tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597745350035277843.post1134603296261972547..comments2019-08-29T14:08:57.813-04:00Comments on ......Trail Camera Catch of the Day......: Slim Pickin's DayStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11949197410869303529noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597745350035277843.post-88328551274299259352009-04-06T20:16:00.000-04:002009-04-06T20:16:00.000-04:00My raised beds are made of a mix of 1/3 compost, 1...My raised beds are made of a mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 COARSE vermiculite. Raised beds do tend to dry out quicker, that's for sure. Once plants are growing well, especially things like tomatoes and peppers, I mulch them with either shredded straw/newspaper mix or shredded hay, whatever I have on hand. I see lots of gardeners use straw without running it through a chipper-shredder like I do, and it seems to stay in place just fine...but if you have a shredder, shred, but as coarse as you can, not as fine as you can. Throwing some sheets of newspaper into the shredder along with the straw makes it serve sort of as a paper-mache binder, keeping the straw from blowing away (once the mix has been wetted.)<BR/><BR/>Coarse vermiculite is sometimes tough to find at garden centers - where they usually carry a fine version - but the larger pieces in the coarse bags hold water a little better.<BR/><BR/>Finally, if you plant rather intensively in raised beds or garden boxes, you DO use up a lot of nutrients in the soil every year, so adding compost (or well-aged manure) can be a real plus.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11949197410869303529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4597745350035277843.post-84561184278262262712009-04-06T19:47:00.000-04:002009-04-06T19:47:00.000-04:00You still managed to get a good variety of shots w...You still managed to get a good variety of shots with all the wind. Speaking of planting, I started weeding my garden boxes Saturday. Last year I made 10 of them and filled them with topsoil but they don't hold water very good. Any suggestions on what I might be able to do to help retain water? I thought maybe mixing compost to the topsoil or mulching around the plants. I'm not much of a gardener but willing to learn from the experts.<BR/><BR/>MikeyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com