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Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 17, 2021 23:15:10 GMT -5
If all goes well, this year will be the first year that I have an actual outdoor garden! I grew corn in an EarthBox last year. I do not own the place I live at, but I got permission to transform part of the yard (currently used as a junk heap) into a garden. My hope is that I can create a garden that will not only provide me with experience for the future, but also provide a garden for the landowners to use in the future. Given the short time period and the small amount of land I can work with, my plan is to do the following: 0. Clear out all of the scrap metal, bricks, and other random junk that is in the area. 1. Remove the bush stumps to create a flatter area, and mulch the entire area with wood chips to make it walkable while also offering a long-term amendment to the soil. 2. Set up 55 gallon barrels, with both the top and bottom removed, to use as raised beds. (I can get washed barrels that only had food-safe plastic urethane in them for free) I'm not sure how many I can get or have the time to set up, but I am hoping to get at least six and place them three feet apart from each other. 3. Start filling the barrels - initially with a 1in-2in layer of food scraps (including meat), followed by some decomposing logs, and leading upwards with sticks and twigs alongside more food scraps. I'll be using the native clay to fill the gaps in between the wood and scraps, but for the top 12in of the barrels, I am planning to use an organic potting soil so that I have something to work with as soon as the beds are ready. 4. Once the barrels are filled, and the top layer of potting soil is added - then I'll mulch it with wood chips. 5. I'll let them rest for about a month (I have to wait for things to warm up anyway) before I plant, which I believe will help things start to decompose and hopefully encourage worms and other beneficial creatures to move in. The only monetary expense I'll have is the potting soil, as the barrels are repurposed instead of being thrown out by the company I'm getting them from, the woodchips are from Chipdrop, and the logs are from the woods nearby. The highlight of this garden is that the "beds" will be three feet high, which will eliminate most of the issues from things like slugs and rabbits as well as eliminating back pain for the landowners  I'm currently working on clearing out the area, but if all goes well then I will be sure to update with pictures and additional details. |
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Apr 18, 2021 0:32:49 GMT -5
Sounds like an exciting project. Good luck!
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maskedsonnet
AGA Farmer
Without the burden of comparison, everything is beautiful
Posts: 1,610
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Post by maskedsonnet on Apr 18, 2021 4:23:23 GMT -5
Sounds like a great project! How wide are the barrels? Have you thought about what to plant in them?
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,267 
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Post by Shawn on Apr 18, 2021 6:01:40 GMT -5
Nice! I look forward to your pictures.
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airscapes
AGA Bounty
Lettuce eat Cake!
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Post by airscapes on Apr 18, 2021 7:58:39 GMT -5
Sound great!
You may be able to save a bit of money and get more soil by buying top soil and mushroom soil from a local nursery or mulch provider. They sell it by the yard and they will sell you a half yard of each which would be $35 here in the city. The savings in money come with an additional cost of having it delivered, or needing a pickup / trailer to get it. Then you have to unload it with a shovel at a time into a wheel barrow .. This is where the more expensive bags win.. However, a raised bed with 1:1 quality top soil to mushroom soil will last years with just more mush added when the the original decomposes. Either way will be great and I look forward to seeing your project progress!!
One question, why are you putting meat in the compost, everything I have read about composting says no meat? Also if you have fox in the area, they may attempt to retrieve it from the top or the bottom of the barrel.. They trash my beds every time I fertilize with Garden Tone which stinks like fish..
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 18, 2021 8:46:43 GMT -5
One question, why are you putting meat in the compost, everything I have read about composting says no meat? Thank you for the suggestion regarding top soil & mushroom compost! I never thought about buying in bulk like that and having it delivered, so I'll have to look and see if there is any place in our area that can do that. As far as composting meat goes - the main issue with composting meat, baked goods, dairy, and other similar "do not compost this" foods is that they can attract animals and vermin. There's no issue with the actual composting process so long as the food isn't greasy, but I've been experimenting with burying some in the yard and nothing has dug it up, even in a wide open area with no fencing or obstructions. As long as you can stop the smell from releasing, nothing will notice it is there. For a traditional above ground compost pile, I've seen other gardeners cover the meat with ashes or biochar to absorb the smell, but burying it seems to work just as well. Meat is high in nitrogen, so burying it alongside the logs (which are heavy in carbon) should help it balance out  |
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airscapes
AGA Bounty
Lettuce eat Cake!
Posts: 642
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Post by airscapes on Apr 18, 2021 9:27:26 GMT -5
One question, why are you putting meat in the compost, everything I have read about composting says no meat? As long as you can stop the smell from releasing, nothing will notice it is there. For a traditional above ground compost pile, I've seen other gardeners cover the meat with ashes or biochar to absorb the smell, but burying it seems to work just as well. Meat is high in nitrogen, so burying it alongside the logs (which are heavy in carbon) should help it balance out  Good to know!! I never did get into composting but the meat thing stuck in my head from looking into it years ago. If you can find course Vermiculite add that to the soil mix if you go the DIY bulk method, it last a lifetime and will keep the soil from clumping hard. Really neat stuff, shrinks when it dries out and swells up when wet. |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 18, 2021 9:39:42 GMT -5
Good to know!! I never did get into composting but the meat thing stuck in my head from looking into it years ago. If you're curious, this is the gardener who popularized this form (underground pit) of composting, and other gardeners have followed his method over the past few years with great success. As long as you can dig a hole, you can grow melons/pumpkins/gourds without needing to bother with composting and cleaning up the area (I've also heard that this method works very well for tomatoes) The thumbnail is a bit... odd, to say the least, but thankfully there are no pumpkins with eyes in the video. |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 18, 2021 11:23:48 GMT -5
Sounds like a great project! How wide are the barrels? Have you thought about what to plant in them? Sorry, missed your question - the barrels are 3 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter (so roughly 2'x2'x3'). So far I am planning to grow ground cherries and swiss chard, and I will attempt to remove my cayenne pepper from the bottle it is in and replant it outdoors. |
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maskedsonnet
AGA Farmer
Without the burden of comparison, everything is beautiful
Posts: 1,610
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Post by maskedsonnet on Apr 18, 2021 12:31:08 GMT -5
Those are a good size! I hope the cayenne survives extraction, good luck!
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 18, 2021 20:51:16 GMT -5
After 6 or so hours, I finally got all of the junk cleared out and the bush stumps torn out. The one stump had a root with a two inch diameter!
I think I will be cleaning off the stumps and burying them upside down at the bottom of my barrels in addition to the logs.
Next steps: moving the stumps out of the way, and mulching the area. Also, I still need to get the barrels.
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 25, 2021 20:19:46 GMT -5
After a weekend of labor, the stumps have been set aside, the ground has been flattened, and I put an entire Chipdrop delivery down as much.  |
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on Apr 25, 2021 21:06:32 GMT -5
Oh, my gosh! Good job! I cannot even imagine. Hats off!  |
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maskedsonnet
AGA Farmer
Without the burden of comparison, everything is beautiful
Posts: 1,610
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Post by maskedsonnet on Apr 25, 2021 21:55:02 GMT -5
It's looking amazing!!
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Sher
AGA Farmer
Posts: 7,025
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Post by Sher on Apr 25, 2021 22:49:49 GMT -5
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 25, 2021 22:51:15 GMT -5
I don't even have anything planted yet and I'm already appreciating the ease of use that an AeroGarden has |
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Shawn
Administrator
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Post by Shawn on Apr 26, 2021 10:02:53 GMT -5
You have done a lot there.I do not know what it looked like prior but it looks good. And Yes AG'ing is so much simpler
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Post by ERR0R1755 on Apr 26, 2021 10:53:47 GMT -5
I didn't take pictures before removing the junk or before I flattened it out, but here is what it looked like after flattening and before mulching:  |
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Post by ERR0R1755 on May 4, 2021 17:36:40 GMT -5
I picked up three 55 gallon barrels from car washes, they each previously contained one half of a biodegradable soap solution. I'm still planning to get the original barrels, but there have been some delays on the company's side so I wasn't able to get them as soon as I wanted.
I removed the top and bottom from all three barrels and rinsed them out. I started filling one of them up with the following layers:
1. Raw meat scraps covered with a light layer of woodchips.
2. Expired breakfast bars. One was moldy.
3. Kitchen scraps (lettuce, egg shells, potato peels, etc)
4. Sun-dried tree roots and a stump (upside-down)
5. Mud from the native soil.
6. Decomposing logs. (with signs of fungal activity)
7. Slop from liquid fertilizer / anaerobic compost barrel.
8. Leaves and misc. plant trimmings from a raked area.
9. More decomposing logs.
10. More kitchen scraps.
I took a picture of each layer (except the first) in case anyone wants to see any layer in particular or see the way I built it up.
I'm going to leave it as-is for today, but soon I will dig up more native soil and water it in to fill the gaps between the different materials. I might add some more kitchen scraps as well.
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campingcorgis
AGA Farmer
🌴 I wet my plants. :-) 🌴
Posts: 3,114
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Post by campingcorgis on May 4, 2021 17:50:24 GMT -5
Wow ERR0R1755, I'm exhausted just reading about it! I must say, it sounds like something my dogs would just love to roll in!  |
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