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Clay is awesome.Belinda Pepper wrote: there was a lot of clay
what you need is real mineral soil.Belinda Pepper wrote: the beds were filled with fully-aged mixed compost and a little vermiculite
Belinda Pepper wrote: I TRIED to raise some organic seeds I bought, but it's been a lousy failure so far
Jeff Reiland wrote:Very tidy looking garden! I'm also new, have poked around on Permies before but this is my first post
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The marigolds are good, any flowers that attract predators are good. You could try the "tea" method you referenced or even a mild soap solution that will suffocate them. Just be careful of overdoing it and hitting any beneficial insects. If you've got a vacuum with a long cord you could suck them up before they fly away. I've heard a reflective (foil) mulch should help, I just have never tried it, don't think it would be very natural/attractive.
I don't know what the other bug is you pictured, just watch for feeding damage until you find out. Good luck!
Leila Rich wrote:Welcome to permies Belinda
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Growing plants can be quite a technical business!
Here's a few things that have helped me out...
Mulch: it is absolutely vital in a dry climate. Dried out lawn clippings, commercial pea straw. Get some on there now!
Leila Rich wrote:Clay:
Clay is awesome.Belinda Pepper wrote: there was a lot of clay
I live on pure sand, and while I agree that if clay's unloved it sets like concrete or turns to mud;
it holds water and nutrients like nothing else if you add organic matter like compost, used coffee grounds, aged manure...
When I work with sand, I don't dig much. With unamended clay, I'd fork it over fairly deeply, tipping compost into the gaps left by digging.
Soil:what you need is real mineral soil.Belinda Pepper wrote: the beds were filled with fully-aged mixed compost and a little vermiculite
Compost and vericulite aren't it. That clay though...![]()
Leila Rich wrote:
Water: I'm extremely wary about raised beds outside cold, wet climates. My raised bed frames are great for stopping mulch blowing away though...
Leila Rich wrote:Seeds:
Belinda Pepper wrote: I TRIED to raise some organic seeds I bought, but it's been a lousy failure so far
I suggest starting plants from seed when you're feeling more comfortable with growing stuff,
although there's lots of things I'd try direct-seeding now like zucchini, calendula, lettuce, cosmos, sunflower...
It's important with seed-sowing to only cover them with an equal depth of soil to their size.
Most seeds are buried so deeply they don't have the energy to surface.
Leila Rich wrote:So...
It can take at least a couple of years for everything to find a balance. When I started gardening, I had all sorts of sap-sucking insects show up,
as everything was 'out of whack'.
Here's my edited suggestions: next season, fork the native clay through the compost mix, adding loads more organic matter, mulch again.
If you like broad beans, they're a great plant to direct seed in the autumn, that produce in late spring.
They're unlikely to fix nitrogen unless they're inoculated, but that's another story![]()
Leila Rich wrote:PS, the beetle looks like a weevil
Leila Rich wrote:
It can take at least a couple of years for everything to find a balance. When I started gardening, I had all sorts of sap-sucking insects show up,
as everything was 'out of whack'.
Works at a residential alternative high school in the Himalayas SECMOL.org . "Back home" is Cape Cod, E Coast USA.
You pay for a gym membership and then you pay a tiny ad to chop your wood?
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
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