BT garden thread 2010 (Page 3)

Cheapest, fastest, and easiest to install is steel t-posts and 2x4 mesh fencing. It keeps most things out. It's kinda ugly, though.

I have about a 12x18 foot plot.   Not sprouting any seeds this year, at least not yet.  

I need a better variety of tomatoe for my weather zone.   I plant:  beets, carrots, onions, 1 zuccini, various hot peppers, spinach (out front with my flowers), kale, cabbage, lemon cuccumbers.  sunflowers and morning glories.  green beans.   The side garden is all herbs.   I need to do some mint containment - it is attempting a manifest destiny of the whole herb garden.

Who else composts?   How and what do you compost?  my pile from last year, which I was hoping to be ready for spring still doesn't have that "black gold" look.   How should I excellerate it for the next 6 weeks or so?    I considered adding some "organic lawn fertilizer" to up the Nitrogen.  Ideas?  It is full of worms but not very warm.

I have a pile going with new stuff in it that is dreadfully N-poor, even more so since I cleaned up the front yard and added shreaded the leaves.   I am getting horse poo next week for that pile.

I ordered all my seeds today.  We also went to the Flower and Garden Expo in Boston today to get in the mood.  I started last year with a 4x8 raised box in the back yard.  This year, I am raising my backyard to accommodate five 4x4 raised boxes and then do 8 feet of cucumbers and tomatoes down the side of our yard.  I am very excited.  I will start my indoor planting next week.  

The horse manure will help with the N and getting the pile hotter. I have found grass clippings to be great for getting things real hot real fast. Keep them stirred well, or they will mat up and become a non-rotting lump. Green stuff is what you need.

I am going to do a sheet mulch on mine. I have had good luck with this system in the past. I may amend it with worm compost (I have yet to get the worms going yet, though)

I heart Pirate Girl's style!

CitySky - 2010-03-29 1:33 PM

bootygirl - 2010-03-28 7:11 PM

Who else composts?   How and what do you compost?  my pile from last year, which I was hoping to be ready for spring still doesn't have that "black gold" look.   How should I excellerate it for the next 6 weeks or so?    I considered adding some "organic lawn fertilizer" to up the Nitrogen.  Ideas?  It is full of worms but not very warm.

I have a pile going with new stuff in it that is dreadfully N-poor, even more so since I cleaned up the front yard and added shreaded the leaves.   I am getting horse poo next week for that pile.

Watch out for horse poo.  It contains a lot of seeds that can survive and later sprout in all but HOT piles.

A good quick N source is Starbuck's coffee grounds.  Stop by any store and ask for "grounds for the garden," and they will give you loads. 

My coworker feeds her horses these alfalfa "cubes".   I have used her manure before to no ill effects.   Today I folded the "nearly mature" pile in with some aged manure, and the new stuff  with a huge pile of old and new manure, watered it all well (in time for the snow to come tomorrow).   mmm mmm good!

Spent a lot of time Saturday with the two-man earth auger digging post-holes for the fence. Dropped 3 big, dead black locust trees out in the woods and blocked them up into 10' and 7' pieces for the rails and remaining posts. I'm going to split the rails in the woods and haul them out next weekend. I believe I have almost enough wood.

I'll post some pics soon.