I am very encouraged by this video to give this method a 'go' .... Here's my concern: there is a tree (I don't know it's name) that drops leaves and creates a good-looking 'loamy' compost ... I tried adding it to my compost bins a few years back and that season's growth was terrible ... I blamed it on the leaf addition ... (truth is, I don't really know the targeted cause for that 'loser' year - other conditions were pretty much the same). My question: How do I know if my leaf mulch addition is a beneficial ingredient?
I'd try to figure out what tree it is. Some leaves should not be used in compost or as mulch, others in moderation, but many are safe. So it could have been a fluke or it could have been from the leaves. But the first thing I'd do is find out what tree it is and then look up to make sure those leaves are safe. A few that are not safe include, black walnut and eucalyptus.
Fortunately, we don’t really have a huge issue with gophers because we have a lot of outdoor cats and they seem to keep the gophers under control. If we do notice one we will put out gopher traps. There are lots of ways to keep gophers down, and t’s worth trying to grow an inground bed if you can however, if the gophers are too out of control, you may want to stick with raised bed gardening.
I'll spread wood chips on my lawn or just chew up branches with my Scag ~ am shocked how fast the grass swallows it all up = slow release fertilizer. Those $100 electric wood chippers work great, mine does...
We have a bunch of outdoor cats that seem to do a good job keeping the gophers away, we do put traps out if we happen to see one. We have been pretty fortunate to not have much of an issue though. If they are too out of control where you’re at you may have to just have raised beds.
I’m gardening in zone 9 as well and it’s a but difficult to find content curated for our zone conditions. Thank you!
I’m glad to have you following along, hopefully I can give you some helpful tips and information!
I am very encouraged by this video to give this method a 'go' .... Here's my concern: there is a tree (I don't know it's name) that drops leaves and creates a good-looking 'loamy' compost ... I tried adding it to my compost bins a few years back and that season's growth was terrible ... I blamed it on the leaf addition ... (truth is, I don't really know the targeted cause for that 'loser' year - other conditions were pretty much the same). My question: How do I know if my leaf mulch addition is a beneficial ingredient?
I'd try to figure out what tree it is. Some leaves should not be used in compost or as mulch, others in moderation, but many are safe. So it could have been a fluke or it could have been from the leaves. But the first thing I'd do is find out what tree it is and then look up to make sure those leaves are safe. A few that are not safe include, black walnut and eucalyptus.
How do you deal with gophers in your in- ground beds?
Fortunately, we don’t really have a huge issue with gophers because we have a lot of outdoor cats and they seem to keep the gophers under control. If we do notice one we will put out gopher traps. There are lots of ways to keep gophers down, and t’s worth trying to grow an inground bed if you can however, if the gophers are too out of control, you may want to stick with raised bed gardening.
I'll spread wood chips on my lawn or just chew up branches with my Scag ~ am shocked how fast the grass swallows it all up = slow release fertilizer.
Those $100 electric wood chippers work great, mine does...
That’s great, thanks for sharing!
Great video! Sharing with those in my classes. Thanks for promoting no till. ❤
Thank you!
I would love to plant direct in the ground but how do you deal with gophers and ground squirrels ruining the plants
We have a bunch of outdoor cats that seem to do a good job keeping the gophers away, we do put traps out if we happen to see one. We have been pretty fortunate to not have much of an issue though. If they are too out of control where you’re at you may have to just have raised beds.