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Horse manure and black plastic Trying to have a garden can be a difficult job with a lot of hard work. I suppose having a garden tractor or a tiller could make the job a lot easier. I do not have either. But the love of fresh tomatoes and garden vegetables always makes me want to grow my own. I love going to the garden for fresh produce, but do not like the hard work that goes with it. Trying to work smarter and not harder, I came up with a plan about how to grow vegetables the easy way. My brother who lives across the road from me, Joe, has a friend who needed a place to dispose of his shavings from his horse barn. He just scrapped all the horse manure out back of his barn to be moved someday. Joe has a small dump truck, so he brought 20 some loads of this rich soil to my garden. What was I to do with the mounds of rich dirt? I took heavy black plastic and threw it on each pile. Not wanting to have the walkways filled with grass, I put down old car carpet with plastic backing on it. This has lasted for many years. I used scissors to cut slits in the black plastic, then I put the plants in. The plastic keeps the soil warm, and makes the plants grow. You do not have to water the plants. The plastic keeps the soil moist enough for plants to grow. Using the rotted horse manure, I had no need for chemical fertilizer, making this an organic garden. Instead of pulling weeds and hoeing the garden, I can walk out in the morning with a cup of coffee and watch the plants grow. They were beautiful tomatoes and the sweetest cantaloupes you have ever eaten. Marie Kidd |
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