> would I be able to use compost instead of packaged soil for my garden?
> would a combination be better? just trying to cut down on cost.
Gardening with potting soil? That would be expensive.
You're garden soil shouldn't be more than 10%, or less than 5% organic
material.
Garden soil should be 30% - 40% sand, 30% - 40% silt, and 20% - 30%
clay. You can check your soil by scraping away the organic material on
top of the ground and then take a vertical sample of your soil to 12 in.
(30 cm) deep (rectangular or circular hole). Mix this with water in an
appropriately large glass (transparent) jar. The sand will settle out
quickly, the silt in a couple of hours, and the clay within a day. The
depth of the layer in relationship to the total (layer/total = % of
composition) is the percent that fraction has in the soil.
Garden soil needs a constant input of nutrients, i.e. carbon, e.g. brown
leaves, and nitrogen, e.g. manure in a ratio of C/N of 25. This is the
same ratio you will what in a compost pile.
-----
Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting (Third Edition)
(Storey's Down-to-Earth Guides)
by Stu Campbell
<
(Amazon.com product link shortened)
sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid94901182&sr=1-1>
p.39
Compostable Material Average C/N
Alder or ash leaves ............................ 25
Grass clippings ................................ 25
Leguminous plants (peas,
beans,soybeans) ............................. 15
Manure with bedding ........................... 23
Manure ....................................... 15
Oak leaves .................................... 50
Pine needles .............................. 60-100
Sawdust................................. 150-500
Straw, cornstalks and cobs .................. 50-100
Vegetable trimmings ........................... 25
Aged Chicken Manure ........................ 7
Alfalfa ................................................ 12
Newspaper........................................ 175
-----
http://www.composting101.com/c-n-ratio.html
A Balancing Act (Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratios)
All organic matter is made up of substantial amounts of carbon (C)
combined with lesser amounts of nitrogen (N). The balance of these two
elements in an organism is called the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C:N
ratio). For best performance, the compost pile, or more to the point the
composting microorganisms, require the correct proportion of carbon for
energy and nitrogen for protein production. Scientists (yes, there are
compost scientists) have determined that the fastest way to produce
fertile, sweet-smelling compost is to maintain a C:N ratio somewhere
around 25 to 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen, or 25-30:1. If the C:N
ratio is too high (excess carbon), decomposition slows down. If the C:N
ratio is too low (excess nitrogen) you will end up with a stinky pile.
(cont.)
------
No reason to till after the first preparation of the garden (no reason
to till the first/last time but it does speed up soil development).
Spread out your soil amendments:
N:
18.37 lb. chicken manure/ 100 sq.ft. (2.88 oz/sq.ft.)
P:
3 lb. / 100/sq.ft. (.48 oz/sq.ft.)
K:
How much wood ash should you use in your garden? The late Bernard
G. Wesenberg, a former Washington State University Extension
horticulturist, recommended using one gallon of ashes per square
yard on loam to clay-loam soil, and half as much on sandier soils.
Cover this with newspaper (to block light from weeds and provide a
barrier to sprouting weeds). Cover the newspaper with mulch (up to 6" in
depth). Spray the garden bed with water, and wait 6 weeks before
planting (if you can).
A dibble can help with planting. The dinky little ones from the nursery
may be of some help, but I prefer a sharpened, old, shovel handle for
making a hole through the mulch and paper for planting seedlings.
Adding drip lines takes a little time, but saves a lot of time during
the season.
That's all I know.
Good luck.
--
- Billy
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the
poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara
http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/israelpeacegroups.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/01/20111812130964689.html
20111812130964689.html
In article
<http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm>
Manure Chicken Diary cow Horse Steer Rabbit
N 1.1 .257 .70 .70 2.4
P .80 .15 .30 .30 1.4
K .50 .25 .60 .40 .60
Sheep Alfalfa Fish Emulsion
N .70 3 5
P .30 1 1
K .90 2 1
Sources: Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, An
Illustrated Guide to Organic Gardening, by Sunset Publishing, and the
Rodale Guide to Composting.
--
- Billy
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the
poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara
http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/israelpeacegroups.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/01/20111812130964689.html
20111812130964689.html
> ackeiyword wrote:
> > would I be able to use compost instead of packaged soil for my garden?
> > would a combination be better? just trying to cut down on cost.
> Packaged soil is the most expensive way to get good soil. It is much
> cheaper to either have it delivered by truck in bulk (quicker) or to build
> you own soil in situ by improving what you have with compost and other
> amendments (cheaper but longer). The amendments you need depend on what you
> start with.
> David
I notice on Craigslist (tfui!) that people are always advertising what
they call "clean, no weeds" soil FREE, u-haul.
Anybody ever done that?
BTW - I endorse the previous posts in which they point out that
nursery potted soil is not sufficient; needs to be mixed with some
honest earth and modifiers.
HB
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> would a combination be better? just trying to cut down on cost.