I asked my botany professor at Morton Arboretum (I'm going back to school after 50 years) "What is anhydrous ammonia made of and how does it affect crops?" Reason I did is because I read all the time about how totally deficient our agricultural soil is (mass production of our food) Answer: (from Ag Prof): Anhydrous ammonia is a nitrogen fertilizer commonly used on crops such as corn. It is injected into the soil as a fertilizer. Due to the chemistry of anhydrous ammonia, the injection band initially is toxic to plant growth because of high pH. In a relatively short period of time after injection into the soil the ammonia is converted to nitrate and the pH of the injection band decreases. Nitrate is the primary form of nitrogen used by corn from the soil. At this point the corn plant can use the fertilizer and provide higher yields. Nitrogen is the nutrient which is the most limiting of corn yield on most fields. Nitrogen is needed by the plant because it is a critical component of proteins. Deficiencies affect all aspects of crop growth including chlorophyll production. Plants short on nitrogen are stunted and have a light green color. The exact amount of fertilizer needed depends on the productivity of the soil. Nitrogen fertilizer is not typically applied to soybean. Soybean is a legume plant with the capability of fixing atmospheric nitrogen to meet its nitrogen need. Consequently, farmers do not need to apply fertilizer nitrogen to grow this crop. Unless you have a clear understanding of the nutrient needs of your soil as well as your PLANT, you can be either wasting your time and/or your money and possibly harming the plant. Agribusiness requires much different methods of growing than does plant culture in gardening." So I know legumes are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, as are most plants -- especially those not grown in fields which are continually plowed. We talked about the nutrient-depleted soil from which our mainstay crops grow. Bottom line: grow your own food in soil you make yourself! I have never been more passionate about anything in my entire life. I want to eat REAL vegetables - the kind they grow in Europe. I don't know where to go but it aint HERE. And I want chickens. I have been using the AACT method of composting (aerated activated compost tea) using worm castings. The worm castings grow microbial organisms within a day or two of 'cooking' in a 25 gallon container with a pump for aeration. It must be applied quickly when finished or the organisms will die as soon as the air is cut off. It is sprayed on foliage and the soil is drenched almost weekly. Since I started this four years ago, I have incredibly friable, sweet and worm-filled soil and have watched my garden explode. I disturb the soil as little as possible - only top dress. And my profs validated this method for me. After having been further educated by reading some of the info here, I've been scooping up some of the 'natural' mulch on the floor of nearby wooded areas, (the older the better) and topdressing the soil. Also, slowly adding a few different things like alfalfa, corn meal, and/or rice flour also increases microbial organisms. but I want rich friable compost so bad! Are you serious about Urine? I'm ready to pee everywhere, seriously. What about the pee of dogs and cats that ruins lawn (which is a pathetic waste of land) -- how does this differ from human urine? And what about fish emulsion and/or seaweed products? I realize dairy and meat is a major NO. But what do eggshells provide? And yes, I keep the piles under both trees far enuf away from the trunk. We have no termites in Illinois anyway - I just think it's better for the trunk to keep it free from suffocating. I'm sorry this is so long, but I'm still not really clear aout the legume thing. Do I have to actually PLANT them in the compost or can I throw legume leftovers into the pile? I need a frickin' farm. And he just wants to play golf. It's amazing how 45 years of marriage becomes a whole different ballgame. Too bad I love him - he's a good man - just not a farmer like me. Thanks for all the help and I apologize for the epistle. Westy PS Incidentally, I have room for only five tomato plants - enough to warrant an Rx for antidepressants. And my passion is Hosta - 300.

Tree trimmers are trying to get rid of their loads all the time- otherwise they have to pay dump fees. I'd call up one of your local tree trimmers and ask if they'll be in your neighborhood any time soon. But I'd question them very closely about any diseased trees - I'd hate to see them spread blister bark beetle or anything like that to you. Also ask them if they have any eucalyptus in their load because my understanding is that eucalyptus is alleopathic (kills seedlings), but I see there is conflicting info on the web.

Hello, I am new here and new to the name of potager gardening even though I have been doing it for years because I liked the look. Now we have moved to a new house with no yard at all until I started in on it. I had already decided to use these planters for my vegetable garden and add flowers for interest/beauty. They sit on the kitchen side of the house and the large round planter is right out side my kitchen window. In the picture the large round planter is closer to the house than where it will be used. I already pulled it further out. I also added the arches and will be adding the fill for the planters soon. The really bent planter my husband straightened up. I plan on painting the old tanks/planters white and if it keeps peeling that is ok I will just keep touching them up. I have added the arches to the big round tank and plan on growing some morning glories and some beans, or snow peas in spring, up the arches next year. See link for how pretty it looked with morning glories last year at the other house we had. I had not filled it then either and good thing because we moved and I was able to take it with me. Adding it is hot full sun and I planned to plant the tender veggies in the arches tank. I am still trying to decide on walkway material. Such good points on which to use. I am going to read some more. I want the yard simple. The front of the house is to the left of the picture and it will be gravel driveway. The pea gravel would look nice and cohesive leading up to the tanks and help keep down the mud coming into the house. So would the chips/mulch. That part of the yard is not nice fill like the rest. It is cement hard so no point in even trying to plant in it. Why the tanks to plant in. We also have to be careful of water usage. If I used chips and mulch then I will be constantly fighting to keep chips out of gravel and gravel out of chips where they meet up. Had that at the last house we had and it is a pain. I am not planning on fencing this area because of the lay of our land.It does not show in the tanks picture much but there is quite a drop off where the darker dirt meets the lighter. I need to plant something on that slope.I hope to fence across from house to shop building which is 35 foot from the house on the right out of the picture. So I do not think I want another fence cutting this space off. Maybe later??? Anyway Glad to be here and so glad this thread has surfaced.It is the big decision for me to make now . Hoping my idea of a potager garden fits in well enough to really be considered one. Chris Here is a link that might be useful:

Cow manure is really hot and must be well composted. Horse manure is way less hot and breaks down fairly rapidly all though you do get some weed seeds because horses are not ruminants so some seeds make it through the gut intact. Because we ran a Stallion station, shipping and receiving semen from other states, we would have an average of 150 mares/stallions here at one time so manure was never in short supply. Most horse owners that stall their horses use wood shavings because straw, especially once it has been peed on by something that pees over a gallon at a time, is heavy and stinky. For those facilities short on space or within city limits , they get hard pressed to get rid of the daily loads of stall debris. Stalls are cleaned every day (sometimes 2X a day) so as one can imagine, it piles up in a hurry. We have unlimited space so we ran about 10 piles of stall debris at a time. My hubby would take the tractor and using the bucket, spread the oldest piles out to about 1 foot deep and then using the bucket, re-pile them back up, about every two weeks. I ran the disc on the tractor over it once in a while too. As it started to break down well, I rototilled in 2 or 3 times a month. By the time I used it, it was just fabulous...nice and light and fluffy and the wood shavings had broken down to almost be invisible. Honest, if you can find a boarding facility or a breeder anywhere near you, they are usually thrilled to have you take as many loads as you want. Also, horse manure does not stink like cow manure. I should also mention that goat, sheep or rabbit manure is really good too. I have a friend that grows world champion Iris's. He will only use goat manure. So there you have it...more than anyone should know about manure!