What did you do in your garden today?

[CrealCritter]

Hugelkultur is working well for the neighbor. I have tree branches along with other organic material under the top layer. When I was getting feed in paper sacks, I used to bury them in the garden too. If I added them in the fall, they would be completely decayed by spring.

I add more organic material every year. Last year I dug a trench , filled it with peat moss and grew my potatoes there. Unfortunately, I was overrun with voles which pretty much wiped pout all root crops.

I even tried some of the sonic pest repellers which had zero effect on the voles.

What Is Hugelkultur?
https://www.almanac.com/what-hugelkultur-ultimate-raised-bed

Same basic principle as back to Eden. Your trying to mimic a mini forest floor without a canopy.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Soon

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[flowerbug]

https://www.patwelsh.com/soils/never-add-clay-to-sand-or-sand-to-clay/

"Adding sand to clay soil, in any amount, has been proven by the University of California Agricultural Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be about the worst thing anyone can do for their garden soil."

sure i can quote something, but i'm also speaking from 25 years of gardening experience aside from all the reading/studying of soil sciences, gardening, microbiology, etc. i currently have mostly clay subsoil with some sand. i've been gardening here for 15 years. i also gardened as a kid in mostly sandy soil without clay at all and learned right away that clay helped that was the other 10 years.

https://www.soils.org/about-soils/community-gardens/

https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2017/05/15/what-can-i-tell-by-looking-at-and-touching-my-soil/"

"Clay – You probably did this as a child. What we want to measure is called soil texture. Another way of saying this is how much sand, silt and clay is in my soil? For your garden, you want a good distribution of sand, silt and clay. Each brings desirable properties to the soil. "
...
"Clay (along with organic matter) is the “bioreactor” of the soil, as it holds water and nutrients."

 

[R2elk]

sure i can quote something, but i'm also speaking from 25 years of gardening experience aside from all the reading/studying of soil sciences, gardening, microbiology, etc. i currently have mostly clay subsoil with some sand. i've been gardening here for 15 years. i also gardened as a kid in mostly sandy soil without clay at all and learned right away that clay helped that was the other 10 years.

https://www.soils.org/about-soils/community-gardens/

https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2017/05/15/what-can-i-tell-by-looking-at-and-touching-my-soil/"

"Clay – You probably did this as a child. What we want to measure is called soil texture. Another way of saying this is how much sand, silt and clay is in my soil? For your garden, you want a good distribution of sand, silt and clay. Each brings desirable properties to the soil. "
...
"Clay (along with organic matter) is the “bioreactor” of the soil, as it holds water and nutrients."

If you want to get down to experience, I have been gardening longer than you have been alive.

I have gardened in beautiful loam, hard rock clay, the remains of a decayed sawdust pile and now this sand dune.

I have successfully gardened this sand dune for over 30 years. I know what works here.

I also have a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry.

I have personally seen the rock hard results of people adding clay to sand and then having to start over.

 

[Mini Horses]

So @flowerbug, clay doesn't work for @R2elk.

Maybe for you, not there......let it be. Each do what makes it good at THEIR garden for THEM. No issues that way.

 

[flowerbug]

So @flowerbug, clay doesn't work for @R2elk.

Maybe for you, not there......let it be. Each do what makes it good at THEIR garden for THEM. No issues that way.

i've said it enough yes, but when someone says i've said something i haven't then i'll post a correction. now that i've posted a correction i'll ignore it.

obviously they did it wrong. the keywords i put in my original reply was "a little". if you make large adjustments to a garden all at once it's likely not wise. or at least it may not work very well.

bringing in good topsoil over clay is about what i would recommend for many mostly clay gardens, but after 50 years that may still not work great, but it would be better than nothing. still to bring in that much would be expensive. adding organic materials year after year is also expensive. still, when you grow your own it isn't as bad and it works. i have some beautiful garden soil in some places now. it's mostly clay, it's productive, it can be a mess if abused, etc. that's what learning is all about.

 

[The Porch]

Another clear morning here for a few more hours, off and on aging rain, but thats normal,,
turning and feeding my compost bin today,
I wanted to get the fruit trees pruned this week but didnt get to it , we will have rain non stop next week , I'll have to break out the rain suit and get it done! its suppose to be high of 50 all week,

-- I have a row marked off for the squash I'll take a pic later, it will be in the east back side so the squash legs can sprawl out toward the fence, I am going to put down carboard over the grass walk way for it,
this is the back side- so carboard on the grass up to the dirt in the bed, Squash row will be north to south or looking at the pic right to left


Iam not sure where I am going to put the green bean trellis, I dont want it where it will shed stuff, I think a row going west to east on the north side by the herbs




I am going to crawl around and play in the dirt
Today I am going to direct seed the snow peas, a winter mix of salad, radish, arugula, parsnip and carrots,

 

[murphysranch]

We planted six fruit trees yesterday afternoon. It warmed up to the mid 40's and so it was time. Over due time for the trees I got from Stark's last summer and then picked up 3 more from Costco. We planted two more apples, two different plums so they would pollinate each other, a nectarine, and something else. Forgot. We finalized our plans to move three sides of the current garden "out" in three directions to encapsulate the fruit trees and add more boxes for me.

I was able to let the chickens out of their run into the garden for the very first time. They were in heaven! Stand up, scratch scratch, then bend over. Soooo cute! One that likes me always comes up and stares at me. DD's two chickens (Opeth and Xjira) are black but now are distinctly different in slight ways. I sent photos of them to her. By the time 3:45 came around and the sun was behind our next door forest, it got cold. We herded the chicks back to their run. The rooster is the same age and to date, hasn't show any aggression. But he loves jumping their bones! Damn the crowing is annoying too.

 

[The Porch]

We planted six fruit trees yesterday afternoon. It warmed up to the mid 40's and so it was time. Over due time for the trees I got from Stark's last summer and then picked up 3 more from Costco. We planted two more apples, two different plums so they would pollinate each other, a nectarine, and something else. Forgot. We finalized our plans to move three sides of the current garden "out" in three directions to encapsulate the fruit trees and add more boxes for me.

I was able to let the chickens out of their run into the garden for the very first time. They were in heaven! Stand up, scratch scratch, then bend over. Soooo cute! One that likes me always comes up and stares at me. DD's two chickens (Opeth and Xjira) are black but now are distinctly different in slight ways. I sent photos of them to her. By the time 3:45 came around and the sun was behind our next door forest, it got cold. We herded the chicks back to their run. The rooster is the same age and to date, hasn't show any aggression. But he loves jumping their bones! Damn the crowing is annoying too.

sounds like a great day!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I pulled some turnips yesterday. My first time growing 'em. I definitely will try again, but would like to move them to a raised bed area. They were delicious! I read that cold weather makes them sweeter and while I can't say they were "sweet" they were definitely less pungent that others that I've purchased.