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Thank You for all of your advice have been mixing leaves and other organic mater.
Well it's all good I received a letter from the extension service today with soil test results. The only thing I have to do is add lime to bring the pH up. All other results were acceptable. Planning on adding lime and having a good season.I am new to our homestead, and have no compost pile yet, however I have been using a mix of wood chips and mulch for a long time in small gardens.
I don't know what other people use but I have set up bricks and rocks to create shelters, you just need to have a place for the critters to get out of the sun. I dig down in the dirt and set a couple biggish rocks or bricks on the sides and another one or two over the top for a roof then pull dirt back up on the sides and back. You are making a little cave with a dirt floor. Some plans I have seen use clay flower pots that have cracked or broke. If you have at least half of the clay pot just scoop out a dip in the ground, put the pot over it and push soil back around the sides and back. The important thing is to have an opening and a larger underground space. I have heard of placing solar lights near the shelters to attract low flying insects but I don't know how well it works. I also will not guarantee that you won't get very large spiders moving into your little "caves".I am curious what you put together for snake and toad shelters in 15 minutes at night.
I ise cornsulks and shicks on everything not corn, bean hulls on everything not bean, water chestnut dead stalks on everything not water chestnuts, duckweed as it becomes available, Spanish moss and oak leaves (but I have to correct the acidity on the oak leaves)So the philosophy of gardening that I follow insists one should keep the soil covered from the sun, mirroring Mother Nature. Keeps the organisms in the soil happier and healthier and alive if they aren't exposed directly to the sun. Makes sense to me. It's worked well for some time now, except.....
Here is my issue - bugs, like asparagus beetles and cucumber beetles like to winter in said "litter" under the plants. My garden currently has both bugs.
I will be getting some nemotodes, as soon as my pocketbook allows for the purchase. Releasing 1500 Ladybugs and picking, picking, picking is what I've done so far.
I am currently mulching with lawn clippings and leaves but that is no longer working for me since my lawn is mostly weed like dandelion, sorrel and plantain and so I am therefore planting them in my garden by using the "lawn" clippings as mulch. As much as I love those plants, I have enough of them outside the garden to not need them where I am trying to grow cucumber! I am looking into getting some wood chips (from tree removal, not pure chip, but different sized chip, if you know what I mean)
So - What do you mulch with? How's it working out for you?
I used to compost dead leaves in one of those large 3-bin compost systems that I built. (Like this: http://statebystategardening.com/images/uploads/article_uploads/2016-news-6a-01-04b.jpg )The carbon to nitrogen ratio of logs is usually about 100:1. so for each 100 lbs. (dry weight) of log, you'll get a pound of nitrogen--if it hasn't leached out of the soil during the long decomposition process. If you gather leaves, green stems, grasses, legumes, and manures, you'll get lots more for your efforts.
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