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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost AT gilanet.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: Improving the Soil -- was RE: [Market-farming] Jumping Into Farming
  • Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 09:54:16 -0700


So what kind of compost is it you're getting good results with? I mean the
source and material getting composted.

paul tradingpost AT gilanet.com
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 3/10/2004 at 12:01 PM Matt Cheselka wrote:

>On Wed, 10 Mar 2004, Tradingpost wrote:
>
>> We're all learning, and lacking some of the hands on experience of
>> several experts here, it's the only way I can do it. You're ahead of me
>> since I'm in the soil building stage with low rainfall and soil with
>> little organic matter that's never been farmed. So our challenges are
>> probably very different.
>
>Yeah. I'm actually a bit confused about my experience in improving the
>soil I have around here. Before I made any improvements, things would
>grow, sorta, but they'd either be very small (cantaloupe a couple inches
>across and tastes tarrible) or not produce anything. I've got a clay
>soil with practically no org matter in it at all.
>
>Six months ago, I dug up 1000 sq ft of my backyard and tilled in about 10
>cu ft or peat moss and 10 cu ft of composted cow manure. Viola! My
>veggies are growing like CRAZY!
>
>Out at my larger place (about 5000 sq ft) I'm just adding compost. The
>soil out there is different -- it's a mixture of sand and clay, but it
>also has a LOT of roots (it use to be a field of grass). I planted
>alfalfa and clover just to see if it'd grow on the unimproved soil and to
>my surprize it's taking off like gangbusters! I know that the compost
>will help quite a big with the market veggies, so I'll continue to do
>that. I'm putting on a cubic yard of compost per 250 sq ft and we'll see
>how it goes. I should be able to get my first few lettuces out there in
>the next couple of weeks.
>
>I do want to do a soil test, but in truth if the plants are happy, all i
>can assume is that I have a happy soil!
>
>Matt
>Cosmic Lettuce
>






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