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skid
25th May 2010, 10:51 PM
Over the past two months I completed the mineralization, fertilization, adding humus/aged manure, tilling, resting, adding more humus/aged manure, tilling again, resting, and finally planting of my vegetable garden over the last few days.

I did a soil test early in year and identified which minerals and nutrients were lacking in my soil. I had a custom mineralization formula made for my gardens and orchards to supply minerals, trace minerals, and elements which were lacking in my soil. There is an ideal ratio of minerals that will grow the best tasting and healthiest crops which I am trying to meet. I had three tonnes mixed up.

In addition, I added plenty of basaltic rock dust for longer lasting mineralization.

skid
25th May 2010, 10:54 PM
Continued:

I then added an organic fertilizer to supply nitrogen (phosphorus and potassium are included in the mineralization formula). I used animal feed (alfalfa, cornmeal, pressed rapeseed for the nitrogen, and commercial dried kelp for trace minerals and plant vitamins.

For humus I added bulk peat moss to the veggie gardens, as well as aged horse manure. It's somewhat important to let the soil sit a bit after adding humus. When soil microbes break down humus, they use up oxygen in the soil and exhale carbon dioxide which can inhibit seed germination. Hence the resting part.

Tilling the soil aerates the soil, accellerating the breakdown of the humus into nutrients available to the plants.

skid
25th May 2010, 11:04 PM
Continued:

After letting the soil sit after the last tilling (I didn't wait too long as I needed to get going), I levelled the garden and planted seeds.

I have one large garden near my orchard, and one smaller garden near my house (all on the same land). The large garden is for root vegables, and other plants that take some time to grow. The garden near my house is for lettuce and other quicker crops where we can just step outside and gather the produce.

I also planted herbs and other perrenials in the house garden including: horse radish, basil, cilantro, asparagus, cabbage family, even tobacco!

I'm glad that it is all in now. I have been too busy on other projects around the farm and have been putting gardening on the back burner for a while. All the talk about food shortages lately got me motivated...

willie pete
25th May 2010, 11:16 PM
Sounds good, you ever use chicken manure? I heard one time it was good to use along with bone-meal....nice ride too, JD? I've sat in the saddle of one of these, pulling a small 3-gang mower, it was actually "Fun" for a kid... :D Wished I'd had a bucket to play with though ;D

skid
25th May 2010, 11:25 PM
Sounds good, you ever use chicken manure? I heard one time it was good to use along with bone-meal....nice ride too, JD?


I'd love to have chicken manure too, but have yet to get chickens.

Yes the tractor is a 56hp 4wd JD utility tractor. Best thing I ever bought too. I have a auger attachment, rear blade, chipper shredder, and harrows for it so far.

I also have a smaller garden tractor which tows my rototiller, and a zero turn lawn mower for my orchard.

skid
25th May 2010, 11:29 PM
That's a nice old Ford there as well. I bet that's done a lot of work over its lifetime. All tractors are fun :D

To run a loader you pretty much need 4wd. I know immediately when mine isn't locked in (when doing loader work) as the rear tires spin. Maybe if I took less of a bite it wouldn't be as noticeable.

willie pete
25th May 2010, 11:34 PM
Grandma and Grandpa had chickens, probably about 30, she used to take the manure (they'd clean the chicken yard and pile it) she'd use that and bone-meal along with peat, and it'd grow anything.. :D all the eggs were a plus too, had so many...even the dog would get scrambled eggs a few times a week

Only thing I ever did on a tractor was pull a gang of mowers, but for a kid, I loved it ;D Later on, a friend on mine was running a cat 3 or 5 front end loader with a fork, they were clearing property for a new mall going in, he'd say with that fork, he'd run up to a big oak, stick it in, and turn it over, wouldn't even open up the automatic governers on the engine :D Power baby, power ;D

Speaking of front end loaders, Cat 9 25 ton bucket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRbHmFLHH8k

skid
25th May 2010, 11:44 PM
I bet your grandparents had a very good garden as you have described. We go through so many eggs with our three kids we should have chickens. My eldest boy wants them, but I know who will eventually look after them. Me!

I am currently establishing my property by clearing forested land, and the soil does need improvement. I get manure from five horses, and while it seems like a lot, it doesn't go too far in my sandy/silty soil. I can put three inches on top of the soil and till it in and it just disappears! That's why I am putting a huge effort into building up the quality of my soil.

skid
25th May 2010, 11:48 PM
That's a nice loader you posted. I could have used that a few weeks ago!

I was using my tractor to clear forest, but it takes a long time. I hired a track hoe to do some clearing and he did in one day what it would take me a week. I still had to go in after to do final prep, but he did a pretty good job...

willie pete
25th May 2010, 11:50 PM
Yea, 5 horses aren't going to put out much, that is if you've got acreage, they use to buy truck loads of cow manure to; you could hardly not grow anything around there, everything you put in the ground grew like crazy, from the nursery flowers to the vegtables, the corn and tomatos were to die for.... :D

Oh yea, with a big piece of equipment, you do everything at one time, landscape, clear, haul, everything in a few days what would other wise take weeks, ...'course rental time aint cheap :o

bellevuebully
27th May 2010, 08:30 AM
Planted this week also.

My committment this year is to be more diligent on successive planting. It's so much nicer eating veggies in their prime rather than lettuce that is going to seed, or overgrown radish. New batch of spring onions and radish going in tomorrow, three weeks since the first.