Organic Garden Works

Are Your Composting Materials Safe?

2011-10-10T16:42:18Z

Pure Black Castings™                VermaPlex®                  VermaMax®

          a blog by a dog

    Digger's Composting

Careful About Materials You Add To Your Compost Pile

You may be like us and are gathering up materials for your compost heap and mulch for winter plant protection. Did you know that herbicides used on turf grass, hay fields, and other common compost/mulching materials can retain pesticide/herbicide residues that can harm your plants and trees?

And these herbicides can be found in horse and cow manures, too. As if we didn't have enough to worry about these days....

Some Herbicides Don't Break Down

There has been a serious problem for gardeners since 1999 with herbicides that don't break down during the composting process. These herbicides, used to kill weeds in hay and grass can be deposited onto your garden soil and lawns, causing damage to plants, trees and vegetables.

The active ingredients, proved to not cause harm to animals but not proven safe for plants, include:

Clopyralid
Aninopyralid,
Aminocyclopyrachlor

The last one is the active ingredient in the brand-name herbicide Imprelis and is attracting attention.

The above herbicides are in the pyridine family which kill plants by altering plant hormone levels. The reason they do not harm animals is that plants have different hormones than animals and it's safe for the animals to ingest it.

But, what about the manure from these animals? And what about using the treated grass clippings, hay and straw in our gardens and compost piles?

The problem is that these herbicides is, because they remain in the environment for long periods of time , they are causing problems with plants that we all want to keep alive, like our tomato plants, for crying out loud.

The bottom line: Be careful where your compost materials come from. You may inadvertently cause damage or kill your plants, trees and vegetables.

Steps Organic Gardeners Can Take

Compost your own materials.
Only bring in composting materials from sources that you know what maintenance practices are used.
Know your composting sources.
If you use a commercial composting, find out if they accept municipal organic waste material. And, if they do, is it tested for herbicide residue.
Be an activist.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is so named because it is supposed to, get this, "protect the environment". Write them and let them know you want protection from harmful herbicide residues. Herbicides need to be tested for potential harmfulness to plants before approval. Contact manufacturers of herbicides that you want herbicides thoroughly tested before they are put on the market, and not just for animal safety.

Use Only Organic Composting Materials

The only real way to prevent these products from getting into the environment is to not use them in the first place. Avoid using herbicides yourself and don't import compost materials onto your property from outside sources who do.

Certified Organic:

Pure Black Castings™: Certified Organic Worm Castings created using only organic materials.
VermaMax®: Chicken Litter organically composted using VermaPlex®.
VermaPlex®: Created from Certified Organic Pure Black Castings™. Innoculate your garden soil and your compost heap.
Organic Fertilizer Information: Find use/application guides and Monroe Works.

Vegetable Garden Project

2011-10-04T15:02:47Z

Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

a blog by a dog

Digger's Fall Garden Project

New Strategy for Our Fall Garden

Ol' Bill's been's working feverishly on his new garden project. If you've been following my blog (you have been following faithfully, haven't you?) we've struggled with our garden due to the area's weird weather patterns.

The "shade yurt" is just about ready to set up, just in time for unpredictable October.

Shade Gardening

Our Central Florida weather similar to Louisiana and Texas: Relatively mild winters with occasional freezes; early/late frosts and early/late heat. The summers can get hot early and do the tomatoes in before the fruit ripens. An early frost can wipe out young plants in the fall garden; a late frost can wipe out young plants in the spring. A mild winter can be a blessing, providing fresh vegetables year long. A harsh winter can freeze out the hardiest of plants. Whatever weather we get in any given winter is a crap shoot. We won't even get into the drought/flooding issues.

Well, ol' Bill has come up with a possible solution. To protect the plants from sun, frost and freezes, he's building a yurt - a Mongolian portable house. It's fast,easy and inexpensive to build, so we did. Or rather, ol' Bill did. I supervised as usual.

After the yurt is erected, we'll set up a self-watering container garden system in it, cover the yurt with shade cloth and have frost cloth covers at the ready. Oh Tricky Central Florida Weather, bring it on.

Shade Garden

After construction, we set up the yurt to see how it went together. Then, we dismantled it and are just finishing up the protective finish. More to come....

Garden Fertilizer Resources:

About Worm Castings : Articles and use/application guides.
Pure Black Castings ™: Certified organic, OMRI listed 99.9% pure worm castings
VermaPlex ®: Liquid soil inoculant made from these organic worm castings
VermaMax®: Organically composted chicken litter. For extra nitrogen and 6% Calcium.

Other Resources

Fall Lawn Fertilizing

2011-09-24T15:31:41Z

Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

a blog by a dog

Digger Fertilizes Lawns.

It's fall and you know what that means...time to fertilize and re-seed the lawn. Why? Because fall and winter is the time for roots to build and fragile seedlings to get a start before next summer's heat.
Of course, I work none-stop all year long on adding my contribution to the grass and pasture, but I can only do-do so much. I need some help.

Fall Lawn Fertilizer Check List

Things to consider in the fall:

Soil Test.
Now's a great time to send a soil sample to your state's agricultural extension office for testing. You'll see what your soil is lacking and fix it.
Apply organic compost or worm castings.
They will slow release throughout the fall and winter, strengthening your grass's root system for a great start come Spring.
Add microbes.
Microbes will work on this organic content (compost and/or castings), releasing nutrients for your grass.
Aerate.
If you have heavy or clayey soils, aerate before adding the compost/castings.
Over-seed or re-seed now.
The young grass seedlings have time to establish themselves before the drying, hot sun of late spring and summer arrive.

Healthy well-fed grass out competes weeds and eliminates the need for herbicides. Pests are reduced, which eliminates the need for pesticides. Your lawn grass will thrive as you contribute to a safer planet.

Uh...will you excuse me for just a second? I really must do my part in this grass fertilizing project now....like, pronto....

Fall Lawn Fertilizer Resources:

How To Your Lawn : Guides and Application Instructions.
Pure Black Castings ™: Certified organic, OMRI listed 99.9% pure worm castings
VermaPlex ®: Add microbes with this liquid soil inoculant made from these organic worm castings
Lawn Fertilizer Combination: Convenient and saves on shipping.

Other Resources

Organic Farmers Needed

2011-09-19T15:02:03Z


	Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

a blog by a dog

Digger Is Certified Organic!

Organic Farming Research Foundation Report

(huff...puff...pant...) News hot off the ticker. Left a perfectly delicious chew bone to do a quick news post: A report released today by OFRF gives evidence of the benefits of organic farming. It also reveals a bright possibility for those of you looking for a lucrative career choice in our struggling economy and shrinking job market. Read on while I rest..... (and chew)...

Increased Demand For Organic Products

Because of increased demand for organic products, the report urges more public resources be directed towards programs supporting organic farming. That current support can only be described as "modest" and does not reflect the reality of the growing demand for organic products.

Organic Farming Is Beneficial

Further, the report reveals what we've suspected all along: Organic farming practices are tremendously beneficial to consumers, farmers, the economy, and the environment. It also urges more research be done on this growing market.

Did you know that for this ever increasing clamor for organically grown products, there are currently only 14,500 certified organic farmers who are struggling to supply the demand?

So what does the increasing demand for organic products, the limited number of certified organic growers, and the call for more Congressional initiciatives in the upcoming Farm Bill mean? Organic farming is becoming an increasingly attractive option for struggling entrepreneurs looking for a viable business with tremendous demand.

Certified Organic Fertilizers

In order to be produce certified organic products, certified organic fertilizers are required. For farmers seeking organic certification, the following worm-based fertilizers are accepted.:

Pure Black Castings ™: Certified organic, OMRI listed 99.9% pure worm castings
VermaPlex ®: Liquid soil inoculant made from these organic worm castings
VermaMax®: Organically composted chicken litter. For extra nitrogen and 6% Calcium.

Other Resources

Bamboo Growing Progress

2011-09-15T17:42:25Z

Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

a blog by a dog

Digger's Bamboo Lives!

I fertilize the bamboo every chance I get. The rest is up to Ol' Bill.

Quick Update on Bamboo

This bamboo died back entirely last winter. But, it came back with the spring and we've been fertilizing, watering and mulching it to get some hardened off growth before the freezes (if we have any) get here. Good culm growth shows the root system is fully established now. Should help with surviving the winter.

There's time for a dose of VermaPlex® to finish out the growing season.

Bamboo Fertilizer Resources:

Other Resources

Fertilizing Container Garden

2011-09-13T15:23:01Z

Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

a blog by a dog

Digger Digs Holes On Command.

Preparing Fall Container Garden

I volunteered to make narrow holes in the potting soil of our self-watering containers, but I was turned down flat. It’s frustrating for one as talented as me in hole-digging to be passed over. Ol’ Bill opted instead for an old sailing tool to do the job. O.K., O.K. I know my holes can’t be classified as “narrow”, but what I lack in precision I make up for in enthusiasm.

Preparing Fall Container Garden

This is a cool way to add worm castings fertilizer to the potting soil of our self-watering containers without having to dump out the whole she-bang. Drill several narrow holes into the mix, much like you would for tree/shrub fertilizing, and then fill with organic fertilizer. Ol’ Bill pulled out this sailing tool from his bottomless trunk that did the trick.

If you don't possess one of these uncommon tools, you can make one by cutting off a baseball bat up from the narrow end. Round off the end. It should reach down 2/3 of the container depth.

Adding Organic Fertilizer to Containers

After drilling the holes, Ol’ Bill filled them with 50/50 mixture of Pure Black Castings™ and VermaMax®. He added VermaPlex® to the water reservoir and let it perk. Our containers are now ready for planting those heirloom tomato seedlings we picked up from the old-timers.

Next, our heirloom tomatoes and the yurt pics as promised. For now, I think I’ll go practice “precision hole digging”.

Container Garden Fertilizer Resources:

Other Resources

Planting Our Fall Garden

2011-09-12T14:00:50Z

Pure Black Castings™    VermaPlex®             VermaMax®

a blog by a dog

    Digger Loves Fall

Is that a slight nip in the air? An imperceivable drop in the humidity? Are we actually below ninety for a change? No doubt about it, this summer has been a hot one, but, as usual, times they are a'changing. It's time (probably past time) to start thinking about the fall garden.

What To Plant In The Fall Garden

Generally, you should plant only cool weather plants. But, in our area, we can afford to plant some fast maturing warm weather plants like tomatoes and peppers. Most of you guys should only consider cool weather varieties like broccoli, peas, spinach, kale lettuce, onions and radishes.

We happen to have a jump start on our fall garden. Amazingly, when we trimmed back our peppers in the green house, they came back and are producing new blooms and fruit even as we speak. Since they are in the green house, we can probably keep these babies going throughout the winter. Want that be nice.

Ready For Fall Garden

Bonus Fall Peppers

Fertilizing Our Self-Watering Containers

To add fertizer to our self-watering containers without having to dump out the potting soil mix, ol' Bill poked a couple of holes down into the soil of each buckey with a sail making tool (can't think of the name, it's a tapered stick) much like fertilizing around a tree or shurb. He filled these holes with worm castings, then drenched with VermaPlex®.

Other Fall Garden Plantings

The other self container garden (which ol' Bill fertilized the same as above) is going to be moved into our newly constructed (almost finished) "yurt". This structure, meant for our summer garden, will make it easy for us to cover with frost cloth should we get one of those early October frosts like last year. And, because of our schizophrenic weather, we can put on the shade cloth for a late October heat wave. I told you our weather here in Central Florida was a challenge for gardening.

Yurt pics next.

Fall Garden Resources:

Fertilizers: Pure Black Castings™, VermaPlex®, VermaMax®
Vermicomposting: Make your own worm castings fertilizers with earthworms.

Fertilizing Shrubs

2011-08-23T14:41:59Z

Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

     a blog by a dog

  Digger Sometimes Digs

Problem Shrub

Our attention has turned to these poor, neglected shrubs. Actually, there's a good reason they've been neglected. You know, they call me "Digger" for a reason. Amongst these once lovely shrubs is where I gained my reputation as an accomplished digger.

I dug up the landscaping cloth, buried the mulch, made semi-permanent holes - basically creating a big mess. When I saw Kayce walk away in disgust last year, I had a feeling these shrubs were going to the back burner.

But, I've turned over a new leaf (metaphorically speaking) and no longer dig holes. Well, for the most part. Occasionally, when it's hot and I've been banished to the yard for some indoor rules infraction, I have relapses. All in all, though, I'm leaving stuff alone. So it's not going to be wasted effort to bring these shrubs back to life.

A Shrub in Need

First, we (Kayce) pulled out the vines that had overtaken the shrubs this rainy, hot summer. Then we (Kayce) sprinkled some Pure Black Castings™ and VermaMax® around the shrubs and washed it in. After a few days, we'll add a VermaPlex® drench.

Does This Shrub Have Time?

Although it's getting late in the season, there should be time for the shrubs to put out some growth. Then, in the spring we'll add the castings/VermaMax®/VermaPlex® treatment. I've promised to leave the shrubs alone from now on. When the urge to dig comes over me, there's always the planter in the front yard.

Shrub Fertilizer Resources:

Organic Shrub Fertilizer: Combo Pure Black Castings™ and VermaPlex® for shrubs, lawns and gardens.

Extra Nitrogen For Shrubs: VermaMax® also provides an amazing 6% calcium.

How To Fertilize and Grow Bamboo

2011-07-17T15:10:53Z

Pure Black Castings™     VermaPlex®         VermaMax®

         a blog by a dog


Digger often fertilizes bamboo plants.

Growing Bamboo

I don't know about you, but growing bamboo in our area (North Central Florida) is challenging. Come to think of it, growing anything here is a challenge. Florida has 4 distinct growing zones: North Florida, Central Florida, South Florida, and Tropical Florida. As luck would have it, we're at the bottom of North Florida, and at the top of Central Florida.

What does this mean? To you, absolutely nothing. To us, it means we get more freezes than Central Florida, more heat than North Florida. We get them early and late, coming and going. No wonder ol' Bill doesn't know if he's.....well, you know.

Although winter's tend to be mild here, for the last 2 years, that has not been the case. Oh.... no, no, no. We've had temps down into the low teens both years, and for several days at a time, and for several instances. So, guess what's been happening to our bamboo?

You guessed it. They grow and grow during the summer, then winter comes and, BAM!, the freeze kills back all the lovely canes that were so promising.

Even the established bamboo gardens at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens suffered major losses. Bamboo's that have been standing for years were lost. And the property were we dug up some of our bamboo sprouts lost the big clumper.

But, our bamboo plants themselves survived and there are things we can to get some canes established this year. Pray for a milder winter and fertilize really, really good.

Here's what we did:

Piled on the composted horse manure behind the barn.

Added worm castings to that.

Drenched with VermaPlex®.

Applied heavy mulch.

Two week later, we add VermaMax® (composted chicken doo).

Watered during the dry season

As luck would have it, after a very dry spring, the rain has really kicked in and the bamboo is going wild:

This particular species of bamboo is meant for Zone 9. We are Zone 8. I'm afraid, very afraid.

Bamboo Plant Fertilizer Resources:

Find information about VermaMax® at www.MonroeWorks.com.

Pure Black Castings™: Certified organic worm castings (poop).
VermaPlex®: Liquid microbial soil inoculant (a real mouth full) made from the above.
VermaMax:® Organic chicken litter (again, poop) composted with the above.

Other Resources:

Organic Gardening - Saving the Planet

2011-07-12T19:23:47Z

One Garden At A Time

Think that "going green" is revolutionary? Did you know there was a time, not so long ago, when all farming and gardening was done organically?

Gradually, chemical fertilizers became the accepted way of farming and gardening. It was quick and easy. And, once upon a time, cheap.

The fact is, chemical fertilizer exhausts the soil, destroys the microbes, depletes the micro-nutrients, and diminishes the "tilth". The result? Dead soil.

And now, with the new "peak oil" reality, chemical fertilizers are no longer cheap. Isn't it time to stop the madness? Isn't it time to change the same-old-ways of doing things? Isn't it time to get "back to the future"?

Imagine, as you're gardening, using organic methods and applying organic fertilizers like compost, manures, and worm castings, what is actually happening. You're replenishing the soil, restoring the microbes, returning the micro-nutrients, increasing the "tilth", and, yes,...... saving the planet. So go ahead, be a revolutionary, "go green".

Organic Fertilizer Resources:

Find use/application guides for these certified organic worm fertilizers at Monroe Works

Worm Castings Nature's most perfect fertilizer, Pure Black Castings™.
Liquid Soil Inoculant Restore your soil's microbe with VermaPlex®.
Composting Worms Make your own vermicompost with red worms.

Patio Self-Watering Container Garden

2011-06-28T15:16:55Z

Pure Black Castings™     VermaPlex®         VermaMax®

      a blog by a dog

            Digger

The self-watering containers under roof (for shade) are doing much better than the greenhouse containers. The very early heat did a number on the greenhouse plants. Although we are harvesting some nice banana peppers, green peppers, and cherry tomatoes, the regular tomatoes are rupturing (no, make that exploding) from the heat.

Self-Watering Containers on the Patio

As you can see, we've planted tomatoes, squash, corn and beans in the self-watering container system under the carport:





These pics were taken in May. It's now the end of June. We've decided the corn should be on a separate line than tomatoes, corn and squash because of it's extra nitrogen needs. Duh! These plants get the morning sun up until 12:00 or so, then the hot (I should say un-godly hot) afternoon sun is shaded by the roof. There seems to be enough reflected light from then on to provide adequate photosynthesis.

Our fertilizers: Pure Black Castings™ mixed into the potting soil;  VermaPlex® added to the water reservoir.

For extra nitrogen, we added a cloth bag of VermaMax® to the water reservoir and let it leach into the water. The corn benefits from this added nitrogen,although the beans don't need it. That's why we've decided to put corn onto a separate system. Live and learn.

Current pics next.

Organic Garden Resources

VermaMax®: New certified organic source for extra nitrogen and calcium. Organic chicken litter composted with VermaPlex®.
Pure Black Castings™: Certified organic worm castings
VermPlex®: Liquid soil inoculant made from Pure Black Castings™
Combo Specials: Saves on shipping.

Related Resources:

Self-Watering Container Garden in Greenhouse

2011-06-11T15:50:00Z

Pure Black Castings™      VermaPlex®          VermaMax®

            a blog by a dog

                Digger

As promised, here's another update on our self-watering container garden, in particular the one Bill set up in the greenhouse. There are actually two separate systems, one the floor and one on the shelf. We planted tomatoes in the floor containers and peppers in the shelf containers.

Greenhouse Self-Watering Container Gardening System

It's important the pots are level. This way, the water moistens each container equally. The larger water reservoir contains the water with VermaPlex® added. This enriched water feeds into the smaller "control" reservoir, maintaing the exact amount of water that feeds into each container. These reservoirs are covered with reflective bubble insulation, keeping the water nice and cool. Nifty.

The potting soil in each pot is continuously supplied with moisture and liquid fertilizer. This constant moisture is especially important for tomatoes since damage occurs the instant tomates wilt. With this system, these tomatoes never wilt (although the same cannot be said for ol' Bill).

Related Information And Resources:

Improvements to Self-Watering Container Garden : See the beginning of our new project.
Organic Fertilizers : These are the fertilizers we add to our potting soil mix.
Composting Red Worms : Join the revolution, start your own vermi-composting project. Convert your kitchen and garden waste to rich compost and fertilizer.

New and Improved Self-Watering Container Garden

2011-05-23T16:01:00Z

Pure Black Castings™           VermaPlex®         VermaMax®

       a blog by a dog

             Digger

It's been a while. Family health matters has been our primary concern for a few months, so we've just been taking care of basics. But things are difinitely on the mend now and it's back to work for me, getting out some information on what we've been doing, garden-wise. I'll be posting a series on our self-watering container upgrade, as it were.

New Self-Watering Container Garden Works Better

If you recall, we started researching a better way to build self-watering containers last fall. This spring, ol' Bill's been perfecting the process and has two systems up and running. This new system, although a little involved at the start, is a major improvement to the whole self-watering container garden idea.

Eliminating the constant watering chores was our primary reason for going the self-watering container route. However, with our initial self-watering garden, we found that we still had to add water to each and every pot ,each and every day in order to keep the reservoir full. The pots were doing the job of providing constant moisure in just the right amounts to each and every plant, but the size of the reservoir required daily filling. Ol' Bill was wearing himself out adding water to each and every dog-gone pot, each and every dog-gone day. Heck, I was tired just watching him (I do have to observe in order to document the proceedings, you know).

Here are some pics of one of the set-ups before potting soil mix was added:

I know, I know, it looks like the Army Corp of Engineers paid us a visit. But it's not that complicated and this site we found, Easiest Garden, has some great instructions for the whole process. Again, I have no affiliation with them, they don't even know who I am (can you imagine?) but I want to give them credit for developing this great idea.

More to come on our results (hint: it's fantastic!).

Related Information and Resources:

Fertilizing Blueberries

2011-02-03T15:34:00Z

Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

a blog by a dog

Digger Sometimes Fertilizes the Blueberries, too.

Fertilizing Blueberries in Florida

It's February in Florida and time to fertilize the blueberries . Last summer we had tremendous bush growth and harvest after applying Pure Black Castings© and VermaPlex®. This year, we're adding something new: VermaMax®.

(You know, of course, that when I say "we", I mean " 'ol Bill"....right?)

Blueberry Fertilizer Mix

And what a great time to fertilize them! We've got a seemingly stalled front stretching across us that is putting down, soft (and sometimes not-so-soft) intermittent rain. It's a nice thing that "we" applied our fertilizer to the blueberries a couple of days ago. It's being washed in even as we speak.

Now for the mix. "We" mixed a ratio of 2 cups VermaMax® to 6 cups Pure Black Castings™ and spread about 2 cups of this fertilizer mixture around each blueberry plant. VermaMax®, which is chicken manure that has had a microbe face-lift from VermaPlex®, is hotter than just plain castings, so care should be taken when applying it to young plants.

I'll be posting the complete low-down on VermaMax® shortly.

Let The Blueberry Fertilizer Perk

In about two weeks, "we'll" add an application of VermaPlex® around each plant and that should do it for our blueberries until fall.

And now, I (not "we") find that the soft gentle rain is lulling me (again, not "we") into my usual morning doze and I am (not "we are") slowly loosing consciousness...z-z-z-z-z-z...good job, Bill....z--z---z----z-----z,,,,,,,

Blueberry Fertilizer Resources:

Other Resources

Winter Vegetable Garden

2010-12-11T19:30:00Z

Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

a blog-by-a-dog

Digger has a cold, wet, black nose.

Just because it's winter doesn't mean you have to stop gardening (you don't stop eating do you?). Winter gardening is a challenge (although not as challenging as digging a hole with your bare paws), but it can be done.

The Low-Down on Winter Vegetable Gardening

When planning your winter vegetable garden, there are four things that you should consider:

Where plant your garden
When to plant your garden
What to plant in your garden
How to protect your garden

Where, oh Where, Is Your Garden

Where you live will be the most important determining factor in your winter garden planning. If you are a gardener in the northern part of the country (you know - the ones with the red noses), greenhouses and cold frames are a must.
Fortunate gardeners in more southern zones (you know - the ones with the tanned noses) have it made as far as winter gardening is concerned. Gardeners in the most southern of southern zones can even grow summer vegetables (they have red noses, too, but it's from sunburn).

But not to worry if you're one of those (cold) red-nosed gardeners. If you're willing to put out a little (well, actually a lot) of extra effort, you can protect your plants from the winter elements and maximize the weak winter sunlight.

When To Plant Your Winter Garden

Timing is everything. It's imperative to know when the first and last frost occurs in your particular zone. You want to plant any frost hardy plants at the beginning of winter and again towards the end of winter.

What To Plant in Your Winter Vegetable Garden

Only the most hardy of hardy vegetables can take hard freezes, so plant as soon as you can and protect them for as long as you can. Consider days to maturity as well as cold hardiness when choosing your winter garden vegetables. For instance:

90 Days until Maturity:
Beet
Carrot
Parsnip
Rutabaga
Glove onion
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower

60 Days until Maturity:
Early Carrot
Leek
Turnip
Kohlrabi
Early Cabbage

30 Days Until Maturity:
Chive
Radishes
Leaf lettuce
Spinach

Some vegetables actually improve in flavor after a light frost, so in this case frost is a good thing. As for root vegetables, protected by a heavy mulch, they can be left in the ground well into winter.

Protecting Your Winter Vegetable Garden

There are several ways to protect the vegetables in your winter garden:

Cloches: Portable mini-greenhouses for individual plants
Raised Beds: The soil stays warmer longer and you can put black tires or black plastic on them to produce solar heating.
Green houses: Heated would be great, but you can also fill black barrels with water to solar heat in the daytime that provides heat over night. Also, heated stones will keep your plants warm.
Mulch: Heavy mulch can extend your growing season and keep the plant's roots from freezing.

Taking the extra effort to extend your growing season into the winter months will pay off big time in fresh vegetables from your own garden. At a time when vegetables from the store are more expensive, not as fresh, or non-existent, you can be enjoying the "fruits (or vegetables) of your labor" in these cold winter months. Should make that big red nose feel a little better.

Garden Resources:

Vegetable articles
Organic fertilizer for your winter garden
Make your own garden fertilizer with earthworms.

Q & A: Vegetable Container Gardening

2010-10-01T13:18:00Z

a blog-by-a-dog

Digger Jones

We get questions from time to time from readers about vegetable gardening , particularlly container gardening. Thought it might be useful to post a few of them here in case they answer any questions you may have.

Q: Can I raise my all vegetables in containers?

A: Yes. If you put a little effort up front, you can grow all or most of your vegetables in a container vegetable garden .

Q: Does a container vegetable garden take up less space than the traditional in-ground garden?

A: It's amazing the small amount of space required for container gardens. Remember, you don't have to have all your containers in one space. You can spread them around to take advantage of any area in your yard or patio.

Q: What kind of soil should I use to fill my containers?

A: Vegetable containers should have a soil-less mix. Check out our potting soil mix that we used to fill our garden containers.

Q: Do vegetable garden containers require extra watering?

A: Garden containers do require watering almost every day. However, by setting up this self-watering container garden system (or something similar), watering frequency can be cut container drastically.

Q: How much fertilizer do I use in my vegetable container garden?

A: By using the above mentioned soil-less mix and adding "micro-nutrients" liquid fertilizer and soil inoculate to the self-water reservoir, you have sufficient, organic, slow-release fertilizer that is ideal for container gardening.

Q: How about pests attacking my vegetable container garden?

A: The good thing about container gardening is you can incorporate "companion planting" in your vegetable garden plan. You can also alternate or mix-up your containers to further confuse any pests that may visit your garden. Container vegetable gardening makes it easier to rotate vegetables which will aid in limiting disease and pests.

Q: Do vegetables in containers produce as much as in-ground growing methods?

A: Container vegetable gardening can actually produce a more abundant crop if:

there's an abundant supply of slow-release fertilizers,
constant moisture is provided a via self-watering system,
the proper size container is used for a particular vegetable,
the container is placed to provide the proper amount of sunlight required for the plant.

Q: Can I use container gardening year round for growing vegetables?

A: Yes. Plant cool weather crops in the late fall, early spring. Vegetable container gardening also makes it easier to protect and extend the season on warm weather vegetables because you can either move them or add shade cloth and frost protection as needed.

Resources:

Pure Black Castings : Slow release, OMRI listed, organic fertilizer we use in our vegetable garden. Castings help the soil retain moisture.
VermaPlex : Liquid fertilizer soil inoculant. Adds microbes to the soil and provides constant, micro-fertilize to self-watering containers.
Red Worms : Making vermi-compost is pretty easy and red worms are the premier composting worm. Vermicompost adds rich worm castings and organic content to garden soil.

Vegetable Container Garden Self-Watering Project

2010-08-20T12:46:00Z

a blog-by-a-dog

Digger

Just as soon as the weather cools, we can plant our fall vegetable container garden . With our new found knowledge, we'll make it truly self-watering and protected from any hot weather that could return. It's a fairly big job to set this system up, but if it works, it should make this kind of gardening much less labor intensive. "Less labor" is my motto.

You can follow our progress if you want, to see how it plays out. Once you see that it works, you may want to visit Easiest Garden for more detailed plans. I'll post our attempts using the information we obtained from them without infringing on their rights. I'm sure they won't mind.

Self Watering Container: The Control System

Here's a pic of the control bucket.

It's covered with the insulating foil I mentioned in the previous post. This is the same material we plan to cover our actual vegetable container pots to insulate the plant roots. If you're in cooler zones, you may not have to do this. But, at least in zones 8-9, it's probably a must.

And the inside "workings" of the bucket:

If you are becoming interested in this vegetable watering system, there is a DVD on the Easiest Garden site. We're not affiliated with this site in any way, we are just passing on useful information we have found and are going to experiment with. I hope they are thrilled with the referrals, I know I would be.

The basics are:

You set up a 55 gallon drum filled with water. This drum is your main water source.
This water feeds into the above control bucket, which is equipped with the floater that sets the water depth you want in your vegetable containers.
A line feeds out from the control bucket into lines that feed each container.

The end result:

All your vegetable containers receive the exact amount your determine and no more.
Any excess from rain flows out a relief hole in the containers, so your roots won't drown.
All you have to do is make sure the larger, 55 gallon drum reservoir is full. Not an every day occurrence.
You do not have to tend to, check or otherwise bother with the watering of your vegetable container pots. They will be truly "self-watering"

Sound like a great idea? We think so. More later.....

Related Information and Resources:

Self-Watering Container Garden : Follow our first attempts at this kind of gardening.
Organic Fertilizers : These are the fertilizers we add to our potting soil mix.
Composting Red Worms : Join the revolution, start your own vermi-composting project. Convert your kitchen and garden waste to rich compost and fertilizer.

Container Gardening Improvements

2010-08-19T15:02:00Z

a blog-by-a-dog

Digger

Whew! It's been a long hot summer. Maybe some of your are getting a break (and I hate you if you are), but we're still in the death grip of record heat indexes. It started early, but hopefully it won't stay late.

With the heat and it's adverse affect on our vegetable container garden , we were forced to think about how to keep our container garden pots cool. And, with all the heat and the thinking, I have developed a major headache. But I will proceed none the less.

Vegetable Container Garden and The Heat

Those of you who live in the most northern parts of the country probably don't have this problem. Although, this year, it seems the whole world is cookin'. We, however, must deal with the hot sun at the beginning, the end, and the middle of our growing seasons.

With this in mind, ol' Bill has been doing some checking. He's working out some improvements on our self-watering system and looking for ways to keep our potting soil, the water, and the plant roots cooler during the heat.

During his research online, he came across a site, Easiest Garden . This guy has worked out a neat way to supply the self-watering container garden with water is such a way as to be truly self-watering.

And Bill also ran across another idea (I have to grab him to find out who/what/where) that we are trying out to keep the garden pots and the watering containers cooler.

A Truly Self-Watering Container Garden

The self-watering container garden is an improvement on the simple container garden for growing vegetables . With self-watering containers, the plant is constantly supplied with water and the roots never dry out. It's also handy to add liquid fertilizer, like VermaPlex® , to the water. The problem remains, however, that you must still add the water on a daily basis, because the reservoirs only hold so much water. This problem becomes more pronounced as the plants grow larger.

You are still tied to your container garden, especially when the weather becomes warmer, and the constant watering can become...well.... tiresome. What to do? This gentleman has plans for building a system very similar to the constant-watering troughs that are used for horses. A hose from the water source is fed into a bucket with a float (kinda like the toilet) that allows water to enter whenever the level reaches your chosen point. Brilliant. Whatever the weather, whatever the water demands of a particular vegetable may be, the water is always there without constant attention required by you.

The trick is in establishing the correct level and setting up the control bucket feeding from a 55 gallon drum. I will describe our efforts to set up this watering system in the coming entries.

And The Over-Heated Container Pots?

For insulating the soil and roots, foil insulation, available from Lowe's, wraps easily around the containers. It may not be pretty, but - hey - what do you want? Beautiful or delicious? We also plan to use the foil to wrap the control bucket that feeds the water into each container.

This system requires a certain about of time to set up, but, in the end, it saves tons and tons of time spent watering or worrying that the water in the reservoir has run dry. I believe it's well worth the initial investment of time and money.

More tomorrow. Meanwhile, how are you dealing with your vegetable container garden? Your comments are welcomed here.

"Growing Vegetables in Containers" Resources:

Self-Watering Container Garden : The beginning of our container garden.
Organic Fertilizer From Earthworms : The only fertilizers we use.
Composting Red Worms : Make your own fertilizers by verimcomposting.

Worm Composting Made Easy

2010-07-19T18:02:00Z

Ol' Bill

Sometimes, we let things get a little complicated, worry too much, or otherwise over-analyze things. Especially when it comes to living creatures like earthworms, we may let our anxiety over possibly killing them prevent us from even starting a worm composter. We talk ourselves out of it because we're just not sure of what's involved.

Here's a short and sweet simplified instructions on worm composting at home that may give any of you who are over-anxious about composting with worms a little extra encouragement.

Busy little red worm composters

Worm Composting: It's not that hard, really....

Composting with worms is not that hard if you follow a few basic rules and principles:

1. Provide a home that composting worms love. Your worm composter should fulfill these basic requirements:

Be dark
Provide plentiful oxygen
Provide correct moisture
Provide protection from predators
Be non-toxic

2. Provide healthy bedding. Your worm composter bedding should:

Be friable (not compact easily)
Be organic
Be neutral ph
Not be too wet or too dry
See worm composter bedding materials

3. Provide adequate and appropriate food.

Feed your worms a variety of organic material that is moist and ground or chopped for easier assimilation by the composting worms.
Here’s a list of foodstuff NOT to feed your worms: feces, meat, oils
Here’s a partial list of good things for worms to eat: fruits, veggies, shredded cardboard and paper,

4. Maintain healthy worm composter conditions:

Keep and eye on these “worm killer” conditions to prevent potential loss of your composting worms:

PH: Maintain a neutral ph in your worm composter’s bedding. Acid conditions will kill your worms. Add egg shells regularly to prevent this dreaded worm composter condition.
Bedding too wet: Sometimes our worm compost bedding will be dry on top, yet be soggy down below. Run your hand down into the bedding periodically to check for excess moisture. Remember, those holes in the bottom of your worm composter are for air flow, NOT for drainage. If there’s enough moisture to drain out, your bedding is too wet and your worms are in serious trouble (or they’ve crawled out!)
Bedding too dry: When humidities change, your worm composter’s bedding can dry out before you know it. Again, run your hand down into different areas of the composter to check for moisture content. Add water with a fine spray if you determine the bedding is too dry.
Bedding is compacted: As you worms digest food and deposit worm castings, the bedding will “age” and tend to become compacted. This situation can be deadly to worms, since they need oxygen to live. It’s a good idea to weekly turn your worm composter bedding gently to “fluff it up” and create oxygen pockets throughout the bedding.
When you see that the bedding is becoming compacted very soon after “turning” it, it’s time to harvest the vermicompost with it’s rich castings and replace the bedding. You’re worms will appreciate it!

5. Maintain Healthy Temperatures in Your Worm Composter: Keep your composting worms from freezing in the winter (see "Worm Composting in Winter ") and over-heating in the summer (see "Worm Composting in Summer "). Red worms and European nightcrawlers composting worms can survive a wide range of temperatures, but there are limits.

If temperatures fall below freezing and stay there for more than 8 hours, the bedding in your worm composter is going to freeze and this will kill your worms. Either bury your worm composter or take it indoors during very cold weather. Also, make sure the bedding depth is at least 12 inches so the worms can crawl towards the center to keep warm.
During cold weather, it's a good idea to keep the bedding moisture somewhat dryier than in the summer. Be advised, worms will have a tendancy to crawl when it becomes cold, so keep a light on over them to keep them in their place.
In the summer time, keep the bedding a little more moist to keep your wigglers cooler. Never set your worm composter in the sun or keep it in an area that will over heat during the hot part of the day.

Starting your Worm Composter

You can purchase commercially- made worm composting bins or you can make your own. Commercially-made worm composting bins come in several different varieties ranging from simple boxes with lids and air holes to elaborate tray systems with spigots. These worm composters can be made from plastic or from wood.

If you’re handy, you can make your own quite easily. Purchase a plastic “tote” from Walmart, drill some air holes along the side and in the bottom, fill with prepared bedding, and secure with a breathable lid or cover. Viola’! You’ve made yourself a worm composter.

If you’re REAL handy, you can build one from wood, which is more “worm-friendly” than plastic. Just build a rectangle box, about 24" by 8" by 12" high , fashion a removable lid, with or without hinges, drill air holes along the top edge, the bottom, and in the lid. Place some screen or landscaping cloth in the bottom to prevent worms from crawling through.

Just Add Composting Worms

Purchase your composting worms from a reputable source, introduce them to their home and feed them any organic material and kitchen scrapes you may have. Keep your worm composting bin in a safe, quite place and the worms will do the rest. Don’t worry about your worm composter smelling. If you don’t over load it with food, you will not experience any unpleasant odors.

As a matter of fact, if you do notice any unpleasant smells coming from your composter, you’d best investigate. Your composter contents should have a pleasant, earthy smell and anything unpleasant is a sign that something is amiss.

More About Worm Composting

For more detailed instructions on bedding, feeding and troubleshooting, please see About Vermcomposting (composting with worms).

If you have any questions or concerns about worm composting, please contact me anytime. When you’re ready for your composting worms, be they red worms or European Nightcrawlers (you can mix them!), please visit our secure online store .

Worm Composting References:

Red Worms and European Nightcrawlers for Worm Composting
Worm Composter Microbe Inoculant for Bedding

Blueberries Growing - Saving Our Organic Blueberry Patch

2010-07-03T14:21:00Z

Pure Black Castings™ VermaPlex® VermaMax®

a-blog-by-a-dog

Digger

When we moved here 5 years ago, the owners before us had planted a few blueberry bushes. Due to the previous owner's illness, these bushes had been neglected. What with all the other projects on our plate, we basically continued the neglect.

We harvested some each year, but the blueberry crop was getting pitiful-er and pitiful-er. Finally, it looked as though the bushes were actually dying. Wake up time. After reading up on blueberry bush care , we set about trying to save these established bushes.

Organic Blue Berries - The Rehabilitation Project

First thing, fall before last, we did a major blueberry bush trimming . The pine needles are plentiful around the property, so we gathering several loads to use as much. Blueberries favor acid conditions and the mulch would also help retain moisture during our drought periods. We scattered Pure Black Castings ® (organic worm castings) around, then inoculated with VermaPlex ®.

Last summer, the bushes looked vastly improved and produced a better crop, although not yet up to their full potential. We had done such a severe pruning to remove the dead and sick canes, the bushes put a lot of effort into new cane production. At the end of the season, we mulched with pine needles again, pruned a little, and left them alone.

When spring rolled around this year, we once again scattered worm castings (make your own!) around the blueberry bushes, inoculated with VermaPlex ® and set back to watch.

The bloom production was quite prolific- all the bushes, even the ones we thought were close to death just the previous year, were covered. The bees were a-buzzing and the mouths were a-watering in anticipation of the bounty to come.

Blueberries Galore

We weren't disappointed. The blueberry bushes that were so pathetic are absolutely loaded with fruit.

Harvesting Our Organic Blueberries

The fruit is larger and there are more clusters. After holding off as long as we could (when the birds show up, you know they're ready), we are now harvesting and freezing blueberries as fast as we can. A good way to harvest just the ripest and sweetest: hold a pan under a cluster of blueberries and gently rub your hand over it to loosen just the ripe ones. They will fall into the pan and the unripe blueberries will stay on the cluster. What we don't 't eat we freeze.

How to Freeze Blueberries

Right now, the freezer is getting very full, so the neighbors are in for a treat. Here's how we freeze our blueberries:

Fill a shallow tray with one layer of dry blueberries.
Put into the freezer and freeze until hard (doesn't take too long).
Dump the frozen blueberries into gallon or quart size baggies.
Return the baggy to the freezer.

A tray of blueberries ready for the freezer.

Blueberry Nutrition Facts

Blueberries are the king of fruits when it comes to antioxidants. And we all now how important antioxidants are in the diet. If it's true they help in longevity, I'll live to be 100 (gosh, that's 700 in dog years). There are so many blueberries, nobody noticed the bushel or so I swiped.

Blueberries are high in vitamin C and low in calories, so go ahead - pig out. And the flavor! Bon appetite!

Recipe: Quick Blueberry Cobbler:

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Self-Rising Flour
1 1/3 Cup Milk
4 Cups Blueberries

Melt butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Mix sugar, flour, and milk together.
Pour Blueberries over the batter.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes.

Can't wait for the dead of winter for one of Bill's blueberry cobblers. In the meantime, there's still some easy pickings left on the canes (while nobody's watching, of course).

Organic Blueberry Growing References

Application Instructions : Pure Black Castings® and VermaPlex® rate guides for blueberries and other fruits.
Pure Black Castings® : Certified organic worm castings. Slow release and all natural.
VermaPlex ®: Liquid microbial soil inoculant. Made from Pure Black Castings®.
Earthworms for Vermicomposting : Make your own worm compost full of rich castings from your garbage.