My Plan to fill the new raised-raised beds...looking for comments

z_willus_d · January 15, 2012

Got it. Yes, I've got a history with over "Nitrogenizing" my grow pits to the point of Hades for the plants. I usually do that with manure, but this round I'm leaving the manure out of the mix. I'm going to be very careful about adding only a little of the Alfalfa pellets/meal, and mainly to add an organic component for worms to grab hold of. Yesterday evening, I stopped by Starbucks and got a good couple cubic feet of coffee grinds, so I'll be working some of this into the beds as well. I didn't buy there crap coffee BTW, but I'm sure the plants aren't as picky as I am about how they get there fix.

I'm hoping to get this bed in place and activated with good microbes and vermiculture at least three months ahead of planting. Something about all this fresh, scentless "soil" doesn't feel right to me. It needs to stink more, well earthy.

Edit: Oh, would you say 1 cup Alfalfa meal/pellet per 2'x2'x16" (LxWxD) volume would be about right? Again, not to really feed the plant so much as the soil and microorganisms/worms.

Thanks,
Naysen

January 15, 2012	#11
z_willus_d Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Eastern Suburb of Sacramento, CA Posts: 1,313	Got it. Yes, I've got a history with over "Nitrogenizing" my grow pits to the point of Hades for the plants. I usually do that with manure, but this round I'm leaving the manure out of the mix. I'm going to be very careful about adding only a little of the Alfalfa pellets/meal, and mainly to add an organic component for worms to grab hold of. Yesterday evening, I stopped by Starbucks and got a good couple cubic feet of coffee grinds, so I'll be working some of this into the beds as well. I didn't buy there crap coffee BTW, but I'm sure the plants aren't as picky as I am about how they get there fix. I'm hoping to get this bed in place and activated with good microbes and vermiculture at least three months ahead of planting. Something about all this fresh, scentless "soil" doesn't feel right to me. It needs to stink more, well earthy. Edit: Oh, would you say 1 cup Alfalfa meal/pellet per 2'x2'x16" (LxWxD) volume would be about right? Again, not to really feed the plant so much as the soil and microorganisms/worms. Thanks, Naysen