| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| woolgirl |
Posted - Mar 22 2012 : 06:56:00 AM
The house we moved to has an old sand volleyball court, which will get little to no use from us. So I have decided to test out Mel Batholomew's square foot gardening this year. I am pretty stoked! I have been doing containers for the past few years, but now have a little (ok...LOTS) more space. Have any of you ladies had luck? Do you compost or use a different planting medium?
Liz
Farmgirl #1947
www.militaryfarmgirl.blogspot.com
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| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Pamela Joy |
Posted - Mar 30 2012 : 1:29:35 PM
Last year, I tried a small bed with Mel's mix ingredients to compare it with our other raised beds that have several years worth of soil built with compost and manure. We live in a very dry climate and have to water A LOT! Honestly, the Mel's mix bed dried up much faster than our regular compost beds and I harvested nothing out of that bed.
That said, I do love the SFG book. I think Mel has a ton of great ideas and the charts that are included are very helpful. I am adopting some of his methods, but my compost wins big over his mix. I have always found that with gardening, you just have to take a bit of this advice, a bit of that advice, a bit of your own instincts and preferences, and each year you'll have some successes and failures. Not everything works for every body and every micro-climate. But it's fun to read about and try new methods.
Peace, Love, and Joy |
| soapmommy60543 |
Posted - Mar 30 2012 : 07:13:59 AM
I use SFG. The main principles are the raised beds and spacing of the plants. We started a large bed with Mel's Mix and it was really expensive. Now that I'm more experienced, I firmly believe that if you start with a good quality organic top soil and some good quality organic compost (mix them all together really well), you will still get the same results.
Just be sure that EVERY time you harvest and replant you work in a good bit of compost. I usually layer the section with about an inch of compost, then rake it in really well.
Also, for the first time in 5 years, I actually tilled my garden beds (they are pretty big) and am adding a huge pile of compost. I don't believe in tilling in general because soil needs layers built up over time to remain fertile. However, after 4 years of constant succession planting, the soil is indeed getting tired and needs a little bit of a wake-up.
If you want more info, you can check out my blog (address is in signature).
Wife of terrific hubby and mom to 2 teenagers, 2 bunnies, 2 geriatric goldfish, and the best dog in the world!
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| GreenMtnGal |
Posted - Mar 29 2012 : 09:13:37 AM
Wow! Gorgeous gardens! I followed his "theory" but used a yard of raised bed mix from the local garden store instead of shelling out the dough for the stuff he recommended. It still works great! I get plenty of produce from my little raised beds and then some to leave at the foot of the driveway for the neighbors! The bonus of using "clean" soil is NO weed seeds, thus NO weeds. I hate weeding and don't have the time for it so this is a big bonus! I'll probably supplement my soil this year with a little compost but that's pretty easy.
Have FUN!
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| countrymommy85 |
Posted - Mar 27 2012 : 1:54:28 PM
I was just reading a book called "Putting Down Roots" its about historical gardening here in my home state of Wisconsin. I never knew that "back in the day" people used to garden in beds vs. rows and that rows were a more modern invention! I never knew that until now!
Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee. ~Author Unknown
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| Fiddlehead Farm |
Posted - Mar 22 2012 : 8:30:01 PM
I have great luck with Mel's square foot gardening. I use his recipe for Mel's mix for my soil. It was a little expensive and time consuming at first but well worth it. I had a great garden last year and the beds have been resting with a cover of fall leaves and some hay on them. You can re-use the mix year after year, just by adding mulch in the winter and some additional compost before planting.
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farmgirl sister #922
I am trying to be the person my dogs think I am.
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White |
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