My husband has been mulching leaves with the mower and putting them directly on the gardens. The soil was quite acidic so he is adding lime and then tilling it all in. Is there anything else to add at this time?
We do have a big compost bin as well but use that in the Spring as needed.
Thanks for any info from all you experts! You saved our tomato crop from ‘blossom end rot’!
I do the same with leaves out of the yard and lime, then till it in. Eventually, when you get enough organic matter tilled in you should see worms and that is a good thing. Worms do wonderful things to your soil. I also add a layer of chicken litter and/or manure and till that in. Over the winter all the ashes from my fireplace are scattered on the garden, too. If you have access to a subsoiler now is a good time to subsoil so that the nutrients from the composting material you are adding gets deeper into the soil. Subsoiling aslo loosens up the dirt for next spring.
I save the wood ashes out of my stove all winter long in a metal ash can. It allows for hot ashes to cool down safely, and yes I keep it on the stone patio away from flammables. We burn about 3 cords of wood over the heating season, so by springtime the can is full.
Since wood ashes work almost as well as lime for adjusting ph, I cut them into the pile in the Spring as needed. I usually get a good mix of maple and oak leaves and both are quite acidic.
Another thing I have done in spring is buy a large bale of vermiculite from Home Depot, and mix that into the compost as I remove it from the pile. It really helps to lighten the compost, and keep moisture in the soil.
I’ve seen these packages at Home Depot for a compressed coconut fiber material that is supposed to hold water even better than peatmoss. The block is about a foot square and the package says it expands to several times that volume with water.
Anyone had any experience with this stuff??
I’m considering mixing some of that into the compost next spring too. I am building new raised beds over the winter and will need plenty of compost to fill everything. Luckily, the chickens will oblige me with plenty of material....