Perennials: HCG Will Start Up Their Mail Order Again!, 0 by warriorswisdomkathy

warriorswisdomkathy wrote:
Donna...yes understand what your saying on the sand issue..A tip would be to dig as deep as possible and fill the bottom of the whole with peat moss, this will also allow for drainage and maybe half way up mix in some sand, if not the straight peat should help drainage issuses...another thing I've used is grass clippings (dried) mixed into the soil...or another trick I used....shredded newspaper.. I use to work at a newpaper years ago and got a boyfried to bring me a bale of shredded newsprint ( most newspapers now use biodegradable ink so no fears). I used it as mulch the first year, then decided to make the area a garden and rototilled it in and you would be amazed at what it does.....best soil ever....I did let it rot down for a few weeks before planting and also watered it so it would break down quicker....If you don't have enough worms to begin with you will after doing something such as this.

True birder, sometimes it's a matter of, gosh noone told them.(the plants aren't as book read as we are)....lol. And would you please smell that phlox for me come spring when it starts blooming, oh yum!!!! What color do you have?

Actually when I started gardening, I had beginner books to help guide me...You need to double dig an area where you want to place your garden...geeze...that was tough, got a rototiller instead and I was off and just keep on going. Can't imagine having to do it by hand..lol. I do make sure that I rototill as deep as I can possibly go tho, 12 or more inches, the main thing is to get past what they call the hardpan....Here. when I moved in, My son-in-law rented a small tractor and tilled my feild and backyard...I only had a small Mantis tiller to begin with...We tilled 1 acre, scrapped off most of the feild grass to the bottom of the feild into 3-4ft berms. The ground had never been broken-up before and was actually horse pasture.. with wild feild grasses several feet tall with a mix of weeds....yuck! Anyway the point I'm trying to make is to get past that hardpan area if at all possible and mix in any ammendments , (just to let you know straw usually has less weed seed, grass clippings are great and usually plentiful let them dry first, just keep an eye out for seedlings tho easy to pull when sprouts, you can find bags of leaves in the fall just drive your neighborhood, let them dry and break them up. These things can be used as mulch or tilled and even handworked into the soil or planting whole). And all the that are used as a topdressing will breakdown into the soil by fall, adding tilth of the soil, Here worm here worm, suppers on..lol. Personally, Iv'e raked leaves in the fall at local city park just to get Oak leaves....some of the very best leaves for high nutient value...lol, and was even asked WHAT WAS I DOING?
Many municipalities also have Cristmas tree recycling where they turn them into mulch and give away for free to those in that city. So many possibilities if you don't want to use peat or pay for shredded bark, oh also reminds me one year got a Large truck of shredded bark when the electric company came to trim the trees in the allies. Wasn't ground all that great but for free, what you specktin...lol. And then there are tree trimming companies, usually will give or sell for low fee....

And don't get me going on maure...lol. got stories about that stuff too, also another great ammendment for those truely trying to improve their soil....Sorry I digress!!! LOL..

Yes, Donna, that program is the greatest, you will have an advantage over most tho...You have hands on info that most in the Master Gardener program won't have, actual growing info from experience!!! And to let you gals know...that program is available in EVERY county in EVERY state...check your local extention office in the state phone pages...and if not interested, they have what they call IN ACTION sheets. These contain info. sometimes to just your region on growing info., cooking, home repair and maintenance, scads and scads of info.... and most are free or available on line. (I also took the classes but naughty me, never finished, just didn't wanna learn the chemicals as I prefer organic when possible, I know, naughty)