Having issues with my raised bed garden

[Catalina]

Could you have too much peat moss?

Sometimes 'compost' is a mix of peat moss and compost.

 

[cookiesdaddy]

Locavore - raise some chickens and rabbits!

 

[locavore]

I have chickens already... the littter composts so slowly though. I'll have to wait until next spring to get anything good.

 

[obsessed]

I read that blood meal will increase your compost speed by getting that pile really hot. Try a google search for the Dirt Doctor or Captain Compost.

 

[Dennis1979]

Use diluted fish emulsion to fertilize instead of miracle gro. It takes a couple of years to get your soil right when building new beds. Add lots of homemade compost, lots of leaves in the fall and winter and lots of grass clippings during the summer. I pick them up from the street where people leave them out for the city to pick up. If you keep piling that stuff in, and any manure that you can scrounge up, your plants will be strong and healthy. Don't give up on trying to do it organically. It will work, but it is not instant success.

I agree. It takes time to build up good soil for growing without chemicals. That's why commercial operations just pour on the chemical fertilizer because the soil is so bad. I just started my beds last year and while my beds are still not where they need to be, they are much better this year than last.

Sound like you may have too much organic material and not enough soil. Adding some native soil might be helpful if you have a source.

Yard compost is definitely good stuff. I gather all I can and go snatch what my neighbors put out for the garbage like herbsflower said. I line this stuff up on a long fenceline and every so often I go turn it with a rake. My compost is packed full or earth worms and as I turn the compost I toss worms into my beds. (But watch out for baby snakes. I grabbed one of those one time thinking it was a big worm). A mix of grass, leaves, pine needles and wood material like sticks, twigs etc, or ground up wood if you have a chipper is a good mix. After it has composted down fairly well, mix some of it into your soild and use it as a cover also during growing to keep down the weeds and hold in moisture. Don't over-do it as dirt is need in the mix too. Say 50/50 soil and compost. Doing this has helped my beds tremendously.

Also, I have used an organic fertilizer called Garden Tone (I think that's the name). You can mix this in the soil before you plant.

You may also want to test the PH of your soild and see if you have any issues there.

Dennis

 

[momofdrew]

Peat moss can make your soil too acid you might try some lime...this fall try amending the soil in your beds with lime, potash, phosphates,& something called green sand, the nitrogine will come from your chicken's poo you might want to plant green manure like rye or clover or buckwheat... then in the spring test the soil before planting to see if you have a good balance...if you have it tested at your county extention service they will even tell you what it will need in the way of admendments...

 

[locavore]

Thanks so much everyone! This fall once all the plants are out I'll test the soil and work on getting it perfect over the winter. I may just plant a cover crop too... just not sure if it will have enough time to grow. If I plant winter rye or something like that will it grow in the cold? I'd probably plant in October.