jesse foster

there are a number of them. that isnt a bad idea about using current trees as nurse plants, but shade is too valuable here and i have so much land that id like to fill up.

i actually just moved from vegas. we had an amazing 20 year old fig at my house, produced hundreds of pounds with little water. just a good microclimate i suppose. i certainly dont miss that heat though, at least here we get some rain and clouds int he summer

root veggies are some of my favorites, so i guess i need to figure out how deep those veggies send their roots down. or i can just work my arse off and go down about 12 inches first, remove the large rocks, and then build raised beds about 24 inches above that. that should do the trick.

then on the other sections, i can designate that to non root veggies that you mentioned, and not have to pull up all the rocks. thanks for your advise, just thinking about it a bit with some others input helps clear my mind. appreciate it.

there are trees all around me, even on my property. i probably have 100 trees, but they are all native like mexican persimmon, mesquite, live oak, crape myrtle etc... the drainage isnt bad, it will definitely soak in overnight no problem. perhaps ill raise up an area for my trees as well to give them a decent start to establish some roots.

this is good news though. if i were to raise UP my annual bed, how high do you think would be adequate? i have about 3 inches of soil top soil, then a couple inches of clay, and then rocky clay after that. would 24 inches be good or should i go higher? id like to set them on contour berm and swale style. thank you much.

i just moved into my new home on 1 acre in the hill country of central texas, and i am confused on what to do. please help:)

my soil is mostly clay, and after about 6 inches it turns into rocky clay. i was trying to clear out an area for my annual beds, and attempting a double dig. i ran into rocks the size of golf balls all the way up to football size. i know the wisdom is to lasagna garden to improve my clay soil, but dont i first need to remove all the enormous rocks that will eventually interfere with root growth? i mean, 6 inches isnt very far down until the roots will meet some large rocks.

i also want to establish multiple fruit trees (maybe 20) in different parts of my yard using a good amount of biodiversity in my planting around the trees. but if the soil is full of rocks, how are my plants and trees going to survive? will the roots find their ways around the larger rocks and be okay?

so my questions are...

1. for my annual beds, should i double dig and remove the larger rocks first, then sheet mulch? if so, how deep should i remove rocks?

2. for my fruit trees, do i need to roto-till a large area, remove the large rocks and lay tons of organic matter down so that come winter the soils a bit better? im just worried about the huge rocks interfering with growth... maybe some how just adding organic matter will do the trick over a longer period of time?

i appreciate any help, i need it. thank you

1. would i be wasting compost tea if i applied it straight onto my wood chip mulch? i assume it would be best to just push aside my thick mulch and get it applied near the roots and then recover it up?

thanks so much for any input

I like the sound of all that. Ill certainly look into that, thank you!

A unique city and culture for sure. I live in San Marcos but I enjoy the people for sure.

Thanks for your help I'm absolutely going to do all the above

Very cool, I just raked a ton of leaves from under my two huge live oaks. I might also buy a few pounds from the store and even ask some friends to be on the lookout next time it rains. Thanks a lot. Do you live near here?

DUH! thank you john i cant believe i didnt think of that. thank you so much!

do you think i should just grind different mushies up or should i get some Mycorrhizal Fungi and sprinkle it over my beds? can they be any mushrooms (like store bought and dried) or should they be wild that i find?

thanks again!

hmm interesting. that makes some sense. i live just south of austin texas, our soil is pretty nice and our seasons are kind of sporadic (whose isnt these days?). im thinking that during my initial bed construction ill put the litter beneath the mulch (it will still be summer when i make contour beds) and then any litter that i add in the following months (winter/spring) will go on top. sounds like a plan to me.

the only thing is i feel like adding a bit on top and bottom would help to break down the wood chips to help quicken the establishment of my beds. maybe ill sprinkle some on top as well as add a bit of urine throughout the months to aid its decomposition:)

i am establishing a forest garden, and will be implementing the "back to eden" method mixed with synergistic gardening. i be adding about 4-6 inches of wood chips as my thick mulch, and was wondering if it would be better to put composted chicken litter beneath or on top of the mulch... or both? any and all opinions are welcome, thank you for you time and help!