Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Outdoor Wedenesday



Built for me was a screened frame. It can be used several ways. This on a bit heavy just due to the wood we had at hand to use. (use what you have).
Some of these are put on a frame that has rocking legs...
The trick is to break up the earth the day you dig or turn it. Once it dries out you have a bit more of an issue. That was learned this year the hard way:)
Making a rock free tilth for root vegetable bed
Using a pick first I picked down 12 inches. This is for the carrots. One day the yams may also be grown here as well as potatoes. The soil clods then broken up a bit I used the hand held part of my hoe tool (the long handle is removable) to scrape the dirt back and forth. By hand removing any and all stones. This bed is purposely being made for my root veggies.
Using the spade shovel I dug out the picked loose soil and clods tossed them to the right. Working in the hollow created I then screened the dirt. Once all stone and the small soil partials were removed I chopped a bit against the frame to get any other easily broken down clods to soil.

All of the clods were either down to tilth or removed.
Once the soil was screened it was shoveled over to the left and just kept rising there as I worked in a hollow moving from left to right and then piling all the huge clods left and the good earth right.
All for happy carrots and root crops.
.I then added two buckets moss, 2 buckets vermiculite and two of horse manure/mulch mix.
Made a good ol' soup of it and filled in the hole.
Leveling it off as I went.
This to use in building up the raised beds in the extension.
I did not want to bring in outside dirt.
We have scorpions in the desert...I have been very blessed not to have them.
The left over clods to the wheel barrow to toss into the raised bed. This is fine for the raised beds are for those brocades that are fruiting above ground. This a good root hold is fine and the clods will break down over time.

Once the heat got me and the time was to stop

Now a glass of ice water later I am cooled and the row has a good 2-3 feet more done on it. I have three more days of the lunar cycle to just tend to soil.
Thank God the temps have come down a little . I was able to work until 10:30 today.

The research to amend the earth per the needs of my root crop is still to be rehashed
... for I forgot What I learned
:(