  Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 703 Registered: 02-2007 |
As far as I know they don't. Went to a soil amending class Saturday, they said get a lot of grass clippings and leaves. till some in and lay the rest on top. Manure wouldn't hurt either. I will be busy this fall. If your going to have any bagged leaves I will be happy to pick them up for Django and myself. | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 2711 Registered: 08-2007 |
Django - I seem to remember someone telling me a couple of years ago that if you added some Epsom Salts around the tomato plants that would give it some extra boost. Maybe look around on the Internet gardening sites to confirm this. It wouldn't hurt to try it on a few of your plants just to see what happens. The soil out here is full of clay too. We tried growing veggies in it years ago and it was not good. But check on the Epsom salts thingy. You could always get some Miracle Grow - that's what my dad uses. Good luck! | ||
Townonenorth Member Username: Townonenorth Post Number: 83 Registered: 10-2007 |
What breaks up the clay is sawdust and manure. My grandfather's property was clay streaked. Dumped first a layer of sawdust, rototilled that in. Next came the manure. Wear boots for this step. Leave over winter, should be good after that. | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 2714 Registered: 08-2007 |
Wouldn't it matter what kind of wood the sawdust came from? I don't think you should use sawdust from treated wood, should you? Or would it matter if its in such small particles and then mixed with manure into the clay soil? Just a thought. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 13737 Registered: 12-2003 |
Absolutely a concern, you don't want to load up any more chemicals in his soil! Great thoughts, both of y'all. Cheers | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 845 Registered: 02-2007 |
Lime works to break down clay, and so does ash from a fire pit. | ||
Cman710 Member Username: Cman710 Post Number: 453 Registered: 07-2006 |
Cub, sorry I missed you the other day when I came by with Kathleen. Your garden looks great, and am I really glad to see you making a difference. | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 706 Registered: 02-2007 |
Thanks Cman! | ||
Townonenorth Member Username: Townonenorth Post Number: 84 Registered: 10-2007 |
I'd think that the treated wood sawdust would NOT be a good idea. Most sawdust one could get would not be of the treated variety. Of course I would ask. we got 5 trucks full of sawdust, and I spent a month roto-tilling that into the 3+ lots that my grandfather owned. Then the manure, which went much easier. After all this, you can really tell the difference in cultivation, even growing just grass. My grandfathers' neighbor. Mr. Rose, fell in the mud/manure field that November. He didn't come up smelling like his name, that's for sure. | ||
Sumas Member Username: Sumas Post Number: 208 Registered: 01-2008 |
The GP Hunt Club gives away free horse manure mixed with straw. | ||
Richard_bak Member Username: Richard_bak Post Number: 355 Registered: 04-2008 |
If you back up behind City Hall on any given day you can probably pick up 10 tons of bullshit. | ||
Pgn421 Member Username: Pgn421 Post Number: 779 Registered: 02-2005 |
cub-do you want me to pick up some manure?im closer to the Hunt Club ,than you .it would sure get your plants going! | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 709 Registered: 02-2007 |
Yes Pgn. That would be Great! Thank You! | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 710 Registered: 02-2007 |
From an e-mail sent out for DetroitSynergy: Join me at Georgia Street Community Garden this Saturday!!Tuesday, August 12, 2008 6:56 PM From: Regina Fortushniak Good Afternoon DSG Shares Volunteers, Thank you for your involvement and commitment to past DSG Shares projects. Because of your commitment to responding to hunger and homelessness issues across the city of Detroit, in the past 6 months we have: Provided hundreds of snacks to hungry families across the city of Detroit: Gleaners Community Food Bank 3/15/08Assisted families in need of affordable appliances and home utilities: Habitat ReStore: 4/12/08Impacted the lives of homeless individuals in our region by providing lunches for those who are hungry: Cass Community Social Services: 5/31/08Provided healthy, nutritious options for those in our community through urban farming: Earthworks Garden: 6/14/08Improved the surrounding streets of a community organization through clean-up efforts: Salvation Army: 7/26/08 Now this month: Make an impact with a grass-roots community neighborhood garden! Join DSG Shares at the Georgia Street Community Garden this Saturday, August 16 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The Georgia Street Community Garden was founded on April 8, 2008 as an opportunity to provide residents with a garden and a neighborhood gathering place. The community garden also serves as a community center where residents can bring their children for a book reading every Saturday night. Volunteers will be assisting with a lot clean-up for the formation of an orchard across the street from the existing garden. The Georgia Street Community Garden is located at 9344 Georgia Street between Gratiot and Van Dyke near the Better Made Potato Chip Factory. For more information or to volunteer, contact me at dsgshares@detroitsynergy.org. I hope to see you all this weekend! Sincerely, ReginaDSG Shares Project Lead (Message edited by cub on August 12, 2008) | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 723 Registered: 02-2007 |
Detroit Synergy Workday Pics: www.georgiastreetgarden.blogsp ot.com | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 1670 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ive never heard of using sawdust. Theres a wood mill on St Aubin one block north of Mack that I believe deals in mainly untreated wood. Ill try and stop by and ask a few questions about getting free sawdust from them. My garden looks like hell this year as I haven't had the resources knowledge or cash to put into it. If I get the sawdust and manure tilled in this year maybe next years garden will be a bit more giving. My sunflowers and cucs are doing well. My corn seems to have stopped growing though. Tomatoes are not ripening, just kind of hanging there. | ||
Pgn421 Member Username: Pgn421 Post Number: 791 Registered: 02-2005 |
Django- Im going to get a horse manure/sawdust mix this week for Cub. Do you want me to drop off a load for you? | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 1672 Registered: 10-2003 |
That would be awesome Pgn. Can I give you a hand? I dont have much in the way of gardening tools but I do have a couple of shovels and a two wheeled cart similar to a wheel barrow. I might be able to con Gannon into helping also. My phone just broke so I cant be called for a few more days. Youve got me e mail and I check it at least a few times a day. Let me know. Oh yeah, do they have a lot of manure mix? If I told someone else about this would they be able to pick some up as well? Ive got some friends on Farnsworth who might like some as theyve got a nice garden going. | ||
Lnfant Member Username: Lnfant Post Number: 113 Registered: 05-2008 |
I transformed enemic soil to dark and rich soil by burying fish heads about 6 inches deep ( or more). The kitties really liked that garden that summer :-) I also composted and that created finger-width earthworms/nightcrawlers within a short period of time. I just thought I'd interject here because I recall getting those fish heads from a fish shop on Woodward in Detroit for no cost. In fact, they were happy to get rid of them. (Message edited by Lnfant on August 16, 2008) | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 2768 Registered: 08-2007 |
Good interject Lnfant! I forgot all about fish heads and such. My mother-in-law mentioned burying fish heads or fish you catch but don't want to eat, into the hole you dig before you plant a rose bush. So one year when we bought a bunch of rose bushes that is what we did. When those roses bloomed, their petals were so strikingly colorful and silky looking everyone thought they were artificial. Yeah, might sound fishy - but it works! | ||
Mschievous Member Username: Mschievous Post Number: 158 Registered: 04-2008 |
Cub, could you use a Weber grill? | ||
Pgn421 Member Username: Pgn421 Post Number: 792 Registered: 02-2005 |
we can get as much as you want, | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 724 Registered: 02-2007 |
Mschievous, Yes we could. | ||
Mschievous Member Username: Mschievous Post Number: 166 Registered: 04-2008 |
I'll bring it over Monday or Tuesday. If your not there where shall I leave it? | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 725 Registered: 02-2007 |
Behind o of the piles of soil. Thank you! | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 530 Registered: 08-2007 |
you want a gas grill too? i can get one minus the tank. | ||
Sumas Member Username: Sumas Post Number: 216 Registered: 01-2008 |
We loved seeing your garden. We enjoyed the reading portion. I am a hugh Harry Potter fan. Sorry we had to miss the movie. My Mom is 88yrs old. We were gone all day. We were at the Eastern Market, then to visit our friend on Field. He took us to his friend on VanDyke who has rehabed a house on VanDyke. It was fantastic. Then on to Georgia Gardens. We left because we worried about leaving Mom so long. It turns out that we could have stayed since my sister took mom out for dinner and was visiting when we got home. This is rare. Cub, would you consider attending an EEV garden party? I think it would be fantastic for you to make an informal presentation about your garden. The garden group has been mostly social in nature but we want to start doing mini informative lectures at our meetings. I imagine you could bennefit your garden efforts with an outreach program. EEV has no open spaces for community gardening so I would hope some of our members would be inspired to help in a variety of ways. The next meeting is at our house on Sunday, August 8th from 3 to 6. If you can come feel free to bring some friends/supporters of the Georgia street gardens. Let me know if you are available. If you can come, I will also try to get our minister to attend. Our church is low on membership but has deep pockets due to endowments. The books we gave came from the church Sunday School program which sadly is no more. As mentioned, our pastor loved the concept of what you are doing. We can take any kids books donated to the thrift shop and bring them to you. Let me know if you are available and I will put it on the EEV website. | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 726 Registered: 02-2007 |
Yes I would love to attend Sumas. Thank you so much for the books and coming out. I am putting it on my schedule right now. Thats September 8 right? Reddog, Yes, we can take that also. I have some garden recipes that I cant cook on a charcoal grill so that will be perfect. Thank you! | ||
Pgn421 Member Username: Pgn421 Post Number: 793 Registered: 02-2005 |
Cub- Thanks again. It was a good nite last nite. and the garden is looking great. Lilly and i had a good time. And, it was good to see everyone. | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 728 Registered: 02-2007 |
It was good to see you and the wife as always. Thanks for coming out. |
