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thecollegekid

Fall Gardening/Earthway Seeder/Norman Compost

thecollegekid
9 years ago

I am planting out a fall garden for a CSA here in Norman and have a couple of questions. I just put in 4 rows of cabbage, 4 rows of kale, and 1 row of mini romaine starts. I have a couple more trays of starts for greens that I will put into the ground. i have tilled where i planted extra deep because earlier this year the plants in the ground grew well but then were stunted and I believe it to be due to a hard pan of soil about 4 inches under.

My first question is regarding how to remove the hard pan of soil and if theres another simple option rather than double dig because the garden itself is relatively large. One thought i have is regarding just layering leaves from this fall (anyone have any ideas on how to get a ton of leaves, will landscaping companies drop them off like tree companies do with wood mulch) and possibly using Norman Compost as a top dressing to just raise up the soil level but im not sure how possible getting that amount of soil is.

Anyone have any opinions on the free compost from norman. It looks nice but i think its primarily all wood product and thus if you were to till it into the garden it would be a large nitrogen sink to break it down. is there times of the year that are better to pick it up than others. like early spring when there might be more leaf product within the mix. Also I was wondering how clean it is in regards to garbage that might be mixed in.

The last thing i want to get input on is an earthway seeder. does anyone have experience with this. i have read mixed reviews about the seeding being too much or patchy. if there are a decent amount of bulk seeds in the hopper does it run pretty smoothly. also i have heard issues about having the ground be prepped correctly in order to allow the the wheel to turn to distribute the seeds correctly. Any input would be great. and if anyone has one around norman and wouldnt mind letting me see how it works for a day that would also be amazing.

Thanks everyone,

Kyle

Comments (4)

  • slowpoke_gardener
    9 years ago

    Earthway seeder, I have know of people that design and liked them very well. My grandfather used one of that design, but pulled by a horse 65 years ago, so the technology is not new.

    Compost, if it is well composted it will not tie up nitrogen. This is compost from Ft. Smith, this year it started being good, before it had tons of trash in it, mostly plastic bags which will try to hang around for ever. You may never know what chemicals are in any municipal compost.

    Hard pan, I bought a middle buster a few days ago and want to build a sub-soil point for it because a middle buster and a sub-soiler have different feed angles on the points. If you know anyone with such a tool, see if they will sub-soil your spot, but make sure what may be under the surface. I expect you will need a 20 to 35 hp tractor to pull it. Piling leaves and other organic matter on top works fine also, that is what I have done for years.

    Larry

  • scottcalv
    9 years ago

    I landscape some and have used tons and tons of Norman compost. I have also used it in my veggie garden. I have never had a problem with seeds or plants with it. The operator at the yard can show you the most composted pile. This time of year and the fall will be good to get it. Along with wood it will also have plenty of spring cleaned leaves mixed in and lots of grass clippings to. As far as trash there is an occasional bottle or weedeater line, but all in all it is pretty clean. Well worth it, I think.

  • gmatx zone 6
    9 years ago

    Kyle, I have had an Earthway Seeder since 1981. Other than one problem, it has worked well for me. I do have difficulty with the okra plate. In the last few years, somehow the okra seeds start getting behind the plate and as the wheel turns it will pop them up out of the hopper. I have made sure that the plate is attached well and have cleaned out the hopper just in case there was something causing the plate to not fit flat against the hopper, but it hasn't corrected the problem.

    I have no issues with the seeder wheel turning smoothly as it moves through the soil, nor any problems with the seed amounts disbursed being too heavy or light. Other than the okra plate issue, I truly enjoy the planter.

    Mary

  • Lisa_H OK
    9 years ago

    Do you have easy access to coffee grounds? (Starbucks gives them away) If you get leaves, layer them with coffee grounds and any other "greens" you can easily lay your hands on.

    If you want to do some leg work, you could probably pick up leaves as people put them out for trash pickup. I would talk to a landscape company, they have to pay to get rid of them.