Subject: Permaculture garden beds

From: [email-masked] (Lawton/Miller)
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 14:20:22 -0700

I just moved to the Eugene area, and am caretaking a small farm for an
unknown period of time. There is a garden area, fenced for deer, which has
shoulder-high grass and weeds. I can't resist growing a few of my own
vegetables, and I think I'll take some grass clippings and weeds I've
pulled up, and which are now in compost bins, and I think I'll lay several
layers on top of the living grass and weeds. There is some mushroom compost
and potting soil lying around, which I think I'll put on top of those
barely-composted grasses and weeds, and into which I'll plant my pepper,
tomato and squash bedding plants.

I haven't used this technique in the past, since I had raised beds where I
lived before, but I have heard that this method can work.

Does anyone have any opinions or advice they'd like to offer before I set
out to do it this way tomorrow? Anyone want to take bets on my success? ;-)

Looking forward to your comments,

Lee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The real tragedy of middle age is
a slowed metabolism.
        Mary Willis Walker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---

From: Vicki Garland <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 20:33:54 -0600 (MDT)

Hi Lee!  Sheet composting is a great solution, especially if you have very
generous layers, that is, deep layers on top of the grassy stuff underneath.
Mollison's suggestions in the Perm book gives ingredients and depths of
sheet composting material.  If the earth has been deeply cultivated
previously and has not been too compacted, you could have some luck.  You
will have better luck, too, if you can at least check under where you intend
to plant to make sure the roots of the grasses are not a very dense network.
If so, loosening them will help.  If you had a longer period of time for the
sheet composting to work, in a season, for example, the roots could break
down.  This is, of course, one of the objectives of sheet composting. If you
prepare deep pits right where you plant your veggy plants that are full of
good compost, you should do well.  Good luck..let us know how it grows!

Vicki