From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Hadley Ny

I've been catching perch by the bucket full and depositing the carcasses in a 5000 sq ft patch. Mostly spreading them down the center where I'll be planting. Soaking them in water for a few days first. Probably a couple hundred lbs. so far with no signs that the perch are going to stop biting. Should I keep adding over the whole patch and till as early as possible? Draw backs beside critter attractant? Been cooking at the American Legion almost every week..lots of happy faces there! Any info would be appreciated.

3/2/2017 8:28:00 AM

Plainville, Connecticut 06062

Be very careful because fish carcasses will most likely promote maggots so be sure to use some form of insect maggot killing granular's added generously in the same area's you are placing the fish in especially around a ten foot circle where your stumps will be. Personally I would add no more fish past the fall season with your last till mixing the fish in well and let it sit all winter. Placing fresh fish in the ground close to planting time in my opinion is not a good idea. Like you said it will also attract skunks and raccoons who will tear the ground up to get to the fish GOODLUCK!

3/2/2017 10:37:25 AM

Hadley Ny

Fortunately I still have a foot of snow on the ground and am guessing by spring tilling they will be decomposed or eaten by the ravens and crows and hoping for nutrients to leach into the soil. Maggots being meat eaters should only help the decomposition and not bother plants? One thought is just to let them soak in water and then add the water to the soil?

3/2/2017 10:54:42 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

I did this... unit the neighborhood dogs came by and dug out the fish, the bulbs and seeds...making a big mess

3/2/2017 11:12:53 AM

Hadley Ny

My garden is fenced in..only way to keep deer, woodchucks and skunks out...until they burrowed under the fence. Guessing soaking and discarding carcasses might be the way to go? Living here in the Adirondacks I don't have many neighbors.

3/2/2017 11:26:43 AM

Muddy Waters

Fish carcasses should go in the compost bin.Never directly in your soil. It will tie up nutrients & cause disease issues

3/2/2017 1:10:27 PM

Muddy Waters

I googled it a lot of people do it. But with what we are doing with giants I would not take the chance of it temporally messing up my soil

3/2/2017 1:20:03 PM

Hadley Ny

That was my other thought..why take a chance with the giants...that's why I'm asking...used some last summer for part of the tea mix and had mixed it in the compost pile... what about the water they sit in for a few days?? Comes out like fish slime.

3/2/2017 1:26:25 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I buried trout and crappie heads and guts in my long gourd patch spring 2015 right under each plant. June 30 we got flooded, wiped out the pumpkins but the gourds survived. They were in totally saturated soil for weeks. I grew several personal bests, including the Iowa state record. Now I plant gourds on one side of the trellis, plant fish on the other side, then rotate the next year. My biggest concern is critters digging them up, but 3 electric wires keep them out. Fish are good sources of nitrogen and calcium. About 50 years ago I planted common Indian corn where we had buried fish guts the previous year. It got 16' tall with ears 8' off the ground.

3/2/2017 1:51:20 PM

Western NY

I've used fish in the past. As long as the critters don't find them, you should be good. I usually kept them at least 5 or 6 feet from the planting sites, so they had a chance to break down before the roots go there.

3/2/2017 1:59:49 PM

Hadley Ny

I've got one local vegetable grower who likes to fish and he will put carcasses under some of his plants and he says they do better than the rest. The Native Americans used it for fertilizer all the time..thus the impressive Indian Corn. Still willing to hear other thoughts from anybody that has grown with fish. Might try half a patch and compare. Fish is good..American Legion will be Happy tomorrow...9 lbs of fillets from the last two trips..will target crappies next month!!

3/2/2017 2:58:32 PM

Hadley Ny

anybody that wants fillets just send me a bubble..lol

3/2/2017 3:00:14 PM

Deer Park WA

We dig holes about 2' deep and bury all our steelhead and salmon carcases in the garden. Cover crop, pumpkins, and weeds are the biggest in the patch over those areas!

3/2/2017 11:00:51 PM

Muddy Waters

Lake walleye are the best in my book

3/3/2017 7:04:18 AM

Littlerock, WA

I buried a few salmon last fall and by spring they were completely broken down. I had 3 personal best pumpkins including a 1910. I added a lot more salmon this last fall in each planting site.

3/3/2017 3:22:49 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Interesting post - anyone see an issue with saltwater fish like whiting, Pompano, Reds, Mackeral etc?

3/3/2017 3:45:39 PM

Hadley Ny

Fish is fish... I caught all those in Florida and they were great!! Garden wise fish is fish... everybody buys fish emulsions when it is so easy to make your own.. I'm just going above and beyond..been around for thousands of years as fertilizer.. me being an outdoorsman I tied off a deer carcass in the garden..which has been picked clean an alml ost gone and the fish carcasses will add a lot. I'll till everything in and do my soil test..also I used fall manure..they say if it smells like pooh don't use it..Ha Ha. wait until all the nutrients are gone in 2-5 years. Might have to worry about cutworms and grubs but all the nutrients are there. Grew my 500 lber on a secondary..june planting..late july pollination..on a secondary..nothing added but water... Smallmouth..been vacationing a little further south?? All good eating! Pumpkins will probably like them too!!!

3/3/2017 4:50:32 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

BIG T... A Heard of Cats..... :)

3/3/2017 5:07:49 PM

Hadley Ny

Cats ain't big enough..I've got Red and Gray Fox which keeps some of the wood chuck population down. Fence helps a ton. Sorry Bubba but for finger food you can't beat perch!! Same family as Walleye..the're both great!!

3/3/2017 6:15:48 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Yes Big T, gonna be back and forth from the panhandle and I'll be driving big coolers. My biggest concern is if it's too late now. Maybe I'll just go get a couple hundred pounds of silver carp off the Mississippi River. They jump when you circle the boat behind river wing dams and either land in the boat or you can catch with a net. They average 10 pounds but get much bigger. They're a nuisance species too so no regs. Nasty fish

3/3/2017 6:49:42 PM

Hadley Ny

Heard about them. Fly out of the water and hurt boaters. I think fall time is good but I've heard fresh carcasses are good.. that's why I threw it out there for an opinion. Might have to send you a bubble for a fillet or two!! I didn't hear you say anything about Cobia or Snook?? Should be prime time shortly for Cobes in the Panhandle. Good Luck Fishin'

3/3/2017 7:25:31 PM

Hadley Ny

Cindy, I did see in your diary with the Salmon bones in the garden..caught my attention..another reason for asking..glad to hear a couple of personal bests from my post..Thanks for sharing.. T

3/3/2017 8:55:25 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Thanks Big T, great post. I always thought people were joking about fish carcasses in the garden.

3/4/2017 9:10:14 AM