Bobberman
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Adding straw and paper to my raised beds to make them better

I have two side by side 6 by 8 raised beds. they are done with landscape timber 8 inches high. The soil is about 4 inches below the top so sunday I started to make them better. I spaded the first one that had a few weeds! I covered it after I spaded I with a layer of single news paper On top of the paper I put a layer of straw about 4 inches thick! I put some blood meal and 10-20-20 fertilizer on top the straw.!
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Now for the top layer I took the top sol off the other raised bed and put it ouside the bed since it had weed seeds in it! Now I had a layer of top soil that was 4 inches under the top layer. I dug the dirt and put it on top of the straw. about 6 inches deep a little over the top of the land scape timbers! The second bed that is now dug down to the bottom of the land scape timber about 10 inches from the top I will plant potatoes on the surface and cover it with straw and some composted dirt in april!
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The raised bed that has the straw and paper should be ready by april to start a cold frame in it by adding another timber on top or even brick! I expect a lot of worms in the straw bed! The paper will keep weeds from coming up for a month or two before it rots! I also took a strained wheel barrow of dirt from below the surface for the greenhouse to start plants and mixing it with bought potting soils. I will start peas in in next week! I always use soil below the surface and find few weeds but lots of worms!

DoubleDogFarm
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I have two side by side 6 by 8 raised beds. They are done with landscape timber 8 inches high. The soil is about 4 inches below the top so Sunday I started to make them better. I spaded the first one that had a few weeds. I covered it after I spaded it with a layer of single newspaper. On top of the paper I put a layer of straw about 4 inches thick. I put some blood meal and 10-20-20 fertilizer on top the straw. Now for the top layer I took the top soil off the other raised bed and put it ouside the bed since it had weed seeds in it. Now I had a layer of top soil that was 4 inches under the top layer. I dug the dirt and put it on top of the straw. about 6 inches deep a little over the top of the land scape timbers.
Interesting. What will be planted in this bed?

Eric

Bobberman
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I will probably start lettuce and some cole crops by using it as a early cold frame. Later I will plant tomatoes and peppers in it or maybe even some early peas! This would also make a great carrot lettue mixed bed!

DoubleDogFarm
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Curious. Why the straw in the middle? Is the high concentrate of fertilizer to counter act the straw?

Eric

Bobberman
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The straw will start to compost with the blood meal and fertilizer under the dirt and give off some heat for the cold frame!. The soil will be very rich for plants for most of the year! the straw also keeps the weeds down if they come throught the paper! Paper is great for the worms. I would have used leaves but don;t have many but had the old straw from this past summer!

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GardenRN
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Consider putting a few layers of newspaper down under your seed potatoes. Just in case there were any hibernating weed seeds down there just waiting for an opportunity. A 48sq ft potato bed should give you a good haul of potatoes! I'd love to see a pic of what comes out of that bed at the end of the summer!

DoubleDogFarm
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GardenRN wrote:Consider putting a few layers of newspaper down under your seed potatoes. Just in case there were any hibernating weed seeds down there just waiting for an opportunity. A 48sq ft potato bed should give you a good haul of potatoes! I'd love to see a pic of what comes out of that bed at the end of the summer!
Jeff, Do you know the difference between fat chance and slim chance? I / we have been asking for photos from Bobberman for sometime. I'm almost ready to start a fund drive to buy Bobberman a camera. :P
The straw will start to compost with the blood meal and fertilizer under the dirt and give off some heat for the cold frame!. The soil will be very rich for plants for most of the year! the straw also keeps the weeds down if they come throught the paper! Paper is great for the worms. I would have used leaves but don;t have many but had the old straw from this past summer!
Do you have a compost thermometer? I'm thinking you'll get very little or no heat at all.

Eric
Last edited by DoubleDogFarm on Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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GardenRN
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Bummer! It adds so much to be able to see the fruits of someone's labor.

Side Note: Let's not shorten bobberman's handle to BM anymore, anyone in the med field reads that and immediately thinks "bowel movement" lol. As is commonly shortened by "BM".

DoubleDogFarm
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Oops, me bad. I did some editing.

Eric

Bobberman
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Can't do pictures yet only a video camera and can't get them on my web tv! I try to explain so you guys can understand. Compost works under ground or what you bury that is dead like a rabbit would not disappear in a few months! Burying any compost material under 6 inches of dirt will make plants grow much better over a few month period and makes the soil much more flacky! I have been using tones of leaves in my garden for 50 years before I heard the word compost!
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I will try to get some of my greenhouse on my girls compter soon to deter the skeptics!

DoubleDogFarm
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I will try to get some of my greenhouse on my girls computer soon to deter the skeptics!
Not a skeptic, just like pretty pictures. I'm a visual person.

Eric

ruggr10
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I have gotten a bobber from bobberman, so I know he is real. I just don't know if he has a real garden!

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jal_ut
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Now for the top layer I took the top soil off the other raised bed and put it ouside the bed since it had weed seeds in it.
Ummmm, I don't get it. A 6 x 8 foot bed and you are worried about weed seeds? Germinate those suckers and then weed it. Take about 30 seconds with a hoe for a space that big.

BTW straw is, as a rule, loaded with seed, both of weeds and of the grain from which the straw came.

My guess, the soil you put to the side is a better growing medium than straw. Straw is for sure a good soil amendment and/or mulch and will build the organic matter in your soil, but is lacking in many of the trace minerals plants need. May I suggest putting your potato sets in the bed you dug down then covering them with that soil you set aside and then cover that with a good mulch of straw?

Straw and other organic matter provides plant nutrients only after it has had time to be reduced to elemental form by the community of soil organisms that live in your soil. Yes, worms help in this process too.



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