potatoes mulched with straw and wood chips?
dowbright
9 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (36)
elisa_z5
9 years agopeter_6
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Has anybody tried hilling potatoes with wood chips?
Comments (3)city tomato - I'm hilling with leaves/straw. Of course it's only practical on a small basis, but I've found it keeps the CPB away. Haven't seen one in 5 years... ristau - any high carbon material (including straw) has the potential to rob your soil of nitrogen as it breaks down. You can compensate for it by adding extra nitrogen. I got a mouse condo one year as well, and I figure it was because the straw was too dry. I now try to use spoiled hay/straw, and if possible, leave it outside all winter. Mice don't like gooey straw! As to the woodchips, looks like I'm going to have to run the experiment myself... Cheers, Tim...See MoreBAck to Eden/wood chips vs no mulch experiment results
Comments (13)Elisa, the premise of BTE is that tilling destroys the soil structure and bio life. Tilling removes the covering; the soil rapidly dries out and top soil erodes. The "magic" in the wood chips is it is a covering that first retains moisture, and secondly feeds the plants as they decompose. It's why a mulch of smaller nutrient rich branches with needles and leaves is necessary and not just chipped trunks or bark chips only. The fungi that develop in the wood chip mulch help feed the plants. The mulch develops a helper system of organisms and other plant life that assists your fruits and veggies. In turn, your plants feed them. If you till composted organic material into your main garden, I'd suggest another experiment. Set aside a small section of your MG (maybe as small as 5x10 feet) for no-till. Still don't use wood chips, but layer your organics on the top (composted manure, yard waste, etc). Paul is very specific that if you don't have wood chips, just use whatever organic materials you have. (You can even use rocks) The most important part is to create a covering and not mix it in. Layer on top. When I tilled, I had virtually no earthworm population. Now, by not tilling, I can't dig a 4 " planting hole anywhere without killing several earthworms. And my soil (mostly red clay) is always damp and soft I destroyed a small tiller in two seasons trying to break up the clay. I then rented bigger tillers that beat me up for 6-8 hours trying to a 12x40 garden in which one half barely produced b/c of the rock hard clay. And it was back just as hard in the fall as it was in the spring. So it wasn't getting easier with time. Now with the wood chips, that area stays moist and soft. Everything grows there and I save the expense of renting, tilling, and fighting the soil every season. The fact that you got 25% more production is huge. You can get that in your MG using BTE principles but without adding wood chips. Paul no longer adds wood chips to his main garden b/c of his difficulty in walking. He uses them everywhere else. But in his MG he uses compost from his chicken pen as the covering....See MoreWood Chips Mulch and Diseases
Comments (5)Still something to learn. My pumpkins have vine borers. Most of the Japanese Kabocha are lost since I caught them late. But the regular orange pumpkins are doing fine since they sent out strong stems. The 2nd batch Kabocha is doing fine. The peppers still are very green, but lost leaves quickly (yellow with black spots). Not sure if fungus or diseases. Some small flies, but I do not think that is is the problem. The tomatos are producing, but the lower leaves turn yellow and dropped. Now 2/5 of the lower leaves fell. The plants are about 5' tall. Lower yield than last year's. The water melons were doing great. Then stopped growing. I did not see any bugs. Then the leaves turned yellow with black edges. Then the whole vines just died. The melons are about sugar baby size or smaller. The blueberries did very well. Better yield than last year's. I think the wet weather somehow helps. Anyhow, still something to learn for next season....See MoreMost nutritious: Leaf mulch or wood chip mulch?
Comments (4)It's not really a question of which is most nutritious as which has nutrients that are more readily available and those are in leaves. If one looks at what Ma Nature does we would find that she uses a combination of leaves and wood to maintain nutrient leaves where she is in charge. The slugs appeared because you created an environment, cool and moist, that they like with that leaf mulch so yes the leaf mulch could be why the slugs appeared. However, they would have appeared if you used straw or anything else that would have created a cool, moist environment. kimmq is kimmsr...See Morecold_weather_is_evil
9 years agodowbright
9 years agodowbright
9 years agodowbright
9 years agodowbright
9 years agodowbright
9 years agodowbright
9 years agoglib
9 years agoelisa_z5
9 years agocold_weather_is_evil
9 years agoelisa_z5
9 years agodowbright
9 years agoelisa_z5
9 years agodowbright
9 years agodowbright
9 years agocold_weather_is_evil
9 years agodowbright
9 years agoelisa_z5
9 years agonc_crn
9 years agosleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
9 years agocold_weather_is_evil
9 years agopeter_6
9 years agoplaidbird
9 years agodowbright
9 years agodowbright
9 years agopeter_6
9 years agoplaidbird
9 years agoplaidbird
9 years agodowbright
9 years agodowbright
9 years agoelisa_z5
9 years agodowbright
9 years agoelisa_z5
9 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESThe Art of Green Mulch
You can design a natural garden that doesn’t rely on covering your soil with wood and bark mulch
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESNew Ways to Think About All That Mulch in the Garden
Before you go making a mountain out of a mulch hill, learn the facts about what your plants and soil really want
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGarden Myths to Debunk as You Dig This Fall and Rest Over Winter
Termites hate wood mulch, don’t amend soil for trees, avoid gravel in planters — and more nuggets of garden wisdom
Full StoryFALL GARDENING5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
Improve your soil and yard the organic way with a valuable garden booster that grows on trees
Full StoryLIFETo-Dos: Your October Home Checklist
It’s a great time to clean your gutters, swap out seasonal clothes and wallow in favorite fall traditions. What’s on your October list?
Full StoryVACATION HOMESHouzz Tour: Childhood Memories Shape a Lakeside Cottage
A Canadian man couldn’t salvage his grandfather’s cottage, but he keeps the family connection alive with a new structure in the same space
Full StoryFARM YOUR YARDHow to Build a Raised Bed for Your Veggies and Plants
Whether you’re farming your parking strip or beautifying your backyard, a planting box you make yourself can come in mighty handy
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGardening Solutions for Heavy Clay Soils
What’s a gardener to do with soil that’s easily compacted and has poor drainage? Find out here
Full StoryFRONT YARD IDEASBefore and After: Front Lawn to Prairie Garden
How they did it: Homeowners create a plan, stick to it and keep the neighbors (and wildlife) in mind
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGet on a Composting Kick (Hello, Free Fertilizer!)
Quit shelling out for pricey substitutes that aren’t even as good. Here’s how to give your soil the best while lightening your trash load
Full Story
glib