I highly recommend cow peas. They can help keep the weeds down, produce nitrates and add carbon to the soil. They also protect against nematodes. You don't need anything fancy. I have used black eyed peas from the supermarket. Now, I use pink eye purple hull crowders. In September, I just run the lawnmower over them. Sunflowers are good too. You can plant both together.

I would go get a bunch of free horse stable sweepings, dump it on the bed, and cover it all with plastic for a few weeks to boil the weed seeds out and bake the nematodes. In fact....I will be doing that myself on Sunday morning!

Or you can buy black kow and peat moss and mix it all in.

Or you can do both. Start a compost heap somewhere and google composting. It doesn't last long in the Florida heat...so you've got to keep at it.

tina, I'll second that about horse stable sweepings. I have hauled yards and yards of it. If you want to see a banana plant go nuts, just pile a couple cubic feet around the base - and step back! Lately this geezer just plants crowder peas and sunflowers for the summer.

LOL! I take it the raja puri has done okay for you! :) Let me know when you get fruit.

tina, my next nanners will be apples and Orinoco. Actually, the big bananas came from a Dwarf Cavendish - back when we didn't have a freeze every year. This is our first year with Raja Puri and Ice Cream. What kind of diameter does the Raja get to? I think I planted it too close to my, also new, carambola. I hate to move it so young, but with the rain lately, it should do OK.

Also, tina, I forgot to mention how much I have learned in my short time with GW - especially this group. What an eye opener! Till now, it has been pretty much trial and error on my own. Thank you everyone!

The when is NOW! Perfect time, because as mentioned above, the heat will help compost down. I did sunn hemp last summer and doing it again this summer as my research found it to be the best at adding nitrogen, repelling nemotodes, and amending my sand (no soil here!).

I'm sure that horse manure is great, but I don't have the means to transport that. So, last year, my first year of creating soil, I did a lot of leaves and alfalfa. I was pleased with the results. I have lots of compost and leaves this year, so skipping the expense of alfalfa (although I chose it because it was the cheapest). I'm still doing the sunn hemp.

Becca

Thank you all!

Thanks Gardenmom! I'd never heard of sunn hemp. I just ordered some seeds.