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April 10, 2006
the many options
current obsession: lawn. garden. weeds.
many options discovered and researched lightly, like the kind of watering that encourages shallow root systems.
- the chem bomb option: weed and feed and seed. see what happens. inspired by a trip to lowes with the man, where we noted bags and bags of tall fescue for sale. tall fescue is the only fescue option that would really work well around here, and is probably the only thing that works here that can be planted with seed.
- the fully organic option: might include cardboard, a truckload of compost and topsoil mixture, powdered molassess, and a sense of smugness that i haven't felt since becoming a meat-eater.
it was pointed out to me this weekend that my back yard does not get full sun. maybe seven hours tops during the longest days of the year. so vegetables won't be as happy and productive as they could be.
i really like this article about cardboard vegetable gardening. no, not vegetables that taste like cardboard, but grown on top of or just under it. i happen to have a pretty impressive collection of heavy-duty cardboard that i was saving for just this sort of thing.
an interesting place that came within my purview last week: B&B Topsoil Mine here in Durham. one neighbor gave them a positive recommendation. they deliver mulches and various mixes of compost and topsoil. i forgot to ask if they also deliver straight sand, something that i'll probably need in quantity later this summer.
brain. full.
Posted by lisa at April 10, 2006 07:16 PM
Comments
I've read about that cardboard method. It looks good! The only thing I would suggest is, watch out for new wheat straw -- in my experience it tends to sprout wheat. Lots of wheat. Which kind of defeats the purpose of using it as part of a weed control plan. I like to buy extra straw bales and let them sit around for half a year or more to kill the seeds.
I'm interested in hearing how you like B&B Topsoil and how their prices are. The landfill is really cheap, but the quality is uneven.
Posted by: Sarah on April 10, 2006 10:02 PM
And what's wrong with gay sand, may I ask? :-0
Posted by: Phil on April 10, 2006 10:17 PM
ok, so a) your comment won't post right away because i have to approve it first and b) you might get a server error but your comment probably posted anyway and c) previewing doesn't work so i've removed the preview button.