Grow Getters & Mad Potters (Gardening Thread)

[SnapdragonQ]

I'm working on fall planting now and contemplating building another of Ms Biddy's Cattle Panel Coops as a greenhouse (clear panel roof and shelves instead of nest boxes). We're not too far from corn harvesting time and are starting a fall garden here soon.

Anyone else planting for fall and what are you planting?

I'll probably do the typical cool lovers...lettuces, spinach, more broccoli, cauliflowers, sugar snap peas, swiss chard, maybe some carrots. Of course I'll do the fall planting of garlics too.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

From what I have seen in my researching, if you are just using carbon heavy stuff for mulching, it may pull nitrogen from the very top of the soil but the roots go down deeper than that so shouldn't bother the root zone too much. I could always put a thin layer of the nitrogen soaked sawdust down first to be a buffer between the soil and the shavings. Can't be any worse than using straight pine bark mulch which is what we used all the time at the arboretum.

Well, I would think the roots of perennials would go much deeper so the mulch would have a lesser effect. Also, all mulch is not the same. Aged mulch vs rough fresh stuff. and such.
Some veggies are deep rooted, but, at least for what I grow, the roots are more in the shallow zone. However consider me a stickler because I also don't believe in tilling and tend to think about soil health in the long terms.
I'd imagine soil type might also have a lot to do with it too. Just in general.

(this is said [typed] in a mulling manner from experiance and my own research....not trying to be argumentative)

 

[SnapdragonQ]

It's actually pine pellets for bedding horse stalls. Like $8 for a 40 pound bag but they last forever, I have 5 cats using them and only go through a bag every 2-3 weeks.

I do separate out the poop from the litter and only compost the sawdust right now, though I do want to setup a humanure bin for the poop so I'm not wasting any of it, I figure cat and dog poop can't be much more biologically gross than human poop...

I love using those pellets! For lots of stuff!! Especially as the base layer when I'm building a deep litter stall/pen for the winter. I use them sometimes for the horses, and when I had other livestock, but those bags of pellets are awesome!

 

[AgnesGray]

This is exactly what started me on raising and growing our own food so many years ago. Everything made my child sick and subs or safe foods weren't readily available at all. A few of the allergies were grown out of, but Celiac and the major ones are going to be life long.

It wasn't at RK, but I found my gigantic pressure canner for like $40. It ended up being so handy for so many things! And every once in a while my local Sam's Club with have several pallets out of canning jars for terrific prices. Over the years I've collected plenty, but replacement lids are always helpful.

Celiac disease is an obvious one, but it's amazing the impact food can be on all of our systems. Immune and otherwise. We've spent years learning and sorting through that stuff at our house, too.

 

[AgnesGray]

It's actually pine pellets for bedding horse stalls. Like $8 for a 40 pound bag but they last forever, I have 5 cats using them and only go through a bag every 2-3 weeks.

I do separate out the poop from the litter and only compost the sawdust right now, though I do want to setup a humanure bin for the poop so I'm not wasting any of it, I figure cat and dog poop can't be much more biologically gross than human poop...

We have a doggie dooley for pet waste and it is really helpful. Thanks for the info on the stall pellets. Great idea to use those for the cats!

 

[FortCluck]

Ditto! I have the 9 shelf one.
15 years old and runs like a champ!

That’s the one I want!

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Celiac disease is an obvious one, but it's amazing the impact food can be on all of our systems. Immune and otherwise. We've spent years learning and sorting through that stuff at our house, too.

Yes!!
Kiddo is a celiac, but through that I learned so much about heavy grain based diets and also realized I'm gluten intolerant...always have been.
And like you those were just the beginnings of a food discovery journey. Most people have no idea how what they put in their mouths affects the entire body. Nor how much current grocery store "fresh" foods are devoid of all the micronutrients they once had. Back before commercial farming robbed the land of the things our bodies need and impacted our health so much.
Sorry...I digress.
Back at ya!

 

[Kusanar]

Well, I would think the roots of perennials would go much deeper so the mulch would have a lesser effect. Also, all mulch is not the same. Aged mulch vs rough fresh stuff. and such.
Some veggies are deep rooted, but, at least for what I grow, the roots are more in the shallow zone. However consider me a stickler because I also don't believe in tilling and tend to think about soil health in the long terms.
I'd imagine soil type might also have a lot to do with it too. Just in general.

(this is said [typed] in a mulling manner from experiance and my own research....not trying to be argumentative)

Lol, I understand the difference between a discussion and an argument, you're fine.

I am currently building up my soil, this is my first year with this garden, it is on what used to be a lawn and has actually been baled for hay recently. I started out by removing all of the plant life (grass + weeds) including their roots and the dirt on the roots. All of that was tossed to the side to compost and add in again. I then tilled (by hand) about 4-6 inches deep and added in a bale of peat moss to help the heavy clay some. I am currently composting a ton of that sawdust as well as grass clippings, weeds, and prunings from the garden. This fall / winter, the plan is to remove all plants, add all finished compost as well as mix in some uncomposted sawdust stuff to break down over the winter. I will likely mulch at this point and keep it covered all winter (with mulch), then next spring, I should be able to just brush back the mulch to plant and put it back with as little disturbance as possible.

The goal is to take the soil from it's current level of just below natural grade and build it with compost and maybe a bale of peat moss or potting soil per year until it is 16" high. At which point, I will keep doing the same thing but will start removing a few inches of soil each winter to put in grow bags and pots before adding all of the new stuff.

This SHOULD create a nice fluffy well drained but still moisture retaining bed with lots of nutrition from the compost, sawdust and whatever fertilizers and amendments I toss in each winter.

 

[AgnesGray]

Yes!!
Kiddo is a celiac, but through that I learned so much about heavy grain based diets and also realized I'm gluten intolerant...always have been.
And like you those were just the beginnings of a food discovery journey. Most people have no idea how what they put in their mouths affects the entire body. Nor how much current grocery store "fresh" foods are devoid of all the micronutrients they once had. Back before commercial farming robbed the land of the things our bodies need and impacted our health so much.
Sorry...I digress.
Back at ya!

My mom coughed day and night for 30 years and was choking at night with humidifiers running home and work 24/7 before trying a GF diet to support my dad and we were shocked that her coughing went away. It's interesting how stuff we'd never expect could be related can be a major factor sometimes.

 

[ShrekDawg]

My mom coughed day and night for 30 years and was choking at night with humidifiers running home and work 24/7 before trying a GF diet to support my dad and we were shocked that her coughing went away. It's interesting how stuff we'd never expect could be related can be a major factor sometimes.

Oh wow that’s amazing!!!