for those of you who have no soil, can you get old hay, orgainic prefered cow poo, clay , chicken poop, leaves or green matter. Take old bales 2/3 break a part l separate into 3 piles and reserve the 1/3 as bales.
Mark out a rectangle in a relativEly flat area, the width should be 1/3 the length. PUT a pipe with holes down the length or 3 times across the width equally spaced fro the ends.
Place loose hay to cover the pipe about 6 inches deep over whole rectangle this should be 1/3 of the bales taken apart. Then layer leaves or green matter over the rectangle 2 inches deep then next 1/3 hay with cow poop on top then last of the loose hay mixed with chichen poop. If you have acess to blood or urine soak the pile then use remaining bales to cover it up, if cold use a tarp that is old and has holes. Plug all the pipe ends.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Let it sit for 2 months there should be no horrible smells from this start unplugging the pipes bit by bit I use rags for the blockages, the un blocking and pipes means you don’t have to turn pile.</p>
you will know when it is done will be 1/3 the size it was to start with, go buy some peat moss and dig some river clay. Mix 2 portions the humus compost 1 portion peat moss 1/2 clay. Each year you will need to add some more humus to amend soil, depending on what you are planting.
You can tell when humus is ready as other things will grow all over it. We regularly have dandelions grow over 2 feet tall on the piles. You will find it full of worms and bugs it’s supposed to be that way it is biologically alive with microbes.
In farm country you can get the old hay for free, the poop in most places that are not factory farms will let you take for cheap or no cost, the pipe use what is left over, if not use scrap to make the air tunnels. On the huge piles we use straw bales tipped on edge so there is a triangle tunnEl running the length.
If you know local mushrooms and how to harvest spores you can inoculate the humus pile it speeds things up and you get a crop of mushrooms
Peat moss you can buy super cheap at garden place at end of season. Clay well it’s every where. If you can’t find use rock dust it works too.
If not and you have some $$ to spend about $3000 you can do a aquaponic system so long as you choose proper fish species for your climate and if super cold like here dig the ponds deep enough.
This year working on our Olympic summing pool sized frire retention pond…. eagle must have dropped the trout and duck weed.