Hey composters! I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but maybe some of you soil nerds (nerds rule!) can help point me in the right direction.
I’m excavating a driveway on my property and part of it is going through some really nice organic soil. Pretty rare up here in the rocky mountains which are, as John Denver said, rocky.. so I want to make the most of this good rich soil for landscaping and gardening. Might give some to neighbors as I have A LOT of it.
I basically scraped up the top layer of soil, plants, roots, and grasses, removed any rocks I saw, and any oversized roots (anything thicker than my thumb) and now I have this all sitting in a big pile about 6’x6’x12′ that I covered with pine branches to keep the sun off.
Any tips on how I should proceed? Is it ok that I mixed it all together? Or should I have taken the time to separate out the plant matter from the soil? Does covering it help or should I leave it open to get baked by the sun? How frequently do I need to stir this giant pile?
Sorry for all the questions, I dont really know anything about soil science as I’ve always rented and never had a garden. Growing uop my parents just bought mulch from home depot. I’d like to start a food waste compost too, but I suspect the foxes and bears here would get into it.
Thanks!
(Picture of some little shroomies doing their composting thing added for fun)
by En_CHILL_ada
1 Comment
The best thing you can do for soil is:
– keep it covered (mulched)
– keep living roots in it (by planting a cover crop)
– don’t till or mix it
– fertilize it with slow decomposing organic matter (manure, green leaves, blood meal, etc)
Your next step is broadcast sowing some seeds into the pile to prevent soil runoff from rain and snow. The best option would be a fast growing, winter hardy, fine rooting plant. Hairy Vetch and Winter Rye are suitable for fall planting in USDA Zone 4.