[CH] tilth aka soil improvements
byron bromley (byron.bromley@gsd-co.com)
Mon, 21 Aug 2000 12:27:17 -0400
In the feeding of plants there are 3 basic methods.
1. Petro based chemicals
2. Organic based chemicals
3. Manure and or compost.
The 1st 2 do not apply tilth to the soil. Here is a small section on tilth
from U Ohio
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AGF-208-95
Land application of animal manure is an efficient utilization alternative
because of usually lower costs compared to treatment and the nutrient
benefits derived by crops from the manure. Manure nutrients help build and
maintain soil fertility. Manure can also improve soil tilth, increase
water-holding capacity, lessen wind and water erosion, improve aeration, and
promote beneficial organisms. There are two principal objectives in applying
animal manure to land: 1) ensuring maximum utilization of the manure
nutrients by crops and 2) minimizing water pollution hazard.
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A tad of personal history.
As a youngester, I was sent to an Uncles farm, to help out.
In days of prior to electric gutter cleaners. I was my job at 4:30 AM to get
up and clean up the barn.
Each dairy animal drops between 80 and 90 lbs of fecal matter per day. x49
animals, x about 100 days a year x 6 years. IMHO, that was enough sh-t for a
lifetime.
After school and Army I went back to gardening, My first garden, after that,
was Rapid Grow if I remember correctly, 1 tbsp per gal of water, 23-19-17. I
tried this stuff for 5 years, lost crops during long dry spells, and poor
crops Finally I said enough, Made a trailer, got a shovel wheel barrow and
found a farm where I could get stuff. My first years I also screwed up in
trying to use it fresh, bad call.
Finally I had a flash back to the time I was about 8, I remembered my dad
scraping off the top layers of fresh manure and getting down into the middle
of the pile.
DUH Old stuff.
I did not apply anything that year, Instead I found some pallets and made
compost bins, I now get my manure as soon as the ground dries out, still
cool and before skeeters and black flies I am boderline Zone 5b and 4a so
this is mid-April.
The year I applied nothing I had the most fabulos crop I ever had.
I now try to apply my spring manure in the fall between first killing frost
and first freeze, Again no bugs no smell. and till it in. Don't always make
it, sometimes it snows too deep first.
Most of the garden is about a foot deep of OG material, except my parsnip
row which is 2 foot deep,~~hand dug every 2 years, ~~also bury my tomato,
pepper and sprout crowns that did rot down in compost pile down there.
BTW my parsnips are about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 in dia tops ave 20 in long.
I apply my manure about 2 in thick before tilling. Toss on my leaves, course
compost and kitchen scraps. Save my fine compost in 5 gal buckets.
Apply some manure tea every 3 to 4 weeks depending on rail fall.
Been doing this for 30 out of 52 years, and will continue until the back hoe
comes for me.