Back to Eden Gardening and Hugelkulture and other non-conventional garden methods

[lazy gardener]

I have saved an old (unused) diaper to use in the bottom of a large pot some time! You can buy silica gel crystals at many garden centers. Also at many box stores in the garden center. I would reserve it's use for plant pots. Just my preference.

 

[Isay Willow]

I live near a company that manufactures the gel pellets that are used in dippers. It is very expensive. I would recommend that you find out where the nearest Hydroponics store is and buy Pearl Lite or Coconut Core to use in your sandy soil. Both are excellent for holding water and nutrients. How ever Coconut Core last for a couple of years and slowly breaks down. Where as Pearl Lite does not bread down. both help the aeration of the soil.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't like pearlite b/c the chickens love to eat it.

 

[lazy gardener]

Tree trimmers working our road. 3 chipper trucks on a road that is less than 1/2 mile long this morning. They will be working the area for about 2 more weeks, and have to haul their chips about 20 miles away. So, they are more than happy to dump their chips in my yard. I think I'll be able to get 3 loads for the garden, 4 loads for the orchard. Too bad it's the wrong time of the year, re: getting chips that have a good blend of green in them, but if it's delivered to my yard, I'll take what I can get, and top it off with the leaves I've been collecting, and add grass clippings. Different company than I've had dumping in the past. Perhaps they'll remember me, and in the future, I can get multiple loads to level the ground out below the HK mound.

If my property does become a giant chip dumping ground, it would be worth it to pay a friend to bring in his Kubota to spread them.

 

[lazy gardener]

Tree trimmers never brought me their chips. Just as well, as those chips would have been void of leaves. Will have to resort to shoveling them into the truck in the spring if I can't get some deliveries.

I broke open one of the Blue Hubbard squashes today. It was 18.5#. I filled my turkey roasting pan, gave the guts to the chickens, saved a hand full of seeds for next season, and sent 2 huge hunks of it home with a neighbor. I have so far given away 4 of similar size, and have 4 more. Two of them are absolutely monstrous. All grown from a little section of HK mound. Can't wait to see what that mound produces next year. I will have about 3 x as much mound completed and planted next season.

 

[lazy gardener]

dbl post.

 

[henless]

Bummer about not getting the chips LG.

I have trouble getting chips here, so I'll be using leaves again this year.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yep. I see a lot of shoveling in my future.

 

[Arielle]

I have saved an old (unused) diaper to use in the bottom of a large pot some time! You can buy silica gel crystals at many garden centers. Also at many box stores in the garden center. I would reserve it's use for plant pots. Just my preference.

Im with you--only in the pots s I NOW understand pots dry out too fast.

I have been rethinging how to use that poor plot at the community garden... meaning do I REALLY want to spent so much time and effort for a plot that might go to someone else at any time......my participation is at the whim of the club.

So ....as I was reading LOTS of seed catalogs, I realized that many plants can thrive in hot barren deep loose sandy soil. Just a matter of writing down which types and which varieties. Jonnys sees supply is very upfront and truthful, as one source.

Im thinking the veg that like well drained soils. Need those that can handle the baking sun , and handle drought if summer 2017 repeats the previous year.

Cutting down a whole lot of trees at my house is sounding like a better choice.

Dang how did our distant ancestors survive???

 

[chickadoodles]

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