The SFG is my garden, forever!

Hello!  I just found you all and joined.  This spring will be my 2nd year doing Mel's SFG.  Love it.  Love the book.  I'm hooked for life.  This season, I plan on upgrading all my SFG soil to "Mel's Mix."  I had a fine yield last season with some "other stuff", but i can't wait to see what Mel's mix will do for my garden.  I have a question about my locally available compost, but i will have to post that next week (it has an external link and i have to wait a week).  I do have pictures of last years garden, so i'll get to posting those soon.  

Looking forward to reading all the great info on this forum!

-Cygnus (6b)

Congratulations, Cygnus and welcome to the forum. Gardening is addictive and rewarding.

Are you able to make your own compost? If so, you will control so much more of the variables and be able to assure yourself of better success. If not, I would encourage you to post the products you are thinking of buying before you do so and the helpful members here will help you evaluate their effectiveness.

There is NOTHING more frustrating than having an inadequate MM to work with. You will not only lose money, but more importantly you can lose and entire season of productivity. I speak from sad experience with my first MM!

Hi!  I got one of those compost wizards in the fall and was able to make about a 5 gallon bucket full of compost before everything froze solid.  I used green grass clippings, green garden scraps, and dead shredded leaves of maple, oak, and pecan.   I plan on keeping that up to supplement MM as time goes on. I also plan on using some shredded leaves as mulch in the beds.  That ought to bring in plenty of earthworms to do their thing.

I dont want to break any rules by posting a link, but the compost that is available in my area, and that i can afford, is from stlcompost.  They offer 4 kinds and my gut reaction is to get their "Premium Blend," since it's a mix of different composts (including cow manure).  The Missouri Botanical Gardens uses their "Black Gold" compost, so i'm not sure which would be better for MM.  There's no peat in any of their compost, just good 'ole yard waste and food waste.

I can also supplement the mix with aged horse manure as well.  

Thanks!

Hi Cygnus! Welcome! Glad you're having a good time with your garden. Which SFG book do you have? There are 3 as well as a couple of spin offs...

The one's we use here are the 2 entitled 'All New Squarefoot Gardening'. Do you have one of those? They go into great detail about compost making.

CC

Hi Cygnus!  Welcome from Atlanta, GA.  Glad you've joined us!

cygnus, from Kelejan in Canada.

It looks as though you got the compost subject licked already.  Have a great 2015.

CapeCoddess wrote:...Which SFG book do you have?  There are 3 as well as a couple of spin offs...

Hi CC!
  I have two of Mel's books:
"All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition" and "All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook"

I have to get compost I can afford this year, and $30 for 27cu.ft. is an amazing deal to me!  I'll just have to supplement my Stlcompost based MM over time with various composts....as i can afford it.

Thanks,
Cygnus

Cygnus,  Welcome to the Forum from California.    Please feel free to ask questions or to post the name of a product you want to run by us before buying.  You will get an answer, or two, or ten.  

audrey.jeanne.roberts wrote: Are you able to make your own compost?  If so, you will control so much more of the variables and be able to assure yourself of better success.  If not, I would encourage you to post the products you are thinking of buying before you do so and the helpful members here will help you evaluate their effectiveness.  

There is NOTHING more frustrating than having an inadequate MM to work with.  You will not only lose money, but more importantly you can lose and entire season of productivity.  I speak from sad experience with my first MM!

+ 1  My sentiments and sad experience, also.

cygnus wrote:

CapeCoddess wrote:...Which SFG book do you have?  There are 3 as well as a couple of spin offs...

Hi CC!
  I have two of Mel's books:
"All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition" and "All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook"

There's a cookbook???  *dashing off to the local library website...*

Yes, the cookbook has been out for a few years.  DH gave it to me as a Christmas gift one year.  I received the Answer Book this year but have not yet read it (it is in THE STACK) of books to be read!

Welcome, cygnus!

That IS a good price for compost. Hope it works well for you this year.

Welcome cygnus.  I like your name... swans are so beautiful!  Yes, the SFG method is makes things a lot easier.  I wish you much success with your gardening endeavors.  I'm sure you will enjoy your time here participating in the forum.

Welcome Cygnus from big old Texas.

Welcome Cygnus from South Dakota! We are also frozen solid here. Look forward to hearing about your experiences this season with the MM and compost. Ask questions, post pics, and share!