In article <gbidnf47l-p1n9nVnZ2dnUVZ_uadnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Trish Brown <pmcbrown@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > A few *years'* worth of rotted grass clippings is probably a
> > beautiful friable soil by now, under the top 10cm. Use the top bit
for the
> > mulch. It's good to have manure in there as well.
>
> You're right! I dug down a few inches and sure enough it's all blackened
> and composted! I thought it'd be a heap of nice shaggy mulch, but I
> think the compost is going to be more useful! Hooray! ;-D
>
> The centre of the heap is quite hot to the touch. Is that OK?
Perfectly fine. Throwing it in to the garden bed will probably cool it
down a
bit, but it would have to be pretty darn hot to burn seeds at this time of
year. Just remember the lime.
> AND, I've promised my son he can have a flower bed. (NB.
> My son is 32 and autistic and he *loves* gardening and flowers. What's
> easy to grow that makes good cut specimens?)
Hmm, depends if he's got motor difficulties. If he has, try either big
seeds
like nasturtiums, sunflowers and sweet peas (though this month, I'd only
try
to plant nasturtium seeds) or seedlings in those 'cellular' punnets -- I'd
pick poppies, stocks, wallflowers, calendulas or maybe penstemons.
Anything
sturdy.
> I've got a bit of reo hanging on the southern fence and the ultimate
> plan is to do peas and beans. You put those in during spring, right?
Not quite! Peas are a winter crop; you can plant them now (but not into
waterlogged soil -- they rot). Plant climbing beans in very early spring,
before the heat gets them, or in late summer. French (dwarf) beans (which
I
find most reliable) are a warm-weather crop that you can plant from
~September
onwards. Broad beans are also a winter crop and can be planted now, but
they
don't need a trellis -- instead, they need a few stakes and some rope to
stop
them blowing over.
Happy gardening :-)
--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)
http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/
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