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Ants… They are everywhere… May 8, 2008
Trying to keep the ants from decimating your plants is a common garden problem but I think I have found a product to help… The Happy Gardener sells a Foliar Feed with Cinnamint - This product has everything..
Hear what one user had to say:
I have a 128 sq. ft. strawberry garden (for a family of three – we love strawberries!!) I used the Foliar Feed with Cinnamint because we have ants, the plants grew all over the place and the ants stayed away. The 48 plants have outgrown their bed in the first year! I’ve already got some flowers coming up and can’t wait to taste the first berry of the season!
– Jen from OH
I also read some great Ant Deterrent Tips from GreenLivingTips.com which also endorse using cinnamon…
- Sprinkle cinnamon or place in cheesecloth bags in affected areas. Cinnamon was a very popular choice with quite a few readers reporting it being highly effective
- Quite a few readers found cinnamon sprinkled across ant scent trails to be very effective
and Mint…
- Planting mint around vegetable patches, flower beds and around the house
Worm Castings May 7, 2008
So as I have a little time before I can start planting my veggie garden (again – yes all my tomatoes, peppers and onions appear to be DEAD from the frost – 3 nights in a row was just too much to take for the little guys) I have been doing some research about worm castings… I’ve found some great sites for lots of advice about this incredible biological product. Check out Dirt Works to find out tons of valuable information. This stuff can be used for just about anything.. disease control, drought control, algae, fertilizer, increased root growth, insect control, soil conditioning, and the list goes on!
From The Wacky World of Worms, they claim that worm castings have anywhere from 5-11 times more Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Potash, and Magnesium than topsoil!
The Happy Gardener’s Vermicomposter is used to convert kitchen waste to rich organic fertilizer! Not only can you get an unlimited supply of worm castings by incorporating the vermicomposter into your kitchen but worm castings are also available in the Pour N’ Feed All-Purpose Soil Conditioner.
Being an environmental biologist makes me want to dig deeper (no pun intended)… I need scientific evidence that worm poo is going to work on my soil, plants, and veggies. So I did some more research and low and behold:
- Analysis of earthworm casting reveals that they are richer in plant nutrients than the soil, about three times more calcium and several times more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. (K.P. Barley, Advances in Agronomy, Vol. 13, 1961, p. 251)
- Redworm castings contain a high percentage of humus. Humus helps soil particles form into clusters, which create channels for the passage of air and improve its capacity to hold water. Humic acid present in humus, provides binding sites for the plant nutrients but also releases them to the plants upon demand. Humus is believed to aid in the prevention of harmful plant pathogens, fungi, nematodes and bacteria. Blueprint for a Successful Vermiculture Compost System. Developed by Dan Holcombe and J.J. Longfellow 1995.
- “Vermicompost outperforms any commercial fertilizer I know of.” continues [Professor. Clive A.] Edwards, who began his earthworm research in his native England in the early 1970s before coming to Ohio State. “I think the key factor is microbial activity. Research that I and others have done shows that microbial activity in worm castings is 10 to 20 times higher than in the soil and organic matter that the worm ingests.” Dr. Clive Edwards, in “Worldwide Progress in Vermicomposting” by Gene Logsdon in BioCycle October 1994, p. 63.
- Earthworm castings are the best imaginable potting soil for greenhouses or houseplants, as well as gardening and farming. It will not burn even the most delicate plants and all nutrients are water-soluble, making it an immediate plant food. Earthworm castings, in addition to their use as a potting soil, can be used as a planting soil for trees, vegetables, shrubs, and flowers. They may be used as a mulch so that the minerals leach directly into the ground when watered. The effects of earthworm castings used in any of these ways are immediately visible. They make plants grow fast and strong. Nematodes and diseases will not ruin gardens or plants if the soil is rich enough for them to grow fast. It is the weak plant in poor soil that is destroyed by nematodes and diseases. R.E. Gaddie and D.E. Douglas, Earthworms For Ecology and Profit, Vol. I “Scientific Earthworm Farming,” 1975, p. 175.
So there you have it! I think I’m investing in this and going to try to work it out for my garden – First thing is first – get a Vermicomposter!
Compost Lasagna April 30, 2008
Recently I’ve been reading a short little book about Backyard Composting and it mentions what they call Compost lasagna.. I’m going to try this in my composter but also going to use it to make a new veggie garden bed. I think I’m going to make a stab at this method since I need to move my veggie garden for next year (I’m moving it closer to the water supply – I’m sick of lugging water over to the garden). The basic concept is that it’s 1) No till (since tilling can upset the carbon storage in the soil and unearth new weed seeds that will germinate given the new sunlight exposure and 2) well, it just looks so darn interesting! My understanding is that once my bed is 18-24″ tall I should be able to either plant into it for this year OR just let it sit for next year (most likely what I’ll do)
I’ll try to update with pictures when I start it (also I’ll update the books title and author)
I found this great on-line tutorial that definitely can do more justice to Compost Lasagna than I can so check out ThriftyFun.com Introduction to Lasagna Composting also Cornell CCE of Tompkins County has a great PDF to describe Lasagna Composting…
Edited to add the name of the book I was reading was from my subscription to Organic Gardening Magazine called No-Toil Power Soil (A Rodale Organic Gardening Book) -
We wait and see… April 30, 2008
Well, last night the temperatures plummeted to about 30 so we’ll see if any of these varieties I planted are frost tolerant. Pray that they recover.
The Transplants… April 29, 2008
So – being implusive I went ahead and transplanted the following in my garden:
- Nardelo Sweet Pepper
- Rutgers Tomato
- Purple Peppers
- cherry tomatoes
- Onion
I can’t remember the names of the cherry or the onion (DOH) but I know I have them written down somewhere… anyway I do also have a California Wonder Pepper but only 1 came up out of the whole bunch I planted – I planted it with the Nardelo’s so we’ll see how “wonder” pepper they are compared to the others – that is if they survive the cold we’re getting right now… I know, I know, I should know at least that I planted early but it was beautiful out and I got itchy to plant so – well I did it and now I’m regretting it… at least I THINK I’m going to regret it! I havent’ even planted my lettuce yet and that would be thriving in the colder soils but alas – I did what I did and if I have to replant in a month – well so be it!
After Tilling April 29, 2008
Well, I couldn’t help but add this picture of my 3 year old, Emily helping me in the garden – One of (probably the most important one) of the reason’s that I chose to go organic in my garden is my kids love to help me in my garden – my oldest daughter, Amanda pics beans and eats them right from the garden – there’s no way I could put chemicals and pesticides in there…
After Tilling:
Before Pictures April 29, 2008
Well, it’s worse than I thought – here are some before pictures of my yard and garden. After these pictures were taken I spread out my Happy Naturals Vegetable N’ Edibles Pour N’ Feed Soil Conditioner in my garden and then spread my Happy Natural’s Lawn Weed N’ Feed on my yard (just on the left side of my driveway – wanting to keep the right side untouched so I can do a comparison!)
BEFORE:
Here’s the lawn: YIKES!!
I’ll continue to update these pictures as the spring and summer progresses…
Getting ready to plant!! April 15, 2008
I can’t wait – spring is finally emerging! I’ve been growing seedlings in the house and all seem to be doing well except not one of my ‘California Wonder Peppers’ have sprouted yet.. I’m not sure why – the rest of the tomatoes, peppers and onions are doing fabulous.
This weekend I’m going to try to get around to tilling up the soil, adding my Pour N’ Feed for Vegetables and adding my Organic Weed N’ Feed. I’m going to take a before and after picture of the yard so I can compare how my new products are doing. I’ve also got some pre-emergent weed control that I should go ahead and put in now so that I can till it in as well – but then I’ll have to wait 3 weeks to put in the seedlings. I”M sure that will be fine – they are only a few inches tall but I’ll need to thin them out if I plan to wait. I’ve been using my SeaResults Micronutrient Solution on my seedlings (every other watering) and the growth is really amazing!
New Video about The Happy Gardener April 1, 2008
I just heard word from home office that there is a new, short video to explain The Happy Gardener and I just have to share it!
I’m excited to see this new company take off and become the best it can be!
