sgbotsford
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Cool room for spring storage | sgbotsford | Friday, December 4, 2015 - 2:44pm | Friday, December 4, 2015 - 2:44pm | 0 | |
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Cool room for spring storage | sgbotsford | Friday, December 4, 2015 - 10:46am | Friday, December 4, 2015 - 10:46am | 0 | |
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How do you deck it? | sgbotsford | Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - 10:40am | Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - 1:34pm | 1 |
Go haunt the permies sites for more info. While it does release nutrients over time, wood is mostly just cellulose and lignan, and there is not a lot of nutrients in it. Two big wins: 1. It holds lots of water long term. Once saturated it will hold water all summer, so watering is hardly needed. This in turn means that the top of the soil can remain dry which hugely decreases your weeding issues.
The second thing is that the wood is rapidly colonized by fungi. Fungi create their own transport network, and some plants can tap into the the fungi network trading some sugar for a ready made root system.
The third thing is that the wood chunks provide large scale structure to the soil, and reduce packing, and create channels for air and water to move long distances.
You don't have to use logs, nor do you have to use raised beds.
You can create hugel mounds. Run them east west. Plant the south face to sun lovers, the north face to things that you want to miss the summer heat.
You can also use wood chips. Avoid sawdust and planer chips. They are too fine, and create a nitrogen debt, but wood chips from tree pruning will work, and are fine enough to till into the ground.
Go haunt the permies sites for more info. While it does release nutrients over time, wood is mostly just cellulose and lignan, and there is not a lot of nutrients in it. Two big wins: 1. It holds lots of water long term. Once saturated it will hold water all summer, so watering is hardly needed. This in turn means that the top of the soil can remain dry which hugely decreases your weeding issues.
The second thing is that the wood is rapidly colonized by fungi. Fungi create their own transport network, and some plants can tap into the the fungi network trading some sugar for a ready made root system.
The third thing is that the wood chunks provide large scale structure to the soil, and reduce packing, and create channels for air and water to move long distances.
You don't have to use logs, nor do you have to use raised beds.
You can create hugel mounds. Run them east west. Plant the south face to sun lovers, the north face to things that you want to miss the summer heat.
You can also use wood chips. Avoid sawdust and planer chips. They are too fine, and create a nitrogen debt, but wood chips from tree pruning will work, and are fine enough to till into the ground.