Fall Preparations

[opabinia51]

To date I have planted, mowed and turned over fall rye, I have layed down a layer of apple leaves beneath the soil and I am about to put a layer of seaweed down on my garden. Other than manure, is there anything else I need to do for Fall Preperations with the soil of my vegetable garden?

[The Helpful Gardener]

Wow! No, you are doing a great job of prepping soil; lasagna gardening is a great way to improve your soil without a lot of labor (let the worms do the hard work; they like it!) . A little compost tea might get things kicking a little harder, but other than that you have a great jump on next year...

Scott

[opabinia51]

Thanks! What exactly is compost tea? I have rot it that I use on my compst pile, would that be similar?

[opabinia51]

For anyone interested Leaf Mold Tea is made by placing your leaf mold in a burlap sack, filling a barrel with water and leaving the sack in the barrel for 4 or 5 days. My guess is that compost tea is made in the same way.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Sure enough!



Scott

[opabinia51]

Yah, just thought that I should mention that through much research I have discovered that clover is another good cover crop (that is also a dynamic accumulator) but, you plant it in the spring.
So, as the plan continues; I have done what is listed above to the soil and I plan to rotatill the garden on March 1st and plant white clover seed on the same day (I wanted Crimson Clover (it's really pretty) but, couldn't find any).
After about two weeks (My hope is that clover will grow as vigorously as the Rye did) I will mow it, wait two to three weeks mow it again and then Turn the clover over and break it up. Finally, on that same day I am going to spread Kelp Meal over the garden and then just let it sit for the Rest of April and plant all my Vegetable Seeds and already started plants on or about the first of May. Should be a great year for vegetables. (Better than last year)

[The Helpful Gardener]

You should grow mutant monster veggies in the soil you're cooking, Opa!



Scott

[opabinia51]

Yah! I am hoping that the veggies will be great!




When I was young, our neighbour used to grow these amazingly huge and delcious vegetables in his garden. (This is the same neighbour who grew the purple potatoes that I have been searching high and low for, and I've found a source for them as well ) So, I am hoping to aspire to his gardening prowess.

[opabinia51]

I think that NEWT already has a title for Companion planting but, I thought that I might as well put this in here as well;

Yes, Marigolds. Marigolds seem to be the wonder companion plant for the Vegetable garden. They don't seem to have negative interactions with any Vegetables, legumes or the like. They do repel insects and help other plants to grow.
My plan is to buy a couple of flats of Marigolds and plant them in and around all of my other plants in the Vegetable Garden.
Also, it is a good thing to look up Companion Planting on Google to see what Vegetables suit eachother with regard to insect repelling and nutrient additions. Some vegetables actually inhibit the growth of others so, it's best to do a bit of research now and plan the general shape and construction of your vegetable garden before planting.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Thanks for the tips, Opa!

Scott

[opabinia51]

Hmmm, been thinking a lot lately about no till lasagna gardening. So, I am no longer going to till my garden this year (or ever for that matter). Anyway, with the idea of Lasagna Gardening: I have been thinking and this fall instead of doing what I described above, the plan is to plant the Rye and do all that then to lay down a layer of Manure (either Horse or Steer) then a layer of apple leaves then a layer of grass clippings, then a layer of shredded Maple leaves, then a layer of shredded Red, Green and Brown Seaweed and finally a layer of Manure (Chicken in the non potatoe/corn areas and Horse in the potatoe/corn areas). I think that this will create even better soil. Also, I have been thinking about inquiring at my local supermarket as to what they do with their leftover spent lettuce and put that in as a layer. Probably in between the seaweed and the manure.
There is a community garden in town that was built on a vacant gravel lot and they started by putting lettuce and other greens that they had recieved from local supermakets, etc. Anyway, just with the addition of that over a layer of cardboard, a year later they had the best soil! I am personally a believer in alternations of greens and browns though... do the real compost thing.

[The Helpful Gardener]

All my organic buddies are believers (and converting me into one at the same time...)

Scott

[opabinia51]

Yeah, it was you and I belive Newt who first swayed me to this no till idea and at my organic gardening club meeting last month, I had my epiphany. So, no till in March. Keep those Mycelia in tact, let those bacterial colonies proliferate and for goodness sake; let the worms live! Let the worms live!!!

And I guess I have the president of my Organic Gardening club to thank. Who sends a newsletter out each month from her Organic Nursery (from where I buy my tomatoe plants and seed and organic fertilzer) who got me onto the idea of Lasagna gardening

[The Helpful Gardener]

And no telling how many you have reached here, Opa. We're doing good works here, my friend...

Scott

[opabinia51]

Seeing that Lasagna Gardening is the current topic in this thread I thought that mulching would be best suited in here. Anyway, I have been doing a bit of research on mulching and found this site:

http://www.houstongardening.info/mulch.htm

I personally don't agree with laying down plastic over your beds just to keep the weeds down as it does absolutely nothing for the soil, takes thousands of years to break down and can have nasty chemicals in it that can slowly leach into the soil. Plastic itself (just carbon chains with various functional groups) is not harmful but, when you start adding things to such chains to make the plastic more flexible or bendable... that's when the problems start. Anyway, plastics are there as well.