CRUCIAL! Annual Nagging Needed Early this year!

[catjac1975]

Why must you sieve the soil? Is it for a new bed?

 

[ninnymary]

Marshall, I have the same question as catjac. This year I want to try the back to eden gardening method. If they use chips and everything is organic matter, why does the compost have to be so fine? I would think even if it had small pieces of branches or leaves that eventually it would all break down. It just seems more work to me to sieve.

Mary

 

[NwMtGardener]

Earlier Marshall talked about how the plastic he used to line his beds is breaking down, i think he's removing the plastic pieces.

 

[thistlebloom]

I think he's also adding clay that he digs out of the woods and puts into his beds since they are mostly forest duff.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think he is making sure no gophers get through his defenses.

 

[ninnymary]

Ok but I really don't understand why compost has to be put through a sieve if it's natural and it's going to break down on it's own. Seems to me that if you can put chips down, that you should be able to put compost down also that has bits and pieces still in it.

Mary

 

[897tgigvib]

All the above more or less

I am adding native clay soil to the compost-ash mix in hopes of more water retention.

Also, there are lots of stones and other conmposty-uncomposted rubble in it I want to remove.

Stones don't retain much water. I'm also finding rusted and burned nails and wire, even rusted and burned hinges and clothes line hook springs and stuff. found an unidentifiable quarter sized coin. (I think it's from the old Atlantis days!)

Right now i'm on a coffee it up break.

Mary, the compost from the forest is a mixed and natural kind, that when I loaded it I just scooped by hand, out the biggest uncomposted things, so there's stuff like uncomposted bark chunks. On the other hand, the fir cones are breaking up to dirt in the sieve.

Water retention, and adding soil depth is the main thing i'm doing.

 

[digitS']

He's digging ..

. a tunnel,

. sumwherz.

digitS'