sb country n news-layered up

SB COUNTRY N NEWS-LAYERED UP

the picture below is where i started back in june for my
garden here
it was dry devoid of plant material
i added compost and organic fertilizer
then planted my veggies knowing i was late planting
things by about two months
i knew that before the fall winter garden i needed to improve
that life of the soil

the life is compost organic fertilizer plant material
like leaves mulch did i ever add mulch
i added a lot of trash barrels full of mulch
lots of cardboard and newspapers
all in layers of course

what i did
is what i did in my gardens in texas
i dug out 4 ft square blocks
down to about a ft and a half
hitting a lot of hard soil
i even had to use a rock bar to break it up

then
i added a layer of cardboard from side to side
a layer of about 10 sheets of newspapers
a layer of the soil i had dug out of the hole
a layer of compost some from the local garden where
my garden spot is
it has worms and lots of bacteria and germs that are needed
to make the soil better
i also added a good sprinkling of an organic fertilizer
to add more nitrogen in the bed
i then soaked that in with a liquid mixture of molasses
seaweed fish emulsion easily found at most nurseries
then
i watered this all in well with a water hose

then
i repeated these layers unit i got to the top of the hole
where i added garden soil and compost mixed together
added a dusting of an organic fertilizer that also had
microbes in it that plants like

i then covered that all up with a layer of mulch
to let it sit for a few weeks
ripen if you will

i did these 4 ft squares like this all over the garden until i had all the garden
all layered up

this week when i went to plant
a lot of this stuff all mixed together had composted down
in fact i think the whole bed will eventually settle down about 4-6 inches

now
my soil is starting to look a lot like my soil
at the country n in texas

i was able to use just my hands to plant my garden this time
a measure of rich fertile soil

i chose things that we like to eat
and
that we can usually eat on all winter long

broccoli swiss chard kale carrots lettuce spinach beets
sweet peas onions garlic

this is about what i planted when i lived in texas
except here i dont have to worry about it freezing
i really dont have to do much now
but water it regularly

on the beds where i planted seeds
i try to usually water them once or twice a day
so they dont dry out

i decided to not use a drip system on this garden

since i live two miles away
this makes me have to go by the garden to keep it watered
gotta keep that shadow in the garden
you know

so
we are hoping
that like in texas
that we have a bountiful winter garden again

the organicgreen doctor

the life blood

THE LIFE BLOOD
its the life blood of your garden
thats what compost is

the best compost is the compost you make yourself
thats what i do
made almost 3 cubic yards of country n compost this year

compost can be as simple as dumping leaves in the corner
of your yard and just leaving them alone
gradually over time they will compost down to a rich
nutritious compost
like nature does

yesterday i was showing a student that was helping me
doing some landscaping at habitat for humanity
as i was talking about compost to her

yes i get in a compost lecture when i can

i showed her how those leaves had sat on the lot for months
down under the top layers
there was this rich compost there

 you can all do that

if you cant make your own
there are a lot of commercially available organic composts
readily available at most garden centers
especially here in the austin area there are several good ones
ladybug brand gardenville medina just to mention a few
i always use ladybug brand on my garden if i need compost

please oh please dont use the solid waste compost in your garden
it aint safe to use

so here again is how i do my country n compost
the kiss method
keep it simply simple

my chickens do all the work
they provide me with compost eggs and insect contol

you the ones that give me your leaves provide the carbon source
the chickens provide the nitrogen source with all that pooping
they do
then
the chickens dig through the leaves removing the seeds and
gradually over weeks shred the leaves to smithereens

i make three strengths of country n  compost
strongest
stronger
strong

the strongest starts here

this is where the chickens roost at night
their poops falls down below the roost area
i have leaves as a base
then every so often i throw in some leaves to cover it up
and to control ammonia buildup
the coop is open to the outside so it has good ventilation

that white stuff you see is diatamaceous earth
i dusted the area well with it
after i power washed the coop with an oranges oil water mixture

the diatamaceous earth will kill any insects in there and mites

every 6 months i clean this out
this year i got 3 full wheelbarrows full
of poop feathers leaves

and pile it up in a area layering each wheelbarrow load with leaves
then i let this sit for months
letting it all compost down all that poop feathers and leaves
what is left is a rich compost
i use it like you would use an organic fertilizer

the stronger compost

i make or i should say the chickens make this

inside their coop is an enclosed area of about 300+ square feet
this is the area where they are locked up at night and when we are
not around
they spend well over half their day there even when we are around
as they feel safer in there
they have food and water in there also

i have put in bags and bag of leaves yes those that you gave me
they over time have shredded the smithereens out of the leaves
leaving a rich rich compost not as strong as that mentioned earlier

i clean this out every 6 months
this year i got about 15  5 gallon buckets of this compost

which i placed in this 4 ft x 4 ft area to sit for several months
ill use this in my fall garden
yum yum my peppers eggplants okra tomatoes i have planted now
i heard them say this i did
they cant wait

the strong compost

there is a chicken run around my garden where they have access
all day long
thats about 90 ft x 3-4 ft

i have placed down a layer of leaves about 2 feet deep
yes they really work this stuff
digging dusting shredding eating seeds for a year
whats left is pure compost
is smells like fresh dirt
i get about 2-3 cubic yards of compost from this area
this ill use next spring in my garden

so this is the three country n compost that i er should i say these
girls make each year
i almost feel guilty using all this free labor
but heck they sure seem happy

its the best compost that can be used
since i made it myself

reduced that footprint some didnt i

start you a compost pile
and
maybe add a chicken to keep it all stirred up

the organicgreen doctor

winter gardening a review

WINTER GARDENING A REVIEW
several people have asked me about planting a fall or
winter garden
so i decided to do a review on what to do

i try to use the kiss method
keep it simply simple
i use to say keep it simple stupid
but that seemed too negative
so its simply simple

this of course is for central texas but if you live in new york
or california it is of course different this time of year
but the principles are the same

first good soil got to have good soil
if you are starting go buy good organic soil
do not skimp on this
in this area the best is the natural gardeners hill country garden soil
there are others but the hill country soil is what the other ones
are measured against
it already has in it what one needs
all you have to do its plant your garden

you clear off your garden of any left overs from the summer
add 3-4 inches of good compost
that you make yourself is best
around here the lady bug brand of farm style compost or
manure compost is the other best

to this i add a light sprinkling of lady bug brand 8-2-4 or medina
growin green organic fertilizer
this adds nitrogen to be gradually realized for several weeks

then i add cotton seed meal lightly sprinkled over the bed
just enough to give a yellow tint to the compost
this provides a more instant release of nitrogen for the plants

then i gently stir up the fertilizers with the compost

then i plant right into the compost
i dont really work the compost into the soil

when i  plant a transplant like broccoli or spinach i add a
small amount of earth worm castings to the soil

i water them in with a seaweed solution using eg maxicrop
seaweed which gives the new plants a boost from its
minerals which stimulate new root growth

new seeds planted according to the directions on the package
are watered with seaweed also
and are watered once or twice a day until they sprout
based of course on how much rain we have and the soil moisture
if the seeds dry out they wont sprout

why do i go to all this trouble to do all this to the soil
just
make a trip to the natural gardener and look at their fall garden
pretty dang amazing

plus
i spent a hour with their gardener asking him a ton of questions
then when i applied them to this years garden the result were
as my wife she says
amazing

during the winter i mulch my plantings well to protect them
i use pine straw i buy in bales
it lets water through quite easily but also protects the plants
by keeping the soil warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer
but you can use leaves newspaper etc

then
i use row cover a thin white material i buy at the nursery
it comes in a thin version commonly used in cooler temps
and to keep insects out
and then a thicker version that provides more protection
from the cold

when its going to be freezing i keep them covered
when it warms up like it does here in central texas i
just roll it up out of the way

so thats how you do it
fall winter gardening
the absolutely best time to garden in central texas

today i will plant more spinach plants and replant some
broccoli and kale the wind and insects destroyed

ive replanted a block of lettuce and beets that we will
eat in our salads
and will replant another block later on

so in my garden now i have sweet peas parsley cilantro
asian greens swiss chard broccoli kale beets carrots
lettuce spinach multiplying green onions chives arugula
garlic

nows your chance
go for it

the organicgreen doctor