RAISED BEDS-NO TILL ORGANICS

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Lacedwitgame

Well-Known Member
so im reading more & more into no till gardening, im thinking if i go this route ill be using raised garden beds.
If possible, i would like to re use my soil from all my smart pots last year.....theres only one catch,...... I used synthetic nutes in them last year (max sea & dyna grow)......i imagine this would be a problem, but....what if i drastically flush my soil & then re boost it with a few good teas,essential meals,ect? I invested damn near 2k on soil last year....so you can see why id like to re use it, if possible.....thoughts?
 
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Lacedwitgame

Well-Known Member
Heres what im thinking...

Build the growbeds, add re-used soil...
Mix in compost,castings,chicken/steer shit,alfalfa, ect. Keep covered with tarp through winter.

Then, periodically (while soil & ammendments cook) ill hit it with some good microbial & fungal teas to get the good bio chemistry going in there ahead of time, i can imagine adding nightcrawlers & beneficial nematodes wouldnt hurt either? If i start now i would think that it would all be broken down, readily available & ready to go by june?
 
MjMama

MjMama

Well-Known Member
Sounds like a great plan. You won't be able to be certified organic for a while after switching over but for personal health this is a great decision. You shouldn't have any trouble making the switch.

As soon as your temps rise in the spring above 45 degrees is when the microbes really start breaking things down. So 4 weeks after the temps rise it should be ready for planting. Plenty of time for clones. The cover crop is a great idea. I can grow barley all winter long in my climate and its nitrogen fixing and adds lots of organic matter in the spring.
 
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Lacedwitgame

Well-Known Member
I mean.... Im not really looking for an omri lable if thats what you mean... But i would like to team with microbes, i figure if i flush the soil good that plus the rain should help support future bio chemistry?
 
Bakersfield

Bakersfield

Well-Known Member
I grow my vegetables in raised beds.
I don't know your climate but we do it in Alaska because our soil stays cold for too long and the raised beds really help get things going.
I was wondering if you plan to mix you bought soil with the native soil before you go no till?
 
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Lacedwitgame

Well-Known Member
Bakersfield said:
I grow my vegetables in raised beds.
I don't know your climate but we do it in Alaska because our soil stays cold for too long and the raised beds really help get things going.
I was wondering if you plan to mix you bought soil with the native soil before you go no till?
Click to expand...
I was actually thinking about that myself. If i want to dig into the native soil, fill with the old soil & then put the raised beds over that & fill with compost....or just place the beds on the ground & fill with old soil..... Im leaning more towards the first option.
 
Bakersfield

Bakersfield

Well-Known Member
If it was me, I would amend the soil I have, but mine is OK to begin with - silty loam that requires some organic matter to help with compaction.
 
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