Should be fine. I put my extra/leftover hay last year in my composter and it broke down and turned into nice compost. I don't know if it was fertilized hay or not. Get a good pile going and mix in some sugars and greens and it should turn out nice.

Derek, he answers my questions ha . My two year old compost pile of just kitchen scraps, leaves, grass etc. Made for some nice stuff this year .

Looking good Brad. I entertained drip irrigation but it was pricey. Tried soaker hoses too but good ones are high dollar and I would need 160'. The PVC drip idea seemed like the long term economical option but I never got around to building/buying any. Plus a PVC route would mean my gardens would have to be laid out identical every year.

Granted I don't use drip yet, because I've just been too lazy to do it, but you should be able to get a good drip system for $100 or less. Drip depot has a package. Gardeners Supply has a snip and drip system. You can buy just the connectors and your own water/soaker hose with the GS. I have the snip and drip connectors, but as I stated I'm too lazy to lay it out and connect them. One day....

I'm having really bad luck with soaker hoses. Any decent ones yall have found that wont break the bank and actually work?

i've been using this for years...usually change them out every 2-3 years...depends on how nasty the water is and plugs up the weeping holes

https://www.amazon.com/Swan-Products-Miracle-Gro-MGSPAK38100CC-Fittings/dp/B00F0R6WLE

Derek and cman , but yall dont water overhead majority of the time , so what are you using?

My onions are going bonkers this year. All watered with a 1� RainBird drip valve and RainBird XFD dripline .6 GPH/ 18� o.c. Emitters.

How big is that bed with the set up before those onions got grown?

I use one of those watering wand things. It's like 3' long. I can walk around and water around the base and don't have to bend over.

Guys - my garden went in this weekend (Zucchini, Tomatoes, Bell/Mexi Peppers, Lettuce and Japs) thanks to Lowe's and Bonnie. My garden struggled last year due to watering issues so I ran a drip system to all my plants. Question is - how often between watering (days?) and how long do you leave the drip system on to make sure each plant gets sufficient watering?

I'll get some pics tonight if you think it will help.

Put your hand on the ground and place the tip of your index finger against the plant's stem . Notice where your finger joins your hand at the third knuckle . At that exact location , stick your index finger into the soil until the second (middle) joint is at ground level .

If that first part of your finger feels moist : you're ok . If it's dry : water .
If it's wet up to the second knuckle : wait a few days .

Seriously not BSing you . There's a lot of variables involved and you have to adjust to your particular climate and whatever plants you're growing .

I use a Rapitest 1825 digital moisture meter. I can measure the moisture down to about 8" or so. Takes the guessing game out of when to water. Kinda like a lawn, if you'll let it dry out a little between watering, the roots will go deep searching for water. They will create more roots to go look for what they want creating a larger, deeper root mass. More people have more issues with over watering their gardens than they do under watering. Not saying let them go full drought before you water. But right now cooler temps, and we're in about a every 7 day rain pattern you probably don't have to water at all. I've had my plants in the ground for about 4 weeks and I've only watered them twice.

Good info Derek and Siberman - appreciate it.

my wife ordered one 4 lb bag of organic Citrus-tone for citrus / fruit / nut trees...well, they shipped 12 - 4 lb bags...can i use this stuff in my vege garden 5-2-6 fertilizer with 2% calcium / 0.5% magnesium / 1% sulfur