Category Archives: soil
The Clover Butterfly Garden
I recently went to a school with plants to help them install a butterfly garden area. When I arrived I was initially dismayed since the entire area was filled with white clover. As I waited for the teacher and students … Continue reading
Filed under Butterfly, Butterfly Gardening, Nectar Plant, soil
Soil Temperature Test with a Meat Thermometer
I had a friend ask if I would recommend a soil thermometer and one thought came to my mind – why buy a soil thermometer when I have a perfectly good meat thermometer that will serve the same purpose. As … Continue reading
Garden Prep – Option #1
One new technique we tried at St. Joseph’s is to cover the weeds and grass with a layer of newspaper – two layers thick. On top of that they put six inches of top soil. They put in the plants … Continue reading
Filed under Butterfly Gardening, Schools, soil
Plants Per Square Foot
When trying to calculate how many plants to bring to a new garden, here’s a good rule of thumb from my last garden. Divide your square footage and divide by two. In this particular garden I had 400 sq. ft. … Continue reading
Filed under Butterfly Gardening, Misc, Schools, soil
Compost – Black Gold
I went out to St. Louis Composting yesterday to see if they might have their good compost in bags I could buy. I saw a man with a shovel loading compost into bags which he then put into his car. … Continue reading
Filed under Fertilizer, soil
Buying Compost and Mulch – Options
I’m working with a couple of schools and they are asking about buying compost and mulch and how much to buy. Here’s what I figured out. A cubic yard = 27 cu. ft. (3 x 3 x 3) A 10′ … Continue reading
Filed under Butterfly Gardening, Mulch, soil
Charcoal Fertilizer – Terra Preta
After doing previous charcoal experiments, (check out the Charcoal Category), I’ve decided that this will be my first year to put charcoal over my entire garden. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to break down so … Continue reading
Filed under Charcoal-Terra Preta, soil
It’s Not to Late to Plant
I got a helper yesterday to help me plant about a 1000 seeds. These all need cold stratification, so I should have a bumper crop in early spring.
Filed under Butterfly Gardening, Plant Propagation, soil
Make Your Own Charcoal Soil Amendment
After a number of experiments, I’ve come up with an almost perfect way to breakdown charcoal – just add water. In my quest to make terra preta, I have tried to breakup charcoal to a usable size by using blenders … Continue reading
Filed under Butterfly Gardening, Charcoal-Terra Preta, Fertilizer, soil
Starting Milkweed – Now!
I just planted my tropical milkweeds seeds inside. You can see my setup. Asclepias curassavica 1. Regular Miracle Gro potting mix in a covered tray. 2. Cover the seeds about 1/8″. 3. Moisten. 4. Put the plastic lid on. 5. … Continue reading
Filed under Butterfly Gardening, Host Plant, Plant Propagation, soil
