# Composting question



## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Hi everyone just a couple of questions regarding composting and establishing a new garden.

We have bought our new homestead and are slowly preparing for the new house and all other things. I've been having my son dump grass clippings from our house in the city in the area we plan to till under for our garden. As we are too late in the season to put in and protect the garden from all the critters I would like to turn it over and add fertilizer and as much composting material as possible to include our abundance horse poo.

My thought was if I turn over the area, adding the clippings, manure and some fertilizer then cover this with black plastic will this help and aid in the composting of the materials for the garden come spring?

Thanks


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

I think just leaving it "as is" would be just fine, the plastic might overheat and kill beneficial bugs that aid in decomposing your organics!


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

cqp,

would the black plastic aid during the winter months of tn to help things keep breaking down? or am I over thinking this. I just want the soil to be perfect for the garden come spring.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> or am I over thinking this


Yes you likely are. The soil may be just fine right now, without doing anything.


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Hiwall, im just guessing since we have had to apply liberal amounts of fertilizer to our pastures to get them established and growing. We have some heavy clay, rocky soil in NW Tn. The land has been in timber and harvested a couple of times over the past 80yrs, the cleared areas 3 pastures and a few areas for hunting plots and the house sites were cut and cleared about 5 yrs ago from standing small pines. Hopefully this gives a little more insight. I'll defer to the general consensus though and just turn my composting materials into the soil with the tiller and let it sit.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Have you done any soil sample analysis yet?

You really should find out what levels of N/ K/ P you have first, so you can create a plan.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

You should talk to to local county extension office. They have a wealth of info about your local area.


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## Kodeman (Jul 25, 2013)

I believe years of pine needles decomposing under the pines makes the soil too acidic for gardening and must be neutralize. Also, horse manure contains a lot of weed seeds that do not break down as they pass thru the digestive system of horses, aged cow or chicken manure is much better, IMHO.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Kodeman said:


> I believe years of pine needles decomposing under the pines makes the soil too acidic for gardening and must be neutralized.


Calcium/Lime will kill the acids. Cheaply, too.


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Thanks guys, we tested the pasture areas and got the results back from the coop last year but the garden area wasnt a concern or a priority at the time getting the horse pastures established was. Im assuming since most levels were similar for all three pastures I could base the garden area off of those as well.

The soil levels were actually in the normal range, just a little deficient on PKN.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

smaj100 said:


> The soil levels were actually in the normal range, just a little deficient on PKN.


Deficient on all three of them? What numbers did you get?


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Linc I dont have the numbers with me as im overseas right now. We took the data sheets and our local coop spread what we needed on the pastures. Again we didnt fertilize the area that our garden is going in, cause we didnt have that planned out at the time.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

kodeman, pine needles are acidic, but not pine needle compost.
http://wood.uwex.edu/2010/11/18/pine-needles-cause/
Lime will add calcium & raise pH to a higher number.
Gypsum will add calcium, but not raise pH, so gypsum is good for Blueberry plants.
Please shred pine needles, to break the wax coating( wax coating is why PS makes a good mulch) & all shredded material breaks down quicker the whole parts.


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