What did you do in the garden today?

[BReeder!]

That’s supposed to be “I hope not!”

Let's just assume both statements are true. LOL

 

[karenerwin]

Almost done. I still need to put the hardware cloth and clips on the ecofloor, the handles on the side, shingle the top with cedar, and the little front bee porch. Then paint the comb falls and I'll be all done.
THe color is about the same as that blue hydrangea if that helps.View attachment 2030701

Beautiful!
Also, what is this eco floor that you speak of?

 

[karenerwin]

I looked for seed starter soil today ( had never heard of it before this year on this thread) but all the store I was at had was potting soil. I have a few more places I can look.
The sun was out today! But the high was only 33 and the wind chill made it feel at least 8 degrees colder.
Friday and Saturday are suppose to be sunny and then we get 2 days of rain followed by 2 days of clouds and 3 days partly cloudy.
I have wanted to get my soil tested too, but so far never have.

 

[BReeder!]

I looked for seed starter soil today ( had never heard of it before this year on this thread) but all the store I was at had was potting soil. I have a few more places I can look.
The sun was out today! But the high was only 33 and the wind chill made it feel at least 8 degrees colder.
Friday and Saturday are suppose to be sunny and then we get 2 days of rain followed by 2 days of clouds and 3 days partly cloudy.
I have wanted to get my soil tested too, but so far never have.

I saw it at Home Depot by me. I didn't buy it though nor pay attention to the brand so I cannot speak on the quality of it. I'm making my own mix this year using sand and sifted compost. It may be a bit richer than potting soil, but I intend to keep some plants in it for 8 weeks. I intend to sow seeds in a week, so I'll be sure to post the progress as things develop.

 

[hysop]

I saw it at Home Depot by me. I didn't buy it though nor pay attention to the brand so I cannot speak on the quality of it. I'm making my own mix this year using sand and sifted compost. It may be a bit richer than potting soil, but I intend to keep some plants in it for 8 weeks. I intend to sow seeds in a week, so I'll be sure to post the progress as things develop.

I have a compost pile. Is a month long enough to start using? such as the last time I added anything to it was a month ago.

 

[WthrLady]

Beautiful!
Also, what is this eco floor that you speak of?

It's an additional piece that clips on to the bottom. Instead of using just a board on the bottom of the hive, you put on this addition. It only has a 1/4inch wire mesh bottom which you line with leaves and twigs and then pine shavings/mulch. It's three inches of debris. Then the active hive is on top of that. It mimics the inside of a dead hollow log. Bee beneficial insects take up residence in this mulch and help with mites, predatory bugs, bee droppings, dead bees et. It allows air to flow, but not draft and helps control moisture since it breathes.

It is AWESOME!

 

[BReeder!]

I have a compost pile. Is a month long enough to start using? such as the last time I added anything to it was a month ago.

You are in Georgia it looks like, so it may be much warmer there this time of year. Winter really slows down composting for me in Illinois. That said a month is still rarely enough even in the heat of summer. If you thoroughly mix the compost regularly it does things up significantly because you are moving microbes around and getting oxygen into the pile. I have heard of cases where compost is finished in 4-6 weeks. My piles take several months. I look to harvest finished compost the in the Spring after building and stirring throughout the previous Spring to Fall. In addition to sitting the pile, the contents of the pile are another important factor. Large and carbon rich objects will take longer to breakdown. I just created a pile teri weeks ago that is mostly apple wood chips and pine shavings mixed with poultry poop. I doubt that pile will be ready in a year even. The hardwood apple chips, while shredded very well using a chipper, wil likely take a long time to break down. I've read that the C:N ratio in wood is about 600:1. That is a lot of carbon. The ideal ratio in a pile is 60:1. I'm sure the poop is helping quite a bit, but the tight fibrous structure of wood also prevents the available nitrogen from the poop getting deep into the wood so it slowly breaks down from the outside in.

That said, my newest pile has a lot of
Also, just because your closet looks done doesn't mean it's ready to use. It needs to rest for a period of time to cool down, burning off excess nitrogen. Using compost to soon can burn your plants if it's too rich in nitrogen.

I could talk compost forever.... sorry this was such a long post.

 

[hysop]

You are in Georgia it looks like, so it may be much warmer there this time of year. Winter really slows down composting for me in Illinois. That said a month is still rarely enough even in the heat of summer. If you thoroughly mix the compost regularly it does things up significantly because you are moving microbes around and getting oxygen into the pile. I have heard of cases where compost is finished in 4-6 weeks. My piles take several months. I look to harvest finished compost the in the Spring after building and stirring throughout the previous Spring to Fall. In addition to sitting the pile, the contents of the pile are another important factor. Large and carbon rich objects will take longer to breakdown. I just created a pile teri weeks ago that is mostly apple wood chips and pine shavings mixed with poultry poop. I doubt that pile will be ready in a year even. The hardwood apple chips, while shredded very well using a chipper, wil likely take a long time to break down. I've read that the C:N ratio in wood is about 600:1. That is a lot of carbon. The ideal ratio in a pile is 60:1. I'm sure the poop is helping quite a bit, but the tight fibrous structure of wood also prevents the available nitrogen from the poop getting deep into the wood so it slowly breaks down from the outside in.

That said, my newest pile has a lot of
Also, just because your closet looks done doesn't mean it's ready to use. It needs to rest for a period of time to cool down, burning off excess nitrogen. Using compost to soon can burn your plants if it's too rich in nitrogen.

I could talk compost forever.... sorry this was such a long post.

Wow thanks. We chose a spot where we wanted to plant this year and that’s where we dumped our chicken manure and crushed egg shells and all that compostable stuff, but I guess I didn’t think about how slow it works during the cold season. I guess we may have to just choose a different spot for this year or risk burning our plants.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I never had them burn the plants we turn the compost like weekly but the stuff from the chickens is like 4 or 5 years old

 

[BReeder!]

Wow thanks. We chose a spot where we wanted to plant this year and that’s where we dumped our chicken manure and crushed egg shells and all that compostable stuff, but I guess I didn’t think about how slow it works during the cold season. I guess we may have to just choose a different spot for this year or risk burning our plants.

Look up there radish compost test. Radishes sprout fast and make a great test subject for compost readiness.