Soil Envy

This is a pic of Jo’s neighbor’s garden soil taken at the end of their growing season. They run a bulb distribution company, and their business really depends on this ‘grassroots’ level. Note the exceptional color and tilth.

On the other end of the spectrum, my garden’s soil sucks. Before planting in the existing beds this season, I spent a few days hauling out garbage, glass, nails, and large concrete blocks before tilling in a few shleppings of compost. A garden lives or dies with its soil, as I can now testify.

There was limited fruit of my efforts this season (even with a late start and inattention due to travel)- a successful tomato crop, some peppers, lettuce, a handful of cukes, and herbs. Now that it’s fall and I’ve got months to plan for next year, I decided to build from the ground up.

Step 1: Planted a cover crop of winter rye in the existing beds. It’s pretty exciting to watch green blades grow in November. The idea is to protect the soil from a harsh winter, suppress some weeds and provide a shot of nitrogen come spring when I’ll mow and till it in ~3 inches. Note that while this was planted at the same time, the area at the top of the photo had been dormant, while the areas in the middle and bottom grew peppers and tomatoes – difference in soil nutrients?

Step 2: Laid down sheet mulch in new territory. The first step was cutting down growth and watering thoroughly to coax earthworms to the surface. The first layer is a weed barrier of cardboard (and Critical Moments). On top of this is a few inches of organic material (fall leaves, in this case) and a bit of fish emulsion fertilizer for good measure. Next layer is pure compost from Ann Arbor’s facility, via Andy’s luxurious pickup and Ari’s labor. The top layer is a thick mulch of straw. The idea is that the organic materials will break down some over the winter and the soil will be richer and less compacted for spring planting. BIG thanks to Jo for her help, and everyone who helped acquire materials.

Step 3: Huglekultur= my new favorite word. Some refer to this as a German mound, but huglekultur is clearly more fun to say. The idea comes from the carefully tended forests in central Europe, where every scrap of wood is used. Basically, it’s a mound of brush topped with compost for planting. The organic material releases nutrients slowly as it breaks down, and is particularly good for water retention and drainage.

Not counting the few weeks I spent gathering materials, Jo and I finished these projects in under 2 hours. The rye cost about $2, a cubic yard of compost was $20, and I splurged on three $3 bags of ‘spent mushroom compost’- about $30 to vastly improve the soil, without any inorganic chemicals to boot. Yes, we’re also trying to produce finished compost on-site- updates to follow. We’ll (hopefully) reap the rewards next season…

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