Well I Figured Out What To Do

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Bob Bauer
June 15, 2017 (Last Updated: ) | Reading Time: 2 minutes

June 15, 2017

Well I figured out what to do with all the palm sized horseradish leaves. You guessed it. Mulched around the artichokes. I laid them down like shingles and they covered up a bunch of assorted weeds that I had spread out. I'm using more garden waste as mulch now than is going in the compost pile..

It's creative to make the mulch look pleasing, and sometimes I feel like a weird artist. Layering the garden waste on the soil instead of putting it in a compost pile may be the preferred method of recycling in the future. The growing and decaying cycle is not interrupted, and the soil microbes break down the material to compost in their own environment, thus feeding the plants in a time release manner..

June 16, 2017

I found that mulching with lettuce leaves can be a problem if you put them on too thickly. They are like mulching with grass clippings. Wet grass clippings that are applied thicker than an inch tend to mat and get sticky. They hinder the oxigenation of the soil and smell foul. The odor is from anaerobic bacteria breaking down the gooey mess..

Anaerobic bacteria are fine for recycling nature's gifts, but are not preferred over the earthy smell of freshly composting organic matter. Ideally the c!ippings would be spread out to dry before being used as compost. I may have to pre dry my lettuce leaves also..

June 17, 2017

I can't believe I let my peas wilt. Hot weather and 3' vines full of ripening peas meant I should pour on the water, but I looked at the ground underneath them and thought it was moist. Fine dark compost might have fooled me. Moist soil or not the roots needed more water. I don't think you can over water peas when they are forming pods. Like onions they thrive on daily watering..

The pods form from within the blossom and every year I find pea weavils hiding in them. I put my hand under the flower and tap the top. The weavils fall out and get squashed. After a few days, no more weavils..

March 02, 2020

I've started two more six packs of cauliflower indoors because they will be ready to plant out around the middle of April, which gives them plenty of time to mature. I'll also direct seed a row August 1st in hopes of a fall harvest. Mother nature's not always kind in regard to the changing of the seasons, but we all have fun anyway. If gardening was all about the end result it would be work..

We enjoy the process of growth, and tweaking the environment to aid the plant's success, more than the ending of the plant's existence. Sometimes it feels like bringing fresh, healthy veggies to the table is just an excuse to play in the garden. The garden is a microcosm of nature that we get to manipulate and discover processes and connections that enlighten us..

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