More on Weeding & Cultivating the Grow Beds –
E & O weeding gets almost all weeds when they first emerge, and we do it two or three times if necessary, so the beds are clean. After this, because the plants are close together, they shade the ground completely, and even hardy weeds can't grow in complete shade. Therefore, later in the season when your plants are large, weeds are not a problem.
The aisles may also need weeding, but if they are treated the same as the beds, with weeds eliminated as soon as they emerge, very quickly the aisles will be clear also. And since no water (or food!) is applied to the aisles the weeds will grow slowly, if at all.
On the other hand, traditional gardening methods will plant farther apart, thus leaving ample sunlight for weeds to prosper. And the problem is made much worse if watering is done by sprinkling or flooding! Both methods water the aisles, and flood irrigating most often also deposits new weed seeds everywhere, to grow in the newly watered soil.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sawdust as Growing Medium
Sawdust can be excellent or bad, depending on what you use and how you use it.
Do not use wood chips or shavings - those are not sawdust, but sometimes people are led to believe they work the same.
Plain sawdust and sand will work. Of course you need to supply the plant nutrients, because sawdust and sand have virtually none.
Before you fill the Grow-Box with soil mix, apply Pre-Plant mix evenly on the soil beneath the Grow-Box - 2# for a 30'-long Grow-Box that's 18" wide and 8" high. If your container is a different length, use 1 ounce per running foot.
Mix Pre-Plant at the rate of 1 ounce per running foot and Weekly Feed at the rate of 1/2 ounce per running foot into the soil medium. For a 30'- long Grow-Box you will thus be adding 2# of Pre-Plant and 1# of Weekly Feed into the soil mix, in addition to the Pre-Plant you placed on the ground.
After plants are up apply 1/2 ounce per running foot to the soil 4" from the plant stems, and water it into the soil around the plant roots. Do this weekly until 3 weeks before harvest on single crop varieties, and until 8 weeks before frost for ever-bearing crops.
Do not use wood chips or shavings - those are not sawdust, but sometimes people are led to believe they work the same.
Plain sawdust and sand will work. Of course you need to supply the plant nutrients, because sawdust and sand have virtually none.
Before you fill the Grow-Box with soil mix, apply Pre-Plant mix evenly on the soil beneath the Grow-Box - 2# for a 30'-long Grow-Box that's 18" wide and 8" high. If your container is a different length, use 1 ounce per running foot.
Mix Pre-Plant at the rate of 1 ounce per running foot and Weekly Feed at the rate of 1/2 ounce per running foot into the soil medium. For a 30'- long Grow-Box you will thus be adding 2# of Pre-Plant and 1# of Weekly Feed into the soil mix, in addition to the Pre-Plant you placed on the ground.
After plants are up apply 1/2 ounce per running foot to the soil 4" from the plant stems, and water it into the soil around the plant roots. Do this weekly until 3 weeks before harvest on single crop varieties, and until 8 weeks before frost for ever-bearing crops.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Grow-Box setup - Grass in Aisles?
Q. I am currently designing my landscape / garden area. In reading the MM books (not all the way thru them yet) I have not found an answer I need. When looking at all the pictures in the books, the soil between the beds is bare dirt/soil.
Do I need to strip an entire area bare or can I just kill the grass under the grow boxes? I'd like to make the MM blend in to the landscape plan, which would include grass between the boxes to keep dust down.
A. There's a set of pictures in the Photos section of the MittleiderMethodGardening@yahoogroups.com website that shows the Rick Dietrich family garden. Those Grow-Boxes are surrounded by grass. So you have at least one example of someone who is happy with that arrangement.
Dr. Mittleider recommends that nothing but dry dirt be in the aisles. He felt that having the grass grow into the Grow-Box was more trouble than it was worth.
He also suggested that grass acted as a haven for bugs, and increased the chance for diseases, since it must be watered, and therefore increases the moisture/humidity in the garden area.
He didn't even like black plastic (looks bad, costs $, deteriorates and makes a mess), chips, mulch, or gravel.
I have always followed his advice, so I have no personal experience with any of those things - except for visiting others' gardens, which confirms - for me - Mittleider's viewpoint.
Do I need to strip an entire area bare or can I just kill the grass under the grow boxes? I'd like to make the MM blend in to the landscape plan, which would include grass between the boxes to keep dust down.
A. There's a set of pictures in the Photos section of the MittleiderMethodGardening@yahoogroups.com website that shows the Rick Dietrich family garden. Those Grow-Boxes are surrounded by grass. So you have at least one example of someone who is happy with that arrangement.
Dr. Mittleider recommends that nothing but dry dirt be in the aisles. He felt that having the grass grow into the Grow-Box was more trouble than it was worth.
He also suggested that grass acted as a haven for bugs, and increased the chance for diseases, since it must be watered, and therefore increases the moisture/humidity in the garden area.
He didn't even like black plastic (looks bad, costs $, deteriorates and makes a mess), chips, mulch, or gravel.
I have always followed his advice, so I have no personal experience with any of those things - except for visiting others' gardens, which confirms - for me - Mittleider's viewpoint.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Corn in Grow-Boxes
Q. My sweet corn is growing vigorously, but the wind and rain topple almost all of them, they are almost 12" high now. Since I planted them in the box using seeds, the roots may not be so deep as tomatoes, which are transplanted deeper. The corn topples at the root zone. Now I am using tomato trellis string to hold them up. Its not a good plant for the grow box I guess, or am i missing some planting tips here?
A. Corn roots by nature grow close to the surface. Because of the light soil medium in Grow-Boxes it is easier for the weather to knock corn down. However, It will usually stand up again by itself, unless the bad weather continues for some time. After the corn tassels it sometimes will not stand up after being knocked down. Tying string to support it is usually not necessary. Corn sends out adventitious (supplemental lateral), or prop roots, which help support it, and give it the strength to right itself.
A. Corn roots by nature grow close to the surface. Because of the light soil medium in Grow-Boxes it is easier for the weather to knock corn down. However, It will usually stand up again by itself, unless the bad weather continues for some time. After the corn tassels it sometimes will not stand up after being knocked down. Tying string to support it is usually not necessary. Corn sends out adventitious (supplemental lateral), or prop roots, which help support it, and give it the strength to right itself.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
White Spots on my tomato plants
Are you using the Constant Feed solution of 16 ounces Weekly Feed thoroughly dissolved in 55 gallons of water? If so, then you shouldn't have a problem with salinity. However, if there is any doubt, water thoroughly 3 times with plain water to rinse the soil.
Another possibility is too much water, if your soil medium doesn't have sand in it, to help facilitate drainage. If this is the case, then you may need to cut back on watering.
What's the possibility of a disease? The symptoms don't sound like disease to me, but you might take a couple of plants to a specialist in your area.
Another possibility is too much water, if your soil medium doesn't have sand in it, to help facilitate drainage. If this is the case, then you may need to cut back on watering.
What's the possibility of a disease? The symptoms don't sound like disease to me, but you might take a couple of plants to a specialist in your area.
Monday, November 9, 2009
A different way to make raised beds with tires
Re: [MittleiderMethodGardening] A different way to make raised beds with tires
Unless I am misunderstanding your idea, Berny, I believe it may have a fundamental problem. You suggest putting the bottles inside the beds of tires. The Peruvians had the water outside the beds. With bottles inside the tires, there would not be much room for plants, and with the beds filled with soil, the bottles wouldn't be exposed to sunlight anyway.
I believe the black tires will absorb enough heat that something else is rarely needed, and I wouldn't want the appearance bottles create, even if they are on the outside. In addition, the bottles filled with water would stop the natural absorption of sunlight onto the tires.
May I recommend the solution Dr. Mittleider has found works extremely well - that has been tested and proven in many locations? If you need more protection or heat than the box itself provides, build "mini-greenhouses" over the beds using "A-frame" PVC pipe and greenhouse plastic. A picture will be posted at the group site, and instructions are in The Mittleider Gardening Course.
Unless I am misunderstanding your idea, Berny, I believe it may have a fundamental problem. You suggest putting the bottles inside the beds of tires. The Peruvians had the water outside the beds. With bottles inside the tires, there would not be much room for plants, and with the beds filled with soil, the bottles wouldn't be exposed to sunlight anyway.
I believe the black tires will absorb enough heat that something else is rarely needed, and I wouldn't want the appearance bottles create, even if they are on the outside. In addition, the bottles filled with water would stop the natural absorption of sunlight onto the tires.
May I recommend the solution Dr. Mittleider has found works extremely well - that has been tested and proven in many locations? If you need more protection or heat than the box itself provides, build "mini-greenhouses" over the beds using "A-frame" PVC pipe and greenhouse plastic. A picture will be posted at the group site, and instructions are in The Mittleider Gardening Course.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
When to Plant - Some Seeds Must Wait!
Q. over three weeks ago I planted several vegetable seeds: Onion,
carrot, radish, pumpkin, cucumber, squash, sunflower, corn and green
beans. I planted them all according to the instructions, (I think).
The only thing that has sprouted great are the radishes. The
sunflowers have few sprouts, but they look really weak. Do you have
any advice on how long I should wait to replant or what I can do
differently?
A. On warm days in early spring we are often enticed to plant things
that require warm temperatures to grow. Then we are sorely
disappointed when cold temperatures return and the seeds rot in the
cold ground or die trying to grow in the too-cold environment.
Your onion, carrot, and radish seeds may be able to live in early
spring temperatures, but onion and carrot will be slow to germinate
and grow, so don't give up on them just yet.
As for all the others you mentioned, they must have warm soil
conditions to germinate and grow, and any frost would kill them if
they did come up.
Just wait until after all danger of frost is past before planting. Alternatively, you can plant them in a greenhouse
or under grow-lights 3 or 4 weeks earlier. Remember to give them maximum light immediately upon emergence, and plant in 6-paks or pots, to minimize transplanting shock, because everything you named does very poorly as a bare-root transplant.
carrot, radish, pumpkin, cucumber, squash, sunflower, corn and green
beans. I planted them all according to the instructions, (I think).
The only thing that has sprouted great are the radishes. The
sunflowers have few sprouts, but they look really weak. Do you have
any advice on how long I should wait to replant or what I can do
differently?
A. On warm days in early spring we are often enticed to plant things
that require warm temperatures to grow. Then we are sorely
disappointed when cold temperatures return and the seeds rot in the
cold ground or die trying to grow in the too-cold environment.
Your onion, carrot, and radish seeds may be able to live in early
spring temperatures, but onion and carrot will be slow to germinate
and grow, so don't give up on them just yet.
As for all the others you mentioned, they must have warm soil
conditions to germinate and grow, and any frost would kill them if
they did come up.
Just wait until after all danger of frost is past before planting. Alternatively, you can plant them in a greenhouse
or under grow-lights 3 or 4 weeks earlier. Remember to give them maximum light immediately upon emergence, and plant in 6-paks or pots, to minimize transplanting shock, because everything you named does very poorly as a bare-root transplant.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sweet Potatoes - Storage
First, avoid breaking whenever possible, and clean broken ends with a hydrogen peroxide solution, then dry for 2 to 3 hours. Next, place them in a dry area holding the temperature at 85 F and 90 to 95% relative humidity for 4 to 7 days. Curing helps prevent the entrance of decay organisms by healing cuts and other injuries received in harvesting and handling. After this curing period, place them where the temperatures will range from 55 degrees to 60 degrees F. with a relative humidity of about 85 percent. Immediately remove any roots that show signs of deterioration or decay.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Cross Polination
Cucumbers & Melons, Zucchini & Pumpkin
Hopefully, we can all learn from Joe s question. I will assume
that the answer is not a very over-ripe zucchini and a very under-ripe
watermelon, although those may have been factors in either or both
situations.
In talking with Dr. Mittleider about this, he said he never says never about
these things. Although the research I have been able to read all says
plants won't cross pollinate between different genus's, sometimes we see
some strange things, such as Joe Mandell just mentioned.
The only thing I have been able to find that may be a partial explanation
for this phenomenon is the following: In talking about the fruit growth of
seedless watermelons, researchers Beste et al. (1999) found that fruit
enlargement is stimulated by growth-promoting hormones provided by the
pollen placed on the stigmas of the seedless watermelons. Perhaps it's
possible that growth-promoting hormones from an adjacent cucumber plant
could influence more than just the growth (?)
It may have nothing to do with it, but at least it's a thought. Does anyone
else have more wisdom or experience in this matter?
Hopefully, we can all learn from Joe s question. I will assume
that the answer is not a very over-ripe zucchini and a very under-ripe
watermelon, although those may have been factors in either or both
situations.
In talking with Dr. Mittleider about this, he said he never says never about
these things. Although the research I have been able to read all says
plants won't cross pollinate between different genus's, sometimes we see
some strange things, such as Joe Mandell just mentioned.
The only thing I have been able to find that may be a partial explanation
for this phenomenon is the following: In talking about the fruit growth of
seedless watermelons, researchers Beste et al. (1999) found that fruit
enlargement is stimulated by growth-promoting hormones provided by the
pollen placed on the stigmas of the seedless watermelons. Perhaps it's
possible that growth-promoting hormones from an adjacent cucumber plant
could influence more than just the growth (?)
It may have nothing to do with it, but at least it's a thought. Does anyone
else have more wisdom or experience in this matter?
Sunday, November 1, 2009
When to Transplant Celery - and Other Crops
The section called Preview Plants in the Garden Master and Garden Wizard CD's is a terrific resource for learning when to plant almost all common vegetables. Many of you have one or the other of the CD's and perhaps haven't even noticed that large illustrated database of helpful information.
I highly recommend everyone consider one of these. The Garden Wizard has the complete Garden Designer Software, and is only about $10. When added to the Mittleider Gardening Library, you have a very comprehensive library of vegetable production knowledge that many Agriculture Universities and County Extension Agents around the USA and in other countries own and use.
There are 5 categories for every plant, including Planting, Fertilizing, Watering, Weeding, and Other Notes. Here is a part of what the Garden Designer says in Preview Plants for Celery - Planting: "Celery is a cool-season plant that is frost tolerant. Transplant seedlings 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost of spring, 2 rows per bed, 6" apart".
I highly recommend everyone consider one of these. The Garden Wizard has the complete Garden Designer Software, and is only about $10. When added to the Mittleider Gardening Library, you have a very comprehensive library of vegetable production knowledge that many Agriculture Universities and County Extension Agents around the USA and in other countries own and use.
There are 5 categories for every plant, including Planting, Fertilizing, Watering, Weeding, and Other Notes. Here is a part of what the Garden Designer says in Preview Plants for Celery - Planting: "Celery is a cool-season plant that is frost tolerant. Transplant seedlings 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost of spring, 2 rows per bed, 6" apart".
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Preparing a new garden "From Scratch
"
Q. If one were to begin anew - from a previously untilled field covered in an assortment of vegetation, including grasses, broadleaf weeds, etc., what is the best course of attack? Kill everything that grows with a short-term herbicide like round-up, then till and proceed from there?
A. THE HERBICIDES WILL ONLY KILL LIVING TISSUE THEY REACH SYSTEMICALLY WHEN APPLIED TO LIVING LEAVES. THIS CAN LEAVE MUCH OF THE ROOT SYSTEMS VIABLE. NEARBY PLANTS CAN ALSO BE DAMAGED OR KILLED. APPLICATIONS OF 2-4-D TO WEED CEREAL CROPS HAVE TRAVELED A MILE OR MORE ON THE WIND AND KILLED OTHER VALUABLE CROPS, SUCH AS TOMATOES.
Q. Alternatively, should we Till the entire plot and fight the good fight with the runner type
vegetation like knot grass?
A. IF YOU HAVE AN INFESTATION OF PERENNIAL WEEDS, YOU SHOULD REMOVE THEM, INCLUDING ROOTS, RHIZOMES, AND RUNNERS. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL DOOM YOU TO MANY YEARS OF FIGHTING THEM.
Q. Or should we use some other method, perhaps cover the plot with black plastic and smother/cook the vegetation and then till?
A. BLACK PLASTIC WILL WASTE A GROWING SEASON WHILE IT DOES ITS WORK, AND WILL NOT KILL ROOT SYSTEMS THAT GROW MORE THAN A FEW INCHES BELOW THE SURFACE. AND TILLING WILL BRING A FRESH BATCH OF WEED SEEDS TO THE SURFACE TO GERMINATE AND MAKE YOUR LIFE MIZERABLE.
Q. How about if we concentrate on the grow-beds and leave the pathways covered in grass and mow them so they do not provide weed seeds?
A. LEAVING WEEDS OF ANY KIND IN THE AISLES PROVIDES "BUG HOTELS", SO THE BUGS (AND DISEASES) CAN ATTACK YOUR PLANTS EASILY. ALSO, THE WEEDS WILL GROW INTO YOUR BEDS, AND YOU WILL BE OVERRUN WITH WEEDS IN THE ENTIRE GARDEN.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR PROPER PREPARATION OF A GARDEN, AND ELIMINATING ALL WEEDS IS A MAJOR INGREDIENT OF THAT TASK. WE RECOMMEND YOU START WITH A MUCH SMALLER GARDEN THAN YOU PLANNED ON; PREPARE THAT SMALLER SPACE RIGHT AND COMPLETELY, AND YOU WILL GROW MORE IN THE SMALLER SPACE THAN YOU WOULD HAVE DONE IN THE LARGER SPACE YOU ORIGINALLY PLANNED. THEN, NEXT YEAR, IF YOU STILL WANT
MORE VEGETABLES THAN YOU HAD LAST YEAR, PROPERLY PREPARE ANOTHER SECTION OF YOUR GARDEN PLOT BY ONCE AGAIN ELIMINATING ALL WEEDS, INCLUDING THEIR ROOT SYSTEMS.
CONSIDER USING A SOD CUTTER TO REMOVE MOST OF THE WEEDS’ ROOTS, RHIZOMES AND RUNNERS, AND TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM THE GARDEN ENTIRELY. DO NOT TRY TO COMPOST IT AND RE-USE THE COMPOST IN THE GARDEN. WITHOUT SUSTAINED HEAT OF 140+ DEGREES FAHRENHEIT FOR THREE WEEKS YOU WILL NOT KILL EVERYTHING.
Q. If one were to begin anew - from a previously untilled field covered in an assortment of vegetation, including grasses, broadleaf weeds, etc., what is the best course of attack? Kill everything that grows with a short-term herbicide like round-up, then till and proceed from there?
A. THE HERBICIDES WILL ONLY KILL LIVING TISSUE THEY REACH SYSTEMICALLY WHEN APPLIED TO LIVING LEAVES. THIS CAN LEAVE MUCH OF THE ROOT SYSTEMS VIABLE. NEARBY PLANTS CAN ALSO BE DAMAGED OR KILLED. APPLICATIONS OF 2-4-D TO WEED CEREAL CROPS HAVE TRAVELED A MILE OR MORE ON THE WIND AND KILLED OTHER VALUABLE CROPS, SUCH AS TOMATOES.
Q. Alternatively, should we Till the entire plot and fight the good fight with the runner type
vegetation like knot grass?
A. IF YOU HAVE AN INFESTATION OF PERENNIAL WEEDS, YOU SHOULD REMOVE THEM, INCLUDING ROOTS, RHIZOMES, AND RUNNERS. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL DOOM YOU TO MANY YEARS OF FIGHTING THEM.
Q. Or should we use some other method, perhaps cover the plot with black plastic and smother/cook the vegetation and then till?
A. BLACK PLASTIC WILL WASTE A GROWING SEASON WHILE IT DOES ITS WORK, AND WILL NOT KILL ROOT SYSTEMS THAT GROW MORE THAN A FEW INCHES BELOW THE SURFACE. AND TILLING WILL BRING A FRESH BATCH OF WEED SEEDS TO THE SURFACE TO GERMINATE AND MAKE YOUR LIFE MIZERABLE.
Q. How about if we concentrate on the grow-beds and leave the pathways covered in grass and mow them so they do not provide weed seeds?
A. LEAVING WEEDS OF ANY KIND IN THE AISLES PROVIDES "BUG HOTELS", SO THE BUGS (AND DISEASES) CAN ATTACK YOUR PLANTS EASILY. ALSO, THE WEEDS WILL GROW INTO YOUR BEDS, AND YOU WILL BE OVERRUN WITH WEEDS IN THE ENTIRE GARDEN.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR PROPER PREPARATION OF A GARDEN, AND ELIMINATING ALL WEEDS IS A MAJOR INGREDIENT OF THAT TASK. WE RECOMMEND YOU START WITH A MUCH SMALLER GARDEN THAN YOU PLANNED ON; PREPARE THAT SMALLER SPACE RIGHT AND COMPLETELY, AND YOU WILL GROW MORE IN THE SMALLER SPACE THAN YOU WOULD HAVE DONE IN THE LARGER SPACE YOU ORIGINALLY PLANNED. THEN, NEXT YEAR, IF YOU STILL WANT
MORE VEGETABLES THAN YOU HAD LAST YEAR, PROPERLY PREPARE ANOTHER SECTION OF YOUR GARDEN PLOT BY ONCE AGAIN ELIMINATING ALL WEEDS, INCLUDING THEIR ROOT SYSTEMS.
CONSIDER USING A SOD CUTTER TO REMOVE MOST OF THE WEEDS’ ROOTS, RHIZOMES AND RUNNERS, AND TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM THE GARDEN ENTIRELY. DO NOT TRY TO COMPOST IT AND RE-USE THE COMPOST IN THE GARDEN. WITHOUT SUSTAINED HEAT OF 140+ DEGREES FAHRENHEIT FOR THREE WEEKS YOU WILL NOT KILL EVERYTHING.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Watering – Every Week or Every Day?
I'm a brand new Mittleider gardener this year, and my garden is doing SO
well!! It is really amazing. I've never had such success. Even my
seasoned Pro gardener Grandma is impressed with my garden. Thanks so much
for everyone's help and expertise.
Here's the question. I was reading the message about watering
tomatoes, and I'm confused. I thought that tomatoes needed deep watering
less often. I've only been watering twice a week, but really deep. So
far it appears to be working pretty well, but then again it hasn't been
all that hot (low to mid 80's most days). So should I be watering every
day? And if so, should I be watering everything every day or just
tomatoes? Are there vegetables that need watering less often?
Traditional watering is for deep watering once a week or thereabouts. I believe
- at least in the West - that it originated with the irrigation turns that were
every 7 or 8 days.
Remember that we are doing "The Poor Man's Hydroponic Method", and that
hydroponic growers obtain about 10 times the yield that a good tractor farmer
gets.
Remember (or learn) that hydroponic growers water something like every 15
minutes, and the fertilizer is in the water! So just consider the yield you
want and water accordingly.
Plants need water at the root zone all the time. If the ground dries out the
plant will spend energy sending its roots further into the ground following the
water. We want the plant using its energy growing fruit.
We recommend you do not let the soil surface dry out, which may even require
watering more often than once per day on very hot days.
An interesting observation about the amount of water required with this method
of gardening: People here in Armenia water by flood irrigation, and not very
often. Our neighbor is the Village Water Master this year, and when he saw our
watering procedures he was amazed! He has informed the entire village not to
deny us water any time we want it, because we use so little. he said "you can
even water with a few buckets!", and another time he said something like "You're
only using a drinking glass!"
Water every day.
well!! It is really amazing. I've never had such success. Even my
seasoned Pro gardener Grandma is impressed with my garden. Thanks so much
for everyone's help and expertise.
Here's the question. I was reading the message about watering
tomatoes, and I'm confused. I thought that tomatoes needed deep watering
less often. I've only been watering twice a week, but really deep. So
far it appears to be working pretty well, but then again it hasn't been
all that hot (low to mid 80's most days). So should I be watering every
day? And if so, should I be watering everything every day or just
tomatoes? Are there vegetables that need watering less often?
Traditional watering is for deep watering once a week or thereabouts. I believe
- at least in the West - that it originated with the irrigation turns that were
every 7 or 8 days.
Remember that we are doing "The Poor Man's Hydroponic Method", and that
hydroponic growers obtain about 10 times the yield that a good tractor farmer
gets.
Remember (or learn) that hydroponic growers water something like every 15
minutes, and the fertilizer is in the water! So just consider the yield you
want and water accordingly.
Plants need water at the root zone all the time. If the ground dries out the
plant will spend energy sending its roots further into the ground following the
water. We want the plant using its energy growing fruit.
We recommend you do not let the soil surface dry out, which may even require
watering more often than once per day on very hot days.
An interesting observation about the amount of water required with this method
of gardening: People here in Armenia water by flood irrigation, and not very
often. Our neighbor is the Village Water Master this year, and when he saw our
watering procedures he was amazed! He has informed the entire village not to
deny us water any time we want it, because we use so little. he said "you can
even water with a few buckets!", and another time he said something like "You're
only using a drinking glass!"
Water every day.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Aisles, Paths, Walkways etc - Moving "improved" soil
Everyone please remember that 90-95% of the work of growing healthy plants is done by the process of photosynthesis using 3 elements that come from the air, and made possible by sunlight and the attendant warm temperatures, plus water.
5%+ of the work is done by the other 13 essential nutrients, which man can control and supply.
Soil provides 6 functions, including
1) Anchoring the plants,
2) Holding moisture,
3) Storing nutrients,
4) Allowing oxygen to reach plant roots,
5) Allowing for drainage, and
6) buffering the temperature.
All 6 of those functions can be adequately provided by the worst of soils, if the gardener uses level, raised, ridged beds, and provides water and small amounts of balanced natural mineral nutrients.
Therefore, amending your soil is not essential to having a good and productive garden.
Furthermore, adding organic materials to your garden soil, while it can improve soil tilth and add small amounts of nutrition, may also introduce diseases, weed seeds, and destructive insects into the garden. For these reasons we recommend you exercise care and caution in trying to "improve" your soil.
Moving existing "improved" soil to another location may provide a benefit, if none of the 3 negatives are present, but it is a lot of work, and is not necessary. Plus, it leaves the existing garden area with beds that are 4-6" higher than they should be from the aisles. This may make it difficult to keep moisture in the beds, and thus require much more water, or leave your plants suffering for lack of it. All things considered, I can't recommend it, but just know that your plant roots will reach out into the aisle area somewhat (depending on water availability there), and can thus benefit from the soil.
5%+ of the work is done by the other 13 essential nutrients, which man can control and supply.
Soil provides 6 functions, including
1) Anchoring the plants,
2) Holding moisture,
3) Storing nutrients,
4) Allowing oxygen to reach plant roots,
5) Allowing for drainage, and
6) buffering the temperature.
All 6 of those functions can be adequately provided by the worst of soils, if the gardener uses level, raised, ridged beds, and provides water and small amounts of balanced natural mineral nutrients.
Therefore, amending your soil is not essential to having a good and productive garden.
Furthermore, adding organic materials to your garden soil, while it can improve soil tilth and add small amounts of nutrition, may also introduce diseases, weed seeds, and destructive insects into the garden. For these reasons we recommend you exercise care and caution in trying to "improve" your soil.
Moving existing "improved" soil to another location may provide a benefit, if none of the 3 negatives are present, but it is a lot of work, and is not necessary. Plus, it leaves the existing garden area with beds that are 4-6" higher than they should be from the aisles. This may make it difficult to keep moisture in the beds, and thus require much more water, or leave your plants suffering for lack of it. All things considered, I can't recommend it, but just know that your plant roots will reach out into the aisle area somewhat (depending on water availability there), and can thus benefit from the soil.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Keeping tomatoes beyond the first frost
Does everyone know what to do with your green tomatoes in late fall? Pick them before it freezes, obviously, and then place them one layer deep in a cool part of the house out of the sun. They will ripen over the next several weeks, thus extending your season for fresh fruit. Some of the smaller ones will not ripen, and you may want to learn to appreciate some of the green tomato recipes, so they don't go to waste.
Have you all seen the picture of the Zoo Garden tomatoes growing up strings using T-Frames? It's on the home page of the MittleiderMethodGardening@yahoogroups.com group. I recommend you look at it, especially for the PVC "roof" I put on it. In late September I covered the whole thing, consisting of about 80 tomato plants, with 6 mil greenhouse plastic. With just a little heat during freezing weather this Should let you continue to grow and harvest fresh tomatoes at least into November, and maybe even December!
Beyond that, by covering it in the spring, you can transplant your tomatoes into the garden a month or so earlier - thus extending your harvest season on both ends! And the entire thing, including T-Frames, costs only about $200.
Have you all seen the picture of the Zoo Garden tomatoes growing up strings using T-Frames? It's on the home page of the MittleiderMethodGardening@yahoogroups.com group. I recommend you look at it, especially for the PVC "roof" I put on it. In late September I covered the whole thing, consisting of about 80 tomato plants, with 6 mil greenhouse plastic. With just a little heat during freezing weather this Should let you continue to grow and harvest fresh tomatoes at least into November, and maybe even December!
Beyond that, by covering it in the spring, you can transplant your tomatoes into the garden a month or so earlier - thus extending your harvest season on both ends! And the entire thing, including T-Frames, costs only about $200.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Avoiding or eliminating disease in your garden or greenhouse.
Our new friend GT from Indonesia has shared some really sad news with me. He has a large number of beautiful young tomato plants that are suddenly dying. First one or two leaves wilt very quickly, and within a day or so the entire plant wilts and dies.
The worst news is that there seems to be little he can do to remedy the situation - for these plants or for any others he might want to plant in the same location.
There are several diseases that can do this - the one he showed me looked like Bacterial Wilt - but there are several fungus diseases that are just as bad.
The only effective solutions seem to be avoiding getting them in your garden or greenhouse, or a complete and thorough disinfecting of your entire operation with something like Methyl Bromide, or perhaps solarization.
Methyl Bromide is a restricted chemical in most places now, and you will have to get a licensed pesticide applicator to do it for you, unless you become one yourself (as I have done). It is an expensive product and an expensive and time-consuming process, but so necessary if you become infected. Therefore, avoiding the problem is very important, and I will devote a separate post to discussing a couple of ways you can do this fairly easily, with almost no cost.
The worst news is that there seems to be little he can do to remedy the situation - for these plants or for any others he might want to plant in the same location.
There are several diseases that can do this - the one he showed me looked like Bacterial Wilt - but there are several fungus diseases that are just as bad.
The only effective solutions seem to be avoiding getting them in your garden or greenhouse, or a complete and thorough disinfecting of your entire operation with something like Methyl Bromide, or perhaps solarization.
Methyl Bromide is a restricted chemical in most places now, and you will have to get a licensed pesticide applicator to do it for you, unless you become one yourself (as I have done). It is an expensive product and an expensive and time-consuming process, but so necessary if you become infected. Therefore, avoiding the problem is very important, and I will devote a separate post to discussing a couple of ways you can do this fairly easily, with almost no cost.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Functions of Soils
Mineral soils perform at least four functions for plants:
1. They provide anchorage for plants.
2. They store plant food (nutrients) for plant use.
3. They hold water for plants.
4. They supply aeration (oxygen) for plant use.
5. They act as temperature regulators for plants.
These five soil functions should be kept in mind when working with or selecting a soil type, or when making an artificial soil media.
Some soils perform these functions better than other soils. For example: Clay soils do well with the first three functions, but on the fourth and fifth soil functions they do poorly. Sandy soils do well in the fourth and fifth soil functions, but fail, quite severely, on the first three functions. Clay loam and sandy loam soils
perform well on all five soil functions. Peat soils do well on functions 1, 3, 4, and 5, but in function 2 they fail.
These examples show that almost all types of soil fail to perform all the functions that the ideal soil is to perform.
In traveling one quickly realizes that crops are grown on many different types of soil. The crops appear to grow equally well regardless of the type of soil. Any and all kinds of soils and soil types that perform the above-mentioned five functions will grow satisfactory crops. This includes both natural soils and artificial soils.
Thus, clay soils can be improved by increasing the drainage and loosening them up, either through proper cultivation or by incorporating organic residues.
Sandy soils can be improved by incorporating peat moss, sawdust, organic residues, green manures, etc. These materials increase the water-holding capacity of sandy soils.
Since peat soils are low in fertility, they must be supplied with the proper fertilizers which the crops require.
High summer heat has an effect on the growth of many plants. Some plants are called heat-loving plants. Other plants are called cool-loving plants. These two words are used correctly in some places, but they do not tell the whole story in other places.
Almost everyone is acquainted with nurseries that deal with plants. Nurseries are divided into many groups, such as: tree nurseries, ball and burlap, container growers, flowering plant nurseries, potted plant nurseries and florists, indoor foliage plant growers, orchid growers, azalea growers, vegetable and bedding plant growers, and still others.
The bedding plant growers will be used to illustrate that plants can be grown out-of-season. Peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, sweet potatoes, etc. are heat-loving plants. They will freeze at 32°. But bedding plant growers (nurseries) grow these, and other heat-loving plants, during the coldest part of the winter season.
Pansies, stocks, calendulas, cabbage, lettuce, etc. are called cool-loving plants, and they are grown by the nurseries in July and August–the hottest part of the summer. Bedding plant nurseries must grow plants out-of-season to have them ready for sale, to the retail public, when the proper planting season arrives.
All will agree, at least in Southern California, that the plants that the nurseries grow out-of-season, for resale, are of the highest and finest quality. How can they do it?
It is really quite simple. They merely provide the ideal soil for the growing media, and the proper environment. In other words, for the cool-loving plants, which they grow in the hottest weather, they provide diffused sunlight, and a cool, light weight, porous soil media for the plants to grow in. For heat-loving plants they provide heated greenhouses and a lightweight, porous soil media. In both cases
the soil media is the important requisite.
In many places the soil is gray clay, red clay, brown clay, or black clay. Because of the universal shortage of organic materials, and the lack in using those that are available to improve clay soils, the heavy frequent rains pack the clay soils almost like concrete. They set up so hard that the plant roots have a very difficult task trying to penetrate the soil deeper than a few inches.
In the cooler season of the year the demands on plant roots to provide moisture and plant nutrients to the stems and leaves is much less demanding than in the heat of summer. Also, the soil temperature is more ideal for plant root growth. Other factors being favorable, vegetable crops can perform their normal functions in cool weather.
However, when the weather gets hot, both day and night, the clay soil
temperature rises. The rains are less frequent, and between rains the hard clay soil contracts and large cracks develop. These unfavorable growing conditions are usually more than many vegetable plants can cope with; thus they just do not mature the crop, if planted in the hard soil in the heat of summer.
Realizing that nurseries grow plants all through the year, many experiments have been conducted using a soil media similar to that used by nurseries–a lightweight, porous, organic and inorganic media.
The results were most impressive. Common vegetable crops were grown
successfully every month of the year, in areas where they were only grown seasonally before. The results of the experiments indicate conclusively that if plant roots can penetrate the soil with ease, to the depth that they can reach the soil temperature they prefer, then plants will grow and produce even though the temperature above the ground becomes much hotter than the soil root zone.
In other words, the root zone temperature in the soil (approximately 6" to 8"), is more the determining factor whether plants will grow in the heat of summer, than the temperature above the ground.
1. They provide anchorage for plants.
2. They store plant food (nutrients) for plant use.
3. They hold water for plants.
4. They supply aeration (oxygen) for plant use.
5. They act as temperature regulators for plants.
These five soil functions should be kept in mind when working with or selecting a soil type, or when making an artificial soil media.
Some soils perform these functions better than other soils. For example: Clay soils do well with the first three functions, but on the fourth and fifth soil functions they do poorly. Sandy soils do well in the fourth and fifth soil functions, but fail, quite severely, on the first three functions. Clay loam and sandy loam soils
perform well on all five soil functions. Peat soils do well on functions 1, 3, 4, and 5, but in function 2 they fail.
These examples show that almost all types of soil fail to perform all the functions that the ideal soil is to perform.
In traveling one quickly realizes that crops are grown on many different types of soil. The crops appear to grow equally well regardless of the type of soil. Any and all kinds of soils and soil types that perform the above-mentioned five functions will grow satisfactory crops. This includes both natural soils and artificial soils.
Thus, clay soils can be improved by increasing the drainage and loosening them up, either through proper cultivation or by incorporating organic residues.
Sandy soils can be improved by incorporating peat moss, sawdust, organic residues, green manures, etc. These materials increase the water-holding capacity of sandy soils.
Since peat soils are low in fertility, they must be supplied with the proper fertilizers which the crops require.
High summer heat has an effect on the growth of many plants. Some plants are called heat-loving plants. Other plants are called cool-loving plants. These two words are used correctly in some places, but they do not tell the whole story in other places.
Almost everyone is acquainted with nurseries that deal with plants. Nurseries are divided into many groups, such as: tree nurseries, ball and burlap, container growers, flowering plant nurseries, potted plant nurseries and florists, indoor foliage plant growers, orchid growers, azalea growers, vegetable and bedding plant growers, and still others.
The bedding plant growers will be used to illustrate that plants can be grown out-of-season. Peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, sweet potatoes, etc. are heat-loving plants. They will freeze at 32°. But bedding plant growers (nurseries) grow these, and other heat-loving plants, during the coldest part of the winter season.
Pansies, stocks, calendulas, cabbage, lettuce, etc. are called cool-loving plants, and they are grown by the nurseries in July and August–the hottest part of the summer. Bedding plant nurseries must grow plants out-of-season to have them ready for sale, to the retail public, when the proper planting season arrives.
All will agree, at least in Southern California, that the plants that the nurseries grow out-of-season, for resale, are of the highest and finest quality. How can they do it?
It is really quite simple. They merely provide the ideal soil for the growing media, and the proper environment. In other words, for the cool-loving plants, which they grow in the hottest weather, they provide diffused sunlight, and a cool, light weight, porous soil media for the plants to grow in. For heat-loving plants they provide heated greenhouses and a lightweight, porous soil media. In both cases
the soil media is the important requisite.
In many places the soil is gray clay, red clay, brown clay, or black clay. Because of the universal shortage of organic materials, and the lack in using those that are available to improve clay soils, the heavy frequent rains pack the clay soils almost like concrete. They set up so hard that the plant roots have a very difficult task trying to penetrate the soil deeper than a few inches.
In the cooler season of the year the demands on plant roots to provide moisture and plant nutrients to the stems and leaves is much less demanding than in the heat of summer. Also, the soil temperature is more ideal for plant root growth. Other factors being favorable, vegetable crops can perform their normal functions in cool weather.
However, when the weather gets hot, both day and night, the clay soil
temperature rises. The rains are less frequent, and between rains the hard clay soil contracts and large cracks develop. These unfavorable growing conditions are usually more than many vegetable plants can cope with; thus they just do not mature the crop, if planted in the hard soil in the heat of summer.
Realizing that nurseries grow plants all through the year, many experiments have been conducted using a soil media similar to that used by nurseries–a lightweight, porous, organic and inorganic media.
The results were most impressive. Common vegetable crops were grown
successfully every month of the year, in areas where they were only grown seasonally before. The results of the experiments indicate conclusively that if plant roots can penetrate the soil with ease, to the depth that they can reach the soil temperature they prefer, then plants will grow and produce even though the temperature above the ground becomes much hotter than the soil root zone.
In other words, the root zone temperature in the soil (approximately 6" to 8"), is more the determining factor whether plants will grow in the heat of summer, than the temperature above the ground.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Preserving your Harvest
Folks, this one’s a keeper, so get out your scissors and save it in your gardening library.
With cold weather upon us, everyone should be working to save your harvest, either by storing or preserving. Canning, drying, and freezing, are good ways of preserving your crops such as beans, corn, peas, peppers, summer squash, and tomatoes. They need to be done immediately after picking, while crops are fresh and tasty. Whether you cold-store or preserve your produce depends on the type of food you’ve grown, your facilities, and your family’s eating preferences.
Cold storage of vegetables such as cabbage, beets, carrots, potatoes, squash, and turnips can give you the best tasting and healthiest food of the four methods, and may even be the least expensive in the long run. And you can eat every one of these garden-fresh even 4 to 6 months after they’ve been harvested! However it requires some careful preparation, so let’s discuss how best to prepare for and store your fall harvest.
If your garden is very small and you don’t have much to store, you may be able to use an old refrigerator, or a barrel buried in the back yard. However, for those who are serious about providing fresh food for your families, I recommend a root cellar, either under the house or buried outside. You can set it into the side of a hill or dig a hole 4’ to 5’ deep in a corner of the yard, build the cellar, and cover it with the excess dirt. This will help insulate it and maintain the low, but not freezing temperatures you need. Provide yourself a small door and insulate it well. The drawing shows a 6’-tall 4’ X 6’ root cellar intended to be built under the crawl space in a home with no basement. This same plan will work in your yard. The wooden floor is optional, and at least half the space may be better left open to the soil beneath.
Harvest your crops at peak maturity and store only those which are free of disease or damage. Don’t harvest for storage until late fall, since more starches are converted to sugars by the cool weather. Root crops should be picked fresh and stored immediately. Potatoes and squash, on the other hand, first need to be cured at 60-75 degrees for 7 to 14 days. Most produce should be stored at just above freezing temperatures, except winter squash, which does better at or above 50 degrees.
Your root crops will stay fresh and sweet for months if you harvest them with roots intact and pack them in wet sawdust. Cabbage and other brassicas also need their roots. Remove outer leaves, then pack the roots in wet sawdust, leaving the cabbage exposed. Provide separation between crops to avoid mixing flavors, and to keep squash dry.
Potatoes should not be as wet as the root crops. They will do well in temperatures below 40 degrees, but pack them in moist, rather than wet sawdust. Peatmoss and sand, or combinations of all three, can be substituted for straight sawdust, but are not as ideal. I recommend you work with your neighbors to find a sawmill and obtain a truckload.
Onions and garlic also store well. they can handle cold temperatures but, like winter squash, they do better with humidity only 60 to 70 percent. Therefore these should be up off the damp floor, on shelves or hung from the ceiling. A cold basement can also work, but be sure to provide separation from living areas to avoid their strong smell.
Remember, cold temperatures are essential for good long-term storage of vegetables, but do not let them freeze! Insulate your root cellar well. Good healthy eating to you! More details are at www.foodforeveryone.org in the FAQ section.
With cold weather upon us, everyone should be working to save your harvest, either by storing or preserving. Canning, drying, and freezing, are good ways of preserving your crops such as beans, corn, peas, peppers, summer squash, and tomatoes. They need to be done immediately after picking, while crops are fresh and tasty. Whether you cold-store or preserve your produce depends on the type of food you’ve grown, your facilities, and your family’s eating preferences.
Cold storage of vegetables such as cabbage, beets, carrots, potatoes, squash, and turnips can give you the best tasting and healthiest food of the four methods, and may even be the least expensive in the long run. And you can eat every one of these garden-fresh even 4 to 6 months after they’ve been harvested! However it requires some careful preparation, so let’s discuss how best to prepare for and store your fall harvest.
If your garden is very small and you don’t have much to store, you may be able to use an old refrigerator, or a barrel buried in the back yard. However, for those who are serious about providing fresh food for your families, I recommend a root cellar, either under the house or buried outside. You can set it into the side of a hill or dig a hole 4’ to 5’ deep in a corner of the yard, build the cellar, and cover it with the excess dirt. This will help insulate it and maintain the low, but not freezing temperatures you need. Provide yourself a small door and insulate it well. The drawing shows a 6’-tall 4’ X 6’ root cellar intended to be built under the crawl space in a home with no basement. This same plan will work in your yard. The wooden floor is optional, and at least half the space may be better left open to the soil beneath.
Harvest your crops at peak maturity and store only those which are free of disease or damage. Don’t harvest for storage until late fall, since more starches are converted to sugars by the cool weather. Root crops should be picked fresh and stored immediately. Potatoes and squash, on the other hand, first need to be cured at 60-75 degrees for 7 to 14 days. Most produce should be stored at just above freezing temperatures, except winter squash, which does better at or above 50 degrees.
Your root crops will stay fresh and sweet for months if you harvest them with roots intact and pack them in wet sawdust. Cabbage and other brassicas also need their roots. Remove outer leaves, then pack the roots in wet sawdust, leaving the cabbage exposed. Provide separation between crops to avoid mixing flavors, and to keep squash dry.
Potatoes should not be as wet as the root crops. They will do well in temperatures below 40 degrees, but pack them in moist, rather than wet sawdust. Peatmoss and sand, or combinations of all three, can be substituted for straight sawdust, but are not as ideal. I recommend you work with your neighbors to find a sawmill and obtain a truckload.
Onions and garlic also store well. they can handle cold temperatures but, like winter squash, they do better with humidity only 60 to 70 percent. Therefore these should be up off the damp floor, on shelves or hung from the ceiling. A cold basement can also work, but be sure to provide separation from living areas to avoid their strong smell.
Remember, cold temperatures are essential for good long-term storage of vegetables, but do not let them freeze! Insulate your root cellar well. Good healthy eating to you! More details are at www.foodforeveryone.org in the FAQ section.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Organic gardening Ammonium nitrate - Ammonium Sulfate – Or Urea?
Small things can sometimes make a big difference in gardening results. For example, AMMONIUM NITRATE (34-0-0) is much different than AMMONIUM SULFATE (21-0-0) or UREA (46-0-0) - even more than the % of nitrogen.
AMMONIUM SULFATE ((NH4)2 - SO4 - - 21-0-0-24S)
1. Supplies two vital nutrients for crop growth – nitrogen and sulfur. This can be good or bad, depending on whether or not you need the extra sulfur. Sulfur lowers pH, and if you live in a high-rainfall area you do not want that. If you receive less than 20" of rain per year however, the sulfur may help improve your high-pH soil conditions. And the sulfur is in the sulfate (with oxygen) form, which is the only form in which it is available to plants.
2. Its low-cost and ready availability in most places means you can get nitrogen wherever you are.
3. It is only 21% nitrogen, and not immediately available to plants because it must go through a chemical change. This can be good in some situations and bad in others. If your plants need an immediate shot of N you may be disappointed - especially in cold weather - because the change happens very slowly in cold weather. Conversely, in hot weather you may be happy with NH4 because the nitrogen is more stable and does not volatilize so quickly, thus providing nutrition for a longer time.
AMMONIUM NITRATE (NH4 NO3 - - 34-0-0)
1. Combines the stability of the ammonium form with the immediate availability of the nitrate form to provide immediate nitrogen - even in cold weather - with a much higher % of nitrogen than the sulfate form.
2. Usually costs more than either sulfate or urea, and is not available in many places, because of the potential use in making a powerful explosive.
3. Only provides one nutrient - nitrogen. Again, depending on your situation, this can be positive or negative. In places receiving more than 20" of annual rainfall more sulfur is often not desirable, and therefore ammonium nitrate is the better solution.
UREA ((NH2)2CO - - 46-0-0)
1. Not available to plants until several chemical changes take place - therefore the least favorable choice, especially if an immediate "fix" is needed.
2. Losses from volatilization during the chemical changes make it very important not to apply on the surface of the ground.
3. Often the least cost to purchase, and with the highest % of nitrogen it appears to be the best value, but it is usually the least desirable of the three nitrogen sources.
AMMONIUM SULFATE ((NH4)2 - SO4 - - 21-0-0-24S)
1. Supplies two vital nutrients for crop growth – nitrogen and sulfur. This can be good or bad, depending on whether or not you need the extra sulfur. Sulfur lowers pH, and if you live in a high-rainfall area you do not want that. If you receive less than 20" of rain per year however, the sulfur may help improve your high-pH soil conditions. And the sulfur is in the sulfate (with oxygen) form, which is the only form in which it is available to plants.
2. Its low-cost and ready availability in most places means you can get nitrogen wherever you are.
3. It is only 21% nitrogen, and not immediately available to plants because it must go through a chemical change. This can be good in some situations and bad in others. If your plants need an immediate shot of N you may be disappointed - especially in cold weather - because the change happens very slowly in cold weather. Conversely, in hot weather you may be happy with NH4 because the nitrogen is more stable and does not volatilize so quickly, thus providing nutrition for a longer time.
AMMONIUM NITRATE (NH4 NO3 - - 34-0-0)
1. Combines the stability of the ammonium form with the immediate availability of the nitrate form to provide immediate nitrogen - even in cold weather - with a much higher % of nitrogen than the sulfate form.
2. Usually costs more than either sulfate or urea, and is not available in many places, because of the potential use in making a powerful explosive.
3. Only provides one nutrient - nitrogen. Again, depending on your situation, this can be positive or negative. In places receiving more than 20" of annual rainfall more sulfur is often not desirable, and therefore ammonium nitrate is the better solution.
UREA ((NH2)2CO - - 46-0-0)
1. Not available to plants until several chemical changes take place - therefore the least favorable choice, especially if an immediate "fix" is needed.
2. Losses from volatilization during the chemical changes make it very important not to apply on the surface of the ground.
3. Often the least cost to purchase, and with the highest % of nitrogen it appears to be the best value, but it is usually the least desirable of the three nitrogen sources.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Preserving your Harvest
Folks, this one’s a keeper, so get out your scissors and save it in your gardening library.
With cold weather upon us, everyone should be working to save your harvest, either by storing or preserving. Canning, drying, and freezing, are good ways of preserving your crops such as beans, corn, peas, peppers, summer squash, and tomatoes. They need to be done immediately after picking, while crops are fresh and tasty. Whether you cold-store or preserve your produce depends on the type of food you’ve grown, your facilities, and your family’s eating preferences.
Cold storage of vegetables such as cabbage, beets, carrots, potatoes, squash, and turnips can give you the best tasting and healthiest food of the four methods, and may even be the least expensive in the long run. And you can eat every one of these garden-fresh even 4 to 6 months after they’ve been harvested! However it requires some careful preparation, so let’s discuss how best to prepare for and store your fall harvest.
If your garden is very small and you don’t have much to store, you may be able to use an old refrigerator, or a barrel buried in the back yard. However, for those who are serious about providing fresh food for your families, I recommend a root cellar, either under the house or buried outside. You can set it into the side of a hill or dig a hole 4’ to 5’ deep in a corner of the yard, build the cellar, and cover it with the excess dirt. This will help insulate it and maintain the low, but not freezing temperatures you need. Provide yourself a small door and insulate it well. The drawing shows a 6’-tall 4’ X 6’ root cellar intended to be built under the crawl space in a home with no basement. This same plan will work in your yard. The wooden floor is optional, and at least half the space may be better left open to the soil beneath.
Harvest your crops at peak maturity and store only those which are free of disease or damage. Don’t harvest for storage until late fall, since more starches are converted to sugars by the cool weather. Root crops should be picked fresh and stored immediately. Potatoes and squash, on the other hand, first need to be cured at 60-75 degrees for 7 to 14 days. Most produce should be stored at just above freezing temperatures, except winter squash, which does better at or above 50 degrees.
Your root crops will stay fresh and sweet for months if you harvest them with roots intact and pack them in wet sawdust. Cabbage and other brassicas also need their roots. Remove outer leaves, then pack the roots in wet sawdust, leaving the cabbage exposed. Provide separation between crops to avoid mixing flavors, and to keep squash dry.
Potatoes should not be as wet as the root crops. They will do well in temperatures below 40 degrees, but pack them in moist, rather than wet sawdust. Peatmoss and sand, or combinations of all three, can be substituted for straight sawdust, but are not as ideal. I recommend you work with your neighbors to find a sawmill and obtain a truckload.
Onions and garlic also store well. they can handle cold temperatures but, like winter squash, they do better with humidity only 60 to 70 percent. Therefore these should be up off the damp floor, on shelves or hung from the ceiling. A cold basement can also work, but be sure to provide separation from living areas to avoid their strong smell.
Remember, cold temperatures are essential for good long-term storage of vegetables, but do not let them freeze! Insulate your root cellar well. Good healthy eating to you! More details are at www.foodforeveryone.org in the FAQ section.
With cold weather upon us, everyone should be working to save your harvest, either by storing or preserving. Canning, drying, and freezing, are good ways of preserving your crops such as beans, corn, peas, peppers, summer squash, and tomatoes. They need to be done immediately after picking, while crops are fresh and tasty. Whether you cold-store or preserve your produce depends on the type of food you’ve grown, your facilities, and your family’s eating preferences.
Cold storage of vegetables such as cabbage, beets, carrots, potatoes, squash, and turnips can give you the best tasting and healthiest food of the four methods, and may even be the least expensive in the long run. And you can eat every one of these garden-fresh even 4 to 6 months after they’ve been harvested! However it requires some careful preparation, so let’s discuss how best to prepare for and store your fall harvest.
If your garden is very small and you don’t have much to store, you may be able to use an old refrigerator, or a barrel buried in the back yard. However, for those who are serious about providing fresh food for your families, I recommend a root cellar, either under the house or buried outside. You can set it into the side of a hill or dig a hole 4’ to 5’ deep in a corner of the yard, build the cellar, and cover it with the excess dirt. This will help insulate it and maintain the low, but not freezing temperatures you need. Provide yourself a small door and insulate it well. The drawing shows a 6’-tall 4’ X 6’ root cellar intended to be built under the crawl space in a home with no basement. This same plan will work in your yard. The wooden floor is optional, and at least half the space may be better left open to the soil beneath.
Harvest your crops at peak maturity and store only those which are free of disease or damage. Don’t harvest for storage until late fall, since more starches are converted to sugars by the cool weather. Root crops should be picked fresh and stored immediately. Potatoes and squash, on the other hand, first need to be cured at 60-75 degrees for 7 to 14 days. Most produce should be stored at just above freezing temperatures, except winter squash, which does better at or above 50 degrees.
Your root crops will stay fresh and sweet for months if you harvest them with roots intact and pack them in wet sawdust. Cabbage and other brassicas also need their roots. Remove outer leaves, then pack the roots in wet sawdust, leaving the cabbage exposed. Provide separation between crops to avoid mixing flavors, and to keep squash dry.
Potatoes should not be as wet as the root crops. They will do well in temperatures below 40 degrees, but pack them in moist, rather than wet sawdust. Peatmoss and sand, or combinations of all three, can be substituted for straight sawdust, but are not as ideal. I recommend you work with your neighbors to find a sawmill and obtain a truckload.
Onions and garlic also store well. they can handle cold temperatures but, like winter squash, they do better with humidity only 60 to 70 percent. Therefore these should be up off the damp floor, on shelves or hung from the ceiling. A cold basement can also work, but be sure to provide separation from living areas to avoid their strong smell.
Remember, cold temperatures are essential for good long-term storage of vegetables, but do not let them freeze! Insulate your root cellar well. Good healthy eating to you! More details are at www.foodforeveryone.org in the FAQ section.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Crop Rotation of Tomatoes
There are 3 major reasons for rotating crops. The first is to take advantage of the fact that different plants use slightly different amounts of the various nutrients, and some (legumes) can actually put nitrogen into the soil. Because we feed the plants a balanced diet, nutrition is not a problem in a Mittleider garden, therefore crop rotation for this purpose is not necessary.
The second reason for rotating is to break the cycle of disease that may have gotten into a certain crop. And the third is to break the cycle of insect pests that favor a certain crop.
In reality, most small home gardens are not big enough to be very effective at stopping the spread of pests or diseases, so crop rotation is often not a great solution - although still worth doing if disease or pests are present.
Other "cultural practices" of the Mittleider Method will likely assist you more than crop rotation in minimizing your losses from pests and diseases. To assure a great yield year after year, we teach you such things as:
1. maintaining a completely weed-free garden - even including wide 5-10’ borders,
2. watering only the actual growing area - leaving wide aisles dry (like a desert to bugs),
3. growing seedlings in a protected environment and transplanting stocky, robust seedlings into the garden,
4. growing your plants fast by feeding and watering them properly, and
5. harvesting the crop as soon as it matures, before the bugs and/or diseases can become entrenched.
The second reason for rotating is to break the cycle of disease that may have gotten into a certain crop. And the third is to break the cycle of insect pests that favor a certain crop.
In reality, most small home gardens are not big enough to be very effective at stopping the spread of pests or diseases, so crop rotation is often not a great solution - although still worth doing if disease or pests are present.
Other "cultural practices" of the Mittleider Method will likely assist you more than crop rotation in minimizing your losses from pests and diseases. To assure a great yield year after year, we teach you such things as:
1. maintaining a completely weed-free garden - even including wide 5-10’ borders,
2. watering only the actual growing area - leaving wide aisles dry (like a desert to bugs),
3. growing seedlings in a protected environment and transplanting stocky, robust seedlings into the garden,
4. growing your plants fast by feeding and watering them properly, and
5. harvesting the crop as soon as it matures, before the bugs and/or diseases can become entrenched.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Growing in Containers - What size and Why
Q. Other than being able to figure up the nutrient amounts for Grow-Boxes, is there a reason why they are only 18 inches wide?
A. Dr. Mittleider experimented with many different sizes and configurations over the years, and he settled on two widths as being the best. Eighteen inch-wide beds allow two rows of most plants, with a single PVC watering pipe down the middle of the box or bed able to accurately and thoroughly water both rows of plants.
Narrower boxes don't give enough room between the two rows of plants and there is crowding. And wider boxes don't get watered as efficiently, and the space is wasted.
A 4'-wide box allows 4 rows of plants, with almost 2' in the center for light and air. Planting is near both edges and 12" in from the outside rows. Once again, this allows for very efficient watering with two drilled PVC pipes down the center of the two sets of rows.
A box that is wider than 4' begins to waste space, and is more difficult to work the middle of the box. A narrower box does not provide enough light in the center, and fewer plants can be grown.
Four-foot-wide boxes give the highest productivity in a given space, because the "aisle" between the two sets of rows is only 2', rather than the 3 1/2' of the regular aisles.
A. Dr. Mittleider experimented with many different sizes and configurations over the years, and he settled on two widths as being the best. Eighteen inch-wide beds allow two rows of most plants, with a single PVC watering pipe down the middle of the box or bed able to accurately and thoroughly water both rows of plants.
Narrower boxes don't give enough room between the two rows of plants and there is crowding. And wider boxes don't get watered as efficiently, and the space is wasted.
A 4'-wide box allows 4 rows of plants, with almost 2' in the center for light and air. Planting is near both edges and 12" in from the outside rows. Once again, this allows for very efficient watering with two drilled PVC pipes down the center of the two sets of rows.
A box that is wider than 4' begins to waste space, and is more difficult to work the middle of the box. A narrower box does not provide enough light in the center, and fewer plants can be grown.
Four-foot-wide boxes give the highest productivity in a given space, because the "aisle" between the two sets of rows is only 2', rather than the 3 1/2' of the regular aisles.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Soil Mix in Grow-Boxes
Q. I have made several beds. I am using the original garden soil to which I have added 10% vermiculite and 10% peat moss by volume. My top soil was so shallow (about 5 inches) that I really need to add another
couple of inches of something to get the mix to the top of the frames.
Would it be all right to fill the bed the rest of the way with fresh pine sawdust I have a ready? It is the size of dry oatmeal. Could there be an acid or heat problem with too much pine dust?
A. Several problems are associated with using the natural soil in your Grow-Boxes.
1. The weight of the dirt is much greater than the organic materials we recommend for 65-75% of the mix. This will tend to push your walls out.
2. The soil will tend to get very hard and compact.
3. The soil may have disease, almost certainly has weed seeds, and likely has some bugs in it. So by using it you continue problems that we try to avoid in the Mittleider Method.
There is no problem in using pine sawdust, but the size of what you describe makes it sound more like shavings or chips, rather than sawdust. You are inviting problems of having the materials sour if they are too large, and they don't absorb water, the way sawdust does, so I can't recommend anything larger than regular sawdust.
couple of inches of something to get the mix to the top of the frames.
Would it be all right to fill the bed the rest of the way with fresh pine sawdust I have a ready? It is the size of dry oatmeal. Could there be an acid or heat problem with too much pine dust?
A. Several problems are associated with using the natural soil in your Grow-Boxes.
1. The weight of the dirt is much greater than the organic materials we recommend for 65-75% of the mix. This will tend to push your walls out.
2. The soil will tend to get very hard and compact.
3. The soil may have disease, almost certainly has weed seeds, and likely has some bugs in it. So by using it you continue problems that we try to avoid in the Mittleider Method.
There is no problem in using pine sawdust, but the size of what you describe makes it sound more like shavings or chips, rather than sawdust. You are inviting problems of having the materials sour if they are too large, and they don't absorb water, the way sawdust does, so I can't recommend anything larger than regular sawdust.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
How does Hard Water effect fertilizers
Hard Water (high pH) - effect on fertilizers
Q. We’re told our pH is very high here. Can we grow a garden? What amendments do we need to apply so that we can grow in this soil?
A. Probably the only thing you need to do is use gypsum in your Pre-Plant Mix. However, if you were to test your water and discover that it is in the pH range of 8.5-8.9, since sulfur lowers pH, you might need to use some sulfuric acid in the water to bring the pH down closer to 7.
Consider that Dr. Mittleider himself lives 20 miles from Yucaipa, California (notoriously high pH) and does nothing other than using gypsum. And his daughter lives IN Yucaipa, and they do nothing other than using gypsum, and they have wonderful gardens.
In Duccor, California several years ago, Dr. M. had water with a pH of 8.6-8.9 and he used sulfuric acid in the water. Other than that and one other place in Idaho, he has never had to go to those extremes.
He says to treat your blueberries like everything else, and if they aren't thriving, a little more gypsum, or in the worst case, a little sulfur will take care of it.
Q. We’re told our pH is very high here. Can we grow a garden? What amendments do we need to apply so that we can grow in this soil?
A. Probably the only thing you need to do is use gypsum in your Pre-Plant Mix. However, if you were to test your water and discover that it is in the pH range of 8.5-8.9, since sulfur lowers pH, you might need to use some sulfuric acid in the water to bring the pH down closer to 7.
Consider that Dr. Mittleider himself lives 20 miles from Yucaipa, California (notoriously high pH) and does nothing other than using gypsum. And his daughter lives IN Yucaipa, and they do nothing other than using gypsum, and they have wonderful gardens.
In Duccor, California several years ago, Dr. M. had water with a pH of 8.6-8.9 and he used sulfuric acid in the water. Other than that and one other place in Idaho, he has never had to go to those extremes.
He says to treat your blueberries like everything else, and if they aren't thriving, a little more gypsum, or in the worst case, a little sulfur will take care of it.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Mixing Square Foot Gardening with The Mittleider Method?
Q. I would like to get the fertilizing method clarified. For the past 3 years I have used the square foot gardening method in raised beds. Last year I wasn't as happy with my tomato production and realized when my husband turned the bed that I would have to do something with the soil. Initially it was 1/3 top soil, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 compost.
So this spring I decided to do some online research on how to fix my soil and came across the Mittleider Method. I thought I would be able to incorporate some of these methods with the square foot method. So, we added a bag of manure to each raised bed. They are 4' x 10' for 3 and 4' x 8' for two. We worked this into the beds along with some chopped leaves and peat moss. Once the soil was well mixed, we leveled it off and added 5-10-15 pre-planting fertilizer. In addition bone meal 7-5-0 was sprinkled on tope of each bed as rabbit
control. This was done before I read the ebook on the Mittleider method for fertilizing. Can I continue on with the weekly fertilizing? Do I really add fertilizer on a weekly basis? Since my beds are only 10' long, how much fertilizer would I use?
BTW, last year our garden with the exception of tomatoes did well. I was able to can 21 quarts of green beans besides what we ate fresh. It was a bad gardening year too. It was too hot and too dry. Tomatoes were really so so. Even zucchini did poorly which is why I started looking for other methods. I like the square foot method for higher yield production in small areas yet the fertilizing makes a lot of sense to me. So this year my garden is a mix of the square foot method and Mittleider method along with a heavy reliance on companion plantings.
A. I can't answer for what you can do, since you didn't say how much of anything you put in your beds, except the manure. I suspect you added more of the things you mention than needed, and you say nothing about the important secondary and trace minerals.
The reason fertilizing using the Mittleider Method produces such great gardens consistently year after year is that we always know just what we are adding to the soil, and we provide just what the plants need of all 13 natural mineral elements, without taking the risks of disease, weed seeds, and bugs that are so often associated with compost and manures.
We apply only small amounts of the Weekly Feed mix (5 ounces to a 10' row of plants) on a weekly basis until 3 weeks before harvest for single crop varieties, and until 8 weeks before first frost for ever-bearing plants like
tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.
Best of success to you. I do hope you'll give the Mittleider Method a fair chance. I'm confident you'll be pleased with the easy and simple procedures, and especially pleased with your yields of beautiful healthy produce.
So this spring I decided to do some online research on how to fix my soil and came across the Mittleider Method. I thought I would be able to incorporate some of these methods with the square foot method. So, we added a bag of manure to each raised bed. They are 4' x 10' for 3 and 4' x 8' for two. We worked this into the beds along with some chopped leaves and peat moss. Once the soil was well mixed, we leveled it off and added 5-10-15 pre-planting fertilizer. In addition bone meal 7-5-0 was sprinkled on tope of each bed as rabbit
control. This was done before I read the ebook on the Mittleider method for fertilizing. Can I continue on with the weekly fertilizing? Do I really add fertilizer on a weekly basis? Since my beds are only 10' long, how much fertilizer would I use?
BTW, last year our garden with the exception of tomatoes did well. I was able to can 21 quarts of green beans besides what we ate fresh. It was a bad gardening year too. It was too hot and too dry. Tomatoes were really so so. Even zucchini did poorly which is why I started looking for other methods. I like the square foot method for higher yield production in small areas yet the fertilizing makes a lot of sense to me. So this year my garden is a mix of the square foot method and Mittleider method along with a heavy reliance on companion plantings.
A. I can't answer for what you can do, since you didn't say how much of anything you put in your beds, except the manure. I suspect you added more of the things you mention than needed, and you say nothing about the important secondary and trace minerals.
The reason fertilizing using the Mittleider Method produces such great gardens consistently year after year is that we always know just what we are adding to the soil, and we provide just what the plants need of all 13 natural mineral elements, without taking the risks of disease, weed seeds, and bugs that are so often associated with compost and manures.
We apply only small amounts of the Weekly Feed mix (5 ounces to a 10' row of plants) on a weekly basis until 3 weeks before harvest for single crop varieties, and until 8 weeks before first frost for ever-bearing plants like
tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.
Best of success to you. I do hope you'll give the Mittleider Method a fair chance. I'm confident you'll be pleased with the easy and simple procedures, and especially pleased with your yields of beautiful healthy produce.
Monday, October 5, 2009
How much water pressure is needed for auto watering?
Watering System Question
Q. When I set up my watering pipes, I made a separate hose attachment for each row.
Now I would like to connect them to a manifold to water several rows at a time.
How many rows can be watered at once with a typical house faucet pressure? The
south side of my garden has 9 rows, and the north side has 4. Thanks!
A. With a water source of a 3/8" (sometimes smaller!) water hose you won't have much
success watering multiple rows at the same time, unless your rows are
substantially shorter than 30'.
I water 25 rows at one time, but I have a 2" main line with water delivered by a
5 HP Honda pump. The laterals that feed 20-25 rows are 1 1/2", and T's that feed
individual beds are 3/4".
A 1" main line could water several beds at a time - the number being dependent
on the water pressure to your garden.
Q. When I set up my watering pipes, I made a separate hose attachment for each row.
Now I would like to connect them to a manifold to water several rows at a time.
How many rows can be watered at once with a typical house faucet pressure? The
south side of my garden has 9 rows, and the north side has 4. Thanks!
A. With a water source of a 3/8" (sometimes smaller!) water hose you won't have much
success watering multiple rows at the same time, unless your rows are
substantially shorter than 30'.
I water 25 rows at one time, but I have a 2" main line with water delivered by a
5 HP Honda pump. The laterals that feed 20-25 rows are 1 1/2", and T's that feed
individual beds are 3/4".
A 1" main line could water several beds at a time - the number being dependent
on the water pressure to your garden.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Organic Gardening to Produce Food for your Family
Gardening to Produce Food For Everyone
My name is Jim Kennard, and as President of the Food For Everyone Foundation I am excited to help in fulfilling the foundation's mission of "teaching the world to grow food one family at a time."
The first way we do this is by providing a wealth of free vegetable gardening information, training, tips, and advice on the internet at www.foodforeveryone.org. People from all over the world log on here to receive free training and advice, as well as to obtain the great gardening books, CDs and software written by Dr. Jacob R. Mittleider, some of which were created in collaboration with several BYU PhDs and Professors of Educational Psychology and Technology.
The Mittleider Gardening Basics Course ebook is free on the website at www.foodforeveryone.org/learn. The book-length FAQ section also has over 500 short gardening articles, which answer people's questions and give advice on many important vegetable gardening subjects.
In addition we have free greenhouse plans and free plans for automating your garden watering system, as well as a free gardening group where you can share knowledge and experience with thousands of successful vegetable gardeners.
I'll briefly introduce you to the Foundation's gardening methods by describing a few things about the Mittleider Method that are important, and which distinguish it from other gardening methods.
Most of the time our gardens are grown right in the native soil, with no amendments. We promise you "a great garden in any soil, in almost any climate". From straight sand to the worst clay, we'll show you how to have success growing healthy, delicious vegetables the first time and every time. The picture is Jan & Gretchen Graf’s first ever garden West of Santa Clara, Utah in blow-sand. It was a great success.
Grow-Boxes, or containers are sometimes needed for people living in apartments, and for disabled people. Container gardening can be just as effective as growing in the soil. Three of Dr. Mittleider's 10 books are dedicated to the unique features of the container gardening process, and for the next 5 days I will send a copy of the Digital version of Gardening by the Foot to all who request it from me at jim@growfood.com.
The Mittleider Method is sometimes called "the poor man's hydroponic system", because we use some of the principles and procedures of greenhouse growers, such as
1. Vertical growing,
2. Allowing NO weeds,
3. Watering often with small amounts of water,
4. Feeding the plants accurately throughout their growing cycle with natural mineral nutrients, and
5. Controlling temperature extremes, thus extending the growing season in both the spring and fall.
The Second major element in the Foundation's mission is teaching, training, and assisting people directly. One way we do this in America is by conducting free ½-day group gardening seminars. These can be arranged by contacting me by email at jim@growfood.com.
We also conduct humanitarian projects in countries throughout the world. In 2002 I was in Turkey and Madagascar for the Church. Every year since 2004 we have spent time in Armenia. In 2007 and 2008 we were also in the Republic of Georgia, and in 2007-2008 we were on a University campus in Colombia for several months – again for the Church. Everywhere we’ve been we grow many kinds of vegetables the locals thought couldn't possibly be grown in "their region", and we try to leave people in place to be the local “experts” to carry on and expand the work.
Another way in which we extend our reach is to train others who are becoming missionaries. One example is Howard and Glenice Morgan from Southern California, who recently returned from a 2-year LDS mission to Zimbabwe. They were sent to teach Mittleider gardening to Church members throughout the country, and they did a FABULOUS job.
They prepared by studying the Mittleider gardening books. Then, after some training in my garden adjacent to Utah's Hogle Zoo, and using only the simple 6 Steps to Successful Gardening book, the Morgans created 84 large “community” gardens in 4 countries, and taught over 10,500 people to feed themselves by growing their own healthy vegetables.
And Howard and Glenice thanked me for helping them have the time of their lives! Howard was a retired dentist, by the way, with very little previous experience in gardening.
So, whatever level you are currently on, you too can experience this kind of success – whether it's in your own home garden, a community effort, or as a humanitarian missionary in some distant country.
Join us as we teach people how there can be “food for everyone”, and learn to produce the best gardens of your life.
Jim Kennard
My name is Jim Kennard, and as President of the Food For Everyone Foundation I am excited to help in fulfilling the foundation's mission of "teaching the world to grow food one family at a time."
The first way we do this is by providing a wealth of free vegetable gardening information, training, tips, and advice on the internet at www.foodforeveryone.org. People from all over the world log on here to receive free training and advice, as well as to obtain the great gardening books, CDs and software written by Dr. Jacob R. Mittleider, some of which were created in collaboration with several BYU PhDs and Professors of Educational Psychology and Technology.
The Mittleider Gardening Basics Course ebook is free on the website at www.foodforeveryone.org/learn. The book-length FAQ section also has over 500 short gardening articles, which answer people's questions and give advice on many important vegetable gardening subjects.
In addition we have free greenhouse plans and free plans for automating your garden watering system, as well as a free gardening group where you can share knowledge and experience with thousands of successful vegetable gardeners.
I'll briefly introduce you to the Foundation's gardening methods by describing a few things about the Mittleider Method that are important, and which distinguish it from other gardening methods.
Most of the time our gardens are grown right in the native soil, with no amendments. We promise you "a great garden in any soil, in almost any climate". From straight sand to the worst clay, we'll show you how to have success growing healthy, delicious vegetables the first time and every time. The picture is Jan & Gretchen Graf’s first ever garden West of Santa Clara, Utah in blow-sand. It was a great success.
Grow-Boxes, or containers are sometimes needed for people living in apartments, and for disabled people. Container gardening can be just as effective as growing in the soil. Three of Dr. Mittleider's 10 books are dedicated to the unique features of the container gardening process, and for the next 5 days I will send a copy of the Digital version of Gardening by the Foot to all who request it from me at jim@growfood.com.
The Mittleider Method is sometimes called "the poor man's hydroponic system", because we use some of the principles and procedures of greenhouse growers, such as
1. Vertical growing,
2. Allowing NO weeds,
3. Watering often with small amounts of water,
4. Feeding the plants accurately throughout their growing cycle with natural mineral nutrients, and
5. Controlling temperature extremes, thus extending the growing season in both the spring and fall.
The Second major element in the Foundation's mission is teaching, training, and assisting people directly. One way we do this in America is by conducting free ½-day group gardening seminars. These can be arranged by contacting me by email at jim@growfood.com.
We also conduct humanitarian projects in countries throughout the world. In 2002 I was in Turkey and Madagascar for the Church. Every year since 2004 we have spent time in Armenia. In 2007 and 2008 we were also in the Republic of Georgia, and in 2007-2008 we were on a University campus in Colombia for several months – again for the Church. Everywhere we’ve been we grow many kinds of vegetables the locals thought couldn't possibly be grown in "their region", and we try to leave people in place to be the local “experts” to carry on and expand the work.
Another way in which we extend our reach is to train others who are becoming missionaries. One example is Howard and Glenice Morgan from Southern California, who recently returned from a 2-year LDS mission to Zimbabwe. They were sent to teach Mittleider gardening to Church members throughout the country, and they did a FABULOUS job.
They prepared by studying the Mittleider gardening books. Then, after some training in my garden adjacent to Utah's Hogle Zoo, and using only the simple 6 Steps to Successful Gardening book, the Morgans created 84 large “community” gardens in 4 countries, and taught over 10,500 people to feed themselves by growing their own healthy vegetables.
And Howard and Glenice thanked me for helping them have the time of their lives! Howard was a retired dentist, by the way, with very little previous experience in gardening.
So, whatever level you are currently on, you too can experience this kind of success – whether it's in your own home garden, a community effort, or as a humanitarian missionary in some distant country.
Join us as we teach people how there can be “food for everyone”, and learn to produce the best gardens of your life.
Jim Kennard
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Gardening seminars
Great news Jim is giving gardening seminars much more info to follow, we are also shooting videos of the presentations and will be uploading them to Youtube,
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Six factors to control in your garden
Six Elements to Control PP Presentation – Narration
Source Food for Everyone Foundation
1. The Mittleider Method of gardening is sometimes called “The Poor Man’s Hydroponic Method” – and for good reason. (Hydroponic growers are able to consistently control all elements of the growing process, and therefore get maximum yields.)
In the next few minutes you will learn how to control the 6 elements that are necessary to healthy and productive plant growth.
2. The large commercial hydroponic growers do it best, and as a consequence they are able to produce as much as 330 TONS per acre!
However, in order to do that hydroponic growers must invest about $1,000,000 per acre in buildings and equipment, and in addition they have very high labor costs.
3. Our garden yields approach the hydroponic growers, and yet the investment is a TINY FRACTION of the typical hydroponic grower’s.
That’s why the label “The Poor Man’s Hydroponic Method” fits – anyone can do it. And some call this method “The best of organic” also! You’ll learn why as we go along.
Using the principles and procedures illustrated here you can have a GREAT garden in ANY soil – or in NO soil – in virtually any climate. You discover that soil and climate differences are NOT major problems.
You’ll learn to control the 6 basic physical conditions necessary for healthy plant growth.
(By borrowing hydroponic growers’ principles and procedures, and adapting them to the small family gardener – we increase the quality and quantity of our garden yields MANY times as compared to traditional methods.)
4. The most important factor to control is LIGHT – for reasons that should be obvious.
Light is life! And nowhere is it more obvious than in the world of plants, where 95% of the structure is the result of that marvelous miracle called photosynthesis.
Using just the three basic elements carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen plants create CARB-O-HYDRATES.
(Number one in importance is providing maximum sunlight – for as long as possible. In the far North plants go crazy in the summer with 18 and 20 hours of sunlight!)
5. Therefore you must AVOID planting where there is shade – from trees, houses, walls, shrubs, etc.
Even tall vegetable plants will produce shade, unless you plant tall varieties to the North OR East of short ones.
(Any fruit-bearing plant MUST have direct sunlight for at least 6 hours per day, and 10 is much better. In this picture, tall plants – tomatoes and corn - were planted East AND West of the short peppers. Even with wide aisles the peppers suffered some for lack of sunlight.)
Notice the row of short pepper plants between rows of tall plants. The peppers produced very little, because they lacked direct sunlight many hours of the day.
6. A plant can even shade itself more than is healthy! Remove sucker stems from climbing plants, and prune excess leaves – to allow light everywhere.
(Crop yields can be increased significantly by pruning. For example, removing sucker stems on tomatoes is important to maximize crop yield.)
7. The second element to control is TEMPERATURE. Plants thrive in a rather narrow temperature range, and this is especially true when they first germinate.
Sustained temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit are essential for fast germination and high germination rates. Even 10 degrees colder will greatly slow the germination time and reduce the number of plants.
(Is your garden too small for a greenhouse? Start your plants on a heating pad in your house. Somewhere warm is essential.)
8. Even after germination young plants need favorable temperatures to thrive. In early Spring this may require some protection – and sometimes even a little supplemental heat – whether in the greenhouse or in the garden.
(A small seed-house like Dr. Jacob Mittleider’s can grow hundreds of healthy seedlings. Mini-greenhouses right in the garden help to keep them warm on cold nights.)
Covering your plants with plastic as illustrated helps warm the soil and eliminate cold winds, and on cold nights even the heat from a couple of light bulbs can be enough to prevent freezing.
9. In this way – by covering your plants and protecting from frost – you can extend your growing season by up to 4 weeks in both Spring and Fall.
(The arched frames in back can easily be covered to grow plants clear into December in Utah. T-Frames work just as well as those A-Frames.)
10. The third element to control is AIR. Remember that plants receive carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen from the air. However, they access those things mainly through their ROOTS.
Therefore, good drainage is necessary. Why?
(To use this area as a successful garden just required drain ditches to remove the standing water.)
11. You must avoid flooding the roots for any extended length of time. Even a few hours under water can kill your plants.
(Soil that is soaked with or covered with water drives out the soil air. Roots get oxygen from the air, not the water, so the plant can drown in a fairly short time.)
So, to insure your plant roots receive the soil-air they must have, never plant in a low spot with poor drainage.
12. We solve the drainage problem by RAISING the planting area of our soil-beds slightly higher than the surrounding aisles.
13. The fourth element to control is WATER.
Water obviously should be clean, and it MUST be non-toxic. Any concentration of harmful elements, such as chemicals from a nearby industrial plant, can quickly kill your plants.
How much and how often do you need to water?
Understand that “a plant is a continuous water pipe, from the tip of the smallest root to the top of the highest leaf” - JRM.
And a plant is over 80% water!
Water should therefore ALWAYS be available to the plant roots. The soil should be MOIST but not completely WET. One inch daily is enough.
14. In addition to being slightly raised –
Your soil-beds should be LEVEL.
This avoids the loss of water; plus your seeds, small plants, and fertilizers are not washed out and lost.
(Do not plant until your beds are level. Much grief is avoided by following the procedures accurately.)
15. Level beds also ensure UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION of water and natural mineral fertilizers to all plants’ roots.
16. Even when watering almost every day we conserve water, using about ½ that of traditional methods.
This is because we only water the root-zone of the plants - about 17% of the garden area.
(No water is lost to run-off, nor wasted in the aisles. In Armenia village neighbors are AMAZED at how little water we use.)
17. Never water your garden by sprinkling – for 3 reasons:
Sprinkling encourages weed growth in the aisles and on the ridges;
It wastes a great deal of water through evaporation as well;
It promotes diseases, which thrive in a moist environment.
(On a hot day evaporation wastes up to ½ of the water when sprinkling is used. And even more than that is wasted on the aisles and ridges. Sprinklers may be needed for lawns, but they have no place in the vegetable garden!)
18. Four-inch-high ridges surrounding the planting area accomplish several things;
They define the bed aesthetically and afford some protection to small seedling plants;
They keep the water and fertilizers in the root zone of the plants.
19. Automating your watering will greatly increase the pleasure you receive from your garden.
It makes watering EASIER, FASTER, and more EFFICIENT!
(Many beds can be watered at the same time. 125 beds at the Utah Zoo garden are watered in only 60 minutes.)
20. Simple illustrated plans for automating your watering system are available in the Mittleider gardening books, and it’s free online at http://foodforeveryone.org/pdf/MGC_Chpt_16.pdf
(The main water pipe should be as large as your water source. Use threaded connections – NOT GLUED! Use Schedule 200 – NOT schedule 40 for watering pipes.)
21. The fifth element to control in your garden is your plants’ FOOD.
Besides the 3 elements plants receive FREE from the air there are 13 other elements that plants must have for food.
Most people know about the 3 MAJOR nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, or N, P, & K.
However, 3 SECONDARY elements are used almost as much by plants as phosphorus, and these are calcium, sulfur, and magnesium.
In addition there are Micro-nutrients – also called Trace Elements - because plants use only small amounts of them. They include zinc, boron, manganese, iron, copper, chloride, and molybdenum.
People in the Mountain West can get these complete balanced plant foods pre-mixed.
WHEREVER YOU live simply get Micro-Nutrients from the website at www.growfood.com and mix with NPK and Epsom Salt according to instructions to have the complete balanced nutrient mix.
22. Plants require feeding in two ways, with two separate natural mineral nutrient mixes. They are called the Pre-Plant Mix and the Weekly Feed Mix, indicating how they are used.
Unless materials are water-soluble plants can’t get or use them. They receive their nourishment as water-soluble MINERALS through their ROOTS.
(WATER SOLUBLE is the key! Dirt often has most or even all the minerals in it, but it’s usually NOT water soluble – therefore it’s not available to your plants.)
How are we “The Best of Organic”? The nutritional value of manure and compost are unknown. We know what plants need and we supply exactly that – in balanced amounts.
And we supply small amounts weekly throughout the growing season – just as they are needed.
23. The sixth and final element we must control is COMPETITION. (And disease certainly competes to rob you of your crop! Beat the big four for sure success.)
Competition from weeds, bugs, and animals is usually fierce and constant.
And diseases are very difficult to control, and sometimes almost impossible to eliminate after they get established.
24. Eliminate all weeds! Success STARTS with a weed-free garden! (Starting right is all important! Don’t expect a great finish if your beginning is sloppy.)
“No amount of scratching after the crop is planted can overcome the ill effects of poor seed-bed preparation.” JRM
You must remove both annual and perennial weeds, and for perennials that includes the roots, rhizomes, and runners.
25. And after planting you must KEEP UP the weeding! (People often ask what our secret is to our weed-free gardens. It’s E & O Weeding – early and often! Get those weeds out of the END aisles also, or they’ll come into your beds! After beds are built, the 2-way hoe and rake are your main weeding tools.)
Be sure you remove the weeds every time from within the rows, on the ridges, AND in the aisles!
26. How do you eliminate bugs from your garden? Cultural practices that greatly reduce your risk include maintaining a weed-free DRY perimeter, aisles, weed-free beds, and keeping the garden free of mulch or other ground coverings.
(Rather than providing bug hotels throughout your garden, make them walk the Sahara Desert to get to lunch or dinner. Most won’t make it! Because of the above cultural practices, and growing HEALTHY, FAST-GROWING PLANTS, we RARELY have to resort to pesticides or herbicides.)
27. You must take POSITIVE and sometimes AGGRESSIVE steps to control and eliminate animal pests.
Those steps may include fencing, traps, baits, and/or netting.
(Deer and many smaller animals, as well as birds, will love the salad bar you provide if you don’t keep them out.)
28. DISEASE is the last thing you need to control, but not the least. It’s recently been discovered that healthy plants naturally resist disease. (Read about HIGH BRIX LEVELS. Your sustainable Mittleider-Method garden vegetables will have them!)
29. In addition to minimizing bugs, a dry periphery and aisles are inhospitable environments for diseases.
(Disease thrives in MOIST conditions. Keep everything possible DRY! This garden THRIVED in BLOW-SAND – in HOT Santa Clara, Utah.)
30. The best disease control is PREVENTION.
Pruning plants reduces those moist conditions diseases love, and provides light and air to ripen tasty fruit.
(These tomatoes were NOT pruned properly – Production suffered greatly, and they were subject to bugs and disease.)
31. Don’t give diseases OR bugs an easy path to your tender plants. Remove everything touching the ground.
32. Follow this recipe accurately and consistently for “a great garden in any soil, in any climate.”
THANK YOU!
Source Food for Everyone Foundation
1. The Mittleider Method of gardening is sometimes called “The Poor Man’s Hydroponic Method” – and for good reason. (Hydroponic growers are able to consistently control all elements of the growing process, and therefore get maximum yields.)
In the next few minutes you will learn how to control the 6 elements that are necessary to healthy and productive plant growth.
2. The large commercial hydroponic growers do it best, and as a consequence they are able to produce as much as 330 TONS per acre!
However, in order to do that hydroponic growers must invest about $1,000,000 per acre in buildings and equipment, and in addition they have very high labor costs.
3. Our garden yields approach the hydroponic growers, and yet the investment is a TINY FRACTION of the typical hydroponic grower’s.
That’s why the label “The Poor Man’s Hydroponic Method” fits – anyone can do it. And some call this method “The best of organic” also! You’ll learn why as we go along.
Using the principles and procedures illustrated here you can have a GREAT garden in ANY soil – or in NO soil – in virtually any climate. You discover that soil and climate differences are NOT major problems.
You’ll learn to control the 6 basic physical conditions necessary for healthy plant growth.
(By borrowing hydroponic growers’ principles and procedures, and adapting them to the small family gardener – we increase the quality and quantity of our garden yields MANY times as compared to traditional methods.)
4. The most important factor to control is LIGHT – for reasons that should be obvious.
Light is life! And nowhere is it more obvious than in the world of plants, where 95% of the structure is the result of that marvelous miracle called photosynthesis.
Using just the three basic elements carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen plants create CARB-O-HYDRATES.
(Number one in importance is providing maximum sunlight – for as long as possible. In the far North plants go crazy in the summer with 18 and 20 hours of sunlight!)
5. Therefore you must AVOID planting where there is shade – from trees, houses, walls, shrubs, etc.
Even tall vegetable plants will produce shade, unless you plant tall varieties to the North OR East of short ones.
(Any fruit-bearing plant MUST have direct sunlight for at least 6 hours per day, and 10 is much better. In this picture, tall plants – tomatoes and corn - were planted East AND West of the short peppers. Even with wide aisles the peppers suffered some for lack of sunlight.)
Notice the row of short pepper plants between rows of tall plants. The peppers produced very little, because they lacked direct sunlight many hours of the day.
6. A plant can even shade itself more than is healthy! Remove sucker stems from climbing plants, and prune excess leaves – to allow light everywhere.
(Crop yields can be increased significantly by pruning. For example, removing sucker stems on tomatoes is important to maximize crop yield.)
7. The second element to control is TEMPERATURE. Plants thrive in a rather narrow temperature range, and this is especially true when they first germinate.
Sustained temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit are essential for fast germination and high germination rates. Even 10 degrees colder will greatly slow the germination time and reduce the number of plants.
(Is your garden too small for a greenhouse? Start your plants on a heating pad in your house. Somewhere warm is essential.)
8. Even after germination young plants need favorable temperatures to thrive. In early Spring this may require some protection – and sometimes even a little supplemental heat – whether in the greenhouse or in the garden.
(A small seed-house like Dr. Jacob Mittleider’s can grow hundreds of healthy seedlings. Mini-greenhouses right in the garden help to keep them warm on cold nights.)
Covering your plants with plastic as illustrated helps warm the soil and eliminate cold winds, and on cold nights even the heat from a couple of light bulbs can be enough to prevent freezing.
9. In this way – by covering your plants and protecting from frost – you can extend your growing season by up to 4 weeks in both Spring and Fall.
(The arched frames in back can easily be covered to grow plants clear into December in Utah. T-Frames work just as well as those A-Frames.)
10. The third element to control is AIR. Remember that plants receive carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen from the air. However, they access those things mainly through their ROOTS.
Therefore, good drainage is necessary. Why?
(To use this area as a successful garden just required drain ditches to remove the standing water.)
11. You must avoid flooding the roots for any extended length of time. Even a few hours under water can kill your plants.
(Soil that is soaked with or covered with water drives out the soil air. Roots get oxygen from the air, not the water, so the plant can drown in a fairly short time.)
So, to insure your plant roots receive the soil-air they must have, never plant in a low spot with poor drainage.
12. We solve the drainage problem by RAISING the planting area of our soil-beds slightly higher than the surrounding aisles.
13. The fourth element to control is WATER.
Water obviously should be clean, and it MUST be non-toxic. Any concentration of harmful elements, such as chemicals from a nearby industrial plant, can quickly kill your plants.
How much and how often do you need to water?
Understand that “a plant is a continuous water pipe, from the tip of the smallest root to the top of the highest leaf” - JRM.
And a plant is over 80% water!
Water should therefore ALWAYS be available to the plant roots. The soil should be MOIST but not completely WET. One inch daily is enough.
14. In addition to being slightly raised –
Your soil-beds should be LEVEL.
This avoids the loss of water; plus your seeds, small plants, and fertilizers are not washed out and lost.
(Do not plant until your beds are level. Much grief is avoided by following the procedures accurately.)
15. Level beds also ensure UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION of water and natural mineral fertilizers to all plants’ roots.
16. Even when watering almost every day we conserve water, using about ½ that of traditional methods.
This is because we only water the root-zone of the plants - about 17% of the garden area.
(No water is lost to run-off, nor wasted in the aisles. In Armenia village neighbors are AMAZED at how little water we use.)
17. Never water your garden by sprinkling – for 3 reasons:
Sprinkling encourages weed growth in the aisles and on the ridges;
It wastes a great deal of water through evaporation as well;
It promotes diseases, which thrive in a moist environment.
(On a hot day evaporation wastes up to ½ of the water when sprinkling is used. And even more than that is wasted on the aisles and ridges. Sprinklers may be needed for lawns, but they have no place in the vegetable garden!)
18. Four-inch-high ridges surrounding the planting area accomplish several things;
They define the bed aesthetically and afford some protection to small seedling plants;
They keep the water and fertilizers in the root zone of the plants.
19. Automating your watering will greatly increase the pleasure you receive from your garden.
It makes watering EASIER, FASTER, and more EFFICIENT!
(Many beds can be watered at the same time. 125 beds at the Utah Zoo garden are watered in only 60 minutes.)
20. Simple illustrated plans for automating your watering system are available in the Mittleider gardening books, and it’s free online at http://foodforeveryone.org/pdf/MGC_Chpt_16.pdf
(The main water pipe should be as large as your water source. Use threaded connections – NOT GLUED! Use Schedule 200 – NOT schedule 40 for watering pipes.)
21. The fifth element to control in your garden is your plants’ FOOD.
Besides the 3 elements plants receive FREE from the air there are 13 other elements that plants must have for food.
Most people know about the 3 MAJOR nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, or N, P, & K.
However, 3 SECONDARY elements are used almost as much by plants as phosphorus, and these are calcium, sulfur, and magnesium.
In addition there are Micro-nutrients – also called Trace Elements - because plants use only small amounts of them. They include zinc, boron, manganese, iron, copper, chloride, and molybdenum.
People in the Mountain West can get these complete balanced plant foods pre-mixed.
WHEREVER YOU live simply get Micro-Nutrients from the website at www.growfood.com and mix with NPK and Epsom Salt according to instructions to have the complete balanced nutrient mix.
22. Plants require feeding in two ways, with two separate natural mineral nutrient mixes. They are called the Pre-Plant Mix and the Weekly Feed Mix, indicating how they are used.
Unless materials are water-soluble plants can’t get or use them. They receive their nourishment as water-soluble MINERALS through their ROOTS.
(WATER SOLUBLE is the key! Dirt often has most or even all the minerals in it, but it’s usually NOT water soluble – therefore it’s not available to your plants.)
How are we “The Best of Organic”? The nutritional value of manure and compost are unknown. We know what plants need and we supply exactly that – in balanced amounts.
And we supply small amounts weekly throughout the growing season – just as they are needed.
23. The sixth and final element we must control is COMPETITION. (And disease certainly competes to rob you of your crop! Beat the big four for sure success.)
Competition from weeds, bugs, and animals is usually fierce and constant.
And diseases are very difficult to control, and sometimes almost impossible to eliminate after they get established.
24. Eliminate all weeds! Success STARTS with a weed-free garden! (Starting right is all important! Don’t expect a great finish if your beginning is sloppy.)
“No amount of scratching after the crop is planted can overcome the ill effects of poor seed-bed preparation.” JRM
You must remove both annual and perennial weeds, and for perennials that includes the roots, rhizomes, and runners.
25. And after planting you must KEEP UP the weeding! (People often ask what our secret is to our weed-free gardens. It’s E & O Weeding – early and often! Get those weeds out of the END aisles also, or they’ll come into your beds! After beds are built, the 2-way hoe and rake are your main weeding tools.)
Be sure you remove the weeds every time from within the rows, on the ridges, AND in the aisles!
26. How do you eliminate bugs from your garden? Cultural practices that greatly reduce your risk include maintaining a weed-free DRY perimeter, aisles, weed-free beds, and keeping the garden free of mulch or other ground coverings.
(Rather than providing bug hotels throughout your garden, make them walk the Sahara Desert to get to lunch or dinner. Most won’t make it! Because of the above cultural practices, and growing HEALTHY, FAST-GROWING PLANTS, we RARELY have to resort to pesticides or herbicides.)
27. You must take POSITIVE and sometimes AGGRESSIVE steps to control and eliminate animal pests.
Those steps may include fencing, traps, baits, and/or netting.
(Deer and many smaller animals, as well as birds, will love the salad bar you provide if you don’t keep them out.)
28. DISEASE is the last thing you need to control, but not the least. It’s recently been discovered that healthy plants naturally resist disease. (Read about HIGH BRIX LEVELS. Your sustainable Mittleider-Method garden vegetables will have them!)
29. In addition to minimizing bugs, a dry periphery and aisles are inhospitable environments for diseases.
(Disease thrives in MOIST conditions. Keep everything possible DRY! This garden THRIVED in BLOW-SAND – in HOT Santa Clara, Utah.)
30. The best disease control is PREVENTION.
Pruning plants reduces those moist conditions diseases love, and provides light and air to ripen tasty fruit.
(These tomatoes were NOT pruned properly – Production suffered greatly, and they were subject to bugs and disease.)
31. Don’t give diseases OR bugs an easy path to your tender plants. Remove everything touching the ground.
32. Follow this recipe accurately and consistently for “a great garden in any soil, in any climate.”
THANK YOU!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Proper Use of and Timing for Applying Compost and Manure to the Garden
Author: Jim Kennard
Fall is the best time to put materials into your garden, because they have 4-6 months to compost before you plant again. However, you can do it in February-March also, but be sure it is clean and free of bugs, weed seeds, and disease!
If you can find clean, finely ground-up leaves to use, they will improve your soil tilth. Dry leaves provide very little nutrition, but they also do not introduce disease, bugs, or weed seeds into the garden, so they are good to use.
Other compost and manure may have somewhat more nutritional value, but the risk is much higher that you will introduce one or more of the negative elements into your garden. Therefore, use extreme caution when putting these materials into the garden.
Please understand that we are not opposed to the use of organic materials - on the contrary we use them ourselves. We are, however, very careful about what we use, and where it comes from.
We do promise folks that you will have "a great garden in any soil," even without amending your soil, when you follow the principles and procedures taught on the website and in Dr. M's books. This requires that you feed your plants very small amounts of natural mineral nutrients during the plants' peak growing times. This eliminates guesswork, and assures that your plants are really healthy.
Your poor soil will grow great plants if you will just make level, ridged beds as the website and books teach, and water, weed, and feed as instructed. We can grow a great garden even in a gravel pit, or in blow sand. As a matter of fact good friends in Santa Clara, Utah did just that, and their neighbors were amazed. The pictorial evidence is in the Yahoo Groups Mittleider Method Gardening Group at http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/MittleiderMethodGardening/photos/browse/970e
Fall is the best time to put materials into your garden, because they have 4-6 months to compost before you plant again. However, you can do it in February-March also, but be sure it is clean and free of bugs, weed seeds, and disease!
If you can find clean, finely ground-up leaves to use, they will improve your soil tilth. Dry leaves provide very little nutrition, but they also do not introduce disease, bugs, or weed seeds into the garden, so they are good to use.
Other compost and manure may have somewhat more nutritional value, but the risk is much higher that you will introduce one or more of the negative elements into your garden. Therefore, use extreme caution when putting these materials into the garden.
Please understand that we are not opposed to the use of organic materials - on the contrary we use them ourselves. We are, however, very careful about what we use, and where it comes from.
We do promise folks that you will have "a great garden in any soil," even without amending your soil, when you follow the principles and procedures taught on the website and in Dr. M's books. This requires that you feed your plants very small amounts of natural mineral nutrients during the plants' peak growing times. This eliminates guesswork, and assures that your plants are really healthy.
Your poor soil will grow great plants if you will just make level, ridged beds as the website and books teach, and water, weed, and feed as instructed. We can grow a great garden even in a gravel pit, or in blow sand. As a matter of fact good friends in Santa Clara, Utah did just that, and their neighbors were amazed. The pictorial evidence is in the Yahoo Groups Mittleider Method Gardening Group at http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/MittleiderMethodGardening/photos/browse/970e
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Food for Everyone Foundation main Squidoo lens
We got as high as 32 the last few days the ranking has really slipped. Looks like I better put more work into promoting it.
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