Vegetables: Ending the garden year help

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Jarsh83 Greenwood, IN August 24, 2009 07:06 PM	Okay so it was an okay year for my first garden. With that said, the end is here and my question is. I want to take all the plants pull them and let them dry in the middle of the garden. Then set fire to and and let it burn to ash, spread the ash through the garden and till it in. any thoughts? Good, Bad? Not a very large garden but does have corn, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans, cantaloupe and watermelon and a couple more. Just FYI Thanks
stephanietx Fort Worth, TX (Zone 8a) August 25, 2009 02:53 AM	Why don't you just turn them into your soil or compost them?
HoneybeeNC Charlotte, NC (Zone 7b) August 25, 2009 04:49 PM	My parents used to do that - I grew up in England.
cando1 Ozone, AR (Zone 6a) August 25, 2009 05:26 PM	I've heard it's best to remove plants from garden so as not to spread diseases from old plants to new ones.
cptspanky Pine City, NY August 25, 2009 05:44 PM	Depending on IF your plants have no fungus that you know of... The best way to reuse their nutrients is to either till them right back into your garden, OR pull them and put them in your compost for next years first till. Although burning and tilling still puts a lot back in, you lost a lot during the consumption stage of fire IMHO -Dave
dividedsky Indianapolis, IN (Zone 5b) August 25, 2009 06:50 PM	Interesting. I was shaking my head no until you said you were going to set fire to them. If it's a first-year garden, there could be bug eggs and disease and such that you didn't notice or aren't aware of. And you don't want to put that stuff in the compost - right? (My composting knowledge is limited.) My first-year garden (last year) was pretty close to Jarsh's city (hi neighbor!) and I had a nice case of powdery mildew on just about anything it would grow on. (Heck, I'm dragging powdery mildewed pumpkin and squash vines to the burn pile this year, too. The compost pile is getting lonely.) The question IS - will a hot fire kill the fungal spores? I don't know. If not, you'd probably want to get those plants out of the garden asap. I'm intrigued. I indulged in a brief squash-bug-eggs-popping-in-the-fire fantasy. It sounds like you're aware that you don't want to leave plant debris in and around the garden because it gives pests a place to overwinter. So you're on the right track. If you're confident that you know the difference between diseased and healthy plants and have a good spot for a compost pile, that would be a good way to go. If not, I'll look for smoke down your way. :o) View Larger
Jarsh83 Greenwood, IN August 27, 2009 02:43 AM	Thanks everyone for the help, one last thing...I have a few important docs that I need to get rid of. Do u think it would be okay to burn it in the garden or is paper bad for the garden LOL thanks
Ignoramus Cincinnati, OH August 29, 2009 01:45 AM	I have a vague impression, if I recall correctly that burning is a technique to change the PH. I think tilling crops under generally makes the soil more acid; whereas I think burning tends to make the soil more base. If I recall correctly one of the ingredients for lye soap is ash. I think ash is a crude form of lye/caustic soda. I think if your soil is already on the base side it would reduce your crop yields and increase your costs if you burned; so it would likely be to your disadvantage. If your soil is overly acid I think it might be to your advantage to burn. If the pH of your soil is good you might be better off discarding the old plant matter. Like others: I’m also curious to know if anyone knows if burning might help kill diseases. It sounds plausible. This message was edited Aug 28, 2009 8:56 PM This message was edited Aug 28, 2009 8:57 PM
Jim41 Delhi, LA August 29, 2009 04:10 AM	A lot of farmers burn residue in their fields but it is not a good practice. It burns a lot of nutrients out of the soil. If I had somewhere else to burn them, I would do that then spread the ashes.
LTilton Glen Ellyn, IL (Zone 5b) August 29, 2009 05:01 PM	I think it's a particularly good idea for eliminating pests, even moreso than diseases.
Jim41 Delhi, LA August 29, 2009 06:47 PM	If that is what you think LTilton then go for it. I was just giving the best advice I knew.
Jarsh83 Greenwood, IN August 29, 2009 08:09 PM	WOW, I did not know everyones different views. As far as it making the soil more of a base, that would be okay cause I am extending my garden for next year. So it will be nice and spread out. To touch on the bug and disease issue, I did have a HUGE stinkbug issue this year (things go for everything) and my tomatoes were hit my something. I think the heat would work for both. I am trying to stay away from spreading a bunch of weed/grass killer along with bug spray. Any other comments would be GREAT!! Thanks
LTilton Glen Ellyn, IL (Zone 5b) August 29, 2009 08:57 PM	Actually, Jim, burning debris isn't allowed where I live, but I do think it sounds like a good idea. Everytime I read up on a pest, I see how it overwinters in the debris. This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 4:52 PM
Jim41 Delhi, LA August 29, 2009 09:25 PM	You are absolutly right about over wintering in the debris. One needs to dispose of it in some manner. Course down here a lot of pests over winter in the ground. As bad as I dislike cold weather we need a good hard freeze for a couple of weeks each winter. Makes the bug problem a lot less.
dividedsky Indianapolis, IN (Zone 5b) August 30, 2009 12:23 AM	I'm not a fan of really cold weather, either. Same thing, though. Now that I'm gardening, when we get a good hard freeze, I think of all the bugs I won't be fighting in the coming season.

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