Idle dreamer
Emily Smith wrote:Soil fertility: We have red clay. No top soil. Just clay. How do I improve the soil at all? Preferably anything that can be done cheaply and by hand. My current garden is 240 square feet, but I'm willing to use up to a quarter acre of our yard--once I know better what to do and how, and know I'm able to do it with reasonable hope for success. I've got veggies still struggling in this heat, and was going to plant another round of cucumbers since our frost date is mid-November and my pickle recipe wasn't popular. But should I just go ahead and plant some kind of soil-building cover crop instead?
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"The rule of no realm is mine. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, these are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail in my task if anything that passes through this night can still grow fairer or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I too am a steward. Did you not know?" Gandolf
Emily Smith wrote:Soil fertility: We have red clay. No top soil. Just clay. How do I improve the soil at all? Preferably anything that can be done cheaply and by hand. My current garden is 240 square feet, but I'm willing to use up to a quarter acre of our yard--once I know better what to do and how, and know I'm able to do it with reasonable hope for success. I've got veggies still struggling in this heat, and was going to plant another round of cucumbers since our frost date is mid-November and my pickle recipe wasn't popular. But should I just go ahead and plant some kind of soil-building cover crop instead?
Trees: any tips for how to decide where to plant fruit and/or nut trees? Do I want them close to the house, farther from it, next to the garden, all alone? We have a yard that is slightly elevated in the middle and slops off to the south on one side, and the northwest on the other. The northwest "slope" has heavy rain water running in a little river under the gate, to our front yard, and down into the street. The south slope dumps all the water into our neighbor's yard. These would be ideal locations to plant, right?
different types of berries like different types of sun/shade, see my answer on Trees.Berry bushes: good under the trees, right? Does the type of berry matter? We're looking at blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry.
Water: how do I keep that water on my property without machinery? Will some sort of retaining wall work? If that's a non-starter, is planting along that path a good idea?
I think that's it. I'm sorry to just dump a bunch of conundrums out there. My usefulness and knowledge end at digging holes and sticking things in them. ;D I'd love any advice, or even a heads up on free resources anyone knows of, too, if it's fairly straight-forward and accessible.
List of Bryant RedHawk's Epic Soil Series Threads We love visitors, that's why we live in a secluded cabin deep in the woods. "Buzzard's Roost (Asnikiye Heca) Farm." Promoting permaculture to save our planet.
Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner
List of Bryant RedHawk's Epic Soil Series Threads We love visitors, that's why we live in a secluded cabin deep in the woods. "Buzzard's Roost (Asnikiye Heca) Farm." Promoting permaculture to save our planet.
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