Re: Easy Street
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Easy Street
- From: d*@cornell.edu (Dorothy A. Fingerhood)
- Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 11:36:33 -0600 (MDT)
>ECPep@aol.com wrote:
>> My best method for new beds is to go over existing terrain with a thick layer
>> of newspaper and cover the paper with all garden refuse for one entire
>> season. Allow this to winter over adding all leaves you can rake up or
>> collect in your neighborhood. The debris layer can be several feet high as a
>> New England winter will reduce it to ground level by spring. In spring (or
>> in previous fall if you have time) draw lines desired for the bed and cut an
>> edge to define it.
>>
>> Plant right through the accumlated compost removing any rock you encounter.
>> Subterranean rock should be ignored as not existing unless the trowel
>> strikes it.
>> This undergound rock actually holds water around the plants and if you can
>> find space to plant w/o removal, so much the easier. When through planting
>> if you do not like the untidy look of the surface, mulch all with wood chips
>> and a few handfuls of 5-10-5.
And Rima asked:
>wish I'd known about this before I did this last bed. It seems almost
>too good to be true that one can create a new bed this way. Is this
>good for TBs?
Dorothy comments:
I hate to be the party pooper, Rima, but I would not attempt this with
bearded irises. I cannot imagine that the "stuff" would break down enough
to allow the drainage and air circulation around the rhizome that seems to
be critical in our humid environment.
Dorothy Fingerhood
daf10@cornell.edu
(Newfield, NY. Sunny but ground is wet. Weeding is out, guess we'll tackle
another tree after work...) ;-)
