tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351299832598163605.post3344950611021591415..comments2024-03-27T15:54:10.505-07:00Comments on Homesteading in Hawaii: Sifting Garden SoilSu Bahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09125127467859054156noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351299832598163605.post-1534657204881697192013-11-01T22:04:18.674-07:002013-11-01T22:04:18.674-07:00I used to sift a lot, when I dug out garden beds i...I used to sift a lot, when I dug out garden beds in the Mojave desert, but the amount of organic matter was the key there, with pea gravel and sand serving to prevent compaction. Drainage was excellent. In more clay-containing soil in old orchard that became suburbs in SoCal, the trick for straight carrots was to use a flat spade to cut a slit that was widened by rocking the blade back and forth, then dribbling in various blends of bone meal, greensand, and sharp sand to fill it, with a ribbon of loamy soil to get the little carrot seeds off to a good start. Easy to pull nice straight carrots there, too. I am just starting my garden beds here in coastal Oregon, using the lasagna method with cardboard, da kine, to gradually decompose as they are patiently composed, with the rainy days just starting tonight. Lots of grass clippings, dandelions, and prunings from the old fruit trees will cover successive layers of cardboard. I peeked under one corner and saw an earthworm already mining vertically! Maybe the only sifting I'll do is for making seed starting mix.Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15483102573957001593noreply@blogger.com