Are you asking about the breaking down of additions to the central basket? It depends on the weather and temperatures. The time of year. And the materials you put in. Also, if black soldier fly larvae take over your compost basket, they break down the food scraps super fast. They come in the summer,, when it gets very hot out. They look disgusting, but don't seem to do any harm.
I have reached in with a 3 ft rebate rod and stirred up he contents if it starts to stink, or isnt breaking down. Air helps the breakdown, of course. You can add shredded or torn up cardboard between layers of vegetation to improve decomposition. Browns added to greens, as in conventional composting.
I have had a keyhole garden for several seasons now. My zucchini never produced any fruit, just blooms. Lettuce, chard, basil, arugula, sage, and chives have done well. Peas have started well, but succumbed to something that turned them brown from the bottom up, and they died. Tomatoes have bloomed but not yielded tomatoes. Peppers have produced maybe one pepper per plant. In short, I'm just wondering why my garden hasn't produced the way yours does, and others I have seen online. I'm thinking of having the soil tested to see if there is some deficiency. What are your thoughts?
From our veggie specialist. Zucchini had only male flowers. A long stem with a flower. I do not know how to make female flowers. Peas need to be planted in late fall or early winter. The heat and a lot of water will turn the brown. You might need to do the soil test. I use a lot of manure and osmocote for fertilizer. I had a wonderful crop of tomatoes until the second large rains they seemed to have been too much for the tomatoes and they started turning brown. The other thing with some tomatoes is they can take over 90 days from bloom to harvest. I find the smaller tomatoes do better.
I think you have a pollination problem. I started self-pollinating my zucchinis because I didn't have any honey bees for a while. Took off the male flower and pollinated the female flowers with it. Worked great!! I also self-pollinated my tomatoes by flicking my index and middle finger quickly around, touching the flowers. Problem solved. I had an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes after I started this practice of self pollination! 😉 I have a farmer's field to the side of me and in front of me. I think sometimes whenever they spray for the weeds and their beans, they also kill my bees. 🥺☹️
Your Keyhole raised bed is not very tall. It reminds me more of a permaculture type Keyhole version that does not include composting elements below the planting surface.
Building it taller would make it even more drought resistant. The soil shrinks down over time because so much of it is organic matter. So you have to plan what to add on top once or twice a year. Worm castings layered in with fall leaves, peat moss, and maybe some topsoil have worked well for me.
@@texaspatty4697 I am very experienced.with keyhole gardens and how they work. This one is just not as tall as what you would see as a fully composting keyhole garden. Of course, with any raised bed, you will need to amend it over time as organic matter breaks downs, is used up by plants and also eroded away. This would make the soil level drop in any raised bed. Your composting cage is your continuous plant feeding element that should be filled with quicker decomposing kitchen fruit and veggie scraps. Any raised bed tends to be called a keyhole garden if it has that identifying old fashioned door lock, pie with a slice missing or kidney shape appearance. That notch or indentation is to allow easy access to the composting cage.
Thank you for your knowledge
I Had a keyhole garden that was very successful, but we moved and didn't take on the huge task of moving it. I miss it very much!
What maintenance is needed for the keyhole compost? Ie. Does it need to be turned etc? Also, how long does it take to break down?
The way I understand is that as you water the compost tea will leach out through the cardboard liner and as it gets lower keep adding to it.
@@itsnak that's correct
Are you asking about the breaking down of additions to the central basket? It depends on the weather and temperatures. The time of year. And the materials you put in.
Also, if black soldier fly larvae take over your compost basket, they break down the food scraps super fast. They come in the summer,, when it gets very hot out. They look disgusting, but don't seem to do any harm.
I have reached in with a 3 ft rebate rod and stirred up he contents if it starts to stink, or isnt breaking down. Air helps the breakdown, of course. You can add shredded or torn up cardboard between layers of vegetation to improve decomposition. Browns added to greens, as in conventional composting.
I have had a keyhole garden for several seasons now. My zucchini never produced any fruit, just blooms. Lettuce, chard, basil, arugula, sage, and chives have done well.
Peas have started well, but succumbed to something that turned them brown from the bottom up, and they died. Tomatoes have bloomed but not yielded tomatoes. Peppers have produced maybe one pepper per plant. In short, I'm just wondering why my garden hasn't produced the way yours does, and others I have seen online. I'm thinking of having the soil tested to see if there is some deficiency. What are your thoughts?
Sounds like a pollination problem with Zucchini. Let me check with others about the other problems.
From our veggie specialist.
Zucchini had only male flowers. A long stem with a flower. I do not know how to make female flowers. Peas need to be planted in late fall or early winter. The heat and a lot of water will turn the brown. You might need to do the soil test. I use a lot of manure and osmocote for fertilizer. I had a wonderful crop of tomatoes until the second large rains they seemed to have been too much for the tomatoes and they started turning brown. The other thing with some tomatoes is they can take over 90 days from bloom to harvest. I find the smaller tomatoes do better.
I think you have a pollination problem. I started self-pollinating my zucchinis because I didn't have any honey bees for a while. Took off the male flower and pollinated the female flowers with it. Worked great!! I also self-pollinated my tomatoes by flicking my index and middle finger quickly around, touching the flowers. Problem solved. I had an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes after I started this practice of self pollination! 😉 I have a farmer's field to the side of me and in front of me. I think sometimes whenever they spray for the weeds and their beans, they also kill my bees. 🥺☹️
@@jodigoodman269 Thank you so much for this idea! I just found it after all this time!
@@itsnak Thanks so much! I just now found this after all this time.
Can you send me the link and I am study
Your Keyhole raised bed is not very tall. It reminds me more of a permaculture type Keyhole version that does not include composting elements below the planting surface.
Building it taller would make it even more drought resistant.
The soil shrinks down over time because so much of it is organic matter. So you have to plan what to add on top once or twice a year. Worm castings layered in with fall leaves, peat moss, and maybe some topsoil have worked well for me.
@@texaspatty4697 I am very experienced.with keyhole gardens and how they work. This one is just not as tall as what you would see as a fully composting keyhole garden. Of course, with any raised bed, you will need to amend it over time as organic matter breaks downs, is used up by plants and also eroded away. This would make the soil level drop in any raised bed. Your composting cage is your continuous plant feeding element that should be filled with quicker decomposing kitchen fruit and veggie scraps. Any raised bed tends to be called a keyhole garden if it has that identifying old fashioned door lock, pie with a slice missing or kidney shape appearance. That notch or indentation is to allow easy access to the composting cage.
@@munchkin5674 Exactly!