Okay, you have your soil prepped, garden ready, plants put in, watering organized, Now what? Well, plants need food and there are many ways to feed them.
There is always a debate between organic feeders and fertilizers. Truth is, your plants really don't care a lot. If they need nitrogen, they are not fussy about the source. The real question is how much work do you want to do, how much money are you willing to spend and what is the nature of your soil.
If you have poor soil and no chance to make compost or bring in top soil, then you will need to feed a lot and you will need good commercial fertilizers. Get a cheap one but be careful. One of the cheapest is Milorganite which is processed sewage. Now this is excellent for lawns and flowers, although it is a bit smelly, but processed does not mean sterile so do not use it around anything you might eat. At the other end of the scale, you have stuff like MiracleGro. This soluble food is wonderful but you have to apply it frequently and boy does it get expensive. Something in between these 2 extremes will do, just follow instructions, do not overfeed, and be ready to water after feeding or you will burn your plants to a crisp. Note: time released fertilizers are not any better but they are more costly; the 1 advantage is, you don't have to be as concerned with watering immediately.
There are fine organic formula fertilizers and they are better for eco-systems. They dissolve slowly, so your feedings last longer. But, they are expensive unless you mix your own. I have done this; you just mix stuff like bone meal and manure, and a few other things, depending on what your soil needs. How do you know that? Send a soil sample to a agricultural agency, an agricultural college or even take it to a nursery. they will test it, often for free, and tell you just what to use. Important note: if you use manure, make sure you buy sterilized manure, otherwise it will stink and you will not want to eat the produce (it will likely contain a bunch of unpleasant bacteria).
Before you do any of this, I urge you to compost. Compost is organic matter and contains pretty much everything your plants will need, plus, it is cheap. If you plant in compost rich soil, there is an excellent chance you won't need any fertilizers and even if you do, you will need very little. Less work and less cost make for a happier gardener.
Showing posts with label compost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label compost. Show all posts
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
Gardening - Compost - Let It Rot
There is a simple secret to inexpensive, easy gardening that makes the whole thing almost foolproof, compost. Compost is organic, vegetable matter that has been left to, well, rot. Okay, it's not quite that simple but, almost. Working compost into your soil does wonders. It contains a very wide range of nutrients and adds a kind of matter that improves soil drainage. The minerals found in compost will help balance your soils ph. All those benefits for almost no cost because, you can make it yourself.
Of course, you can buy compost in bags or in bulk and it really is not terribly expensive but, why not make it yourself?. If you have a yard, there are several ways. You can build a wooden frame, a box shape using outdoor grade plywood nailed to a 2X4 frame, then add a hinged lid. Actually, you can skip the lid, but your neighbors might not find your compost pile attractive, so add the lid. (actually, I just had a thought -why not get together with those neighbors and create a community compost heap). You can, if so inclined, buy a composter, generally a barrel mounted so it can be rotated, like a chicken on a spit, with a lid of some sort. If you are a talented builder, you can even make one quite easily. You can also take the easier ways of getting some huge trash cans or a bunch of large, heavy duty black plastic bags.
You see, all you are going to do is pile up all your vegetative wastes, lawn clippings, raked leaves, hedge trimmings, vegetable and fruit peels from the kitchen, wood chips from tree trimmings, even shredded newspapers (remember, they were once plants). All materials work best when chopped as finely as possible. For example, a large branch of a tree would take a very long time to compost, so cut it up, or, if you have access, run it through a chipper but, you don't have to reduce it to sawdust - use common sense. Do not, ever, ever, ever add animal products such as meat scraps or pet feces. They often carry unwanted parasites, they will draw ever stray cat or possum or raccoon - whatever you have in your neighborhood, and they will stink. Manure and such is processed differently and if you want to add that to your soil, buy it from a garden center.
Start your pile and keep growing it. Every week or so, dampen it and, using a shovel, or better still, a large garden fork, turn it. Wear a dust mask and goggles because, until it is ready, it may harbor molds or fungus. When turned, cover it again, or leave it open if you want but, smell aside, it will compost faster when covered. Yes, I said smell. It will smell some, for awhile. Obviously you don't want your pile next to your house - put it near the edge of your property. The smell will ease up over time and when finished, there will be very little odor.
When is it done? When it is nearly odor free, is a rich brownish black color, and crumbly when handled. Then, just work it into your garden soil. You can do this with a hoe and it is great exercise, but if that is too much for you or if you have a huge garden, rent a roto-tiller. You will be amazed at how improved your soil is and, you will find that you need much less water and fertilizer. During the growing season, if you have more compost ready, just scatter around your plants. The more compost you add and the longer you keep adding it, the better your soil will be.
If you do not have a yard with enough room. or if you are in an apartment, consider buying compost; the expense will be minimal. You can, if you have a patio, make some, by saving vegetable and fruit peels and plant trimmings in large coffee cans. Just keep them damp and turn them a little. You may get enough for your plants. Just keep the lid on.
Two quick notes. One: when you uncover your pile and get ready to turn it, don't be alarmed if it is very hot and even puts off some smoke. That is just the process proceeding as it should. Two: I almost forgot, if you are a coffee drinker, compost your coffee grounds, they will help with the ph adjustment and they have several fine nutrients.
One last thing: how big should the pile be? Well, the more compost you have, the better but, don't make your pile so big that you work yourself to death turning it. Make several small piles. Also, by making smaller piles, the process goes faster. Now, happy composting.
Of course, you can buy compost in bags or in bulk and it really is not terribly expensive but, why not make it yourself?. If you have a yard, there are several ways. You can build a wooden frame, a box shape using outdoor grade plywood nailed to a 2X4 frame, then add a hinged lid. Actually, you can skip the lid, but your neighbors might not find your compost pile attractive, so add the lid. (actually, I just had a thought -why not get together with those neighbors and create a community compost heap). You can, if so inclined, buy a composter, generally a barrel mounted so it can be rotated, like a chicken on a spit, with a lid of some sort. If you are a talented builder, you can even make one quite easily. You can also take the easier ways of getting some huge trash cans or a bunch of large, heavy duty black plastic bags.
You see, all you are going to do is pile up all your vegetative wastes, lawn clippings, raked leaves, hedge trimmings, vegetable and fruit peels from the kitchen, wood chips from tree trimmings, even shredded newspapers (remember, they were once plants). All materials work best when chopped as finely as possible. For example, a large branch of a tree would take a very long time to compost, so cut it up, or, if you have access, run it through a chipper but, you don't have to reduce it to sawdust - use common sense. Do not, ever, ever, ever add animal products such as meat scraps or pet feces. They often carry unwanted parasites, they will draw ever stray cat or possum or raccoon - whatever you have in your neighborhood, and they will stink. Manure and such is processed differently and if you want to add that to your soil, buy it from a garden center.
Start your pile and keep growing it. Every week or so, dampen it and, using a shovel, or better still, a large garden fork, turn it. Wear a dust mask and goggles because, until it is ready, it may harbor molds or fungus. When turned, cover it again, or leave it open if you want but, smell aside, it will compost faster when covered. Yes, I said smell. It will smell some, for awhile. Obviously you don't want your pile next to your house - put it near the edge of your property. The smell will ease up over time and when finished, there will be very little odor.
When is it done? When it is nearly odor free, is a rich brownish black color, and crumbly when handled. Then, just work it into your garden soil. You can do this with a hoe and it is great exercise, but if that is too much for you or if you have a huge garden, rent a roto-tiller. You will be amazed at how improved your soil is and, you will find that you need much less water and fertilizer. During the growing season, if you have more compost ready, just scatter around your plants. The more compost you add and the longer you keep adding it, the better your soil will be.
If you do not have a yard with enough room. or if you are in an apartment, consider buying compost; the expense will be minimal. You can, if you have a patio, make some, by saving vegetable and fruit peels and plant trimmings in large coffee cans. Just keep them damp and turn them a little. You may get enough for your plants. Just keep the lid on.
Two quick notes. One: when you uncover your pile and get ready to turn it, don't be alarmed if it is very hot and even puts off some smoke. That is just the process proceeding as it should. Two: I almost forgot, if you are a coffee drinker, compost your coffee grounds, they will help with the ph adjustment and they have several fine nutrients.
One last thing: how big should the pile be? Well, the more compost you have, the better but, don't make your pile so big that you work yourself to death turning it. Make several small piles. Also, by making smaller piles, the process goes faster. Now, happy composting.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Gardening - It Starts with the Soil
It is easy to go through most of your days without giving soil much thought, but it is, in fact, one of the most important and complex substances on Earth. The few feet of soil, the stuff we walk on every day, is essential for life and is, itself, full of life. In that soil, grows all the plants, with a few rare exceptions, that feed us, feed the animals we eat and put oxygen back in the air.
If you dig up a little soil at random and look closely, you will find an amazing array of life, Insects and worms, for sure, but, with the aid of magnification, a fantastic range of bizarre little critters abound. Bacteria and protozoans and many tiny, tiny crustaceans and other tiny beings engage in the same dance of who eats who that we do on a larger scale. My favorite is the delightful water bear. In dry conditions, this little animals retreats into a small, hard spore but, add water, and it expand into something that, when looked at with magnification, does resemble a wee, tiny bear, and it is a voracious feeder. Soil is very much a living substance and deserves more attention than we give it.
But, this blog is called The Practical American, not the Philosopher, so let's get practical. There are 3 basic types of soil. Sand is large grained and very porous. It holds neither water nor nutrients well. Silt is a bit finer. It drains a little slower and still does not hold nutrients well. Clay packs into a hard mass and holds water well, often too well, and while it retains nutrients, roots often do not like being wet and they don't like being packed tightly.
Ideally, your soil will be a balanced blend of the 3 with a 4th substance, humus, bits of organic matter, mixed thoroughly throughout. Well, nothing is ideal, but don't despair. First, decide what you want to grow, and where. Some plants thrive in poor sandy soil; obviously, you plant them together. Others demand rich soil, so, obviously, you plant them together. In other words, don't go rushing to fix your soil until you know what you are doing.
The same holds for your soil's ph, the measure of how acid or alkaline your soil is. Some like acid, some don't. adjust accordingly. (balanced ph is 7. you can test with a kit you can buy at any garden shop or send a sample to a County or State Agricultural Center, they usually will do the test for free)
Generally speaking, your soil should be between ph 5.5 and 7.5 and be a pretty even mix of sand, silt, clay, and humus. To make it more acid, add sulfur, more alkaline, add lime ( the amounts per area will be explained on the package). To mix soil types, you can go to your garden shop and buy bags of each and mix them in, but that is too much work. Or, you can order top soil, either from a nursery or any trucking company that delivers gravel, rock etc. It is sold by the cubic yard. They dump it in your yard, then wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow, you move it and work it into your soil. Again, that is a lot of work. But, if you have a bit of time and patience, there is a cheaper and easier way. Use compost that you make yourself and I will talk about that in my next post.
If you dig up a little soil at random and look closely, you will find an amazing array of life, Insects and worms, for sure, but, with the aid of magnification, a fantastic range of bizarre little critters abound. Bacteria and protozoans and many tiny, tiny crustaceans and other tiny beings engage in the same dance of who eats who that we do on a larger scale. My favorite is the delightful water bear. In dry conditions, this little animals retreats into a small, hard spore but, add water, and it expand into something that, when looked at with magnification, does resemble a wee, tiny bear, and it is a voracious feeder. Soil is very much a living substance and deserves more attention than we give it.
But, this blog is called The Practical American, not the Philosopher, so let's get practical. There are 3 basic types of soil. Sand is large grained and very porous. It holds neither water nor nutrients well. Silt is a bit finer. It drains a little slower and still does not hold nutrients well. Clay packs into a hard mass and holds water well, often too well, and while it retains nutrients, roots often do not like being wet and they don't like being packed tightly.
Ideally, your soil will be a balanced blend of the 3 with a 4th substance, humus, bits of organic matter, mixed thoroughly throughout. Well, nothing is ideal, but don't despair. First, decide what you want to grow, and where. Some plants thrive in poor sandy soil; obviously, you plant them together. Others demand rich soil, so, obviously, you plant them together. In other words, don't go rushing to fix your soil until you know what you are doing.
The same holds for your soil's ph, the measure of how acid or alkaline your soil is. Some like acid, some don't. adjust accordingly. (balanced ph is 7. you can test with a kit you can buy at any garden shop or send a sample to a County or State Agricultural Center, they usually will do the test for free)
Generally speaking, your soil should be between ph 5.5 and 7.5 and be a pretty even mix of sand, silt, clay, and humus. To make it more acid, add sulfur, more alkaline, add lime ( the amounts per area will be explained on the package). To mix soil types, you can go to your garden shop and buy bags of each and mix them in, but that is too much work. Or, you can order top soil, either from a nursery or any trucking company that delivers gravel, rock etc. It is sold by the cubic yard. They dump it in your yard, then wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow, you move it and work it into your soil. Again, that is a lot of work. But, if you have a bit of time and patience, there is a cheaper and easier way. Use compost that you make yourself and I will talk about that in my next post.
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