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market-farming - RE: [Market-farming] Drip Irrigation

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  • From: "Paul A. Bock" <bockpa AT plesh.com>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Drip Irrigation
  • Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 07:10:55 -0400

About the rotten sawdust, the only thing I have heard is that if it isn't
broken down enough the material can steal away your available nitrogen for a
while. Also, depending on the species of tree the sawdust was made from you
might have some trouble. For instance if it was black walnut saw dust. The
black walnut tree seems to give off a natural herbicide. I have even heard
of people having troubles using the composted leaves. Allotropic effect I
think they call it. And you might see some interesting mushrooms growing
wherever you put the stuff.

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Pat
Meadows
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 4:26 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Drip Irrigation


On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 12:48:57 -0700, you wrote:


>On another note, the soil I am working up here in Southeastern Ontario,
>Canada is a clay based soil, very different from the sandy soil I was used
>to in British Columbia. Its profile (as per soil test) is excellent, lots
>of organic material, good PH and balanced in nutrients, a little low in
>phosphorous and potassium. Does anyone have experience preparing this kind
>of soil? I almost think it needs something like peat moss to loosen it up -
>but that's pretty expensive on a three acre piece... Has anyone used rotten
>sawdust for a similar purpose in clay?


We have heavy, heavy clay soil, I believe we could make
pottery out of it. We're using peat moss plus
spent-mushroom-soil to lighten it.

The mushroom soil is wonderful stuff, very like lovely rich
compost.

Most of the mushrooms grown in the USA come from
Pennsylvania (although from the southern part of the state,
and we're in the northern part of Pennsylvania), so I can
buy the spent-mushroom soil from a local greenhouse. The
greenhouse owner gets a tractor-trailer load of it each
spring.

But I don't know whether it's available anywhere else or
not. If so, it's great for this purpose.

I'm planning to use cover crops this summer and fall too (in
my little raised beds!). I think that will also help. This
is, if we can ever get the garden planted...we've had a
terribly discouraging spring, constant rain. I mean: rain
every day for over six weeks now, and ONE sunny day in all
that time.

Pat
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