks, some 2"x12'' boards, and some
pre-formed plastic; etc. (Blocks are best if you can swing it.) It's
helpful to set-up the container beds in a screened in porch or greenhouse to
protect plants from squirrels, birds, and late/early frosts; it will extend your
growing seasons.
2. Lay 1/4" hardware cloth or steel screen on the bottom to keep gophers
from tunneling up.
3. Fill beds with about 1/2 sand and 1/2 compost. (I "cheat" and buy
organic compost in bales from a local farm supply rather than making it myself.
This year I hope to bring in a semi-truck and trailer full of compost to spread
on my entire orchard.)
4. We add worm castings from our vermicomposting bin, and more compost to
the top of beds annually; and plant seeds directly in beds.
5. Add water daily. I have nine large beds and water by spraying the
garden hose. Doesn't take all that long and gives me a chance to look everything
over daily.
It's simple, no tilling, virtually no weeding. Plants look happy. The End.
;-)
Doug
"Thank you but Lasagna gardening is exactly what I don't want, that's why
I said that and double digging were what I could find associated with the term. I don't want tiny beds with cardboard or newspaper and compost/mulch on top of it. If that's required, I ain't doing it. That's pretty much what I have seen associated with lasagna gardening. I'm also not willing to double dig. I was thinking I had seen people talking like they didn't do either, but not recently and I am not sure how to search archives here. I can figure out how to read them, just not how to search for stuff inside specifically." Morgan |
- [Livingontheland] gardening without tilling and virtually no weeding, Douglas Willhite, 04/05/2008
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