[DC Sunshine]

Now I have your attention....

I've got an area of very sandy soil which I want to make into a veg/herb garden in my yard for next spring. Was wondering if someone knows what the best way to build the soil is - manure, loam, mulch? Or a combination? I've got about 5 months of fairly cool wet weather coming, complete with frosts.

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

[tessa]

of the above mixed with layers or newspaper and wood shavings, like you would for a compost and finish off with some stuff like zoodoo ZooDoo - Home you probably can get something like we have here from your local zoo, its wonderful stuff to grow a vege garden in

with the layers you will get a nice rich garden at the end of it

[OahuAmateurChef]

I thought this was going to be a thread about pho!

[phatch]

Herbs generally like lean fast draining soils. You probably don't need to amend it for Mediterranean herbs.

[DC Sunshine]

Have heard of the zoo poo, would like to use it, but we're about 200 km from nearest zoo. Might go some moo poo, and layer with mulch etc. Thanks for the tips all

Gonna try for a mix of parsley, chives, basil, oregano, that sort of thing - basic ones that suit lots of dishes. Looking forward to getting started, the shops charge an arm and a leg for fresh herbs. Grrr.

[OahuAmateurChef]

Maybe there's a recipe in here!

[tessa]

Originally Posted by OahuAmateurChef

Maybe there's a recipe in here!

[DC Sunshine]

hehehe Thank you Oahu - but I couldn't bear to dig him into the garden T'would be simply unbearable

[skaiwalker]

Poe is Pooh? Where can i find this book anyway?

[DC Sunshine]

Originally Posted by skaiwalker

Poe is Pooh? Where can i find this book anyway?

Now this is too much - one of you wants me to dig a fictional character into my garden as fertilizer, and another wants me to dig up a real character who wrote fiction and do the same.

What is the world coming to?

[lauriestroupe]

Rabbit poo is the very best, in my opinion. As long as it is not mixed with hay, straw, or shavings, it is a cold manure and does not need to be composted before you use it.

If you have it mixed, then do take the time to compost it. We use a 4' x 8' pit that we added earthworms to. Talk about gardening gold!

You can find rabbit breeders in your area by going to the American Rabbit Breeders Association website. Find the rabbit photos and click on a breed. It will bring up the specialty club for that breed. Most clubs have breeder listings. Most breeders have more poo than they can use, even if they are avid gardeners.

[OregonYeti]

Irrigate from a canal filled with fish!

Or give wild birds a hangout above the garden.

Cattle manure is great to mix into clayey soils, to fertilize as well as change its texture, but it takes a lot to make much difference in texture.

Calling all crapologists . . .

[chefstat]

the hands down richest is bat guano

[pork receipe]

Since I rear a couple of cute rabbits and three hamsters, I use their poo to mix it up with the soil to make a wonderful "Poo fertilizers".

This can saving me from buying it from the fertilizer providers...

[LindaT]

You've probably already planted your garden by now but here goes. Cow manure will do fine but be aware it will bring weed seeds with it. Just a fact of life.

You're not going to change your soil much this year, but over the next few years, if you continue to amend your garden with manure, and any other organic matter you can find, you'll see a nice difference. Grass clippings from lawns that haven't been recently treated with chemicals, leaves, straw, and even sawdust or wood shavings, depending on the pH of your soil, will all help. Start a compost pile, too.

We, too have sandy soil. It seems to "eat" organic matter, and I've worked with this soil for nearly 20 years. Sandy soil also tends to wash fertilizers right down to China, so you have to fertilize more often. Our soil is definitely much more pleasant to work with than it used to be. Our soil is alkaline to an extreme, so I've literally tilled in truckloads of pine shavings from a local mill. Old timers here would warn me, saying, "The turpentine in them shavings will kill your plants!" What can you say? There's not turpentine but, yes, fresh shavings are usually less than desirable. Sure, it would have been nice to compost the shavings first, but my garden spot needed emergency care and the acidic shavings helped. I made sure I added extra nitrogen and all was well.

Nearly any kind of manure will help your garden spot, but don't add dog or cat manure. We have an abundance of horse and cow manure and use it liberally, despite the weed seeds it inevitably brings with it. Unfortunately, our garden is also liberally fertilized by hordes of deer. It's a continuing battle.