Black plastic mulch or oak leaf mulch
catfishhoward
2 years ago
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Black Plastic mulch
Comments (15)Appreciate your willingness to listen Luke. I linked a great FAQ from the Composting forum on the Microherd and all that they do for us in the garden. And no, you don't need to be hot and heavy into composting to derive benefits from them assuming you garden sol has the normal amount of organic matter in it. The culprits are lack of oxygen and the heat. As Sue said the soil temps are surprisingly high under that black plastic, especially in the warmer zones, and the oxygen levels are markedly reduced as well. And long before the soil temps and low O2 cook and kill the beasties, the temps have rendered them dormant, inactive, so all those benefits we derive from them are lost. So soil temp monitoring is very informative, both for planting times and for keeping your own garden herd happy and productive. Not to mention the benefits to the plant roots. If you are far north zone 5 you may be able to use the landscaping fabric longer than many of us can but several factors like soil composition, sun exposure, and watering regimen can affect it quickly so soil temp monitoring pays off in increased production and over-all healthier plants. I hope this info is helpful to you. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Who and what is the 'Microherd'?...See MoreBlack plastic for temp mulch?
Comments (10)I agree with Beeman. Also, if you have a horse manure supply, you probably have a store that sells feed. If you can get feed, then you can raise rabbits. If rabbits are an acceptable choice for you, they will make mountains of absolutely wonderful manure that can be added fresh or pre-composted in a large worm bin. The rabbits themselves taste good and if you have a dog, the fat and non-digestive-tract organs are a welcome treat. The mountain of manure they give you does come at a cost, however, and I estimate each rabbit will eat up to 3 50lb sacks of feed per year. Ironically, I have read recommendations to use rabbit food directly as fertilizer, though that seems a bit expensive. If your USDA Cold Heartiness Zone is between 3 and 9, you should be able to grow a plant called Comfrey. It's well known, has many gardening uses, grows like wildfire, and rabbits love it. I mostly feed my rabbits commercial pellets, but feeding some Comfrey helps keep the feed bill down in the summer. You normally can't burn it with raw manure, even chicken, and it just keeps making big, mineral rich leaves for your garden and livestock. I personally wouldn't make the stinky, anaerobic teas with it or till the green leaves or roots into the garden though. This plant is a survivor, and it should be grown in a dedicated patch that will only have Comfrey forever. If you give it a little (or a lot) of nitrogen, it will dig down and get whatever else it needs on its own, supposedly. I've found that it does do better with some moisture (even just that retained from mulching), and at least a couple hours of direct sunlight....See MoreBlack plastic mulch sources
Comments (4)Have you tried Lowes? I dimly recall seeing black sheets in their are but call first. Also call Angelo's Garden Centre in Vaughan as well. I suspect based on your zone and the reference to Sheridans that these places may be closer to your location than Humber Nursery. But I have to say, I do love Humber Nursery for the wide number of products they carry. Also call TSC stores around the area. They carry farm products but do call first....See MoreFall/winter cover for black plastic mulch
Comments (1)Doing your soil test and fertilizing in the fall is a good idea, except you will need to add more nitrogen than you expect. Nitrogen and alot of other nutrients will wash away over the winter. Add some in the fall, but expect to add more come spring. Building the raised beds in the fall is great, just be sure to add more fertilizer (compost) than you would in the spring. The compost doesn't have to be completely composted, since the winter weather will allow more time to compost on it's own. As long as you have a MINIMUM of 6 months between production of compost and harvesting of any veggies, you should be safe from most nasties....See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agocatfishhoward
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agokevin9408
2 years agoponcirusguy6b452xx
2 years agoEmbothrium
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agocatfishhoward
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agocatfishhoward thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UKcatfishhoward
2 years agoMeyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
2 years agoMeyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago
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bklyn citrus (zone 7B)