Viewing post #577766 by dyzzypyxxy

I'll second that comment, for sure. If you love learning, you're going to be a gardener for a lifetime. There's always new stuff to learn! Plus stuff to "re-learn" - thanks Kent for the correction about black and red rasps. It's been 10 years at least, what can I say? I knew there was a reason for not planting them adjacent. I also learned about 'Ebony King' being a thornless ! ! blackberry today.

You surely did geek out with the analysis of the local dairy's compost there Devin. It's absolutely fabulous stuff. You just can't do anything better for your plants than adding as much compost as you can lay hands on. Or in the case of us old people, as much compost as you can shovel . . . ! I would think you could top dress your berry patch every spring - once it's established - with that dairy compost, and it would pay you back in spades, so to speak.

Just be a bit careful on putting it on your new plants - manure can release at different rates, for example if you get a heavy rain right after you plant in a bed with it, it could burn seedlings or new growth with too much nitrogen all at once. That's why a pelleted slow-release fertilizer is safer for new plantings. It releases the nutrients at a controlled rate.