RE: [Grass-Fed-Eggs] Digest for grass-fed-eggs@googlegroups.com - 3 Messages in 2 Topics

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Len Fillmore

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May 2, 2012, 7:51:36 AM5/2/12
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Great explanation of great idea.  It's too late for me for the first crop of the season but I'm certainly going to try it in late summer for my second crop of veggies.  (I live in Central Texas).



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Subject: [Grass-Fed-Eggs] Digest for grass-f...@googlegroups.com - 3 Messages in 2 Topics
Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 04:59:55 +0000

Group: http://groups.google.com/group/grass-fed-eggs/topics
    Phyllis Gainer Varian <wvkar...@gmail.com> Apr 19 04:11PM -0700  

    Need to know if this would be okay to make boiler feed out of...if I
    can not get a hold of fertell this year.
     
    It says...Plant protein products, Processed grain by products and
    animal protein product..the animal protein product is what I'm
    concerned about.
     
    Thanks for you help : )
     
    Phyllis
     
    jim adams <thetravel...@gmail.com> Apr 27 11:51PM -0400  

    hey kelly .. on worms, we create an environment, and they will come --
    regardless of what it is now.
     
    We lay down a thin layer (1/4 inch more or less) of compost or horse
    manure, or similar stuff and cover it with cardboard. We use only brown
    (not colored) cardboard with all the tape, staples and labels taken off. We
    prefer large pieces, like from a washing machine or refrigerator, or large
    furniture. We then cover it with a 3 or 4 " layer of hay or straw. We
    prefer to let it sit for a month or so, but it's ok to plant right away.
    We cut a 3 - 4 inch hole in the mulch to put in tomatoes or squash, etc,
    and we will cut a 2 - 3" line for a row of beans, carrots, etc.
     
    The first year in our last place, we did this on a layer of fresh mowed
    sparse grass that had a 1 - 1/2" layer of red clay over sedimentary gravel
    that we couldn't get a trowel into tho we could drive metal fence posts
    into it. 9 years later, we had 4 to 5 " of beautiful dark brown, crumbly
    soil. We don't have a cultivator or tractor, so that is all we did. Our
    first weeds grew from weed seeds in the hay and they were easy to pull out
    in late May and early June. Earth worms were all over the underside of the
    cardboard by mid June in the first year of this kind of gardening. We also
    never had to use a hoe or rake. We do have to do weed removal, but it is
    less than all the other ways of intense cultivation that i've been a part
    of in years gone by ... as a kid, mother planted a large garden and i have
    other than fond memories of being a teen age hoer.
     
    Anyhow, we collect cardboard all year, and repeat this process every year.
    Which is to say .. we add a lot of organic matter and this is what builds
    the soil. We also prevent light from reaching the soil, since this where
    deep rooted weeds will grow. And rain soaks thru the hay and cardboard and
    is slower to evaporate than it does from bare soil ... so we have to water
    less. And by the end of the growing season, earthworms have eaten most of
    the organic matter we put down. One square bale will cover about 4' x 8',
    and a refrigerator box will take a bale and a half to cover it.
     
    Have fun, and don't let your chickens run thru the garden until you are
    finished raising your crops. Then let your chickens in and let them play
    thru
     
    enjoy ... jim n'shana
     
     
     
     
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Kelly Phillipson

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May 2, 2012, 8:44:31 PM5/2/12
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Jim, thank you so much for this; you must have an amazing garden!!  It sounds like such a wonderful way to cultivate such rich soil (ours is very dry and grainy)!  Fortunately we still have some large boxes from our move, so I can't wait to do this - working on coop now, and next project is garden :)  I had this idea for some reason that the chickens would weed for me ~ but I won't let them touch the garden until I'm done!
Kelly


Agnes Gibson

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May 24, 2012, 1:50:01 PM5/24/12
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Great idea.  How do you keep the cardboard from blowing off?  Seems like that small amount of hay wouldn’t be enough to keep it down until it “melts” into the ground.  

 

For weed control, we have used old carpet cut into strips the width of the space between rows.  And it too helps hold moisture in the ground.  But then we roll the carpet after each garden season.  

 

Agnes

 

 

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