Magic Touch & Her Compost Holes

Magic Touch & Her Gardens is expanding. We will be putting in a Community Garden, The Barefoot Garden! My Community is pulling together to produce a food garden. We will be growing our own veggies, herbs, along with other Edibles. We are starting from scratch. The Barefoot Garden is using Compost Holes to help convert clay based soil into something wonderful! A Great Garden starts with great soil. Amending your current soil is rather easy to do. Compost is the way to go. Mixing amendments with your current soil is your best choice. We will also be adding Mushroom Soil and Peat Moss purchased at our Local Hardware Store, Delphi Supply. We will be tilling to amendments into a few inches of top soil with lots of clay underneath. Underneath the clay is Red Shale. My property sits on a shale bed with a water table way too close to the surface. Putting in a Garden will help offset storm water… The Barefoot Garden under snow cover. March 26, 2014. With the Winter we have had this is a welcome sight. We are hoping it is the onion Snow. According to The Pennsylvania Dutch, the Onion Snow is the last snow occurring in Spring. It signifies the time to plant the onions.

Making Compost Holes are easy.

First you need to gather your tools and supplies. A shovel, kitchen scraps, and leaves will do the trick.     Dig 12″ into the dirt and remove plug. I am surprised, pleasantly I might add, my soil is much nicer than I thought it would be. I guess 50+ years of mowing has created a nice soil.   Throw in a handful of “brown” material, I choose leaves. You can use straw or other dry clippings.   Throw in Kitchen Scraps. A nice mixture of eggshells, greens, and a banana peel should do the trick. The more variety the more nutrients. Ex: Eggshells provide Calcium, Banana peels provide Potassium, and the greens provide Nitrogen.   Add another handful of brown material. I chose Oak Leaves for the acid content. It will help temper the alkalinity of the clay soil.   Replace the dirt, breaking it up as you put it back in the hole.   I put the lid on upside down. If you put the plug of grass upside down the grass will also decompose adding more nutrients to your soil. Compost holes are best put it in the Fall, to allow Nature to do her part over the Winter. That way they are ready for your Spring planting. Done! Now Nature will take over. For more on composting… Get the Dirt…Compost Made Easy with The Garden Charmers