RUNuts
Deeply Rooted
We started a discussion in Fruit trees, so I'm encouraged to ask for input on the garden. I need help. Mostly mental, but financial and physical would be appreciated too! 
Got a different job and the kids in college so I have more time to get in trouble. As a good start, I ordered 25 Asian ground parrots earlier this year. Think chicken, but HOA friendly. You know, pets not livestock. <wink, wink, nudge, nudge> I am at 18 egg laying demons. They are doing wonders producing fertilizer. I will be redoing their area, but for now let's say they aren't in the garden.
Bad news, heavy clay and poorly draining. Dying trees due to oak root rot.
Good news, I have a pallet compost bin that heated wonderfully and will be used this spring. The county dump provides shredded yard waste and I've found the year before's mostly composted pile and have been hauling it home. Been picking out the logs and getting a lot of garden ready stuff. With the oaks dying, more sun on the ground.
An Asian ground parrot play pen is in the works (search chicken tractor for pictures) to exercise the pets, disperse waste (spread fertilizer) and eradicate undesirable flora. But as of now, I have a 10' x 10' area covered in 6+" of composted wood chips in an attempt to kill the grass I've been getting to grow for the last decade and the primrose as fate would have it. This is the better drained, sunnier location in the backyard.
Plan is, as of now and subject to change with no notice, to scrape the wood chips off in planting lanes to plant a spring garden. The heaped wood chips will go the next garden expansion area right next to this one. The woodchips between the lanes will be left at an elevated level, ~2" compost to go in the planting lanes and start raising the garden. I live in an old rice paddy swamp. Heavy clay soil. My previous garden attempts ended in mass drownings, poor performance, and weeds due to neglect (actually lack of time for gardening, family and work first!).
Back garden goal is soil building. Planning on sunflowers and peas with squash on the outside. Probably put a tomato and pepper on the south side. Am I on the right track?
Kitchen Garden is a keyhole raised bed. Half filled with last year's compost - all we had. The zucchini took off! Beautiful plants. Huge leaves and a few fruit before this week's frost came. Covered, so let's see what survives. Already back to 60°F. The zucchini was an experiment and it worked. Radishes in January?
Plan are to add more compost. Work some of the spent soil from the barrel planters in and buy more soil for the barrels. I think I will be short on compost. This will be the salad garden. Working on layout.
The section that I piled in the woodchips isn't growing anything. One reason is that after I filled the bed last spring, it heated up and composted for 2 months. I've got 12" of chips with grass clippings under it sitting since last summer. I think I'll pull 6" of chips out. Add the spent soil to cover. Top dress with compost and plant in February (last frost date). This will be greens. Lettuces and spinach.
What am I looking for when I pull the woodchips (mulch at this point) off to prep it for seeds? Is 6" enough or too much is what I'm asking.
Comments please.
Got a different job and the kids in college so I have more time to get in trouble. As a good start, I ordered 25 Asian ground parrots earlier this year. Think chicken, but HOA friendly. You know, pets not livestock. <wink, wink, nudge, nudge> I am at 18 egg laying demons. They are doing wonders producing fertilizer. I will be redoing their area, but for now let's say they aren't in the garden.
Bad news, heavy clay and poorly draining. Dying trees due to oak root rot.
Good news, I have a pallet compost bin that heated wonderfully and will be used this spring. The county dump provides shredded yard waste and I've found the year before's mostly composted pile and have been hauling it home. Been picking out the logs and getting a lot of garden ready stuff. With the oaks dying, more sun on the ground.
An Asian ground parrot play pen is in the works (search chicken tractor for pictures) to exercise the pets, disperse waste (spread fertilizer) and eradicate undesirable flora. But as of now, I have a 10' x 10' area covered in 6+" of composted wood chips in an attempt to kill the grass I've been getting to grow for the last decade and the primrose as fate would have it. This is the better drained, sunnier location in the backyard.
Plan is, as of now and subject to change with no notice, to scrape the wood chips off in planting lanes to plant a spring garden. The heaped wood chips will go the next garden expansion area right next to this one. The woodchips between the lanes will be left at an elevated level, ~2" compost to go in the planting lanes and start raising the garden. I live in an old rice paddy swamp. Heavy clay soil. My previous garden attempts ended in mass drownings, poor performance, and weeds due to neglect (actually lack of time for gardening, family and work first!).
Back garden goal is soil building. Planning on sunflowers and peas with squash on the outside. Probably put a tomato and pepper on the south side. Am I on the right track?
Kitchen Garden is a keyhole raised bed. Half filled with last year's compost - all we had. The zucchini took off! Beautiful plants. Huge leaves and a few fruit before this week's frost came. Covered, so let's see what survives. Already back to 60°F. The zucchini was an experiment and it worked. Radishes in January?
Plan are to add more compost. Work some of the spent soil from the barrel planters in and buy more soil for the barrels. I think I will be short on compost. This will be the salad garden. Working on layout.
The section that I piled in the woodchips isn't growing anything. One reason is that after I filled the bed last spring, it heated up and composted for 2 months. I've got 12" of chips with grass clippings under it sitting since last summer. I think I'll pull 6" of chips out. Add the spent soil to cover. Top dress with compost and plant in February (last frost date). This will be greens. Lettuces and spinach.
What am I looking for when I pull the woodchips (mulch at this point) off to prep it for seeds? Is 6" enough or too much is what I'm asking.
Comments please.
