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Here we are, the month we have all been waiting for. This is without question my favorite planting month in San Diego County. We have seen dramatic temperature swings this past month, I hope today’s weather is an indication of what we can expect in October. I hope you have been saving space and preparing your beds for this opportunity.
I have been stock piling humic mulch from the El Corazon Recycling area on Oceanside Blvd. I have been reluctant to use this product this year, but I was unable to get the bulk mushroom compost I was hoping to get. I have used this humic mulch for a long time and noticed that several types of vegetables seemed to not sprout in situ. It is my unproven theory that the composting materials accepted at the facility contain myriad chemicals from every landscape contractor in town. I am certain that a vast majority of commercial sites use pre-emergents to keep the weeds down. Additionally there is probably a large component of eucalyptus. All that being said, our soil is so sandy that any ‘organic’ material is better than nothing (I hope). It also helps the soil retain water. If you are container gardening or are feeling like money is not a issue, I would purchase prepared topsoil or compost.
I have built two large compost piles, but they won’t be coming on line until next year. To offset the potential that the pre-emergents are defeating my attempts, I now sprout all my veggies in starter blocks or in flats in potting soil.
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Fire Mountain Garden Exchange 
[…] The no effort way is to buy stuff from Home Depot and mix it in with your soil, but as you read on my blog last year there are many better alternatives, the best being composting your own kitchen and yard waste. I have […]
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