What type of compost for a water only no till?

[chuey316]

So my soil and direct sunlight here are not the best. I can't change the light, but I'd like to do something about the soil.

My area is 8ftx16ft, and I'd like to bring in a half yard, or full yard of both compost and topsoil, but am lost on what type of compost would be good for a water only mix that would get me from veg to harvest, and I could just add to each year.

There's a few different types of compost within an hour of me.

1. Horse, pig, goat, turkey, duck, and chicken manure mixed with pine shavings. The bottom of the pile is a year old, but they add fresh each day.

2. A mix of grass clippings, leaves, and spent coffee grounds.

3. Leaves, cow manure, and some hay, fully composted, and processed at 135f to kill weed seeds and pathogens.

4. Horse manure, and what looks to be hay or straw. I'm sure they also add fresh on a regular basis.

5. Chicken manure mixed with fine pine shavings. The bottom of this is from the fall, and they also add fresh daily.

Would any of these work for what I'm looking for, or should I be looking for something else?

 

[chuey316]

Couldn't edit my original post, but I should have mentioned that I'm looking to transplant into this mix for this year's grow. For that reason I'm thinking of striking all the options from my list other than options 2 and 3. That way I don't end up using compost that's not ready yet, and too hot.

If there's not a compost type available that support a grow from veg to harvest, would either of the 2 options be better than the other, and what widely available ammendments would I need to add in order to get the soil where it needs to be?

My goal is to create a fertile living soil that I just need to top dress at the beginning or end of each season, and not have to worry about adding things during the grow.

 

[freezeland2]

This is what I have my eye on as a potential soil for my next project. They are not taking orders right at the moment but they will provide an update to that on April 1st. I’m hoping to get an order in.

Invest in Your Soil

Vermont Compost Company Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has grown from a small, local operation to a company supplying premium soils to thousands of successful growers all over the country. We carefully…

vermontcompost.com

 

[chuey316]

This is what I have my eye on as a potential soil for my next project. They are not taking orders right at the moment but they will provide an update to that on April 1st. I’m hoping to get an order in.

Invest in Your Soil

Vermont Compost Company Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has grown from a small, local operation to a company supplying premium soils to thousands of successful growers all over the country. We carefully…

vermontcompost.com

Unfortunately there's no retailer near me, and I'm sure shipping would be a premium.

 

[chuey316]

I'm gonna go with the cow manure, leaf, and hay compost, but I still don't know what else to add. Any suggestions?

 

[Oldchucky]

Might want to look at this. Go to search. Enter Humboldtlocals Outdoor 2010. If you get to the thread, go to page 40 out of 41. Then scroll to post number 793. It is close to what I am trying this year

 

[chuey316]

A little much for what I'm looking to do this year, but I took a screenshot and saved it. Beteween electric, gas, and insurance, I just dropped $1100+, and I still have to pay mortgage, phones, and internet, so I'm looking to do this on the cheap, and I can get a full yard of compost for $40, and a yard of topsoil for $12, plus whatever ammendments I would need to get from transplant to harvest. I look to have 8, possibly 10 ladies this year, and honestly if I could pull even just 3oz per plant, that's more than enough to last me till the next year's harvest, even giving an oz a month away.

 

[Oldchucky]

I hear you man. I’m just adding that stuff to about 170 gallons of used ocean forest that I’ve accumulated over the last few years. Probably easier ways to do it but I’ve never had brains enough to do anything the easy way first. Hopefully your compost whacked with some topsoil will be the ticket. Only one way to find out brother. Look forward to seeing your progress as the Grow Goes on. Good luck, and happy trails!

 

[kevinfever]

I'm gonna go with the cow manure, leaf, and hay compost, but I still don't know what else to add. Any suggestions?

This sounds good to me if its fully composted , get your self some gaia green 4 4 4 and some 2 8 4 to boost later in the year as needed . Also learn how to make compost tea

 

[kevinfever]

 

[chuey316]

Thanks. How much compost/topsoil would you recommend for an 8×16ft area? I'm not sure if the places I found only sell by the yard, or if they'll sell 1/2 yards. A yard of each would be 5" deep.

 

[kevinfever]

i used a cubic yard on my 10 x 20 then took a couple bucket of it for container mix and added this bellow stuff to my buckets .

 

[kevinfever]

before i added the cubic yard of 3 in 1 soil mix i added my own grass trimmings , rabbit poop , and food scraps . I payed the neighbor kid $20 to till it in then spread the new soil on top

 

[kevinfever]

that was the first year for this garden worked well wish i would of planted in the ground

 

[kevinfever]

year two

 

[kevinfever]

year two i got bagged sheep shit and worm castings ,25L bag per hole and 50L promix per hole

 

[chuey316]

before i added the cubic yard of 3 in 1 soil mix i added my own grass trimmings , rabbit poop , and food scraps . I payed the neighbor kid $20 to till it in then spread the new soil on top

That was my plan as well. I have an abundance of leaves from the fall, and I was going to throw those, some grass clippings, the compost, perlite, and topsoil down, and till it all in, but everyone was telling me not to till the plot. My thought was to till it in, and get everything mixed well, then just top dress to recharge each year moving forward. The ground here is more dirt than soil, so I'm trying to make it fertile, and be able to grow each year with minimal to no input nutrient wise.

 

[chuey316]

Here's the cow manure, leaf, hay compost that I'm looking to get. The company says that it's fully composted, and processed to kill weed seeds and pathogens.

 

[kevinfever]

That was my plan as well. I have an abundance of leaves from the fall, and I was going to throw those, some grass clippings, the compost, perlite, and topsoil down, and till it all in, but everyone was telling me not to till the plot. My thought was to till it in, and get everything mixed well, then just top dress to recharge each year moving forward. The ground here is more dirt than soil, so I'm trying to make it fertile, and be able to grow each year with minimal to no input nutrient wise.

i feel this will work , if your ground is hard and clay like might want to get some oyster shells from gaia green . Some people say no till but i till any way second year my garden was very lose and had no need to till but did any way . if i had not moved over the winter i would of just added some new amendments this spring and and might not have tilled . but now i have to start over on some very rocky terrain lol .

 

[kevinfever]

Here's the cow manure, leaf, hay compost that I'm looking to get. The company says that it's fully composted, and processed to kill weed seeds and pathogens.

View attachment 1229990

it looks good , you mean they got it hot enough that it killed all the weeds and seeds