Amending Your Garden Soil

So, now that summer is half over, I'm finally getting around to posting this blog. This Spring, it seemed everyone wanted to know how to start their own organic garden. Hopefully, there are some of you who still have some burning questions about your garden--namely, healthy garden soil.

For those of you who didn't read my first blog about composting, I'll tell you that my Grandma (the self-proclaimed "pioneer at heart") taught me how to garden. When my G-ma first told me that I had to dig my garden 2 feet deep, I thought she was crazy. Since I was pregnant at the time I started my garden, my grandparents brought over a truckload of their "special" dirt, dug 2 feet down throughout the length of my garden, and tilled the soil with a pitchfork. Grandma did this all herself with some small help from me. I don't think either of us could bend over very well at that point, but we managed to make it work. Even in the summer, I hardly had to water, I never had to fertilize (which you don't want to do in an organic garden), the garden was virtually pest-free, and my fruits and blooms were as plentiful and colorful as ever.

When it came time for me to build another garden (I always mixed my flowers and my veggies), I thought, "Eh, I bet I could get away with only digging down a foot," and that is what I did. Now, don't get me wrong, I still grew plenty of healthy flowers and veggies, but I watered more and I fought more pests. So, the next year, determined to make up for any gardening wrong-doings, I went to work digging and turning and mixing my garden soil--this time at at depth of 2 feet. Whoa! What a difference this made! The only main problem that I had was keeping my lawn from encroaching the garden soil (I eventually lost this battle). The soil was SO rich and healthy that only watered once a week (even in August), and enjoyed the benefits of a beautiful garden.

Now that you're a believer in the 2 foot rule, I'll tell you WHAT to amend your soil with. It's so easy...compost (either homemade or store bought) for nutrients and beneficials, peat moss to hold in moisture, cow or horse manure (I always get mine from grandma's farm, but the store-bought kind works just as well) for balanced nutrients, and top soil for volume. Follow the directions on the packages to know how much you'll need to cover your square footage. Remember that garden soils (etc) are sold by the cubic foot. That's length x width x height (or depth as is the case here) of your garden. Make sure you mix well with a pitch fork or tiller.

My grandma would always cover her garden with a thick layer of straw. This acts as mulch to insulate your plants. You'll water less with a good thick layer. Plus, if you're planting in Spring, it's root protection from those late frosts that Oklahoma is known for. It's also a great way to stave off weeds. Stay away from the "tree bark" mulches as they can carry fungus. In some cases, the fungi produces spores that can actually "stick" to your house and cause damage. Visit http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/ for more great gardening advice and mulching tips.

Lastly, I have a problem with weeds. I have a bigger problem with chemical weed control. There is an organic gardening company called "Gardens Alive" that makes a product for weed control in lawns. The product is actually corn gluten meal. Research has shown that corn gluten meal keeps ALL seeds from germinating. I will mix this in to my garden as well as a prophylactic weed control. The only down side to using this product is that I am unable to plant seeds in the garden as this product will also keep them from germinating.

Hopefully, this has answered all of your burning questions regarding amending the soil. If you can't use it this year, there's always next year!

Composting

Composting in the organic garden

Lately, I've been hearing much talk about organic gardening and how people would like to start one.  My grandma taught me how to garden when I was a child.  I grew up helping her make compost, plant, pick, and eat all of our garden goodies.  My grandma calls herself, "a pioneer at heart."  She grew up in a time when everyone was poor, and everyone had a garden.  You didn't buy pesticides, you didn't buy fertilizer, and you woke up before school to do all of the chores.  Then of course, you walked uphill both ways!  ;0)

My grandma has taught me so much about what it is to be a gardener and a pioneer at heart, and I'd like to share with you what she shared with me (and continues to share with me!).

Why composting is the best thing for your garden and for our planet!

Fresh produce contains vitamins and minerals that are not only good for humans but for the garden as well.  When those fruits and veggies decompose, they give all those nutrients (and energy) back to the soil and basically become soil themselves.  This is what nature intended.  Along with all that nutrient rich soil comes something called "beneficials."  

Beneficials are insects and other bugs that help the garden out.  Beneficials are either predators, parasites, or pollinators.  Some beneficial insects will prey on the harmful insects.  Ladybug larvae or the praying mantis are good examples of predator bugs.  Tachinid flies and wasps are parasites of other insects.  The larvae of tachinid flies will burrow into some caterpillars and eat their internal organs.  Too bad for the caterpillar, but great for the garden leaves in which the caterpillars feed!  Then, there are the pollinators without which, we wouldn't have apples, cherries, pears, squash, citrus fruits, coffee, nuts, etc.  There are dozens of species of pollinating flies and wild bees that carry pollen from flower to flower.  This allows the fruit to mature.   

With this fresh, rich garden soil, you'll have less pests, all natural fertilizer, and the landfill will be spared a small burden by not throwing precious produce scraps away.  My family of four typically uses less trash than some couples without children.  There are weeks in which we don't even have to use trash service because we haven't filled one of the large garbage cans that the City provides.   When we do use trash service, we almost always only fill one garbage can as opposed to the two that most families use.  That is reason enough for us to compost!

Composting 101

So, how does it work? Composting is pretty easy.  Just find a spot in your backyard to start--you can dig a hole or make a pile.  You can even buy a composting bin for $99 at many local or online garden centers (even Walmart.com has one).  You don't need any fancy equipment to start composting.  

What to put in your pile (or bin)...

Anything that has once come out of the ground!  Any kind of scraps leftover  from using fresh produce--y'know, the cut off veggie/fruit tops, banana peels, orange peels, etc.  You can even use coffee grounds and eggshells!  The only exception is any kind of veggie/fruit that has been processed (like frozen or canned veggies) or anything that has been on the dinner plate.  These things will attract pests such as mice to the yard, so avoid throwing canned or frozen veggie/fruit scraps into the compost pile.  Also, make sure to bury or cover any fresh scraps to avoid attracting rodents.  

Remember, whatever is thrown into the pile will be eaten, so don't throw any dead animals or animal feces in the compost.  That dead mouse you found in the garage may indeed decompose, but it doesn't belong in your vegetable garden.  As well, chemical fertilizers should NOT be used in the compost or the natural garden.  This will harm the beneficial insects and really defeat the purpose of the natural, organic garden.  Compost is used in lieu of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  This means, the compost provides all that the garden ever needs as far as nutrients and natural pest control.  

A rule of thumb is to alternate (mainly) nitrogen containing scraps with (mainly) carbon containing scraps.  What does that mean?  Something green followed by something brown.  If you throw on some "green" (or nitrogen) scraps such as lawn trimmings or produce scraps, you'll want to throw on some dead leaves (brown or carbon) the next time.  Just try and alternate the green and brown.  I always save some leaves from the fall in trash bags so I can use them again in the Spring to throw on top of the pile.

Stirring and Watering

When organic matter decomposes, it produces methane gas.  It's no secret that Oklahoma summers are hot.  Methane gas and hot sun can be a deadly combination (read:  FIRE).  That's why, it's important to stir and water the compost pile about once per week.  When stirring, try and get everything from the bottom stirred up to the top.  For the decomposition to occur, the organic matter MUST be exposed to oxygen.  (This is why nothing decomposes in landfills!)  I have found that a pitchfork is easier than using a shovel while stirring the compost as it allows for more aeration and a deeper dig.

It should only take a few months for the compost to be ready to use.  It's always a good idea to start in the Fall so the compost will be ready for Spring planting.  Composting is easy to do, but it does take a little effort.  The benefits to your garden, health, and the health of our planet far outweigh the small amount of effort required to start composting.