Double-Dug vs. No-Dig

[Smart Red]

I don't think of giving plants no more room than they require to reach good harvest size as a "bad gardening habit!" It is efficiency, right and proper. Steve

And it reduces weed growth when the plants are efficiently close.

 

[pleemee]

I used the no dig method when I moved into my (in town) house. I used straw on top of the garden bed. I grew awesome potatoes and tomatoes that first year. The next year I added more straw and was infested with roly poly bugs. they consumed my whole garden After planted several times because I couldn't see what was eating the new little shoots I finally found the bugs under the wet moist straw. What a great breeding ground. I couldn't find anything natural to get rid of them so i gave the back yard to the chickens and hired some kids to remove the straw from the front yard. this year I have added some epsom salts to the ground and will till that in and pray I have gotten rid of them. It was so sad to see four plantings just disappear. Hoping for a wonderful season this year.

 

[digitS']

We will hope with you, Pleemee.

Welcome to the forum! Central Nevada?! Is the recent rain/snow encouraging?

I don't know if I mentioned voles under the hay mulch on this thread? I could also say something about earwigs in the lettuce. But anyway, we won't have all the answers. We just do what seems best for us.

Steve
edit to get my verbs in agreement

 

[baymule]

Welcome @pleemee !!!!! I also have problems with snails, slugs and roly polies. I wish I could turn the chickens into the garden, but it is in the front yard, they are in the fenced back yard. The perfect set up would be a quadrant of garden spaces that I could rotate the spring/summer, fall/winter gardens with the chickens. Then they could clean up the garden leftovers and bugs!

 

[ducks4you]

baymule, you need to crush egg shells around your plants to discourage the slugs. It hurts their skin to crawl over them bc they're sharp, and adds calcium to the soil

 

[HEChicken]

My chockens aren't interested in eating roly polies. I've had a few that would eat slugs but most of them don't like them. We don't get snails here so I've no way to tell about them, but I imagine the ones that eat slugs would also eat snails and the rest wouldn't. We also don't get earwigs, though I've lived other places they were common.

 

[baymule]

baymule, you need to crush egg shells around your plants to discourage the slugs. It hurts their skin to crawl over them bc they're sharp, and adds calcium to the soil

I never throw away eggshells and that's just what I do with them. I just have a bodacious crop of slimy buggies.

 

[hosspak]

Update from the Crazy H-Bar Ranch. Today I decided to test my garden soil for the first time. The ph test shows that it's alkalined. Since we are a week or so away from planting, how can I lower the ph to about 7 ish? Any ideas......

 

[digitS']

I only know what I've read, Hosspak.

Here is a pdf from Utah State University: Soil Problems, High pH

If your soil is clay, you may want to go with gypsum. It is used quite often around here where there is clay type Palouse soil.

Of course, beyond the elemental sulfur, an organic choice of just a good amount of organic matter will lower pH. Peat is supposed to be quite acidic, as well.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

Ground oak leaves, pine needles, peat, and coffee grounds are all good for lowering pH. A very fast lowering product is aluminum sulfate -- not good for long term use -- or you could use garden sulfur for fast results. The organics take longer to break down into usable acidic matter.