Bought a Yard of Compost...

pdxwindjammer · August 23, 2012

There was a half off deal for a yard of compost that I purchased and it expires in December. I plan on picking it up in November after I return from a long holiday in Europe.

I have learned from experience that you really don't want to throw a nice heavy layer of compost on a plot of soil and then leave it be until planting season. This year I had completely weeded my community garden plots, got a load of free alpaca poop and covered my garden with it. Well, the rains came and I didn't get up to my garden for a couple of weeks and when I returned the weeds and thistles were chest high and I had to start over again!

If I spread the load of compost over my community garden plot and then cover with a big tarp, with the soil be okay for planting in the spring after the compost has been under a tarp for several months? I want to cover it to prevent the weeds from engulfing my plot but I don't know what that will do to the microorganisms under the tarp.

If it is not a good idea to do this, I will just let the coupon expire and use the paid value towards compost in the spring.

THoughts?

beeman · August 23, 2012

I completely cover my garden with black plastic, after clearing out any weeds, if it needs tilling I also do that. In the spring there is little to no compaction, I drill down and plant straight in.
The good points, I notice very little weed and few in ground bugs. Go for it.

pdxwindjammer · August 23, 2012

Thanks. We an't use plastic in our garden but we can cover with tarps.

I guess what I am really wondering is if covering with a tarp for the winter will lessen the efficacy of the compost and also if it will kill beneficials like earth worms, etc.?

beeman · August 23, 2012

If you want to kill off weed seed, then invest in black plastic, it doesn't stop earth worms or bacteria as my garden grows really well.

pdxwindjammer · August 24, 2012

But as I mentioned, my community garden does not allow plastic, black or otherwise.

Rockporter · August 24, 2012

It seems to me if you cover it with a tarp the garden will be fine, you will block out the sunlight and the worms and micorganisms can play all the while they wait till the spring. I wouldn't worry about it.

pdxwindjammer · August 25, 2012

Great. Thanks!

pdxwindjammer · August 30, 2012

I just heard from someone in my community garden and she said NOT to use a tarp or plastic because it kills beneficials. I am going to collect leaves and cover the garden with those instead. Our rain should hold them down in the fall and give the garden nutrients while keeping down weeds.

SharonRossy · August 30, 2012

what about straw? I've been told that works really well too.
Sharon

Rockporter · August 30, 2012

Here are two articles on solarization that come from two different Master Gardener's, one from the East Coast and one from Texas. We have done solarization in our community garden this summer. My plot is currently under clear 4 mil plastic and we are planting on September 8th. We followed the county extension office suggestion as well as the suggestion of our Master Gardener's of our community garden.

habitat_gardener · August 31, 2012

Someone else at the community garden here has piled a foot of mulch on her garden beds when she wasn't going to be planting anything in the winter. By spring, it was ready to plant. The mulch we get is from tree trimmers, so it's wood chips mixed with lots of leaves and chipped branches.

I've always gardened year-round, and haven't been away from my plot for more than 4 days since I started. One year someone delivered a big pile of horse manure (partly broken down, with some dry lumps) and I piled that a foot high on one garden bed, then planted fava beans. I didn't get weeds iirc (but if there were, I picked them when they were small), and in the spring it had shrunk by half.

Straw is ok, but you do have to check it for weed seeds when you get it, and pull a few weedy grasses that inevitably grow. A few weeks ago, I got some straw for another garden. The person who recommended it said it was "clean." But I noticed a clump of thistle seeds right on top after it got delivered, so I got rid of those. And I've noticed some grasses growing where I've used it as mulch (only 3-4 inches). If I were going to leave it all winter, I'd pile it on -- a foot deep at least. And I'd check regularly for weeds! A couple years ago I got some post-halloween straw bales that I used to mulch raspberries, and it too grew weedy grasses.

pdxwindjammer · August 31, 2012

Interesting articles, Rockporter, but again, I can not use plastic in my community garden and neither of those articles addresses the issue of how it affects beneficials. My guess is that they will not thrive under plastic.

I am going to mulch with leaves. My community garden is about 1 1/2 miles from my house and we get a lot of rain in the fall, winter and spring so I don't plan on getting up there every few days to weed. The leaves will prevent weeds and also add nutrients to the soil along with the compost I will put on.

Thanks!

Redbaron · September 30, 2012

If it was me I would spread the compost and then put the leaves on top of that. Don't worry about the worms. They will love it.

August 23, 2012	#1
pdxwindjammer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 625	Bought a Yard of Compost... There was a half off deal for a yard of compost that I purchased and it expires in December. I plan on picking it up in November after I return from a long holiday in Europe. I have learned from experience that you really don't want to throw a nice heavy layer of compost on a plot of soil and then leave it be until planting season. This year I had completely weeded my community garden plots, got a load of free alpaca poop and covered my garden with it. Well, the rains came and I didn't get up to my garden for a couple of weeks and when I returned the weeds and thistles were chest high and I had to start over again! If I spread the load of compost over my community garden plot and then cover with a big tarp, with the soil be okay for planting in the spring after the compost has been under a tarp for several months? I want to cover it to prevent the weeds from engulfing my plot but I don't know what that will do to the microorganisms under the tarp. If it is not a good idea to do this, I will just let the coupon expire and use the paid value towards compost in the spring. THoughts?

August 24, 2012	#6
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	It seems to me if you cover it with a tarp the garden will be fine, you will block out the sunlight and the worms and micorganisms can play all the while they wait till the spring. I wouldn't worry about it. __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

September 30, 2012	#13
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	If it was me I would spread the compost and then put the leaves on top of that. Don't worry about the worms. They will love it. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

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August 23, 2012	#2
beeman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 692	I completely cover my garden with black plastic, after clearing out any weeds, if it needs tilling I also do that. In the spring there is little to no compaction, I drill down and plant straight in. The good points, I notice very little weed and few in ground bugs. Go for it.

August 25, 2012	#7
pdxwindjammer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 625	Great. Thanks!

August 30, 2012	#8
pdxwindjammer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 625	I just heard from someone in my community garden and she said NOT to use a tarp or plastic because it kills beneficials. I am going to collect leaves and cover the garden with those instead. Our rain should hold them down in the fall and give the garden nutrients while keeping down weeds.

August 30, 2012	#9
SharonRossy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,140	what about straw? I've been told that works really well too. Sharon

August 31, 2012	#11
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	Someone else at the community garden here has piled a foot of mulch on her garden beds when she wasn't going to be planting anything in the winter. By spring, it was ready to plant. The mulch we get is from tree trimmers, so it's wood chips mixed with lots of leaves and chipped branches. I've always gardened year-round, and haven't been away from my plot for more than 4 days since I started. One year someone delivered a big pile of horse manure (partly broken down, with some dry lumps) and I piled that a foot high on one garden bed, then planted fava beans. I didn't get weeds iirc (but if there were, I picked them when they were small), and in the spring it had shrunk by half. Straw is ok, but you do have to check it for weed seeds when you get it, and pull a few weedy grasses that inevitably grow. A few weeks ago, I got some straw for another garden. The person who recommended it said it was "clean." But I noticed a clump of thistle seeds right on top after it got delivered, so I got rid of those. And I've noticed some grasses growing where I've used it as mulch (only 3-4 inches). If I were going to leave it all winter, I'd pile it on -- a foot deep at least. And I'd check regularly for weeds! A couple years ago I got some post-halloween straw bales that I used to mulch raspberries, and it too grew weedy grasses.