I mentioned in another thread about trying to find a simple way to go organic.
I decided to take small steps. This weekend I went to a friends place to get horse manure.
They were trying to make it easy & suggested I get it from the stalls since the guy who comes by
To clean it out didn't make it.
I don't claim to know a lot about horses but the stalls imho weren't that dirty, I collected the shavings & spread them out on top of one garden plot. Then took what was piles of manure and
Spread in the other. I was told the shavings were fine for the garden. I went back today & covered 2 pastures where she didnt drag, and got a load of just manure. I added more to the cleaner shavings and will let it dry out some & then later this week I will spread the Pelletied lime on top.
Wait another week & till it into the ground. Let it sit for a few months, & then send another soil sample late February or early March & see where I stand
It is better to compost any fresh manure first unless you are just planning to let those beds over winter. Horse manure can have a lot of weed seeds in them. I don't know about pathogens in the manure, but all fresh manures should be composted or aged before using them just to be safe. Just because something is organic, does not necessarily mean it is safe or non-toxic, and they can be polluting.
I have a hard time getting enough nitrogen in my soil organically because I don't like to use any animal by products. Blood and bone meal in particular. I don't want my pH to go up any more so I cannot use chicken manure. I do buy commercial composted steer manure and I keep the bags a couple of months before I use them so they are well aged, they just don't have a lot of nitrogen. I did find some organic lawn food made by Scott's that is OMRI listed and is made from cottonseed and feather meal. I still don't like the feather meal, but it is better than bone or blood meal from cattle.
I have a hard time getting enough nitrogen in my soil organically because I don't like to use any animal by products. Blood and bone meal in particular. I don't want my pH to go up any more so I cannot use chicken manure. I do buy commercial composted steer manure and I keep the bags a couple of months before I use them so they are well aged, they just don't have a lot of nitrogen. I did find some organic lawn food made by Scott's that is OMRI listed and is made from cottonseed and feather meal. I still don't like the feather meal, but it is better than bone or blood meal from cattle.
Gardening by organic practice does not have the hard & fast goal posts you may be hoping for. The manure based compost I might be comfortable with, a vegan gardener might not be.
I will use an Open Pollinated seed, that an heirloom grower may find too new. I expect neither of us will set out treated seed with mercaptan (fungicide) on it, that a tractor grower might need.
So choose wisely, and grow forward.
I will use an Open Pollinated seed, that an heirloom grower may find too new. I expect neither of us will set out treated seed with mercaptan (fungicide) on it, that a tractor grower might need.
So choose wisely, and grow forward.
If you do grow organic, start with adding compost and do a winter cover crop of a green manure. It will add biomass and nitrogen when it is tilled in. Inoculated legumes will add nitrogen to the soil.
It will take about three years to get comparable yields organically. You do need to be patient and plan ahead. Put in your amendments composts, organic fertilizer about 4 weeks before you plant. Organic fertilizers release slowly. You may want to work on your compost pile and brew your own AACT and consider supplementing with fish emulsion especially when the plants are young and need more nitrogen.
Organic seeds are easier to come by now, since everybody seems to be jumping on the organic wagon. Open pollinated seeds like Tom said are a good start. If you isolate properly you can save your seeds for future plantings.
It will take about three years to get comparable yields organically. You do need to be patient and plan ahead. Put in your amendments composts, organic fertilizer about 4 weeks before you plant. Organic fertilizers release slowly. You may want to work on your compost pile and brew your own AACT and consider supplementing with fish emulsion especially when the plants are young and need more nitrogen.
Organic seeds are easier to come by now, since everybody seems to be jumping on the organic wagon. Open pollinated seeds like Tom said are a good start. If you isolate properly you can save your seeds for future plantings.