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[ninnymary]

If I remember right by rings you mean a circular wire enclosure that you put around your trees right?

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

If I remember right by rings you mean a circular wire enclosure that you put around your trees right?

Mary

Yes, those....

 

[ninnymary]

What an ingenious way to plant and get a great yield.

Mary

 

[ninnymary]

Bee, one of the principles of BTE is that soil should never be exposed. Nature always has it covered up. Well Paul just uses compost on his veggie garden and I've been thinking of doing that. I feel it would be easier to add horse manure and compost yearly instead of layering it up. I would still like chips around my fruit trees. But I feel that covering it with compost is like leaving the soil bare since the compost is almost like soil. What do you think?

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, one of the principles of BTE is that soil should never be exposed. Nature always has it covered up. Well Paul just uses compost on his veggie garden and I've been thinking of doing that. I feel it would be easier to add horse manure and compost yearly instead of layering it up. I would still like chips around my fruit trees. But I feel that covering it with compost is like leaving the soil bare since the compost is almost like soil. What do you think?

Mary

I think the same thing...if a weed seed won't grow in that compost, how can veggies grow in it? I'm thinking weeds would grow like crazy in just chicken compost for covering. That's the trouble I had....composted chips within the chips not composted left areas for weed seeds to take root.

 

[ninnymary]

I don't have a problem with weeds. In fact, I have no weeds which makes my garden look unnatural! My problem is that it takes 3 years fro my chips to decompose. I don't like to add stuff on top since it will be a couple years before it makes it to the soil level. If I don't add chips I figure I can be adding compost and horse manure yearly. This is turn will make my soil richer much faster than 3 years.

Mary

 

[henless]

I wish I had Mary's problem. I'm sure I will still have bermuda grass growing when Christmas gets here.


Here are the results from my yard sweeper. It sure is going to make gathering leaves/straw much easier.




Hoping to start putting up some beds over the weekend. Got a load of cinder blocks in this morning. Can't wait to get started right after Thanksgiving.

 

[Beekissed]

Wow, those are going to be some heavy duty beds! You won't have to worry about those rotting out from under you.

I love those lawn sweepers and would love to have one. My brother said we could have his old one but it was nonfunctional by the time we got it. Sure would come in handy, though.

From what I read of Ruth Stout she didn't just use hay but also lawn rakings like you have there, Henless....sort of sounds like the DL I have in the chicken's coop. A little of this, a little of that, built deep and maintained deep enough for good composting.

 

[Beekissed]

Got my hay on the garden, ready for spreading....can't WAIT to cover these chips!

 

[Beekissed]