Boboro"s 2014 grow 5th. year.

[Boboro]

 

[Chicken]

the bacca ive seen in some of the fields around here, are just a tad bigger than yours, but your totally on time with the planting season,

i got such a late start by killing my first batch..and having to start over.

 

[Rickey60]

Are the plants in the top picture and the bottom picture the same age? The one in the bottom picture look a little bigger. I wish I would have saved my leaves to use like you have seems to be working out good.

 

[Boboro]

They were started 2 or 3 weeks apart.

 

[Rickey60]

Both patches look great. I think you got this growing thing down.

 

[Knucklehead]

Great looking patches. The bottom ones have taken off already. I'm still waiting on mine. I think I really need some sand in there to loosen up the soil. Two loads of manure and one load of wood shavings didn't do much for all that clay.

 

[Planter]

Good looking plants!

 

[Planter]

I think I really need some sand in there to loosen up the soil. Two loads of manure and one load of wood shavings didn't do much for all that clay.

"Even where a clay soil contains for example 40 percent clay particles (a relatively modest content compared to heavy clay soils), the proportion of clay in the top cultivated part of the soil would have to be reduced by half to make the soil easy to work. This would require 250kg per sq m (460lbs per sq yd) of grit or gravel. Adding materials to clay can also make the clay less stable, so the soil becomes harder to manage."

from http://rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=620

I did a small scale experiment with sand, and am not too excited about the outcome... only a lot more dry, not airy. The sand also seems to separate from the mixture overtime, on a larger field it will probably just go with the wind in the end. Will try loads of shredded leaves next autumn.

 

[deluxestogie]

Well rotted compost is a reasonable way to improve the tilth of clay soils.

Bob

 

[Boboro]

I use shreaded and rotted leaves to help with heavy clay. I add ammonia nitrate as Im pilein the leaves. Leaves will eat nitrogen as they decompose but will release it when fully composted.

 

[Boboro]

Worms are to slow.

 

[chillardbee]

Well rotted compost is a reasonable way to improve the tilth of clay soils.

Bob

I agree. With the three different soil types (clay, humus, sandy) striking a good balance can be hard but beneficial. Clay is still good for the soil for water retention, sand for drainage, and humus for nutrient retention and workability. Ive noticed in pics posted on here of blown down plants, the the soils looked like they were loose and well worked and rather humusy. So too much of a good thing may not be 'better' either.

 

[deluxestogie]

Ive noticed in pics posted on here of blown down plants, the the soils looked like they were loose and well worked and rather humusy. So too much of a good thing may not be 'better' either.

Good point. The more deeply I dig my beds (sometimes down to 24"), the more easily the tall plants blow down.

Bob

 

[Boboro]

Time to run more drip hose.

 

[Boboro]

Ilike drip hose but...

 

[Boboro]

Mobile overhead irrigation system.

 

[BarG]

Good point. The more deeply I dig my beds (sometimes down to 24"), the more easily the tall plants blow down.

Bob

Think about it though , the benefits of deeply dug soil verses blowdown. Wind blows my palnts over and makes the stems correct for it without stakes.. which I never use. For a very few plants you want to be as perfect as possible I understand the staking. Or a large endeavor of certain varietys.

 

[Planter]

The more deeply I dig my beds (sometimes down to 24")

How do you do that? Dig one spade deep, remove that, and go one deeper?

 

[Boboro]

Im plantin the orientals this weekend and Im gonna plant them almost as clouse as beans. Ill use the sprinkler on them till they get well established.

 

[Boboro]

A image of the dirt and the oriental patch.