tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post3293554063095137422..comments2024-03-26T09:26:46.781-07:00Comments on MySecretGarden: Using Raised Beds in Winter. Part 1Tatyana@MySecretGardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15230255354868127650noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-70915631784376685152011-01-22T15:13:34.037-08:002011-01-22T15:13:34.037-08:00Really good idea to use the raised bed. There neve...Really good idea to use the raised bed. There never is enough home made compost to go around, is there.Pattyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13191861892726873074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-86371698617600657872011-01-18T05:48:58.376-08:002011-01-18T05:48:58.376-08:00This sounds like a great idea. I never have enough...This sounds like a great idea. I never have enough compost in my two bins and normally have to end up buying a few bags of soil improver. I also have a small woodland area and rake up the leaves every Autumn, perhaps it would be an idea just to leave them to break down naturally.Alistairhttp://www.aberdeengardening.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-81771880686486046172011-01-09T13:24:17.879-08:002011-01-09T13:24:17.879-08:00Hi Tatyana, I have one raised bed and hope to buil...Hi Tatyana, I have one raised bed and hope to build more in the future. The one I have remains dormant in the winter. It is filled with a combination of twigs and branches at the bottom, leaves, coarse compost, and fine compost and earth on the top. I had nasturtiums in it last year. By the end of the winter the material will have sunk down, and I top it off with more raw and ripe compost. It'Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16956948481990170675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-8998162114336063662011-01-08T08:37:51.310-08:002011-01-08T08:37:51.310-08:00I am so grateful to all of you for your input and ...I am so grateful to all of you for your input and words of encouragement! My main concern is: if there is enough time for all that stuff to break down!Tatyana@MySecretGardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15230255354868127650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-71189659666627930542011-01-05T10:14:42.654-08:002011-01-05T10:14:42.654-08:00Sounds like a good idea. I hope everything breaks ...Sounds like a good idea. I hope everything breaks down fast, and you have even more splendid soil. Happy New Year.~~DeeDee @ Red Dirt Ramblingshttp://www.reddirtramblings.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-16999220433262913982011-01-04T22:04:05.822-08:002011-01-04T22:04:05.822-08:00It should work; after all, that's all a bean t...It should work; after all, that's all a bean trench is!!!The Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18345021580985320660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-25572525415421645132011-01-03T19:49:07.980-08:002011-01-03T19:49:07.980-08:00Great post! I really enjoy read your blog ;-)Great post! I really enjoy read your blog ;-)Makarimi Abdullahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18379399709575627836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-15504710602991718592011-01-03T15:10:31.925-08:002011-01-03T15:10:31.925-08:00Thats a very good tip Tatyana! Im thinking of havi...Thats a very good tip Tatyana! Im thinking of having new raised beds this year and my compost bin is too small and too slow to churn out new compost.Thank you for sharing! Have a great gardening year ahead..p3chandanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11103679390426867817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-62851165179864839842011-01-03T14:59:18.434-08:002011-01-03T14:59:18.434-08:00Great post! I've had "forest soil covetin...Great post! I've had "forest soil coveting" moments, too. The method you mentioned is one of my favorites, though like you I just got desperate for more space and started doing it. You should have plenty of compost by springtime if you start now!Eliza @ Appalachian Feethttp://www.appalachianfeet.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-15096128082947115582011-01-03T11:17:20.378-08:002011-01-03T11:17:20.378-08:00Very informative- thank you!! Happy New YearVery informative- thank you!! Happy New YearIndoor Fountainshttp://www.kineticfountains.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-6543850383812722962011-01-03T10:39:49.813-08:002011-01-03T10:39:49.813-08:00Looks and sounds like a great plan! Mixing in the...Looks and sounds like a great plan! Mixing in the green and browns is a winning combination. You are making great use of your empty beds. I love the boxwoods around your kitchen garden...looks very pretty!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07572136733330325375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-3590166994834668962011-01-03T08:21:38.966-08:002011-01-03T08:21:38.966-08:00Sounds like you are on to something. There was a ...Sounds like you are on to something. There was a blogger who started composting between hay bales when she ran out of space. It seemed to work well.<br /><br />Jen @ Muddy Boot DreamsRURAL https://www.blogger.com/profile/11871803235521431504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-67585108168043448802011-01-03T05:23:16.747-08:002011-01-03T05:23:16.747-08:00yes you are in the right track, here they put nigh...yes you are in the right track, here they put nightcrawlers or earthworms to hasten decomposition. Sometimes effective microorganisms are added too. Whatever is there in your environment will certainly decompose them, it is just a matter of time. Washings from carbohydrates, fish scales, or bone meal can also add either food for the organisms or nutrients and minerals to the soil. Good luck and Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06044386271018560595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-57259942165666914482011-01-03T04:42:58.458-08:002011-01-03T04:42:58.458-08:00I have 3 large compost bins, the theory being that...I have 3 large compost bins, the theory being that I have one empty one to turn the compost into ...except that I tend to fill them all up instead and just let them get on with it themselves!<br /><br />Have a wonderful 2011 and thank you for all your great posts in 2010 :)Nutty Gnomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06146296943319504785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-3455528264391840292011-01-02T20:27:08.939-08:002011-01-02T20:27:08.939-08:00Thank you everyone for your thoughts and recommend...Thank you everyone for your thoughts and recommendations! <br />Carolyn, many sources say that it's safe to use newspapers for compost since the inks are soy-based (old newspapers used ink with several toxic elements). This is one of the articles: http://www.benefits-of-recycling.com/compostingnewspaper.html I wouldn't use pages with color print, just in case.Tatyana@MySecretGardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15230255354868127650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-69310780295690518432011-01-02T20:06:44.036-08:002011-01-02T20:06:44.036-08:00We compost a huge amount of stuff in a giant old s...We compost a huge amount of stuff in a giant old stone manure pit next to our carriage house. No fancy methods just layering and turning, turning and layering. I use compost with a small amount of Pro-mix to pot all the plants I produce for my nursery. Our giant pit is not enough, and we get truckloads from our local municipality's mega-composting operation. I am interested to hear that Carolyn @ Carolyn's Shade Gardenshttp://carolynsshadegardens.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-29929219031766248312011-01-02T17:53:01.420-08:002011-01-02T17:53:01.420-08:00Hi Tatyana,
I was thinking what you're doing i...Hi Tatyana,<br />I was thinking what you're doing is called sheet composting. I did a search to see if I was right. I'm giving you a link to an interesting article I read. It shows different methods of composting. There is also a trench method that looks interesting.<br /><br />http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/methods.html<br /><br />I don't have raised beds, but Corner Gardener Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10631500918579405664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-36053353956083905292011-01-02T17:21:13.078-08:002011-01-02T17:21:13.078-08:00I've been following the same idea in my front ...I've been following the same idea in my front garden beds. They're not raised beds but it's where most of the perennials are. For potato peels and banana peels I chop them up in the food processor first to help them break down faster. <br /><br />Your garden looks BEAUTIFUL!! What are the rounded plants acting as a hedge around it? <br /><br />I look forward to hearing how it The Sassy Butterfly's Chaotic Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12388076846154748195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-60340616292244067542011-01-02T13:54:00.722-08:002011-01-02T13:54:00.722-08:00I've got a composting problem at the moment. I...I've got a composting problem at the moment. I didn't empty my compost bin when I should have done so now I have an over-flow pile when it is too cold to break down. I've been wondering about raising beds but it means digging up what's already there. Can't good things be a problem some times?<br /><br />EstherEsther Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05412078991551799972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-44490551847404337602011-01-02T11:55:02.608-08:002011-01-02T11:55:02.608-08:00Great work, Tatyana. We can learn a lot from obser...Great work, Tatyana. We can learn a lot from observing nature. I don't have any bare raised beds but if I did I'd do it your way too. Great idea. Happy New Year to you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-67937797521839755032011-01-02T07:52:02.191-08:002011-01-02T07:52:02.191-08:00I do a lot of top dressing too and it works well. ...I do a lot of top dressing too and it works well. Your raised bed in summer looks beautiful and productive!sweetbayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248743114944736346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-7642395126220077672011-01-01T20:53:00.525-08:002011-01-01T20:53:00.525-08:00I hope it works and look forward to seeing how it ...I hope it works and look forward to seeing how it goes. If it works I might try it around my raised beds which just have some blueberry bushes in them. <br />We still have a layer of frozen snow on the ground here so there's not much I can do outside now.Catherine@AGardenerinProgresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05001060769253273283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-15900631564444145162011-01-01T20:14:14.990-08:002011-01-01T20:14:14.990-08:00You're right about the soil in the woods being...You're right about the soil in the woods being gloriously rich here. We dump our grass clippings and mulched leaves at the edge of our woods and it composts beautifully. Last spring I was able to fill my two 16" deep 4x8 raised veggie beds with it.Kelly (The Sorry Gardener)http://thesorrygardener.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-75260453070261598762011-01-01T17:42:37.744-08:002011-01-01T17:42:37.744-08:00Dear Tatyana, It sounds like you have a great plan...Dear Tatyana, It sounds like you have a great plan! I do keep my leaves in a separate pile, but nature does let everything fall as it will . . . why not you too! Your veggie garden looks so lovely and yummy at the same time. Good luck with your new way of making compost. I want to wish you the Happiest of New Years!Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-557907622038340443.post-43011339363566595552011-01-01T17:12:22.426-08:002011-01-01T17:12:22.426-08:00I did all of the straw mulch into my raised beds i...I did all of the straw mulch into my raised beds in the fall and when I prune perennials, I put all the clippings on the ground around the plant. I even cut shrub prunning into bits and leave them around the plant. If there is no disease, it's good to give back to the soil. I read about a lady once who buried an entire split rail fence in places around her garden when she took it down. ItGardener on Sherlock Streethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11367115529793643362noreply@blogger.com