Northeast Gardening: Edibles '11, 0 by

wrote:
On week #6. So far I dont see anything croaking. Weeds are down in the rows and the ones that do make it up through are anemic.

I said to Jim a couple of days ago - At least I dont have to spend 3/4 of my time with the weeds in the rows, I can concentrate on making it better. Its not weed free by no means, 6 hours I can have 1/2 of it done.

Jim was telling me a woman went to the mill and got a few bags of sawdust for her potato's! She said she starts them in dirt and then starts to top them off with dust and that way they are clean when picked. Humm next year I will try potato's.

I am not out of the danger zone yet as far as I am concerned but the percentage is dropping by the day. At this point I dont see a disaster.

If you take on sawdust I suggest you know what your getting. No Oak, Black Walnut or any tree that contains tanic acid. Again this sawdust has sat for over a year and is not raw or should I say Hot?

Wood does not decompose as fast as other stuff, leaves, grass etc. So I dont know what I am up against as far as rototilling it in? Jim says - You will never know its there. Not that I dont belive him I want to see it with my own eyes, I want to see red tomatoes first. What if any measures should I take to make sure that the decomposing sawdust dont deplete the soil of nitrogen next year?

I have searched the net for sawdust gardening and have not found much. What I have found, most does not sound good. The words Destruction, Disaster and Dont Do it comes up alot.

Time will tell I guess. Now that I have wrote a book.

I have fertilized 2 times and weeded 2 times in 6 weeks.