Skinfix, 77

mix it up! I deplore people who think gardening is a neat patch of clear soil with neat rows of spindly plants. My gardens are barely controlled chaos, with everything thrown in - anythingthat will make the soil richer for the kind of plant growing there. Before winter I dump on wood ash and left it leach in over the dormant months, then spade it over and mix it up in Spring. I plant things in different parts of the gardens each year, to minimize the liklihood of disease in the plants. I keep huge composts, several, and mix that in with sand, ash, manure, as they are acquired, to enrich the soil. Manure gfrass clippings, seaweed, sand, dead leaves, all go into the cooker (compost) and are ready with very little maintenance after a few months. One year I grew zucchinis, so many i went down the street in September leaving them in peoples' doorways. A gift. Another year my peppersquash grew up and over my fence onto my neighbour's yard. He got most of them! This year I am preparing to grow a giant pumpkin!