Re: newspaper and - or straw

Last year was a very cool summer for us with lots of rain.
Kitty
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <gardenqueen@academicplanet.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Monday, April 12, 2004 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] newspaper and - or straw


> Kitty - I think the hotter it is, the quicker it breaks down. My lasagna
> bed went from newspaper, yard waste, leaves and some spent potting soil
> to rich black dirt in less than a year. But that's w/ Texas heat baking
> it and our veryyyyy long growing season. Anyone do this up North - does
> it take longer as I suspect it would?
>
>
> Pam Evans
> Kemp, TX
> zone 8A
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Kitty
> Sent: 4/12/2004 10:23:25 AM
> To: gardenchat@hort.net
> Subject: [CHAT] newspaper and - or straw
>
> > Melody,
>
> > Your new bed success brings to mind a qstn I have for lasagna gardening
>
> > devotees:
>
> >
>
> > Last year (early summer)  I tried 2 ideas advocated on Chat.  I tried
the
>
> > newspaper under soil for a new bed.  Well, after digging in there the
other
>
> > day I found I could still read the newspaper - does this seem right?
>
> >
>
> > Also, Gene and others suggested shredding up my excess straw from
>
> > overwintering and lay that in an area for a new bed and cover with soil.
It
>
> > is still straw under there.  How long does it take to at least start
>
> > breaking down?
>
> >
>
> > Am I missing something or am I just impatient?
>
> >
>
> > Kitty
>
> >
>
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
>
> > From: "Melody" <mhobertm@excite.com>
>
> > To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
>
> > Sent: Monday, April 12, 2004 12:47 AM
>
> > Subject: [CHAT] Late Easter Greetings and catch-up
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > > Dear gardening friends: Hope you all had a wonderful Easter! We spent
at
>
> > > least a portion of Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at church
>
> > > celebrating this most Holy of seasons...I especially love our Easter
>
> > > Vigil service, done by candlelight...so beautiful. Easter day was
spent
>
> > > in the garden once we got home from Mass...the weather was absolutely
>
> > > perfect for working outside. The peppermint/spearmint dig up is about
>
> > > half done after two weekends of hard work. We have decided that the
only
>
> > > way to get rid of most of it is to completely spade up every square
inch
>
> > > of soil in the garden down to a depth of at least 8-10 inches and then
>
> > > with a hand rake sort it all out for roots/pieces. Arduous and time
>
> > > consuming but it seems the only real way to get the stuff out. I do
have
>
> > > a happy observation to report for the group though...this particular
>
> > > garden bed is the former site of a large (90') pine that several years
>
> > > ago was ripped out of the ground by its roots during a severe wind
>
> > > storm. The lost tree left a staggeringly massive hole in the ground
and
>
> > > we had it filled in with a large dumptruck-full of "fill dirt" which
>
> > > turned out to be this horrible clay stuff. At the time we originally
did
>
> > > this bed,about six years ago, we amended the clay as much as we could
>
> > > with vermiculite and compost burr (lots and lots of each) and at the
>
> > > time it did not seem to help. We then covered it over with landscaping
>
> > > cloth, planted it, and mulched. To my utter amazement, this entire bed
>
> > > is now filled with a beautiful, rich black soil, ripe with the hugest
>
> > > nightcrawlers you'd ever want to see. I guess I had assumed that this
>
> > > bed would always be full of clay, so how come it's not? I mean, I know
>
> > > the earthworms are hard workers, but doesn't that seem like an awful
lot
>
> > > of work for only six years? Nature never ceases to amaze me. One of
the
>
> > > benefits of hand digging out all this mint is that I have been able to
>
> > > save all my gaura, purple coneflowers, and blue flax and replant it in
>
> > > the clean parts of the bed as we go, so it's sort
>
> > >
>
> > > of a revision project too. The blue flax started as three little
plants
>
> > > I received from the kids for mother's day about 5 years ago and now
are
>
> > > dozens of plants everywhere...yippee! This is one of my favorites.
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
> > > BTW, Moses the cat is still around...no luck yet finding a home for
him
>
> > > but he seems utterly content where he is...he has now moved his
sleeping
>
> > > quarters to my compost heap area and has found himself a shelter
behind
>
> > > a piece of scrap plywood that leans up against the garage. Today while
I
>
> > > was resting my back a little and enjoying laying in the grass flat on
my
>
> > > back with my feet propped up on a nearby rock, here he comes and plops
>
> > > down beside me, rolls over on his back and meows...he apparently likes
>
> > > to have his tummy rubbed. I noticed he has a little sore on one of his
>
> > > rear paws, so I figure tomorrow I'll probably load him up and take him
>
> > > to the vet as it looks red and very painful. I take it this is the
>
> > > beginning of the end, isn't it? Arrgh........I'm such a sucker! :-) We
>
> > > never stood a chance, did we? My husband doesn't mind him sticking
>
> > > around as long as he remains an outdoor only cat...and that is a huge
>
> > > commitment for a man who says he doesn't want any more animals at all.
>
> > > The sage continues...
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
> > > Also, I heard from Janice, Tony's wife, today...Easter greetings and
to
>
> > > let us know she continues to miss him but is doing okay. :-)
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
> > >
>
> > > Melody, IA (Z 5/4)
>
> > >
>
> > > "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."
>
> > > --Albert Einstein
>
> > >
>
> > > _______________________________________________
>
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>
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>
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>
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