So if you are new vegie gardening...?

[kellerfarm]

Rabbit is great because you don't need to compost it.

If you have been mixing it and keeping it slightly moist and just the right size (about a 4ft by 4ft pile if you were to dump it out) is should be fine to use. But hard to tell without looking. I would think the needles would be fine. Maybe you could run the compost through a screen and try to filter out any bigger chunks? I usually have some small twigs and things and don't really worry about it. I toss them out when I see them, but don't go out of my way digging around for them.

A few weeks before I plant, I like to scoop out a big hole in my garden area and dump in the compost. Then bury it with the dirt from the hole and cover with a black tarp. A few sunny days can help finish it off. Again, makes sure it is well mixed and damp before covering. Then at the end, I mix everying up (existing garden soil + compost) and then smooth it out (don't pack it down though). Be to plant taller and vining things in the back (north end) and the shorter sun loving stuff on the front \\ south end.

 

[Robo]

Okay, the rain washed it around the garden when it flooded and the sun has been out for a while and it's like 80* today. Right now it's sort of a really thick mud like sludge.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I use rabbit fertilizer.

 

[math ace]

FIRST - - - THERE will be a LARGE learning curve. You will learn something new EACH YEAR. TELL Dh to go slow. SMALL and SUCCESSFUL is way better than LARGE and AWFUL! A 10 x 20 is a great size to start with. You have to learn how to weed, mulch, fertillize, test your PH, and WATER you plants. That is a LOT to perfect in the first year.

Dh can pick a spot that can be enlarged NEXT YEAR! I have enlarged my garden EACH year and would not change the process. Each year I have learned something that made the next garden more successful.

MANURES:

I use it ALL. . . . Rabbit is the least likely to burn. EVERYTHING ELSE CAN BURN YOUR PLANTS if not composted properly.
PLUS, weed seeds become an issue if not composted properly. You know when it is done "COOKING" when there is no more heat coming off of the pile AND it has the texture of dirt. It can take 6 months - 1 year to fully compost or "COOK", depending on the weather conditions and how frequently you turn it.

IT must START with A Lot MANURE to have anything left over when it finished composting. You don't compost straight manure. You will need a carbon source to help it "COOK". Carbons are things like hay, mulch, or brown leaves. If you get the ratio correct between manure and carbon not only will your pile "COOK" but it won't stink either. Too much of either element and you will have issues.

I use what ever manure I can get FREE and if they LOAD it for me then it is even BETTER!

GET a PH TEST on your garden BEFORE you do anything. You will have to adjust the PH or your plants won't be able to absorb the elements in the fertilizer. PH TEST FIRST. It is MEGA important. You can do it yourself with a kit purchased at home depot or lowes . . . OR you can have it tested FREE from most states Ag departments.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Royd]

I guess it depends on how much manure you are getting from your chickens. I have local horse people tell me all the time, come and get all you want. When I use horse manure, I usually get several cubic yards, and make a huge pile, a season before I'm ready to use it, and just let it cook. That doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be transporting unwanted weed seeds into your garden....I just figure it's part of the process.

As for the raised beds, I would say mine are lowered walkways, which become compost trenches, which I fill up with last fall's leaves... In 8 months, you'll have some excellent compost. I don't keep the walkways permanent...Last year's walkway, will be the middle of this year's bed.

One thing I've learned about planting in a bed, is don't try to use every last square inch. Leave about 8-10" between the rows, so that you will have room for a hoe or your feet. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time on your knees, trying to decern the weed seedlings from your chosen crop.

Weeds will outgrow any food crop you plant, once the days get long and hot, so planting something in mid May and running off for a 3 week vacation, in June, is a lot of wasted effort.

A 10x20 plot will be fun, as a starter, but with any trailing vine, like winter squash, Southern peas, melons or indeterminate tomatoes that space will be used up, quickly.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
This is true about vining items. I have had a lot more issues with insects with vines. . . . so my advice is hold off on the vining plants for the first year. My one garden is 10 x 20 and I do plant vining things, but I plant them on one side of the garden so that they can vine outside of the garden. . . . STILL you will be SHOCKED at how much space a watermelon or butternut squash OR cucumber plant / vine takes up. So if you MUST plant these . . . plant only one plant the first year

That is why I built a second location / garden my second year. There is a 10 x 10 plot that is tilled, fertilized, mulched, etc. Then there is a large surrounding area that has not been prepared BUT is chicken wire fenced in. . . . I did this so that others wouldn't step on my vines. I am the ONLY one allowed to go in that area. . . . The rest of my family is TOTALLY unware that they are standing on a vine

. These vining plants need water AND need it on a steady basis. They need MORE water than a pepper or bean plant. So, planting them in a separate area helps with their different needs.

My first year, we had so much green beans and lettuce. We were giving it away. We learned how to space our plantings and how much it took to feed us without drowning in the produce. . .

 

[sheaviance1]

If you decide you like gardening, I highly recommend cover cropping to cut down on the weeding next year and to add a source of "green manure". I started using a cover crop for winter two years ago, and I am delighted with the results that I have had! I used a blend that contained oats, turnips and red clover. Not only does a cover crop drastically cut down on weeding the following year, but it also helps to keep the soil loose because of the roots going down into the earth and it fertilizes it when you till it under. I am now out of cover crop seed, so this fall I will be planting hairy vetch, oats and clover. A side benefit of using a cover crop is the ladies (chickens) have a source of vegetation to snack on all winter. I also turn the chickens loose in the garden spot from the time it is finished until i plant it in the spring (with the exception of cover crop sowing time) to eat the larvae of any remaining pests and add some fertilizer.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[kellerfarm]

If you use an approach like SFG and use Mel's mix, there is no issue with weeds. You also dont' worry about room between plants and rows since you don't use rows. You never walk on your garden - just around it. Only time you get the hoe out is to work in a little compost. I haven't tried a cover crop - but do keep certain plants growing as much of the year as I can.

I started with 2 6inch deep 4x8 beds. Ground cloth laid down first. I have a 4foot buffer around each raised bed that had weed block laid down + a layer of mulch. Outside of this I have my garden fence to keep out my chickens and goats. My chickens and ducks do a great job of ensuring minimal slugs and bugs make it to my garden as they patrol the yard around the garden area. I pull just a few weeds per season. Probably spend under 5 minutes a season on weeds. Maybe even less. As a total newbie to gardening, I had a great crop the first year - better than my neighbor who is retired and has been gardening for decades. He came over and saw my beds and how I had them set up for maximum sun exposure. He moved all his gardens to a spot near mine on the other side of the fence and built raised beds. not sure if he used mel's mix though, so we'll see how he does with weeds and stuff.

 

[Kaceyx73]

I have also done square foot gardening, and built beds for others. In some areas of the country, finding the materials for Mel's mix locally is nearly impossible, if its still peat, vermiculite, and perlite. Thr other issue is when you try to scale up. For my area as an example, 50x50 is recommended per person, to grow enough veggies for the entire year, including fresh, freezing, and canning. This is precisely where the traditional in ground garden comes into play. It is much more space efficient and you don't have to buy dirt. With newer tools like hula hoes weeding isn't as bad as it used to be, but hey ladies and gents, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.

For those looking into square foot gardening, many of those places where you buy mulch by the scoop will also carry potting mix by the scoop, around here I get Fafard Professional Growers mix for around 37/scoop. Scoop= 1 sqyd, and will fill a 4x8 10" deep bed, plus give you some to put in your pots. It is also weed free. Also remember that those 6" beds will grow lots of lettuce and such, but plants that grow tall and send roots deep will need a deeper bed than 6". tomatoes really benefit from 12" deep if possible.

 

[call ducks]

I started my garden 10yrs ago, it was you now 10X5 now it's about 2 or so acres. You can you chicken Manure, but how old is the oldest manure you have?? as my grandfather would say "It can burn your garden". It has a lot of Nitrogen in it, so the older it is the better for your garden, chicken manure is like a fine wine... it's better with age. I also suggest making Compost tea.

a 5 gallon watter bucket pantyhose (or some thing to hold the compost in ) air bubbler (a cheap one for a fish tank from wall-mart would work) and some manure, let bubble and step for 12 or so hours, use about once a week. If you use it every day i would dilute with water 50% 50%