Kl Willis

tyffdavi Hatfield wrote:We've just moved into our new home and have yet to construct a hoophouse or cold frame. We're ready to start our seeds but we've run into an issue of direct light....

Our log cabin has an overhang all around it and none of the windows get legit direct sunlight for long amounts of time. The best solution I can come up with (for now) is to start the seeds on a table and rotate the table around to a window getting decent sunlight throughout the day.

Any BETTER ideas? Or advice?

How about on the top of your cabin.

Trond Urestad wrote:Hi,

I've been a lurker here for a while, but finally registered and now I have a question.

I am planning a Hugelkultur and some raised beds in my garden and wanted to use wood chips as mulch. However, it is hard to get here and I don't want to invest in a chipper for my tractor if I don't have to, obviously.
What I can get a lot of, though, is wood shavings. Would that work as well?

Trond

I would think large a mounts of wood shavings would also work well.

Send us pictures of your garden during the year.

Another method with using the coffee grounds is to steep them in a bucket for a few hours, and then
use the liquid on the lawn instead.  Scatter the grounds around plants and vegetables to keep down
snails and slugs.

The poke weed grows well around fig trees as well.

I had a similar problem with a plot of land, and I did the following:

Added gypsum to loosen (crack) the soil down to allow better air penetration,
as well as providing a more acceptable environment for bio-activity to thrive
in the soil.

I then let the weeds take over and grow several inches high.

Then I mowed it down, letting the mulch stay where it was.

I then let it grow again, mowed it, let the mulch stay where it was.

After 6-months I had a very good top soil forming, and with the addition
of mulch and any other organic waste, the soil has improved remarkably.

I've decided to do the same thing, just let nature take it's course, and let the grass grow freely.

At some point, I'll cut it, but the purpose is not for aesthetics, but for creating mulch.