EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Lawn and Garden
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-19-12, 11:29 AM   #1
jemshkoj
Lurking Renovator
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: New J
Posts: 3
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default Above ground garden? Help?

I have an above ground garden in my rented yard, not getting too far with it, it has an abundance of seaside daisies in it, that turn black in winter, (now), I just cut them back, the soil is very sandy, recently bought a couple of bags of sheep manure, is this going to help. The garden is about 10 ft x 10 ft round, with a pretty ordinary stone wall, starting to fall apart, thanks for your help

__________________
Sorry, new users are not permitted to post links in their signatures.
jemshkoj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-12, 12:20 PM   #2
strider3700
Master EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Vancouver Island BC
Posts: 745
Thanks: 23
Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts
Default

manure will help but a few bags may not do it. Sandy soil has an amazing ability to eat up organic material which you'll do better the more you have. I'd start mixing in as much seed free grass clipping and shredded leaves that you can get a hold of. It will take awhile but eventually you'll get the soil less sandy.
strider3700 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-12, 04:35 PM   #3
Mobile Master Tech
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Mobile Master Tech's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Atlanta, Ga
Posts: 142
Thanks: 38
Thanked 41 Times in 34 Posts
Default

Check out Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" book. You can get it online or at Home Depot. This uses raised beds marked off in square feet, with a blend of vermiculite (hard to find so check around), mushroom mulch, peat moss, and at least 1 other kind of mulch. This way you don't have to worry about the quality of your local soil or what might be in it.

We are growing our own garden for the first time this year and decided to follow his plan. With just a 5'x12' plot, our family of 5 is already eating salads almost every night, plus strawberries, etc. Our garden is going gangbusters compared to friends and neighbors with gardens!

We added a hoop cover made from 3/4" plastic electrical conduit slipped over 2' long rebar driven into the soil and window screen. This keeps rabbits, rodents, slugs & hail/hard rain from doing damage. We also added a 1/4" sprinkle irrigation system above it:



Same Mel's mix in pots:

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Garden (Mobile).jpg
Views:	5172
Size:	34.7 KB
ID:	2332   Click image for larger version

Name:	Garden pots (Mobile).jpg
Views:	2990
Size:	55.7 KB
ID:	2333  
__________________
"I‘d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don‘t have to
wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Thomas Edison, 1847 — 1931
Mobile Master Tech is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-12, 12:16 AM   #4
AaronBay
Lurking Renovator
 
AaronBay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: 14615 Albers St, Van Nuys, CA 91411
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

I hope manure has worked well for you and your issues have been solved. I would like to see some pics of your garden after the changes.

__________________
Sorry, new users are not permitted to post links in their signatures.
AaronBay is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:48 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design