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Fremont, California

this year i used 2 cubic feet of cow manure, 1 cubic foot of chicken manure, 2 cubic feet of peat moss, 1 cubic foot of store bought compost, 4 cubic feet of potting soil, 1 cubic foot of 'thick' soil, 1 pound of sand, 5 pounds of gypsum, 1 pound of greensand, and some used coffe grounds to keep my cat away (last year my cat scratched my pumpkin so bad!) -dashbarr

12/24/2004 10:09:17 AM

Fremont, California

Also i will add like a ton of home-made compost after its finished

12/24/2004 10:10:19 AM

Fremont, California

ohh to that first post at the end i meant to say ty for all the help

12/24/2004 10:11:48 AM

Fremont, California

cruddy proof reading. and 1/2 pounds of vermiculite

P.S.:my patch is really small and is bearly 100 sq :(

12/24/2004 10:22:14 AM

Long Island,New York

Ok...so we see what you used in your seed starting mix for peatpots....what did you put in the patch?

12/24/2004 2:04:03 PM

Key West, FL

hahah, I'm with G

You need more!!! How big is your patch?

12/24/2004 2:12:31 PM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

Do the same in cubic yards or cubic meters and you will be fine...

Martin

12/24/2004 2:20:44 PM

canal winchester ohio

For each 300 sq ft of patch space I apply ( in the fall) 1 truckload ( appx. 1 1/2 yards) of fresh cow manure mixed with straw & 1 truckload of leaf compost. I leave it set ontop of the patch untilled until March 1st when I turn it over for the first time. I turn it over again 1 more time before planting & that's it for the season. I've done this for the last 4 years & my soil NEVER packs solid, It stays loose all season long.
I truly believe the one major mistake a lot of folks make is overtilling. Overtilling may make your patch look "pretty" but all your doing is breaking the organic material down so fine it leaches out of your soil.
just my 2 cents.................Paul

12/24/2004 2:36:22 PM

San Diego

Keep it simple is my saying, 400 sq foot patch, 2 yards steer manure, leaves and grass clippings all tilled in during the fall with 40 lbs of gypsom. All done:) jimmy

12/24/2004 4:17:12 PM

Fremont, California

dood li that iz what i put in my patch

12/24/2004 7:34:37 PM

Utah

Fall 03- I added 36 cu. yards of horse manure to my 1200 sq ft patch. In the spring I added another 18 cu yards, 44 lbs of azomite, and about 100 lbs of 16-16-16.

Fall 04- I added around 75-80 bags of leaves and 18 cu yards of horse manure.

12/24/2004 8:28:03 PM

caro mi.

2 months back i added 4 pickup loads of rotted corn silage , most of it black looking , now i know it will help the garden , but should i have added manure also or will the silage do the same job ? please enlight me Dan

12/24/2004 10:58:01 PM

[email protected]

100 pounds cornmeal, 200 pounds gypsum, 120 pounds azomite, 3 inches horse manure, 120 bags of maple leaves, tilled, and covered with winter rye. add 5 pounds of coffee grounds daily all winter long. NO chemical ferts in past 2 years, worms are returning, pumpkins are getting larger.

12/24/2004 11:08:50 PM

Rockford,il

I applied about 250 gallons of homogenized milk fortified with vitamin D.It is supposed to grow strong ribs.Milk is the secret to growing the really big ones, but keep it a secret between the two of us.

12/25/2004 11:37:14 AM

Hobbiton New Zealand

15 metres of chicken manure 6 metres sheep manure on a 200sq metre patch aswell as a product called terraboost and a bit of molasses then a cover crop of mustard.

12/25/2004 2:49:45 PM

Cologne / Germany

Bread, meat, onions, cucumber, some sauce, cheese, ketchup, mustard and bread again. That´s why I call it McPatch.

12/26/2004 1:34:07 PM

Montoursville, PA

Floh...........watch out or you will be putting McPatch on a low carb diet. :) Got molasses, fish and kelp? That and some chicken feathers will ease your problem. ]:o)

12/26/2004 10:07:27 PM

Picton,ON ([email protected])

I added about 15 tons well composted manure to my patch of about 7500 ft2.

12/27/2004 11:20:23 PM

Ohio

For us non Brain People, a cubic yard is 9 feet x 3 feet x 1 feet deep, right?

Rock, whats the corn meal do and its purpose?

Thanks,
Brooks

12/28/2004 9:11:11 AM

Montoursville, PA

Corn meal carrys with it about one percent natural slow release nitrogen. More important it has within it's complex make up certain elements that support plant strength most notedably in the arena of pathegon resistance that cause fungus problems. As with the total consideration of trying to maintain a more healthy patch corn meal works within the total and is not a one element that fixes anything.

The rate of application is interesting: One need only to apply it for about two years and it will have done what it can do for any total patch health. Apply about 10 pounds spring and fall to aproximately one thousand square feet. Four times or about two years seems to be the average suggested application.

Reference to these comments were first discovered, by me, in a book titled: Dear Dirt Doctor, Garrett, Texas University Press. Available 2nd. hand or slightly damaged on line, for less than ten bucks. Good basic book!

12/28/2004 9:33:37 AM

Montoursville, PA

Answer to Dan's corn silage question. Applying any unfinished elements of compost asks your natural biological patch bacteria and other living critters plus fungi to finish the job.

The response can only be determined by you. If you apply, in the fall, to a patch that, is thought, to be nicely ballanced and working there could be no serious concern. There should be a cover crop planted over any fall additives be they finished or partially finished elements of compost. The only other thing you could do is add a stimulant and rotatill it in to insure blending within the patch soil. Black Strap Molasses is one of the finest stimulants for bacteria. A touch of fish and kelp with the molasses is a bedtime snack of the highest order.

A cover crop is on one hand like a blanket. It retains the warmth in the soil a little longer than bare ground. The roots enable your good fungi to stay alive and well while maintaining fluff and high oxygen conditions. The top growth when tilled under in the spring becomes both added elements of compost and available nitrogen. The spring tilling under, of undigested elements, of compost, should be done as early as humanly possible. Again fish, kelp and molasses wakes the bacteria up and is a fine stimulant. Those using AGRO-K will use Symbex 4 along with the above, to stimulate biological action within the patch. These early important actions should preceed planting, by at least four weeks. Watch your early awakening and drying of the patch closely. There are only a few very early days when this can be done. If you miss that window or windows in late Februrary or early March you may not get it done in time for your wake up call and conversion to humus and humates. This timing of course is Northeast timing talk. If you live somewhere else apply the principles.

12/28/2004 10:01:13 AM

Lloydminster/AB

A quick note for us northerners.....Do not put anything in the soil that is not completely broken down! Our soil is frozen from the start of October to the end of April and this allows only a few months for the good stuff in the soil to work it's magic.When the stuff you put on is still breaking down in July It does nothing for your patch. Trust me I know. lol

12/28/2004 11:47:08 AM

Montoursville, PA

Ah come on Don...........even ice cream spoils in the finest freezer. Your point is well intended and nicely presented. Within the army of bacteria there is a whole division of soldiers that do work in cold weather. They are not as productive as the warmer weather recruits.

12/28/2004 1:02:03 PM

[email protected]

The cornmeal factor credit is due to Dwaine, thanks so much to you and the dirt doctor! As for the winter effects on breaking down in the soil, Doc is also correct, there is still composting going in when the dirt is frozen solid, take a look at tilled leaves for example from the fall and check them out in the spring.

As for adding the non composted items to you garden in the spring, it can lock up the nitrogen needed to start your plants greening and growing process, so be careful of your additions in the spring. Heck, I have 3 bags of azomite I added 2 weeks ago that I just recieved, and should filtrate quite nicely into the ground and soil as we heat up and cool down daily.

12/28/2004 5:10:14 PM

Lloydminster/AB

Hmmmm...Maybe I should have said not to put on too much for too many years. You guys are right of course. The organic material continues to break down when it is cold but much more slowly with our very cold winters than in warmer climates. Unscientificaly I would say that it would take up to 3 times as long up here. Without any amount of snow cover we get over 7 feet of frost and when (not if) it hits -40 for awhile.. well that can't be good for our little friends!

Really there is no excuse for using well-composted materials here. Just about every farmer has hundreds of yards of completely composted manure sitting around in big piles. The only thing you have to do is put on lots--10 yards per patch per 1000 square feet every year. Thanks guys...Don

12/28/2004 7:58:11 PM

caro mi.

Thankyou guys for your responces , very helpful . although most of the silage was pretty well composted , im sure some was still not fully ready for my garden . i was going to add more in the spring , but i will hold off on that ...lol I can get some steer manure that has been piled for at least 7 years , it looks like black dirt now , do you think this would be ok to apply in the spring , or should i just hold off till fall with this ?........Dan

12/30/2004 11:21:19 PM