| Author | Content |
Dutchlady1
Naples, FL
(Zone 10a)
December 03, 2008
07:13 AM Post #5853702
| now I know WHY the horse manure is good for my garden!! |
Fitsy
Hayesville, NC
(Zone 7a)
December 03, 2008
09:27 AM Post #5853925
| Yes, thanks for the reassurance that we are on the right track with
the chips and stuff, and thanks for spelling out some details for us.
Fitsy |
Sundownr
(Bev) Wytheville, VA
(Zone 6a)
December 03, 2008
10:01 AM Post #5854000
| Darius, Thanks for reminding us why we need to be good to the ground, and that we are really feeding what feeds us!
Bev |
LariAnn
Miami, FL
(Zone 10a)
December 03, 2008
11:33 AM Post #5854309
| Hi Darius,
Thanks for a great introduction to microbes and their importance to us. I feel that even the "bad" microbes serve a "good" purpose in that they indicate the presence of an imbalance in the system. A healthy system/organism will have a natural balance of microbes and won't allow for the "bad" microbes to gain an upper hand, while one out of balance will provide an environment favorable for the dominance of pathogens. They are like biological warning signals, indicating that something is amiss.
LariAnn |
darius
So.Appalachian Mtns, VA
(Zone 5b)
December 03, 2008
11:56 AM Post #5854406
| Thanks, folks. This is just the beginning of several short intros into soils and soil chemistry; I hope they will all be as well received.
LariAnn, of course you are correct. I have some detailed info. about the good/bad microbe balance and how/why it works. Might be enough for an article tying everything together after the chemical intros are finished. |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
December 03, 2008
03:52 PM Post #5855206
| Yes. Thanks. Its good to know what goes on in there!
I guess you can't buy it in a sack at the Farmer's Co-op. |
darius
So.Appalachian Mtns, VA
(Zone 5b)
December 03, 2008
06:24 PM Post #5855648
| Probably not there, but soil microbes are sold online... |
mellielong
Lutz, FL
(Zone 9b)
December 03, 2008
07:46 PM Post #5855889
| I've trained my family to put all their kitchen scraps in the compost bin. Dad told me when they were on vacation recently they felt bad about throwing the stuff out! This weekend Dad is taking me to my horse compost connection (found via craigslist) to get our second trailer load of composted manure. Dad finally gave me a plot to grow a real vegetable garden (as opposed to the small raised beds I used previously). I really want to plant some seeds, but I promised myself I would get my soil in top shape before I planted. This article reminded me why I have to be patient and feed my soil before I feed myself (with yummy fresh veggies)! I still can't believe how I turned from such a "girly girl" to the person who tucks earthworms back in the soil when I accidentally dig them up, LOL!
Melanie |
darius
So.Appalachian Mtns, VA
(Zone 5b)
December 03, 2008
08:34 PM Post #5856054
| That's great progress, Melanie! I wish I had put the horse before the cart myself. Retrofitting garden soil is a lot more work. |
mellielong
Lutz, FL
(Zone 9b)
December 03, 2008
08:56 PM Post #5856132
| Well, I've learned a lot from the folks on the composting forum. I've never been the most patient person, but gardening certainly helps. Plus, in it's own way it's fun to watch the soil "grow". Since I have pure Florida sand it's fun to watch it turn black and rich and to dig and find bugs and worms instead of nothing (or fire ants!). Plus, we're always trying to conserve water and compost keeps the moisture in rather than draining straight through the sand. Florida is also one big chunk of limestone so I'm hoping compost will help neutralize the soil.
Melanie |
pajaritomt
Los Alamos, NM
(Zone 5a)
December 03, 2008
10:08 PM Post #5856425
| Great article as usual, Darius. In New Mexico, where the soil contains very little organic matter, one cannot grow much of anything, except natives, unless one feeds the soil. After a year or two of total garden failures, I learned that chemical fertilizer just isn't enough in New Mexico. Once I started using manure and eventually compost, I found my self having a lovely garden by anyone's standards. I had to learn about soil bacteria the hard way, but I got the message.
One learns to get whatever organic matter one can get and to compost it if it isn't immediately usable. Lawn clippings, fall leaves, animal bedding materials, manure, wood chips. Then one learns which can be used immediately and which we must allow the bacteria to work on before we put them on our crops.
Luckily we don't have to buy most bacteria. They simply come out of the air or soil when we create a good environment for them, even here in a near-desert environment.
One of the most interesting things I have discovered is that if you pile up layers of manure and leaves ( and other stuff) and make it big enough, the bacteria eating them will produce a measurable amount of heat even through most of the winter. I got a compost thermometer to test that and it really is true. If you have built it properly you can watch your compost pile steam as it melts the blanket of snow over it.
We gardeners grow more than veggies and flowers! |
darius
So.Appalachian Mtns, VA
(Zone 5b)
December 03, 2008
10:13 PM Post #5856445
| pajaritomt, good point to mention the heat produced! Thanks. |
pajaritomt
Los Alamos, NM
(Zone 5a)
December 03, 2008
10:17 PM Post #5856462
| You know, darius, I once read an article about a former New York City landfill. This is not a carefully constructed compost pile but a bunch of garbage of all kinds covered up by a layer of soil. That landfill is noticeably warmer than the surrounding soil and the snow melts on it much faster than on the surrounding soil. Says a lot about how much those little bacteria do when we aren't thinking about them. |
