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Montoursville, PA

What do you fellows and gals do when it is fall tilling time and the patch is ready to till but mother keeps delivering rain?

I have mushroom waste, leaves and last grass trimmings piled on in waiting...and then winter rye to plant. I'm afraid to muck it in at this hour. Help!!! Zone 5, North Central Pa.

11/16/2002 11:15:25 PM

Puyallup, WA

Frankly, doc, I'd say if you lived in the Pacific Northwest, you would be "out of luck" for this year! Once our soil becomes saturated, it will not dry out until early April. Attempting to rototill will only damage the soil texture and be counterproductive.
If I were you, I'd make a compost pile with your material and rototill it into the soil in the spring.

11/17/2002 12:08:07 AM

Caceres, Spain

I used to suffer that some years in the past. To avoid it I installed a drainage pipes system under my patch. Is the normal way I've seen in Holland: every several meters you set down a big pipe with many little hollows (there are many kinds). They end in a common trench. But you have to do it before rains to came; now... only God can help you. Good luck, Docqipe, wait and make a good aireated compost pile with all that stuff.
Don

11/17/2002 1:17:22 AM

Western Pa.

Doc,

I guess you'll just have to hope for a 2nd "Indian Summer"! Rather than plant rye this winter, I fumigated my main patch last weekend. I agree with Stan, you can always add your compost in the spring. The Spring is when I finally find time to haul and add aged manure. Your rye seeds should keep, just keep them dry, but not in the house, they will sometimes have a "hatch" of small moths.
kilr

11/17/2002 1:20:10 AM

Caceres, Spain

Hey Stan, we could care a garden together, most of times our ships get to the same ports -:)

11/17/2002 1:22:07 AM

Puyallup, WA

Si

11/17/2002 1:35:35 AM

Southern Illinois

i dump 3 to 5 bags of leaves per site,dump one load of manure on top of leaves,been throwing on a little lime a little 0-46-0,a little 0-0-60,have been throwing on a little ammonium nitrate,i will work it all in this spring,kilr what did you use to fumigate with.

11/17/2002 8:36:27 AM

Montoursville, PA

If we don't get that second Indian Summer the work will have to put off until spring. I had tilled in the first early rye and early left overs. The five cubic feet of mushroon waste and leaves were going to be icing on the cake with the second rye crop. I don't want to work over all that fluff under the present challenge. I'll have to compost at least seventy five percent of the leaves cause I do not think they would break down unless I could till them in very early spring. Don't want to tie up the big N.

11/17/2002 12:14:36 PM

Western Pa.

HH,

I fumigated with Basamid. It must be applied according to directions for optimum results. It's rather pricey, but I hear it's going up another $40-$50 in the spring.

11/17/2002 11:45:06 PM