Gardening and Horticulture - Besides Compost...........

what else can I till under to help the soil? I am zone 4-5 So. WI.

I used to garden 7 years ago and just restarted it last year without adding anything to it. I did get my veggies but I know I can get more if I add more to it. My garden is 30 x 17.

Last winter I didn't till it under so it has most of the old dead plants still in it. I was wondering if I could take the lawn mower and chop up the old plants and leaves and then till this under to help break up the soil?

I also have access to paper egg cartons could I also chop them up and till them under? I did purchase a few bags of manure/compost to add to this.

I will be setting up my compost pile but it will take time and I'd like to give the garden a little "kick" until then.

Any ideas would be grateful.

Thanks

Hi Tabikat,

You can add veggie scraps to the egg cartons and egg shells so it will be more balanced with 'greens' and 'browns'. If your lawn wasn't treated with chemicals you can add grass clippings as a green if they are freshly cut, along with chopped up leaves from last year. Just run your lawn mower over piles of leaves with the bagger on. The problem is these things will be breaking down and can heat up the soil as they degrade. Consider lasagna aka sheet composting next fall.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1999-04-01/Lasagna-Gardening.aspx

In the meantime, I would suggest as much compost as you can. Generally a 4" layer mixed into the soil will be a good start. Here's a compost calculator that might be helpful.
http://www.cedar-grove.com/compost_calculator.asp

You might want to consider a soil test to see what nutrients, if any, are needed. More ideas to add nutrients to your soil.
http://www.greenhands.com/soil/index.html

Newt