| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 8:26:14 PM
What do you use?
Let's talk dirt..or how to fix our dirt rather..to grow big and bountiful crops.
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I bought some fish emulsion liquid the other day to use on my veggies/plants. Is this a good thing? Is it accepted as "organic"?
I don't want to use things like weed killers or anything like that around my plants to kill/control the weeds...and I want to be able to grow big healthy plants and vegetables, etc. With healthy/eco friendly fertilizer methods.
So..go ahead..tell me what works for you.
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In my raised bed garden areas I have a 3 part system that I have used: 1 part top soil, 1 part peat, 1 part potting soil.
It seems to work pretty well.But I'd like to know what types of fertilizers/growing aids are used to boost crops.Other than good old cow manure compost.
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Thanks in advance.
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~
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| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| asnedecor |
Posted - Jan 05 2008 : 08:39:21 AM
I use the liquid fish fertilizer also, but what I do is put some in a fertilizer hose attachment, instead of a watering can. Because of the constant water mixing with the fertilizer then spraying onto the plants, there is less smell and I don't have a tendency to over fertilize and burn plants.
Also I use compost and steer or chicken manure. Laying newspaper down before you put the mulch or compost helps keeps weeds down also.
Anne in Portland
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 4:38:19 PM
well..there is certainly a lot of reds in the soil right now..ha..meaning a lot of clay...we are close enough to the Georgia border to warrant that. And since I am only 2 blocks from the intercoastal waterway..I also deal with what used to be swamp land here...so I am faced with a few challenges to overcome...and that's not even counting the no seeums and mosquito factor everytime it hits about 4 p.m. outside...ha.
But I am determined to have a beautiful garden/and yard.
I have so enjoyed everyone's input/advice. Keep the ideas coming...this is stuff I love hearing about and talking about.
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~
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| La Patite Ferme |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 3:54:32 PM
I'm pretty unscientific about it all.
I use rabbit and chicken manure, then sheep manure when DD has her club lambs. In the spring and fall a local botanic garden has a compost workshop and gives away compost which I use to topdress beds. Earth day has free mulch which I use to help combat the weeds.
After show season is over DD cleans the barn and trailer of all bedding and puts it in the chick coop. They play around in it all winter and in early spring it gets tilled into the garden.
I heard at a lecture that if you put alfalfa in a 5 gal bucket, fill with water and let sit over night it makes a great green nitrogen fertilizer, but I've never tried it.
I'm not sure it really matters how you feed your soil as long as you do feed it with greens and browns. |
| Woodswoman |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 3:50:30 PM
Hi!
We use the fish emulsion, also. STINKY as all get-out, but effective! 
We also maintain 2 compost piles-when one gets full, we let it decompose and fill up the other one. We spread it on the garden in the late fall.
We also get something from Gardens Alive called "Spray-n-Grow". It says it is organic-but you don't put in in the soil, you are supposed to spray it right on the plants. My boyfriend is a huge fan of the stuff.
We also live in the woods-so our gardens tend to get a lot of leaves worked into it whether we like it or not!
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
| Tina Michelle |
Posted - Jan 04 2008 : 12:50:05 PM
thanks to both of you for the input/advice.
I'm thinking that I will need to create a compost pile. I have the ducks and now 2 chickens..so I think if I get a nice compost pile going that I won't have to ask this question again.:0)
There are several farms in the area that sell horse manure for gardens also. And several places that sell mushroom compost.
Anyhow..thanks a bunch!
~Seize the Day! Live, Love, Laugh~
visit me at:
http://gardengoose.blogspot.com/
and at www.stliving.net
you can also check out my etsy shops at:http://GardenGooseGifts.etsy.com |
| DaisyFarm |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 11:29:30 PM
Compost, compost and more compost! You can never have too much and it is the best soil conditioner/fertilizer there is! Mix some of your duck manure with grass clippings and it will be smokin' hot within a matter of hours. I create many steaming piles mixing greens with chicken manure...some so hot you can barely put your hand on it!
Honestly Tina, unless you are spending big $$ on organic potting soil, most likely all you are getting is ground bark with manure thrown in and most of that manure comes from commercial factory farms (note that factory farms also spend tons on antibiotics). Also with peat, it tends to make your soil acidic, so I would invest in a test kit for pH or have it tested somewhere. Garden centers here will generally do it as a freebie.
Fish emulsion is good, and tomatoes love it. You really need to know your specific plant requirements though. Peppers will hate it. The obvious you need to add to your soil is nitrogen, but too much will give you a big lush plant at the expense of flowers and fruit. I learned this the hard way with foot tall lush strawberry plants and no fruit!
Gaia makes a variety of excellent organic fertilizers (you can google them to find a close retailer). I have had really good luck with their products and while a little pricey, they are top quality.
The one thing I like to do every single year is put more back into the soil than what gets taken out of it. My soil in my gardens is my ticket to what I do, so I really do my best to take as much care of it as I do my critters.
Hope this helps!
Di
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| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jan 03 2008 : 9:23:56 PM
I have used fish emulsion before ...peee yew!! But it does work..really especially helps when you side dress corn with it!!
I tend to use composted manure since I have a big old 900 lb source of it (not to mention her two ewe friends, goat buddy and the bunnies and chickens) I won't use pesticides of any kind, or herbicides and stay as organic as possible. I have 4 little weed puller/hoers to help me.
I love to mulch in the fall with lots of leaves and then till it all in springtime. I would love to get a smaller tiller (mantis type maybe) to help with the small spaces. My big old troybilt that husband HAD to have (he insisted on one 3 sizes bigger than the one I wanted) is too big for me to handle by myself unless I am tilling a big space. I don't have the strength to turn it very well. (and I am a big girl!) We have clay soil here and finally my garden plot is getting better. I had to move it and it shrunk when we got Mona. She needs more space (in my opinion) than the other critters did....so she took up my old giant garden spot. Oh well. she is worth it. I tend to really consider all I plant now...I focus on tomatoes, peppers and herbs and then whatever else I grow is a bonus. I do grow alot...but only huge amounts of those things.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
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