We know that most of our straw supply is certified weed free. Some of it is not certified so I expect some weeds. I plan to use the certified stuff around the fruit trees, strawberries, blueberries (well basically any perennial crop to keep weeds down better). The rest we will take our chances with or use it in the horse stalls first. Since with the manure we expect seeds from the hay etc and we can compost it for a while. Any recommendations on organic fertilizers (that won't break the bank for a garden that large?) We have used fish fertilizer some but generally we always go too light on the fertilizers (haven't been unhappy with our gardens though). We used to use Miracle Grow but didn't ever notice much improvement from it. I think we have about 10 yards of tree trimming mulch but i don't know when we will be able to get more. The tree trimmers were in the area at the time.....we live so rural it wouldn't be likely we could get them to deliver for free again.:( We have a bark mulch plant nearby that we could get a load of bark for $40/yard but they way overload your trailer for what you pay for....so it probably works out to something like $30/yard. We were planning to use that more in the finished landscape areas of the yard (flowerbeds, mounded landscape areas etc). About cover crops...I have always been interested in this. What are some recommended crops? I figured we'd plant something this fall when the other crops died down...is there something that will sprout/grow some before the next fall...how do you get rid of the cover crop without tilling it under etc? I love learning about all the ways to have a successful garden and I appreciate all the feedback! Little_minnie~ I like the way you chose to plant and mulch! I'll bet it works great. We might try that in a smaller scale to see how well it works for us.:) Dh still wants to peel off the grass layer but we do have a tighter area that the equipment would be hard to get to, we might try it there.:) Thanks for sharing.

I put down cardboard (or newspaper at least 6 sheets thick and overlapping) and then mulch over that anytime during the year before the ground freezes. Then in the spring it is good for digging into. I have been doing this for years. I till pretty much the whole garden once a year, usually in spring to incorporate whatever grew and whatever I want to add (not much, usually). I only till about 3" deep, max. I have not had a big problem with weeds because a) I plant rather closely, kind of pushing the envelope in terms of spacing because I want the plants to shade out weeds and lessen the need for mulching and b) I hoe. Hoeing is not at all bad if you have a good hoe. I use a stirrup hoe. I actually enjoy cutting their little heads off.:) I don't use raised beds, either. To me that is just extra work and money. I use regular 4' wide rows with 18" between, each row having a double length of soaker hose. Works good for me, especially because my beds can follow the curves of the sun in my yard instead of being straight, but lots of people love those raised beds. Some people would object to my practice because I don't use a lot of mulch once the stuff is planted. I hoe instead ('dust mulch'). It depends on how much water is in the soil and what is growing there. I have a bed that is pretty dry with no mulch that works well because the plants there like that--they're mostly Artemisias, although I also have a bunch of peppers there that are doing well. Those I have mulched with composted manure. Then I have most of the veggies in beds very thickly planted that get a lot of water and no mulch because they don't need mulch--they create their own shade. I keep the space in between rows very small, like 12"-18". I have also tried living mulches, like letting wild portulaca grow and weeding out everything else in between my tomatoes. This worked pretty well, but I think it was actually more labor intensive than having no mulch at all, because I had to hand pull the weeds instead of hoeing. For watering, I use soaker hoses and water only in the early morning, so it has time to soak in before it gets hot and is wasted in evaporation. Yes, people say you have to cover them. I have never covered them and in my highest watering months I think my water bill has increased maybe five bucks. Covering them for me just gets in the way of hoeing.:) I have clay and I think it is great for growing. Everyone complains about it, but I have gardened in sand and I would take clay any day. Clay has tons of nutrients in it. As long as it doesn't get sopping or get hard on top, it is good to grow in, in my experience. I guess what you can use the city compost for would depend on what it was made of. It must be grass and yard waste, no? It might have broadleaf herbicides in it, which wouldn't be good for your garden. I usually get composted manure instead, although the local prison has a program where they give away compost made out of food scraps. I haven't gotten around to trying that yet, but you might see if your local prison, if you have one, has such a program. I think that would be quite safe and you sure can't beat the price. I know what you mean about next year. I am already planning my next-year garden. Definitely going to be more peppers!

I too am building a bed and found the following recipe in a book and would welcome some feedback: "For each 100 square feet of new garden space: Plant Tone 5-10 pounds Rock phosphate 5-10 pounds Greensand 5-10 pounds Gypsum 5-10 pounds Osmocote (8 months) 2 pounds Till all these ammendments plus organic matter (I presume this means compost?) into the soil, rake smooth and your bed is ready to be planted." Now some background on my soil. Soil test in 2009 indicated dense/heavy clay > 40%, pH 7.7-7.8, N Med/Low, P High, K Med/Low, Volatile Organic Content 1.5%, Humus Med/Low, Salts 92ppm. I laid down cardboard and layered peat moss and compost on top last fall. I already have an Acer Palmatum and plan to add Acer Truncatum (Shantung maple), Port orford lawsonia 'Blue Surprise' w Guardian Stock, and Thuja 'Emerald Green.' Also perennials and shrubs as yet to be determined. I notice moss growing in the bed and areas where water pools. I did a drainage test by digging a hole 1 feet deep and filling it with water. After one hour there was about 3 inches left. Filled a second time and after one hour there was about 1.5 inches left. Two more questions, will Doctor Earths 4-4-4 work as well as the Plant Tone and If I could purchase only 3 books and 2 magazine subscriptions to learn more about responsible gardening, which would you suggest?

The Lasagna or chicken/rabbit manure will work on all annuals(seeds),some perennial also. Black plastic to stop sunlight & water or clear plastic if it is hot in your area. The clear plastic will stop water & trap heat to dry & kill most plants. If you have Coastal Bahia grass,wild garlic (Allium vineale) Or wild dew berry (Rubus eubtus). Then move away & never look back. I have been fighting these weeds for 5 years & I have gained 480 square feet of beds, but can not make new beds for fighting the 3, which are tiring to invade my beds. My brother has tired to kill them in his garden with round-up. the grass & garlic come back from the root& the dewberries do not die at all. The only way you can tell the round-up was applied to dew berries is the new growth has misshaped leaves. Why don't I grow the dewberries for fruit? They have small fruit & bear small amounts, besides I have blackberries. I have tired covering the weeds with burlap bags & they come though anything less the 4 bags & grow in any crack they find. Okay, I am not moving so maybe I should not tell you to. Good Lucky- P.S. if you win the war Let us know what you did, Please.