Ringo Lange

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since Nov 20, 2012
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Recent posts by Ringo Lange

Hey guys just thought I'd return and update my project here. As you can see in the pics I was trying to compost in a big pile on the ground, but I've since scrapped that method and am trying something else now. There was a large stump that took me about a week to dig out by shovel and what I had left was a great big hole. I decided to move my compost pile into the hole and I have been very regularly adding vegetable waste, lawn clippings and tree clippings, branches, leaves etc... The poster above me mentioned that no matter how much organic matter was added to the clay that it always returned to the way it was before, that's what I'm afraid of, so I'm thinking about changing the composition of the soil by adding sand. Would this be a good idea and what kind of sand do you think I should use? The goal of course would be to make the clay less prone to sticking together in large clumps and all around looser so that it's easier to work with. What do you guys think about this idea?

Also, I did plant some crimson clover and a green manure mix of common vetch, hairy vetch and 1 other which I can't remember the name of. I've been watering these regularly. So far the wild grass and green manure mix seeds I planted have completely grown over and crowded out the clover, so I am kinda disappointed about that. I was looking forward to seeing the clover bloom this spring but I don't think it will grow very much now that they are shaded out by the taller plants. Now I'm looking for a clay buster to plant for the summer.
11 years ago
Thanks everyone for the replies. I have looked into clover and I'm considering buying some crimson clover seeds, mainly because I read it will work in clay soils and likes the cold. I'm going to borrow my neighbors rototiller in a few months to loosen up the dirt. I could also really use a chipper to grind up some nice mulch out of all the branches and leaves we have around here, but they are kinda pricey.
12 years ago
I live in the central valley of California and in my area we have the most depleted over cropped farm land I've ever seen, the soil is composed of very hard light colored clay and rock that is difficult to dig through with virtually no organic matter. I'm looking to improve the soil and have started a small experiment using ideas I got from a permaculture documentary. I dug up an area of about 10 feet long and 3 feet wide approximately 4-5 inches deep and then I worked into the loosened clay a lot of stick and leaves I chopped down from some trees about a month ago, most of it is already decaying. I then covered the soil with a thick top layer of even more leaves and sticks.. I'm hoping this will provide an ideal environment for mold and fungi to thrive in so that the leaves and twigs break down even faster. My goal is to restore the soil so that it has a good amount of organic matter and nutrients for future gardening projects. I would like to get down deeper into the soil to break it up and was wondering if next year I could plant a type of grass or root vegetable like carrots or potatoes to break up the soil even more. Would this be practical or will I have to work deep down into the soil by hand? If you have any thoughts or advice on my project I'd love to hear it!


The area I'm working on.



These are the type of trees I used for mulch, they grow extremely fast, like weeds. (anyone know what they are?)
12 years ago