Raised Beds

Several years ago I made a straw bale garden, basically as a how-to for someone with limited mobility or even wheel-chair bound. It was pretty successful for growing vegetables, but I didn't repeat it due to all the weed seeds in the bales. I fought those damned weeds for 3+ more years.

About the same time, I saw an ad in the local paper for free small Japanese cedar shipping crates and I picked up about a dozen. My plan was to dismantle them and use the cedar slats for a chicken house, but taking just one apart was a nightmare. They used so many staples in the construction that much of the cedar split when taking one apart, and the wood was not useable except as kindling. 

The remaining crates have been just sitting in a stack at the end of the driveway for several years. 

Since my health has diminished, I finally decided to cut the crates down and use them for raised beds and make gardening/weeding a bit easier on this old woman.

This is the start of my small raised beds made from those Japanese cedar boxes. I'm still debating whether to put the cut-off tops in another row or two since they are the same size. I could nail the lids back on the tops and invert them so they'd all have bottoms but if I do, those would sit directly on the ground and perhaps rot sooner. (Not that that's a problem.) The bottom pieces (shown in the pics above) have 2x4's as part of the support under them, probably to make them easier to move with a forklift when they were full of car parts.

The bags and containers sitting in the crates are amendments (organic compost, worm castings, Greensand, Azomite, CalPhos, etc.) that I will add when I get a load of topsoil. The single crate with dirt already in it is lined with hardware cloth (welded wire mesh) and planted with sweet potato slips. I'm not sure that box is deep enough for root vegetables though, but I didn't have enough hardware cloth for one of the deeper boxes I cut specifically for root veggies.

All the boxes will get lined with fiberglass screening to keep most of the dirt from filtering out through the gaps in the slats. 

I have a few more crates sitting around that I can use if necessary to expand the raised bed area... some are on the front porch holding paper to start fires, kindling, and firewood. Keeps the porch looking less messy!

There is a mfg. plant about 40 miles up the road that imports rack and pinion parts from Japan, and they are shipped here in those crates. When I moved here in 2006, the crates were free and I got a bunch. I understand they now charge $10 for them.

Actually, getting two small raised beds out of one $10 crate is pretty cheap. I doubt I could buy the lumber for $10.

Seed Starting and Germinating

In my zone, it's getting to be seed-starting time, and I have actually started one flat of beans and summer squash. Still too early to start seeds like tomatoes, and we'll have frost (or close to it) for the next week or so. Our last frost date is May 15, so it's always iffy until then. 

I was gifted a nice small portable greenhouse that I just put together, and have sitting on my front porch. In addition to the flat of seeds I have started, I purchased a few lacinto kale plants, and some thyme that are in the mini greenhouse, along with some garlic, onions and shallots that need planting if I can ever get someone to till that bed for me.

I got these 2 charts from a friend but she didn't say where she found them. I prefer to note the source of things I post that are not mine, but the information in these is very good so I decided to share them anyway. The charts are based on AIR temperature. 

Edited to add I found the source: http://cultivatorscorner.com/when-to-start-vegetable-seeds 
Hope they are helpful to you!

Minerals, and the Stalwart Scots of Old...

Two, three, and more centuries ago, the Scots in the Highlands (and those in the Southern Uplands) were stalwart, hearty men who were able to hunt or fight in battle all day without fatigue. We know they often raised sheep, and they fished and hunted deer, but their main carbohydrates were from the oats and barley they grew. 

I haven't found any descriptions of the nutritional value of the oats and barley they grew back then, but you can be sure they were more nutritious, especially in mineral content, than what is grown today. As Dr. Shanahan points out in her book, it was common practice to replace the thatching on their crofts every year, and put the used thatch on their gardens. One big difference in that practice, and the mulching we do today, is the mineral content of the thatch.

The Scots usually heated their crofts with peat fires where wood was scarce, and the smoke rose and escaped through loose areas in the thatch. The thatch itself collected minerals from the smoke. The cooking/heating fires were often directly on the floor, and crofts had a chain and hook hanging from the roof above. This could hold a potful of porridge, an iron kettle of boiling water, or a griddle for baking bannocks or flat oat bread. 

The fires were seldom allowed to go out completely, and the thatch collected the smoke and minerals all year long. I suspect the carbon collected from smoke in the thatch was biochar. By putting this mineral-rich material back into their gardens when they re-thatched annually, they kept the soil re-mineralized.

We fail to do that today, not because we don't have peat fires and thatched roofs anymore, but because home garden advice stresses NPK, and occasionally calcium/lime to "sweeten" the soil. The ignored and overlooked micronutrients are so very important to good garden health, and therefore our own health.

If you truly care about health, give yourself the gift of a good soil survey (not the cheap kind from the Extension Service) that tests minerals and micronutrients. It's not necessary to do it very often once you get the soil adjusted. Your plants will thank you, and your healthy body will thank you.

Preventing Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Damage

I haven't had a decent tomato from my garden in the last 2 years, thanks to the sucking damage from the Brown Marmorated Stink bugs. However, this product just might be the answer! (Other host plants for this pest includes peaches, apples, green beans, cherry, raspberries, and pears. I might have had some summer squash damage last year, but for sure I had winter squash damage.)

Tomato 'Greenhouse' Products

http://www.americannettings.com/tomato-greenhouse/

Get the most from tomato plants with their own individual mini-greenhouses made from red, perforated plastic film. Allows air circulation and heat retention for faster growing tomatoes while protecting against rain split and pests. The Tomato Greenhouse is sized to fit over tomato cages or attach to stakes. U.V. stabilizers added for longer life.

Since I usually grow indeterminate tomatoes (which grow tall), it is not tall enough, but I'm sure there is a way to add an upper-layer as the plants grow and still keep the stink bugs out. The website says it comes in a roll 20' x 28" for $9.19. At this point, I'm willing to try almost anything!

Disclaimer: I have NO financial interest in this product, nor any company connected to it!

Growing Healthier Greens

One of the best things you can add to your garden for growing superb greens is rock dust. Volcanic rock dust, if you can find it, otherwise any rock dust is better than none. (Rock dust is good for all plants in the garden, but especially the greens because it helps give structure to the leaves.)

"Adding volcanic dust mimics glacial cycles which naturally fertilized the land. Since the last ice age three million years ago the earth has gone through 25 similar glaciations, each lasting about 90,000 years. We are currently 10,000 years into an interglacial -- a hiatus between ice ages -- meaning modern soils are relatively barren and artificial fertilizers are needed." (Quote Source)

The addition of rock dust is usually called RE-mineralization, because our soils have become very depleted in minerals over time. (Plants take up minerals as they grow, some more than others, and normal fertilizing doesn't add all the minerals back in.) There are 17 essential plant nutrients; of those, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen are absorbed from the air, while the other essential nutrients (mostly minerals) and water must be obtained from the soil.

However, what really makes a garden work is all the bio-organisms that will convert any and all the nutrients to a form the plants can utilize (take-up via roots). All the nutrients in the world are useless unless they are in a form plants can use.

When we fertilize, we usually add the inorganic nutrients consisting of NPK or nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are called primary nutrients because the plants use a LOT of them. (Bagged NPK doesn't include anything else but NPK and a filler.)

The secondary (mineral) nutrients are calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Those do not always need re-application every year, but they might, so get a soil sample! The third classification is micronutrients (it's what rock dust contains and needed only in small quantities)... more than 50-60 micro-minerals like boron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt and more are available from some rock dust sources.

The colloidal carbonaceous residue known as humus serves as a nutrient reservoir. Besides lack of water and sunshine, nutrient deficiency is a major growth limiting factor.

There is some thought that the calcium and magnesium in the rock dust converts atmospheric carbon into carbonates... which would be essentially sequestering some carbon in the soil, if I understand it correctly.

Currently, I add 2 kinds of rock dust to my garden: Azomite, and Greensand which is mined in New Jersey. I also add biochar sifted from my woodstove ashes, which I inoculate with mild urea or compost tea. All of these components give the bio-organisms something to convert to nutrients for the plants. I know I probably don't build enough humus yet... that is: I don't add enough active organic matter... but this year I plan to use EM-1 (Effective Microorganisms) on my compost and also make Boshaki to continue growing effective microorganisms for my soil life.

But remember, it all starts with rock dust to feed the existing bio-organisms in my soil, which will feed the plants that will feed me.

Latest Gardening Fashion: Slug Collars!

Split Copper Collar on seedling

Nope, I am NOT putting collars on the slugs, nor am I wearing a collar fashioned out of slugs! I'm making collars to deter slugs in the garden. Slugs are a gardener's problem almost everywhere, and living on the creek, my problems are exacerbated by also having snails who do the same kind of damage.

Years ago I read that slugs will not cross a copper strip because it gives them a jolt, so I bought a roll of 1 inch copper tape to put down on the top edges of my raised beds. It didn't work! 

Recently I read that copper actually IS effective (it was a science experiment), BUT to work, the slugs have to crawl across 3 inches of copper to build up the galvanic action between their slime trail and the copper. THEN it works!

Two weeks ago I ordered a 2 foot piece of 12 inch wide copper from Basic Copper. It wasn't cheap... but it is thick enough (16 mil) to re-use for several gardening seasons... and when it gets too beat-up and out-of-shape to use, I can sell it as scrap copper.  I probably could have used a thinner gauge of copper, but I really want to be able to use them over and over.

 

The first collars (made today) were for larger plants already in the ground, so the copper needed to be split to go around the stem. (I'm going to make all of them that way... it's easier.) I thought about taping the collar split ends together, but that would just give the slugs a place to climb that wasn't copper. In putting them around a plant, I found I could just squeeze the copper "tube" around the stem and the ends would overlap... then I pushed the collar into the ground just enough to hold it in place. 

What I did:
I cut a 4 inch wide strip off the copper sheet, then the first strip into 6" lengths... that gives me collars 4" tall, enough to push the bottom into the soil and still have 3" or more for the slugs to climb. I'm testing it tonight before I cut any more, but I have every confidence the science experiment was correct. I put those first 3 collars on small tender seedlings this afternoon, and will check them in the morning. The only thing I might change is either taller collars so more length can go in the soil for stability, or wider sections to roll into split tubes.

Update:
It Works! I will, however, make them a bit taller and wider just for my own convenience.

Fall Planting Calculator, Free

Now is the time to schedule and/or plant fall crops, and Johnny's Selected Seeds has a great calculator you can download for free to make the planning simple. It is programmed by vegetable with dates to maturity, and all you need to do is replace the 10/1/2011 first frost date with the first frost date in your zone. That will give you the planting date for each seed type for the best harvest. (Only a couple of dates have already passed for my micro-climate area, things I probably wouldn't grow anyway.)

It doesn't include planting dates if you are using frost protection like row covers, just the dates if you are planting unprotected in the ground. 

I plan to make good use of it since I always think I will plant fall crops and then miss the dates and end up with immature vegetables!

Comfrey as Fertilizer, and Animal Feed

One of my several comfrey plants

I grow a lot of comfrey and it makes a great fertilizer. That's because comfrey is known as a dynamic accumulator, meaning the roots grow very deep (as much as 10 feet) and "mine" nutrients... that is, they bring nutrients up from the sub-soil and into their leaves. Those nutrients then can feed other plants if the comfrey leaves are used as a fertilizer.

Comfrey leaves have twice the nitrogen of composted manure,  about 18 times the potash, and 59 times the amount of phosphorus.

There are several ways to make fertilizer from comfrey leaves. The leaves can be put in water to dissolve, and be used as a fertilizing tea, or mixed with other liquid fertilizers. They can be put in a bucket where they will wilt and then dissolve into a very smelly liquid which can be thinned with 15 parts of water for a foliar feed or a fertilizing tea. You can also add the leaves to a compost pile.

Personally, I like to line trenches with several layers of fresh-cut leaves, cover them with a layer of dirt, and plant potatoes in the trench. I also just lay a few of layers of leaves along the sides of my tomato plants as a feeding mulch.

There are a few other plants that are also dynamic accumulators. The list includes arrowroot, borage, buckwheat, carrot leaves, chicory, clovers, daikon, kelp, lemon balm, marigold, mints, stinging nettle and yarrow. I'm sure there are others but those are the ones I know about. Most of those do not "mine" as deeply as comfrey, though.

Comfrey as Animal Feed

Comfrey is of great value as a feedstock.
 
Apparently pigs love it and will happily consume up to 20lbs a day! The Nihon Agricultural
University in Japan stated that: ‘a noticeable result was the improved health of the pigs
fed on comfrey’ not only from the allantoin, which banished scouring, but better mineral
balance.
 
Comfrey has been successfully fed to a wide range of animals from racehorses through
sheep and cattle to exotic animals such as giraffes.
 
For the homeowner and gardener who may keep poultry, comfrey can provide a
useful and productive addition to the their diet. The simple digestive system of the hen contains no bacteria or stomach enzyme able to digest cellulose so the hen receives no value from high-fiber diets. In fact this is a positive disadvantage because when the crude fiber
content reaches 10% or more, there can be a reduction in the digestibility of carbohydrates. This will cause  a fall in egg yields and delayed maturity even if the rest of the diet is nutritious.
 
Comfrey provides a low fiber, high protein and high mineral feed which can effectively replace some costly concentrates in the poultry diet. Comfrey is best served wilted and shredded, with the fibrous stalks removed to further decrease the fiber. 5 plants per laying hen should provide enough comfrey for feeding purposes.
 
Obviously comfrey is available in winter in most of the US (unless silaged) so should be replaced with other foodstuffs, such as kale or cabbage.

Seed Starting Mix

Today I made up some seed starting soil in anticipation of my seeds arriving soon, and will also plant a few old seeds I already have on hand. 

The seed starting soil is easy to make and much better (and cheaper) than what you can buy. A 'part' measure can be a coffee can, a teacup, or a bucket... depending on how much you want/need:

3 parts peat

3 parts worm castings or vermicompost (nutrition)

1 part perlite (keeps soil loose for root growth)

½ part greensand (mineral nutrition)

Mix everything but the greensand together until well mixed, then add the greensand and incorporate as uniformly as possible. Dampen the mix before planting seeds. Peat is not very 'wettable' so you may have to over-saturate it and then let it drain/dry some before planting seeds.

So today, with some old seeds, I started French filet beans (hariciot verts), spinach (which I will continue to sow over 2 week intervals), and 4 kinds of heirloom tomato seeds, as I  await my 2011 my seed order.

Tomorrow I plan to plant 2 sweet potatoes to develop slips to plant. Wish me luck, because I've never tried this... and I hope my seed starter mat gets to the necessary temps!

Japanese Beetle Infestation

Photo from Benimoto's photostream

It's too late to do any prevention for this year's Japanese Beetles, but here's a suggestion for capturing some this year before they do much damage. I use it in preference to the 'pick and squish' method.

You could also try interplanting with species that are known to actively repel the adults: white mums, rue, tansy, larkspur, garlic, citronella. Down below the recipe is a prevention suggestion for next year.

Japanese Beetle Mix
This recipe is to be used in the height of the Japanese Beetle season.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 mashed banana
1 pkg yeast

Mix all ingredients in a milk jug. Place the jug (with the top off) in an area where Japanese Beetles gather. The bugs get in but not out. (It doesn't draw all the neighbor's Japanese Beetles the way the traps do.)

A very organic way to go after those beetles!

Prevention

Prevention is not much help for this year, but controlling grubs in the immediate area will reduce the numbers in succeeding years. Chemical controls are best applied in late summer, after the current season's eggs have hatched and the grubs have begun to feed. There are numerous products available for eliminating grubs, the one you choose must be labeled for white grubs, and the package directions must be followed exactly. Your local Cooperative Extension Service can help determine the best time to apply in your area.
 

Biological controls include beneficial nematodes and Milky Spore disease, and both of these attack only grubs, and prevent recurrence for years. See "Help! Grubs are killing my lawn!" for more info on biological controls for grubs.

Diminish garden weeds naturally

Here's a great garden tip:

If you plant rye (as a mulch) between the garden rows and keep it mowed, the allelochemicals that leach from rye residue prevent weed germination but do not harm transplanted tomatoes, broccoli, or many other vegetables.

Allelopathy refers to a plant’s ability to chemically inhibit the growth of other plants. A good example is the black walnut which prohibits many things from growing under or around it.

Rye is one of the most useful allelopathic cover crops because it is winter-hardy and can be grown almost anywhere. Rye residue contains generous amounts of allelopathic chemicals.

When left undisturbed on the soil surface, these chemicals leach out and prevent germination of small-seeded weeds. Weed suppression is effective for about 30 to 60 days. But if the rye is tilled into the soil, the effect is lost.