TY, Lyn. In my last, I said "she" in the paragraph asking about a 2nd part to the video linked in the original post of this discussion, and did not make it clear I was talking about Elaine Ingham. Excuse me for being unclear! I very much admire how you are doing what you can with what you have. Going back to an original level, both ladies, as well as both of us were probably inspired at one point by the knowledge that historically, they didn't do it like we do now, whether gardening for ornamental purposes or to harvest edibles, not necessarily a distinction that would have been made at any particular time or place for the average person. By trying to understand nature, we can harness its' power, rather than trying to bend it to our will at our own expense with poisonous concoctions, ruinous methods, and wasting OM instead of using it.
Duff from the forest is partially to mostly decomposed already. If I went to the trouble to gather some, I would put it on beds immediately. The sun baking it would remove the moisture content, which would slow the decomposition process, which slows as moisture dissipates. It would become crumbly after baking, resembling dirt, because it would be dead. Compost like this is the stuff needed to change sand, clay, silt into something plants can grow well in, the forest makes its' own. Removing the moisture content kills the decomposing, live soil organisms, and the moisture must be replaced when the material is put in the garden. Trying to keep a moist layer like this on garden beds is my goal.
Thanks, Hazelnut! I've seen it, that's what I was describing above. I've only tilled a spot once in my whole gardening career. I remember tilled veggie gardens when I was a kid as bare, dry, cracked, and didn't want to duplicate that, but DH offered to till through a bunch of old tree roots for me a few years ago and that was good, once, to get started in that spot. Once I removed the large chunks of root, I put a couple feet of leaves on that spot and let it age over winter.
Here is my newest spot of reclaimed grass, hardly anything in it yet. Covered (green) grass with large, overlapping (brown) cardboard, outlined with the landscape timbers, then very unscientific layers/additions of OM as available. Digging in too soon could be a disaster if the grass isn't really dead yet. Waiting longer = more certainty, more lovely decomposition. The filling was much higher inside the timbers but shrunk significantly while decomposing. I will install a few things I have in pots when it cools off a bit, and will have created a whole 'landscaping bed' without ever breaking a sweat. Plenty of room to stick some annuals in the spring too for a few years until the baby versions of larger things mature.
