From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Ottawa Valley, Ont, Canada.

hey all
well its been a blast, my first year growing and i managed to grow 5 nice pumpkins all in the 100-400lbs range thanks to everyones help at bp.com. now i must get ready for next year but i have a couple of set backs. its been so wet lately i cant till the garden, its like soup. i have lots of leaves and other compost ready to be plowed in, but im not sure if i will be able. also, i cant find any cow pies so i am going to use lots of leaves and if i can get it tilled i would like to grow a cover of winter rye. is their any other stuff that would make good compost? i was thinking of old rotted logs or some moss, stuff like that. and what about the leftover ferts, bone and blood meal. would it be a good idea to spread it over the garden? thanks for your help, and an early good luck too everyone for the next growing season.

10/19/2003 10:16:49 AM

Montoursville, PA

Hey my friend you did well! I always fertilize with blood and organic fertilizers as I add the fall leaves and other left over humis from the summer pile of composting materials.

You could add a quart or more of black strap molasses and ten pounds of corn meal and greensand or equal. This is what I add to a 1000 ft. patch. No rocket science here. These are just excellent additives for any garden in the fall prep for a cover crop. I always add about thirty pounds of an organic fertilizer 2-1-2 or similar low number bag from the local nursery center. I always test my PH in the fall and again in the spring hoping for 6.5 -7.2 to be my desired growing PH range.

My gage to a healty soil is the presence of earth worms. If you can see one in every turn of the shovel or more you can not be to far from a condition called very good.

10/19/2003 11:41:08 AM

i found an earthworm in most shovelfulls this spring when i was making the original patch doc. hmmm... :-)

more on adding stuff in the fall....how much manure do you suppose, for say, a 1350 sq. ft. patch....added about 4 yards (estimated) so far.

valley boy....any local farmer with a barn or barnyard should be more than happy to get rid of some crap if you just ask them...

10/19/2003 2:26:10 PM

Ottawa Valley, Ont, Canada.

thanks docgipe, i will do that this weekend. that with the leaves and other stuff should make up for the missing cow crap if i cant get any.

hey brigitte, i will stop off at one of the farms on the way home from work monday and see what they say, cant hurt.

10/19/2003 8:19:17 PM