A DAY IN THE LIFE
Spent some time clearing the area near where the garden is going to be planted. There was some old gasoline that was mixed with oil. I think it had been used in a chain saw but I had no need for it. So I decided to pour it on the cleared brush and branches and burn it all together rather than going to the recycling center.
I knew it was a tricky thing to do but I did it anyway. And sure enough.... it exploded!
If I had been a few feet closer when I threw the match in there....... Thank Krishna I wasn't.
The explosion was very forceful and pushed me backwards.
It was a heart-stopper and started a grass fire heading for the woods...
Good thing I had the hose there ready to go.
Found time to put a manual gate latch on the gate. It took more time that I thought because I had to build up the gate with extra wood. There was an electric gate opener on it but I didn't want electric. So I removed it and will try to sell it.
I was curious what the soil is like. Is it hard? Is it clay? Is it sand? Is it rocky.
I peeled back some of the carpeting and dug in.
What a surprise! It is great. Like chocolate cake. Rich, moist, fluffy, top soil. Not even a pebble. Just well rotted top soil.
There may have been a garden there before. Beautiful.
It will be very easy to turn with just a shovel. No tiller needed.
Couldn't get to it today but I will. Just over the back fence previous owners have thrown all kinds of trash. Broken glass, old tires, It's pretty nasty. I'm going to have to get back there and pull all that out of there. Have to watch for snakes and ticks.
littering is not good because it can cause various diseases, therefore we must maintain cleanliness. it's a very useful post jiva, go ahead @ jiva34.
be grateful you survived the danger
Definitely after the cleaners, everything will look neat, page @jiva34, good luck @jiva34
cleaning the gardens and grass that burned can be a good organic fertilizer, success is always in gardening @ jiva34
Burning garbage is a good thing, we are free from virus disease @jiva34
Love a clean environment, Good post, @jiva34
It might have been much less violent had you waited about 10 minutes, the volatiles disperse and the oil soaks in to a degree. It certainly WAS a good thing to have your hose handy.
Your topsoil is probably reclaimed swamp that has be digesting for decades now...there may have been a lot of clay in it, but it certainly has a huge load of organic matter now.
I did not see any earthworms. Not a real good sign. Might be too acidic. Other parts of the acre do have worms. Lots of them. But this part next to the wooded area, no. But I like this area because it is already fenced in and will keep deer out.
Burning stuff should balance pH pretty quickly- maybe dump some worms in there now...
Keep up the good work
good job @jiva34