Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

TIA

Persephone

Persephone wrote in message
Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

Wow. I'd think that using worm casting to stop drying out would be like
using gold. It'd work but seems to me to be a bit of a waste. Do you have
access to a less precious mulch that would do the same job? For around
small veggies and seedling, I use horse food ie chaff. It's very fine, and
once watered and settled in, doesn't blow away but keeps in moisture quite
well in addition to adding to the humus levels of the soil.

On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:41:10 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote:

Persephone wrote in message
Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

Wow. I'd think that using worm casting to stop drying out would be like
using gold. It'd work but seems to me to be a bit of a waste. Do you have
access to a less precious mulch that would do the same job? For around
small veggies and seedling, I use horse food ie chaff. It's very fine, and
once watered and settled in, doesn't blow away but keeps in moisture quite
well in addition to adding to the humus levels of the soil.

Could you clarify term "horse food ie chaff". Is that something
I have to get at a horse place, or...? Sorry, not familiar with term.

Sounds promising.

Yes, worm ca$ting$ are overkill; I usually mix them with soil and
mulch and maybe some nutrients for planting/transplanting.

TIA

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:41:10 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote:

Persephone wrote in message
Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

Wow. I'd think that using worm casting to stop drying out would be like
using gold. It'd work but seems to me to be a bit of a waste. Do you have
access to a less precious mulch that would do the same job? For around
small veggies and seedling, I use horse food ie chaff. It's very fine, and
once watered and settled in, doesn't blow away but keeps in moisture quite
well in addition to adding to the humus levels of the soil.

Could you clarify term "horse food ie chaff". Is that something
I have to get at a horse place, or...? Sorry, not familiar with term.

Sounds promising.

Yes, worm ca$ting$ are overkill; I usually mix them with soil and
mulch and maybe some nutrients for planting/transplanting.

TIA

Couldn't you just buy a bale of hay from a feed store? A bale of hay
will cover a lot of area. Around here it is $5 from a store ans as low
as $3 from the grower.

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

On Mon, 07 May 2007 09:07:14 -0700, William Rose
wrote:

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:41:10 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote:

Persephone wrote in message
Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

Wow. I'd think that using worm casting to stop drying out would be like
using gold. It'd work but seems to me to be a bit of a waste. Do you have
access to a less precious mulch that would do the same job? For around
small veggies and seedling, I use horse food ie chaff. It's very fine, and
once watered and settled in, doesn't blow away but keeps in moisture quite
well in addition to adding to the humus levels of the soil.

Could you clarify term "horse food ie chaff". Is that something
I have to get at a horse place, or...? Sorry, not familiar with term.

Sounds promising.

Yes, worm ca$ting$ are overkill; I usually mix them with soil and
mulch and maybe some nutrients for planting/transplanting.

TIA

Couldn't you just buy a bale of hay from a feed store? A bale of hay
will cover a lot of area. Around here it is $5 from a store ans as low
as $3 from the grower.

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

I see you fixed your .sig, Bill. Congrats.

For OP - is chaff what remains when you thresh grain?

Do horses really eat that?-

I don't have a way to get to a feed store; not driving at the moment,
and can't use a large quantity anyway.

Sigh! Guess I'll have to see if there's enough cooked in there to
scoop out the composter. Tough job.

Persephone

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 07 May 2007 09:07:14 -0700, William Rose
wrote:

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:41:10 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote:

Persephone wrote in message
Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

Wow. I'd think that using worm casting to stop drying out would be like
using gold. It'd work but seems to me to be a bit of a waste. Do you
have
access to a less precious mulch that would do the same job? For around
small veggies and seedling, I use horse food ie chaff. It's very fine,
and
once watered and settled in, doesn't blow away but keeps in moisture
quite
well in addition to adding to the humus levels of the soil.

Could you clarify term "horse food ie chaff". Is that something
I have to get at a horse place, or...? Sorry, not familiar with term.

Sounds promising.

Yes, worm ca$ting$ are overkill; I usually mix them with soil and
mulch and maybe some nutrients for planting/transplanting.

TIA

Couldn't you just buy a bale of hay from a feed store? A bale of hay
will cover a lot of area. Around here it is $5 from a store ans as low
as $3 from the grower.

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

I see you fixed your .sig, Bill. Congrats.
Thanks, grrrrr

For OP - is chaff what remains when you thresh grain?

Do horses really eat that?-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff

I don't have a way to get to a feed store; not driving at the moment,
and can't use a large quantity anyway.
No gardening buddies who you could split it with?

Sigh! Guess I'll have to see if there's enough cooked in there to
scoop out the composter. Tough job.
Sweat is good. Builds the cardio-vascular system. (At leas that's what
I'm telling myself right now. It's the hottest day of the year here so
far (91 F at 10 to 3 PM) I'm preparing a new corn bed (4'x8'). Turned it
by hand and incorporated 4 - 5 gal. buckets of horse manure into it.
I've just reset the drip and now I can plant my seedlings. I have a
dozen seedlings. My gardening book recommends against starting corn
inside. Any idea why? Well, a glass of water and back to the heat. I
gotta wrap up the garden pretty quickly because I'm about to be visited
by the curse of the "drinking class" (work).

- Bill
Halb betrunken ist heraus geworfnet gelt (immer)

William Rose expounded:

My gardening book recommends against starting corn
inside. Any idea why?

It doesn't transplant well. I've read in other gardening books to
start them in peat pots (tear off the tops before planting so they
don't wick water from the rootball). People do this to get a jump on
the season, especially if it's been cold and damp. I've never
bothered, I just start them in the ground once it gets warm enough.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On Sun, 06 May 2007 18:27:38 -0700, Persephone wrote:


Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

TIA

Persephone

How much is "quite a bit?" That is a very expensive mulch if you ask
me. You can definitely use it for your purpose, but it will also dry
out and form a crust.

On Mon, 07 May 2007 09:07:14 -0700, William Rose
wrote:


Couldn't you just buy a bale of hay from a feed store? A bale of hay
will cover a lot of area. Around here it is $5 from a store ans as low
as $3 from the grower.

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Hay is a great mulch for vegetable gardens, but please do yourself a
favor and only use alfalfa hay and not costal bermuda. You will never
forgive yourself!

In article ,
jangchub wrote:

On Mon, 07 May 2007 09:07:14 -0700, William Rose
wrote:


Couldn't you just buy a bale of hay from a feed store? A bale of hay
will cover a lot of area. Around here it is $5 from a store ans as low
as $3 from the grower.

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Hay is a great mulch for vegetable gardens, but please do yourself a
favor and only use alfalfa hay and not costal bermuda. You will never
forgive yourself!

Actually, I meant to say oat hay but on reflection I think straw would
do it but, then again I have no idea what I'm saying. Every profession
has it's own meaning for words and I'm just an average Joe (named Bill).
All I know is that I saw an ad in the paper for hay last year. I got me
three bales for $10 and enjoyed sitting on two of them for most of the
summer. Mulch, exterior lounge, and a wonderfully nostalgic smell, not a
bad deal. Before dinner, I'd have my happy hour there in the garden and
watch the butterflies, squirrels, birds and, finally the bats, all the
while nursing a large margarita (I find that it is easier and, just as
good to put the whole peeled lime in the blender with the triple sec,
tequila and, ice cubes). I have a little of the hay left. It's
decomposed a lot. Soon as it's gone I'm getting some more, even if I pay
a premium price. I might even move-up to the high priced alfalfa. No
since rushing it though. After 4 PM, and the shadows here get long, the
mosquitos come out. They should thin out soon but right now they are
oooogly.

'nite all
- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

In article ,
Ann wrote:

William Rose expounded:

My gardening book recommends against starting corn
inside. Any idea why?

It doesn't transplant well. I've read in other gardening books to
start them in peat pots (tear off the tops before planting so they
don't wick water from the rootball). People do this to get a jump on
the season, especially if it's been cold and damp. I've never
bothered, I just start them in the ground once it gets warm enough.

Expounded!!!!? Observed or, noted or, remarked, maybe, but expounded?
Yawn. Time to go garden in my dreams. Tomorrow are 6 more peas, another
Sugar Baby watermelon, maybe 4 mammoth sunflowers, basil into pots and,
more tilling but this time in the shade.

- Bill
z-z-z-z-z

William Rose expounded:

Expounded!!!!? Observed or, noted or, remarked, maybe, but expounded?
Yawn. Time to go garden in my dreams. Tomorrow are 6 more peas, another
Sugar Baby watermelon, maybe 4 mammoth sunflowers, basil into pots and,
more tilling but this time in the shade.

Everybody expounds, don't take it personally G I've got to get
out there myself, I've got all kinds of transplants to put in (only
the cool weather ones yet). Today I'm off to mum's to help her get
her garden ready for our big annual herb society meeting.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On Mon, 07 May 2007 15:00:58 -0700, William Rose
wrote:

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 07 May 2007 09:07:14 -0700, William Rose
wrote:

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:41:10 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote:

Persephone wrote in message
Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

Wow. I'd think that using worm casting to stop drying out would be like
using gold. It'd work but seems to me to be a bit of a waste. Do you
have
access to a less precious mulch that would do the same job? For around
small veggies and seedling, I use horse food ie chaff. It's very fine,
and
once watered and settled in, doesn't blow away but keeps in moisture
quite
well in addition to adding to the humus levels of the soil.

Could you clarify term "horse food ie chaff". Is that something
I have to get at a horse place, or...? Sorry, not familiar with term.

Sounds promising.

Yes, worm ca$ting$ are overkill; I usually mix them with soil and
mulch and maybe some nutrients for planting/transplanting.

TIA

Couldn't you just buy a bale of hay from a feed store? A bale of hay
will cover a lot of area. Around here it is $5 from a store ans as low
as $3 from the grower.

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

I see you fixed your .sig, Bill. Congrats.
Thanks, grrrrr

For OP - is chaff what remains when you thresh grain?

Do horses really eat that?-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff

I don't have a way to get to a feed store; not driving at the moment,
and can't use a large quantity anyway.
No gardening buddies who you could split it with?

Sigh! Guess I'll have to see if there's enough cooked in there to
scoop out the composter. Tough job.
Sweat is good. Builds the cardio-vascular system. (At leas that's what
I'm telling myself right now. It's the hottest day of the year here so
far (91 F at 10 to 3 PM) I'm preparing a new corn bed (4'x8'). Turned it
by hand and incorporated 4 - 5 gal. buckets of horse manure into it.
I've just reset the drip and now I can plant my seedlings. I have a
dozen seedlings. My gardening book recommends against starting corn
inside. Any idea why? Well, a glass of water and back to the heat. I
gotta wrap up the garden pretty quickly because I'm about to be visited
by the curse of the "drinking class" (work).

- Bill
Halb betrunken ist heraus geworfnet gelt (immer)

So by that reasoning, Bill, we should get ganz betrunken to get our
money's worth.

Reminds me of a story from the Talmud:
================

One item deals with Chanan the wicked. He stood before a court for
striking a man on his ear. His fine was equivalent to a certain coin.
His only coin had a face value twice as much as the penalty. His coin
was faulty, and no one would give him two smaller coins in exchange.
What to do? Chanan the wicked was not about to pay a greater fine
than necessary. He struck his victim on the other ear and surrendered
his coin (Bava Kamma, Chapter 4, page 37a).

================

Persephone

On Mon, 07 May 2007 21:22:29 -0500, jangchub
wrote:

On Mon, 07 May 2007 09:07:14 -0700, William Rose
wrote:


Couldn't you just buy a bale of hay from a feed store? A bale of hay
will cover a lot of area. Around here it is $5 from a store ans as low
as $3 from the grower.

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Hay is a great mulch for vegetable gardens, but please do yourself a
favor and only use alfalfa hay and not costal bermuda. You will never
forgive yourself!

The very word "bermuda", used in a garden context, strikes terror
to the soul!

Persephone

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 07 May 2007 15:00:58 -0700, William Rose
wrote:

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 07 May 2007 09:07:14 -0700, William Rose
wrote:

In article , Persephone
wrote:

On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:41:10 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote:

Persephone wrote in message
Some of my veggie patch has bare dirt that dries out fast.
I don't have enough home-made compost to do much,
so wondered if anybody had experience using worm castings
as top dressing. I have quite a bit of that left over.

Wow. I'd think that using worm casting to stop drying out would be
like
using gold. It'd work but seems to me to be a bit of a waste. Do you
have
access to a less precious mulch that would do the same job? For
around
small veggies and seedling, I use horse food ie chaff. It's very
fine,
and
once watered and settled in, doesn't blow away but keeps in moisture
quite
well in addition to adding to the humus levels of the soil.

Could you clarify term "horse food ie chaff". Is that something
I have to get at a horse place, or...? Sorry, not familiar with term.

Sounds promising.

Yes, worm ca$ting$ are overkill; I usually mix them with soil and
mulch and maybe some nutrients for planting/transplanting.

TIA

Couldn't you just buy a bale of hay from a feed store? A bale of hay
will cover a lot of area. Around here it is $5 from a store ans as low
as $3 from the grower.

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

I see you fixed your .sig, Bill. Congrats.
Thanks, grrrrr

For OP - is chaff what remains when you thresh grain?

Do horses really eat that?-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff

I don't have a way to get to a feed store; not driving at the moment,
and can't use a large quantity anyway.
No gardening buddies who you could split it with?

Sigh! Guess I'll have to see if there's enough cooked in there to
scoop out the composter. Tough job.
Sweat is good. Builds the cardio-vascular system. (At leas that's what
I'm telling myself right now. It's the hottest day of the year here so
far (91 F at 10 to 3 PM) I'm preparing a new corn bed (4'x8'). Turned it
by hand and incorporated 4 - 5 gal. buckets of horse manure into it.
I've just reset the drip and now I can plant my seedlings. I have a
dozen seedlings. My gardening book recommends against starting corn
inside. Any idea why? Well, a glass of water and back to the heat. I
gotta wrap up the garden pretty quickly because I'm about to be visited
by the curse of the "drinking class" (work).

- Bill
Halb betrunken ist heraus geworfnet gelt (immer)

So by that reasoning, Bill, we should get ganz betrunken to get our
money's worth.
Genau!

Reminds me of a story from the Talmud:
================

One item deals with Chanan the wicked. He stood before a court for
striking a man on his ear. His fine was equivalent to a certain coin.
His only coin had a face value twice as much as the penalty. His coin
was faulty, and no one would give him two smaller coins in exchange.
What to do? Chanan the wicked was not about to pay a greater fine
than necessary. He struck his victim on the other ear and surrendered
his coin (Bava Kamma, Chapter 4, page 37a).

================

Persephone

In for a dime in for a dollar. If something is worth doing, do it right.
The sense of the quote will be found along those lines. The people who
revered Bacchus saw it as liberating the body from the tyranny of the
mind. Unfortunately, this is a pathology for some and the rest of us are
sanctioned to silence for fear of empowering that pathology.

Anyway, back to reality (what a concept:-)

Tchuss,

- Bill
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)