Post by brian on Aug 18, 2008 16:28:57 GMT -5
Under “photos” in thread “post your growing area” I left a photo of my existing growing area along with a section of lawn where I stripped the sod in anticipation of expanding it. I finally got around to finishing the expansion so here are some shots, I think they should go here under outdoor.
First step is to dig down to the water table. I struck water at 32 inches:
Then broaden the aquifer interface to maximize peat contact with moisture. This is why it is best to dig your hole in August when the water is at its lowest. The lake level fluctuates typically 14 inches between high spring and low late summer levels. So in the spring you could hit groundwater at 18 inches. The problem is, once you hit water you can’t dig much deeper because the sand in the sidewalls keeps caving in. So for best peat to groundwater contact year round you should dig the pit when water levels are lowest:
Then start wetting the peat moss and dumping it in. I used a total of six 3.8 cubic foot bags. I found the best way to wet the peat was to dump a half bag in the wheelbarrow and add 3 buckets of water. That’s more than it needs but you can shove your hands down through the dry peat into the water it is floating on and use a whisking motion to mix some peat down into the water. When it starts to thicken scoop out the wetted peat to the back of the barrow then repeat until done. It beats squishing and kneading and you end up with a real soupy mix but once you dump it in the hole the excess water drains down and away:
For the old bog I had dumped the peat in dry and used time and constant watering to wet it. The result was next summer the whole thing slumped down fifty percent and I had to build it up. By adding prewetted peat and walking around on it a bit after each load it should be better compacted. The last two loads I mixed in a half bucket of silica sand, and edged the bog to restrain weeds. Here it is ready for planting!
First step is to dig down to the water table. I struck water at 32 inches:
Then broaden the aquifer interface to maximize peat contact with moisture. This is why it is best to dig your hole in August when the water is at its lowest. The lake level fluctuates typically 14 inches between high spring and low late summer levels. So in the spring you could hit groundwater at 18 inches. The problem is, once you hit water you can’t dig much deeper because the sand in the sidewalls keeps caving in. So for best peat to groundwater contact year round you should dig the pit when water levels are lowest:
Then start wetting the peat moss and dumping it in. I used a total of six 3.8 cubic foot bags. I found the best way to wet the peat was to dump a half bag in the wheelbarrow and add 3 buckets of water. That’s more than it needs but you can shove your hands down through the dry peat into the water it is floating on and use a whisking motion to mix some peat down into the water. When it starts to thicken scoop out the wetted peat to the back of the barrow then repeat until done. It beats squishing and kneading and you end up with a real soupy mix but once you dump it in the hole the excess water drains down and away:
For the old bog I had dumped the peat in dry and used time and constant watering to wet it. The result was next summer the whole thing slumped down fifty percent and I had to build it up. By adding prewetted peat and walking around on it a bit after each load it should be better compacted. The last two loads I mixed in a half bucket of silica sand, and edged the bog to restrain weeds. Here it is ready for planting!