Subject: Re: Just a thought about Organic Gardening...will it work?
From: naomid@tiac.net (Naomi Diesendruck)
Organization: The Internet Access Company, Inc.
Date: 13 Aug 1997 13:26:14 GMT
Message-ID: <MOD$970813.23960@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$970731.29184@rec.gardens.ecosystems> <MOD$970810.3951@rec.gardens.ecosystems> <MOD$970811.26904@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
In article ,Deb Skinner wrote:
>
>mrscorvette@webtv.net (William Buie) wrote:
>>
>>Ruth Stout, who wrote many articles for Organic Gardening magazine,
>>started this type of natural gardening kind of by accident in the '50s.
>>She wrote a book I use called "No Work Garden Book" printed by Organic
>>gardening magazine. The best thing about this, besides the obvious value
>>of the technique for the ecosystem, is that using her methods, one could
>>garden from a wheelchair/or well into VERY old age.
That's one of the main attractions for me! (being not exactly well-bodied
nor disabled, but in between....)
>I just recently read the book & can hardly wait for the promised hay to
>come my way.
Um, I hope you mean straw.....if I remember correctly, hay is good food
for horses but contains tons of weed seeds - straw has no weeds. You're
going to have a really bountiful weed crop if you use hay....(hoping
someone will correct me if I have that backwards.)
>We have some concern regarding appropriate moisture levels. Stout spread
>a 6-8" layer of hay all over her garden in Conneticut [? is that right, I
>loaned the book] and never had to water. I live in the Pacific northWET
>on a clay hillside, where it is either a sodden bog or dusty powder.
Unfortunately, that was my experience - we get a lot of rain in
Massachusetts and I live near a boggy area (the beds themselves are
raised, mounds really) - when I used a very thick layer of straw mulch
the slugs were in heaven, despite my use of diatomaceous earth (which has
to be renewed after every rain - fat chance) and beer traps. (I don't
think I knew about crushed eggshells yet, unfortunately - they're my
favorite method now.) Some of the beds also just got too wet for the
plants, I think.
>Anyone have any experience or ideas I should keep in mind as I spread the
>hay?
Well, maybe with clay soil in a rainy area, you might have to do some
hard work first and incorporate sand and/or compost into your beds
(unless they're raised and already amended) - then you can spread the
straw and go the "no-work" way - if you can keep those slugs down!
(get a duck??) Sorry to be a downer. It's worth a try, anyway....maybe
someone else in your area will have better suggestions.
- Naomi (still searching for "no-work" gardening that isn't "no plants")