Comments on: a raised-bed garden survives ‘killer compost’

By: Donna Hudson

Donna Hudson — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 00:22:35 +0000

Some 8-9 years ago we had 2 incidents with horse manure. Nothing would grow for about 2 years where one pile sat. The 2nd time was from a different stable, and plants grew twisted for about 2 years where it had been applied. When I found out the cause, we got a couple of fainting goats to eat brush and hay from fields with real weeds in them. The heavy red clay on our property really made manure important to get some life and organic matter into the soil. Certainly we’ve made compost piles without manure, but I like to think of the goats as walking compost piles. One thing that makes it a bit easier is that every year we move the goat pen to a different part of the garden. Saves hauling manure, and I can plant my winter squash near the edge of the current pen. The hay at the feed stores is all quite free of weeds or clover, so I won’t buy it. I no longer buy a bale of hay each fall for our doghouses, they sleep on weedy hay.

By: margaret

margaret — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 14:26:31 +0000

In reply to Echo Murray.

What a terrible tale that is, Echo. Sorry to hear, but thank you for sharing it as a reminder to pay attention to such realities.

By: Echo Murray

Echo Murray — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 18:23:21 +0000

Picloram – our County sprayed this along roadways to prevent weeds etc.. About 1-1 1/2 years later trees next to the roadways started to die. In doing soil tests it was confirmed to be the Picloram. It even contaminated wells in the area. Our soil is pumice based so it flowed right into the wells and killed trees in it’s path…. While the County had good intentions, the Picloram wasn’t designed for use in our soil type.