Most 'economical' method of building up soil?

[Tania]

Originally Posted by joseph

My family chides me for burying the chicken and turkey bones in the garden (Not attractive to the dogs, rats, and coons if buried). And they don't understand why I put peelings in the garden instead on throwing them away. My response is always the same, "I don't throw away my wealth."

[ScottinAtlanta]

My worst weeds are oak trees. I must pull 10,000 oak trees every season. Georgia grows trees.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Tania

Oops, forgot to mention that we can usually get the 'old' or spoiled hay bales for $2-3 / bale + $12-20 for delivery (gas).

I'll also add cover crops. Even if it's just mustard seeds or fenugreek from the spice store, throw down something, let it grow and then turn it under, I think on a bigger farm, there's probably not a better way to add organic matter, at least anything that doesn't involve huge amounts of big equipment and a free supply of manure.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Horse manure from the local stable is the best I can do.

I was actually looking at dump trucks today on craigslist. I can spend $2,000 and buy one that looks like it's from the old tv show Sanford & Son. I think a $2,000 dump truck would run for about an hour before breaking down. But one less than 20 years old costs about $35,000.

A hand-operated roller bed for a standard pickup seems like a good idea. It's a conveyor belt that you crank to slowly dump the load. I saw a used one for $100.

Even handier would be an old manure spreader that is chain driven. I had one from about 1940 when I used to raise a lot of show horses. I would muck out stalls straight into the spreader and than drive it over the fields that we grew hay on to spread. I got what amounts to a small pickup load every other day.
My parents had a turkey farm nearby when I was a kid. They spread turkey manure by the truck full in the garden in early spring and never used anything else for fertilizer.

[rags57078]

Originally Posted by Tania

Where do you get fish cleanings from?

Do you know any fishermen or resorts ? I catch junk fish and put them in mine

[kath]

Originally Posted by Tania

Kath,

You've got such great neighbours!
I bet your soil is very lovely.

Tatiana

Yes, Tatiana, we are indeed blessed to live where we do and to have such wonderful neighbors. The soil has come a long way since we first broke ground here.

kath

[joseph]

Originally Posted by Tania

It must be good to have weeds!

I'll send you seeds...

[COMPOSTER]

Grass clippings, weeds, leaves and kitchen compost are the most economical because they are generated on my own property or my next door neighbor's. Coffee grinds I pick up when on my way to work or out to dinner, so they are a close second. Horse manure is a 22 mile round trip. Not as economical but not bad 3 or 4 times a year. Wood chips I can pick up for free at our town transfer station which is a 12 mile round trip or have 15 yds delivered for a total of $75. I'm trying to get some dropped for free but no luck so far.

Glenn

[Lindalana]

From what I have been reading it seems organic matter does not represent more that 4% of the soil and when applying compost, I mean well made compost it could be spread as thinly as 1/2" on the beds and still reap great benefits. So this idea of lots of organic matter that need to be put it every year does not seems to answer reality unless you garden in complete sand.
Then cover crops and weeds can be placed right back into soil even with slight digging.
I am bag lady when leaf season starts, I drag every leaf pile my neighbors put on the curb right back... I collect garden cleanings i.e. annual pulled out at the end of the season.
For my own compost my main sources leaf mulch and horse manure from friend's stall two main things I have.
On my community garden plot I collect stuff that people cleaned out, like weeds from walking path, stalks from overgrown lettuce etc. Law of return.
Am experimenting this year with aerated compost tea brewing, while initial investment is high, it nearly reversed problems my peppers had this year and keeps tomatoes going.

[clkeiper]

Tania... Rabbits! invest in a few rabbit hutches and rabbit will give you copious amounts of manure. granted it isn't free, but it is much easier to add to the garden than horse manure or a cover crop since you are no tilling the garden. (The cover crop can be cut and laid right down on the garden though to shade out the roots from regrowing into a new plant). Nor do you have to wait because it is too hot to put on the garden. You can plant right into freshly added rabbit poo and not worry about burning your plants. I have 14 rabbits, but they don't add near what I need, but it is better than nothing. I add it directly to my greenhouse pots for my dwarf tomato project. During the winter I put their cages into the high tunnels or greenhouse ( the one I plant right in the ground in) and let them poop right down the row as I move the cages every week.

[Tania]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

My worst weeds are oak trees. I must pull 10,000 oak trees every season. Georgia grows trees.

Lovely! I wish we had them here - that would have made lots of high quality ramial wood chips!

[Tania]

Originally Posted by clkeiper

Tania... Rabbits! invest in a few rabbit hutches and rabbit will give you copious amounts of manure. granted it isn't free, but it is much easier to add to the garden than horse manure or a cover crop since you are no tilling the garden. (The cover crop can be cut and laid right down on the garden though to shade out the roots from regrowing into a new plant). Nor do you have to wait because it is too hot to put on the garden. You can plant right into freshly added rabbit poo and not worry about burning your plants. I have 14 rabbits, but they don't add near what I need, but it is better than nothing. I add it directly to my greenhouse pots for my dwarf tomato project. During the winter I put their cages into the high tunnels or greenhouse ( the one I plant right in the ground in) and let them poop right down the row as I move the cages every week.

Great idea, I believe this will work. The only problem I really hate rabbitts. Too much of the rabbit care when I was a kid I guess LOL.

Chickens or guinea fowl I can take any time

When you use wood chips as chicken bedding, it is much easier to manage chicken poop. It comes partially decomposted, with wood chips, and can be spread directly to the garden beds. The best manure I can think of. Much easier to spread than heavy horse manure. Much more nutritious.

[Tania]

By the way, we grow cover crops in come beds (garlic beds). Still no tilling, just 'chop and drop'. Used to do that in potato beds also, but now we grow radishes and kale in these beds after potatoes are harvested.

The main problem with cover crops is our garden beds are full - from end of March to end of October. No time to grow much cover crops except winter rye, but by that time everyone is so sick of gardening that they find all excuses not to do any over plantings in the late fall.

[COMPOSTER]

Originally Posted by Lindalana

From what I have been reading it seems organic matter does not represent more that 4% of the soil and when applying compost, I mean well made compost it could be spread as thinly as 1/2" on the beds and still reap great benefits. So this idea of lots of organic matter that need to be put it every year does not seems to answer reality unless you garden in complete sand.
Then cover crops and weeds can be placed right back into soil even with slight digging.
I am bag lady when leaf season starts, I drag every leaf pile my neighbors put on the curb right back... I collect garden cleanings i.e. annual pulled out at the end of the season.
For my own compost my main sources leaf mulch and horse manure from friend's stall two main things I have.
On my community garden plot I collect stuff that people cleaned out, like weeds from walking path, stalks from overgrown lettuce etc. Law of return.
Am experimenting this year with aerated compost tea brewing, while initial investment is high, it nearly reversed problems my peppers had this year and keeps tomatoes going.

Getting 4-6% organic matter in a perpetually used garden is not as easy as it sounds. A 1/2 inch of compost may maintain organic matter but it might not build it at all. Organic matter is constantly being used up and needs to be replenished at a pretty substantial rate to stay in that 4-6% range. Especially if you are cultivating and tilling. Also, I think a whole lot depends on where you are located. Warmer climates will use organic matter at a much quicker rate than colder climates.

Glenn

[Tania]

I agree with Glenn. Building up organic matter in the soil is not easy.

Manure does not do it. It is used up in a couple of months, leaving fine dust. Same for kitchen compost. Same for coffee grinds. These are great fertilizers, but not soil builders.

Tilling increases the loss of organic matter.

Tatiana