What's growing on, Beehaw?
Apologies for being absent these past weeks, I have been hella busy getting ready for market season. By way of apology here are some smol herbs I potted up for our friends' shop
What's growing on with you all?
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The weather has slowly been warming up so the most I've been able to do is prep the gardens with compost and used mulch from the mushroom farm nearby.
I am trying to start my seeds with some compressed soil blocks I made. I used some backyard soil, compose, mulch and a bunch of crushed eggshells from my parents. I managed to get a couple peas and beans started with my first attempt before remaking the remainder to be less soil dense. We'll see how it goes the second time around.
My collard green from last year survived this long winter. Happy to see it thriving.
I can't wait for a stretch of warm weather. I'm too lazy to properly compost so I've been burying all the veggie scraps in my garden beds all winter and spring. I know once it's warm it'll break down real quick but for now it's just kinda there...
I feel that - we're finally (??) to the point where I don't have to spend time covering everything to protect from the overnight lows.
What did you end up using to increase your block porosity? Did you happen to treat your eggshells before incorporating them? Letting them sit for a day or two in apple cider vinegar helps to release the bonds between the carbon and calcium to make the nutrients more plant available.
I'm too lazy to properly compost
Good news! What you're doing is the textbook definition for correctly performing trench composting and it's a great way to go about turning food scraps into healthier gardens - great job!
I pretty much just went crazy with the egg shells and added a bit more mulch to balance it out. My parents eat eggs every morning and just put them in an uncovered container to dry out.
I didn't think to treat the egg shells but I will keep that in mind for the next time. All I really did was spend some time with my pestle and mortor in the sun and grind them down.
Over the last couple years, I just sort of threw all the trimmings back into the garden, especially the tomato plants. Then I just started throwing all my food scraps in there because why not. I'm sure all the bugs appreciate it and their poop is good for the plants too.
I also covered the garden bed with leaves last year to protect the soil, and when that breaks down it should add more nutrients to the soil too. Trying to copy what a forest does with their leaves for the winter.
I think you're doing a great job; sometimes it just takes a while for those biological systems you're augmenting to catch up to the nutrient cycle you're fostering