Chris Emerson

Thanks Eric, that sounds very easy.  I will try that on a different patch i have.

So today on solstice I throw out a bunch of kidney beans, Lima beans, red mountain orach and pak choy. The orach and pak choy were from seeds I collected last year. Free seeds are the best! After throwing them out I raked the area. It would be great if some come up!

I may stop at the local garden store and grab a pound of feeder sunflower seeds. I am not sure if they will sprout. I don't see why not

I might do a combo of methods. Some pockets with compost and some just broadcast. A few weeks ago my son was playing with some dried kidney beans, just pouring them between bowls, he is 2. He spilled a handful and I went back to that part of the yard a week later and they were sprouting and looked very happy. It was on some wood chips surrounding a tree. They were just store bought seeds. Maybe I will toss more of those out!

Maybe some flowers? Any idea what can easily be broadcast?
I was also think I could lay some of the cloche cloth or greenhouse plastic I have. This may provide a better germination environment for the seeds and keep out the slugs and rabbits

Anne,
I out some cardboard down first and then about 6 inches of mulch so hopefully the grass wont come up through. A little always does but that is easy the handle.

I mostly want to add more biomass to these areas because next your I will be planting vegetables in them for harvest, after i add more compost to it. Plus lush green plants look beautiful compared to mulch and woodchips!

I did diakon 2 years ago and they did great. I have loads of volunteers this year and every year in the future. So I was looking for something else this time. Hopefully something I can chop before it goes to seed!

Anne Miller wrote:Hi, Chris

Are you concerned that grass will take up residence in the chips or just wanting to try to grow something that you can chop and drop?

My thought was to plant daicon radish.

Here is a thread about planting roots crops in wood chips:

https://permies.com/t/85187/Planting-root-crops-woodchips-dig

Steve, that sounds like a decent idea. A little more time consuming but probably would have a higher chance of success. I may try that for one are.

Steve Thorn wrote:Hey Chris,

You're right, since the woodchips are such a large sized mulch, it can be hard for a lot of seeds to germinate.

I've had good success planting in "pockets" when I've used thick mulch before. The mulch can be pulled aside and the seeds planted in the soil, and when the plants get some size on them, the mulch can be moved back around the plants.

Hope this helps a little, sounds like you've got some good growing areas!

Hey all. My garden/food forest in zone 7b (pacific nw) is growing and expanding in complexity each year! This is our second summer and things are looking great. We have a couple large areas ( 10' x 20') that are covered with aged mulch. I put the mulch down to smother the grass because the area will eventually be garden space for veggies and shrubs, plus hate mowing. We don't have the time this year to turn the area into a "garden bed" so it is just happy mulch and nothing else.

My question...what seeds can I broadcast and rake in to grow in the mulch in zone 7b (coastal pacific nw washington) I figure I would chop and drop before it goes to seed. One concern is that many seeds may not germinate very well in the rough and large wood chips.  Does anyone have experience with this or ideas to share. Thanks community! (Zone 7b)

I have always heard the reason to mound was to increase the yield. When the plant gets buried it starts to put down a new group of tubers. Not sure if this is actually true but it is what I have always heard (and thought).

I have a similar setup. 2 shelves are florescent but my third is LED. I got the LED to replace a old and dim florescent bulb because I noticed the seedlings on that shelf were struggling to grow. It is my understanding that lights loose their "punch" after a while and need to be replaced. I like that the LED uses a lot less electricity and lasts longer. Plus the price has gone down a lot recently. Finally, they are not made of glass which is a real plus with a toddler running around the house!

We have a little hoop house this year and I will definitely utilize it for gardening off. The trick is once they are in the ground I can't put a hoop house over them (garden is too big). I have a little bit of floating fabric cloche yo cover the tender seedlings once they are in the ground but not enough to cover everything.