Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal




Healthy Soil for Healthy Plants

If your dirt is less than ideal, don't despair. Learn to add good things to it to improve its tilth and nutrient value. Included are many methods, but composting is one of the best known.

Learn how to grow plants well by starting with the ground they grow in.

Things Your Garden Will Thank You For

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Garden Soil Amendments

It is the season of gratefulness. We have gathered in our harvests and are putting away the garden for winter’s long sleep.

We are thankful.

But what about the garden? What will replenish its fertility and wellbeing for the next growing season?

Now is a good time to add garden soil amendments to the ground. It will thank you in productive fruitfulness in years to come.

What’s Good For Your Garden?

  1. Diatomaceous earth is an organic “bug killer”; in the garden it can help control nemotodes which stunt plant growth. It can be used indoors, too.
  2. Leaves. Yes, good old fashioned tree leaves decay into rich “leaf mold” which is a wonderful soil conditioner. Save your leaves in plastic bags or compost them to add to your garden soil.
  3. Compost. Since we are talking about compost, it might be a good time to get a Tumbler Composter to save all the winter’s vegetable scraps for humus making, enriching compost. On my list is some Organic Compost Starter to activate my pile for faster results.
  4. Earthworm castings. You could start your own earthworm farm, or buy the bagged castings (which is what I do). Earthworm castings will build soil and add nutrients. This is the best seller on Amazon
  5. Sowing green manures. Sowing a green manure crop will accomplish a number of good things for your soil. Some crops to use: Cereal rye; Agricultural mustard; Alfalfa; Banner fava beans; Alsike clover.

Everything that you do now to prepare for the next growing season is something that you don’t have to do later (when spring crowds your schedule and taxes your strength with its many demands). Many of these suggestions tie in with chores you will be doing, anyway.

Raking leaves? Save them, don’t add to the landfills. Bags stored in an out of the way place, to be added to the garden once they are decomposed.

Clearing the vegetable plot? Sow the crop cover for green manure turned in during spring prep.

Need to get rid of peelings, etc. during winter? Be ready with your composter near the kitchen door.

Look For Discounts

You may not always find them, but late fall is a good time to look for bone meal, blood meal, and fertilizers at a discount.

Even if they aren’t on sale, you may want them ready for use ( checking one more thing off the busy growing season’s to-do list .

Made Compost This Summer?

After clearing the old debris from the surface, add your made, or half-made compost into the earth. Loosely fork it in.

Add a small amount ( handfulls) of  organic fertilizer to the garden, as well. It will help further decompose the leaves or compost you have added.

Animal manures ( chicken, horse, cow… not from pets) are good to spread across the soil to age over the winter months.

Reminder

  Don’t work clay soils when wet

Have Acidic pH?

Fall is a good time to sprinkle in lime, or adding clean wood ashes.

Or maybe the pH is high? Acidify with pine needles, or sulfur.

Not sure? Take a sample to the county extension office or use a home soil tester.

Frost Action

Out here in the North, where our cold climate gives plenty of winter frost action, the farmers used to turn up the earth in big clods to better take advantage of the way frost will condition the soil and help expose insect eggs to the elements.

I say “used to” because so many farmers here have been convinced to use ” no-till” methods which depend on chemical control for killing insects, weeds, and to keep soils from blowing away.

The old organic method, perhaps with a cover of rye or alfalfa might be the best method for your garden. Experiment!

 

Rock Dust

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I came across an interesting video that combines some thoughts I’ve attached to over the years. It inspires me to get some local rock dust from the gravel pits around here- we are a glaciated region.

Well, I’m not considering becoming vegetarian any time soon, but it just makes sense to build the depleted soils I grow my food on, now.

The Healing Power of Minerals, Special Nutrients and Trace Elements and Empty Harvest are two books mentioned that I’m very interested in reading.

I had read a book years ago (actually in the sixties) about the Hunza’s healthy diet … my Grandfather had bought copies for all the family members. I remember yogurt and honey being two things important for health, but didn’t recall much on mineral soils producing good nutritious food. There was some comment on some of the mountainous area of some societies contributing to healthy longevity.

Like most things concerning health and well being, there seems to be a combination of factors that contribute… working into old age (and mattering to ones society), healthy foods, contented attitudes rather than stressful striving, I try to pick things that I know I can do to improve, and go from there. Re-mineralizing my soils in the vegetable beds seems like a reasonable step.

Garden Therapy

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Science discovers one reason we find solace in the garden

Getting dirty may lift your Mood

Bacteria found in the soil activated a group of neurons that produce the brain chemical serotonin

Treatment of mice with a ‘friendly’ bacteria, normally found in the soil, altered their behavior in a way similar to that produced by antidepressant drugs, reports research published in the latest issue of Neuroscience.

These findings, identified by researchers at the University of Bristol and colleagues at University College London, aid the understanding of why an imbalance in the immune system leaves some individuals vulnerable to mood disorders like depression.

Dr Chris Lowry, lead author on the paper from Bristol University, said: “These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining mental health. They also leave us wondering if we shouldn’t all be spending more time playing in the dirt.”

Here’s the Poop on Manure

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In all this talk about raising urban chickens and growing organically in city allotment plots… it was bound to raise the topic of manure. After all, it is no secret that this is a big part of life (albeit not spoken of in polite company;), and gardening is all about life.

So in my search queries this question came up:”how much manure to put in garden”. It is not so much the amount as the type and the condition of it. First, let’s talk about “hot” manure. The reason we have this definition of types of manure is because when it is high in nutrients, it is also likely to “burn” the plants. You can burn plants with too much chemical fertilizers, too. So more is definitely not better, but “fresh” isn’t so good either.

The general rule

Don’t put raw manure directly on garden soils

Certain types of manures have certain chemical makeups. It is the NPK that is quantified. Poultry manure is the highest in nutrients and the most likely to burn plants. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it; on the contrary, the Amish ladies hereabouts use it to grow very lush gardens. The thing is that it must be “aged” in some way. The farmers who have dairy herds, etc, spread manure on the plowed fields in the fall, which gives it time over winter to age and then it is deeply incorporated with ‘deep’ late plowing and again with the spring harrowing.

Composting speeds up the process and hot composting will also kill weed seeds and pathogens. Yes, we are talking E. coli here. OK, now I’m scaring you…but remember that E.coli is all around (and even inside you) – it is how food and food growing is handled that is important.

So what is important to remember?

  • All animal manure should be aged for at least 6 months

  • Poultry, horse,sheep manures are “hot”
  • Green manure and cow manure are excellent

  • Don’t use pet, pig, or human feces- those produce disease and parasites

Adding manure is a time tested way of conditioning and rebuilding the fertility of the soil, it is natures way of returning nutrients an a cycle of life. We, as husbanding the earth, just need to learn to manage and use it properly. These skills are part of how we garden wisely: sanitation practices, composting, rotating crops, cultivation practices… all are part of the art of gardening. It can be simple to learn, while the science behind it might be complex.

“Getting back to the land” is a skill set, and one that has provided good food, and good health for time immemorial. It is better practiced than idealized, though. I hope this post helps in that endeavor.

You can see, too, that it is in the interest of public sanitation that city chicken flocks be limited in number, and that the manure is handled properly, much like we have regulations for pet poop. We can all live happy and healthy as long as we respect one another. That has to be some natural law, somewhere or another.

This is a good place to append J’s posts:
Green manure #1
Mcadditives, green manure #2 (little play on words there0

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Satisfaction of a Hard Day’s Work

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All those chores and garden ideas I accumulated during the winter are now in process of becoming accomplishments. Yesterday I put in a good hard days work, taught my kids some things and put them to work practicing horticultural skills. The garden is a great place to talk about not just horticultural practices and facts, but economics, … and just everyday common sense skills.

So I planted my hellebores after cleaning out the area under the ailing dogwood. (We are a bit dry and alkaline for the native dogwood to be truly happy here). I took out the hostas that no longer were thriving there and put them under the lilac in the backyard …after grubbing out excess shoots and some residual grass weeds (I had prepared this area in the fall ’08).

The really big accomplishment came at the end of the day, however! Sunshine was giving way to cloud cover laden down with moisture- rain was coming. My digging in the flowerbeds had shown me that the soil was a bit dry, and perfectly workable. So as soon as Handyman, now aka Greenman, came home from work I asked would it be possible to get the tiller up and working? The bad economy has worked like magic on his will to make a productive garden… he practically jumped with enthusiasm saying that he had planned on doing just that. (Oh what good that does a heart- NO NAGGING necessary).

The tiller worked,with some sputterings and coughing, and off we went to the races… tilling up the resurrected vegetable plot, which this year was so much easier to work up, and the soil was lovely. I raked out the weedy stuff and grass which the tiller worked up, and we tilled a little larger area to reclaim more of the garden space (it is presently about a third the size of my original vegetable space)…then did the same thing with the other vegetable plot which I will use for a cutting garden this year (it is part sun, not the best for the veggies). Then came the blessing of soft spring rain. Perfect.

I was so, so happy to have the vegetable garden all ready for the season. If we have normal spring rainfall that garden might not be good to till until very late for planting, but now that is a fait accompli. I love teamwork.

Not making this mistake again

All the coffee grounds collected were tilled in, and I think I can put some cole crops in the new-old vegetable garden which hasn’t grown them for many years (no more of last years mistake). Last year I planted my broccoli and ornamental cabbages in the plot where I had planted some mesclun mix a few years in succession. I forgot that it had kale included. So when the broccoli was stunting and turning sickly… I deduced club root– and THEN remembered the mesclun kale had been there. It was the first time I ever had an unsuccessful cole crop. Hopefully the last, now. I will incorporate lime into the soil where I put this years broccoli as another measure against club root fungus.

I have some concern about my planned mignonette and alpine stawberry planting:

Although clubbing symptoms are unique to members of the Cruciferae, P. brassicae is capable of infecting the root hairs of the following noncruciferous hosts in the indicated plant families: Gramineae, redtop (Agrostis alba var. stoloniferae), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), and ryegrass (Lolium perenne); Rosaceae, strawberry (Fragaria spp.); Papaveraceae, corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas); Polygonaceae, dock (Rumex spp.); Resedaceae, mignonette (Reseda odorata); Leguminosae, red clover (Trifolium pratense).

I might take some pictures of the beautiful soil all ready for this years food production, but pictures of plain dirt aren’t all that interesting. Pictures later in the season for sure, though, because there is nothing prettier than a newly sprouting vegetable garden.

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dirt#2- McAdditives

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i have been making my soil since 1983, here in the piedmont region of georgia. i have tried and often used many ways to add organic nutrition to my soil, without the longterm time-frame in waiting on cover cropping. whatever the size of your garden, there is always time for compost.
i usually make a pile in late fall, for spring planting and mulching. i keep one sort of cooking slow into late summer, add in spent plants and the fall leaves, and return it to beds in the fall season. also liberally placed around perennial plants and shrubs, and fruit trees, if i have enough of it.

there is NEVER enough compost…#1 organic rule of thumb.

certainly a small plot would benefit from organic matter, even digging in the leaves and mulch at the end of each growing season adds good texture to the dirt, and adds food for worms, and the soil bacteria and mycorrhizae so important to ‘living dirt.’ if you cannot devote any room to lie fallow, or a don’t have large enough space to till in green manure, there are many available soil amendments and additives that do nicely to organically improve your garden’s fertility.

my favorite shortcuts to dig into your dirt are as follows. any and all can be used in any combination, so as to produce a gentle combination of N/P/K….most blended organic additives are in the 5-5-5 range. you can pick and choose what you can afford to return to the soil.

remember that any improvements can sometimes be pricey, but consider the price of conventional 10-10-10, as well as the damage that concentrated nitrates can have on living organic dirt. all of these organic additives are used over a much longer term, as they slowly break down. so do consider the longterm investment in your land

alfalfa pellets – horse feed- costs about $ 14 a bag, for 50#. sprinkle down the plant row and till or dig in. adds good organic stuff slowly, esp. calcium, grows great greens and broccoli, etc. and breaks up all into the dirt, drawing worms, and quickly changing the texture of the dirt. i sprinkle it down the rows added to the mulch, also add put in tomato and pepper transplant holes (say, a cup) as well as shrubs and trees (more like 1/2 #) for a larger hole. alfalfa is rich in nitrogen, but you cannot burn a plant with it. i use it freely, even sometimes in potting mix. i go through about a bag a year.

wood ash– those of you that have wood heat already appreciate this wonderful byproduct of the fireplace. since georgia soils tend to be acid, i use a goodly layer every year to condition the dirt and balance ph. my asparagus especially appreciate a winter ashing, it makes production jump dramatically come spring. just a note: i ate my first spears today! 3/17/09

oystershell chicken grit– @ feed stores, maybe $ 5 for a 30 # bag. these rough-ground shell bits are a gentle way to add calcium and lime to the garden, very slow release and nice texture for well draining dirt. another longterm additive, as a little goes a long way.

kelp meal– sometimes available in smaller bags 5 or 10# at nurseries, i ordered a 50# bag one year, and the shipping was higher than the price, but i had years of it.. a good addition to all types of soils, so dig it into the mix liberally. sprinkle handfuls down the row, and add to your transplant holes. rich in potash and ocean minerals. feed a bit to your animals as a supplement, they find it quite palatable, and it’s very nutritious.

last, but not least, rock powders. with very slow release into the soil, they provide phosphorus to balance the nitrogen, and make for good strong roots and good blooming. phosphate rock is available in some places-as an organic additive- but for larger amounts, you can usually locate a pile of rock dust where a new well has been put in. around here its usually granite. nobody usually minds you getting it all, for most new homeowners it’s just in the way.

i no longer make compost as regularly, and i have come to appreciate these shortcuts,
as another way to keep making the dirt. they are not as fast acting as the flash of rapid green growth that accompanies a chemical fertilizer, but the lasting affects of large amounts of organic material and good mulch will be present and working long after that chemical fix is long gone.