Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category
Neighborhood Compost Project Sprouts in Boulder
by Rachel Cernansky
Source: Planet Green
I learned about this project on a bike ride to a nearby community garden recently—Boulder’s Hawthorn Growing Gardens not only runs a neighborhood compost project, but is getting kids in on the action, too.
The “Children’s Peace Garden” is adorable: labeled plots of plants are enclosed by a rainbow-colored picket fence. The two compost signs pictured here are part of a series posted along the fence, and the compost bins are just a stone’s throw away.
The garden’s website says the composting project, a partnership between the city of Boulder and the Boulder Energy Conservation Center, uses plant materials from the community gardens, the greenhouse, the Cultiva! youth project, the Horticultural Therapy program and the Children’s Peace Garden to create a windrow composting system (biomass placed into elongated heaps that are turned periodically for aeration).
School groups are able to visit and tour the site and learn about compost as a means for reducing resource consumption and as a valuable food for plants—they also learn about ways to compost at home.
Part of Boulder’s curbside compost collection pilot program, it’s really an awesome, everyone-benefits kind of project—kids learn, the waste stream is reduced, plants are healthier, and many of the garden’s plants are returned to the community anyway during its annual plant sale. (We went two out of the three weekends and it was packed both times.)
If a similar program doesn’t exist in your neighborhood, try starting a community garden, a composting program at your kids’ school—or both, and have them work together.
Start Planning for Your Fall Garden Now
by Colleen Vanderlinden
Source: Planet Green
It may be hot and sunny now, but fall will be here before we know it. The tomatoes will start to decline, and the peppers will be fewer and farther between. Unless we want to kiss garden-fresh food good-bye in a few weeks, we need to get our fall garden planted now.
Buying Transplants
If you’re lucky enough to have a nursery nearby that still has good-looking veggie starts (a rarity in July) you can save yourself some time and a little work by buying transplants. Good veggies to buy as transplants include:
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Kale
Starting from Seed
If you can’t find transplants, or just prefer to start your own plants from seed (I can relate!) you still probably have plenty of time to start fall crops from seed. You’ll have to decide whether you want to direct sow your crops in the garden or start certain plants indoors under lights. I typically start my brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale) indoors under lights to give them some protection from the cabbage worms, which will be less of a problem in a few weeks. However, many fall crops can be sown directly in your garden:
- Arugula
- Beans
- Beets
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Peas
Figuring Out When to Plant
I wish I could tell everyone “plant everything on this date!” but that just won’t work. So here’s how to tell when to plant your fall crops. You need to plant to make sure that you’ll get a harvest before frost (if you get frost in your area, of course. If you don’t, me and thousands of other gardeners hate you. Just kidding. Maybe.) To do that, find your average first frost date, as well as the days to maturity for whatever you’re growing (this info is found on your seed packet.) Once you’ve got those two numbers, you can find out when to plant by counting back how ever many days to maturity from your first frost date. For example:
I want to grow ‘Danvers Half Long’ carrots. The seed packet tells me these carrots take 75 days to grow to maturity. My first fall frost date, here in the Detroit area, is around October 9th. So, counting back from October 9th, I need to sow my carrot seeds on or before July 26th or so to get a good harvest.
Simple, right? With a little planning, you can have a fall garden just as bountiful as your summer one!
No Compost Required: Instantly Fertilize Plants With These 3 Kitchen Scraps
by Nicole Willner
Source: Planet Green
Indoor and outdoor plants will thrive with these natural, soil-boosting fertilizers commonly found in the garbage cans of compost-free homes.
We all know compost, or “black gold” as some like to call it, is an ideal mate to your plant soil. Composting also reduces the amount of trash volume you send to landfills, and consequently the amount of harmful methane emissions released in to our atmosphere. But not everyone has the space or sheer willingness to have an outdoor compost pile or worm bin. If you want to reap the benefits of this natural fertilizer but don’t have the patience or compost heap, you can immediately use these three food scraps to nourish potted or garden soil and tremendously improve plant growth.
Banana Peel
Filled with potassium, this disposable skin helps plants grow flowers and fruit when used as an organic alternative to chemical fertilizers. You can literally plant the whole peel under the soil near the roots of the plant such as a rose bush, or just throw the peel on top of the soil and let it decompose. If you are afraid of attracting pests or animals, try liquefying the banana scrap in a blender with one quart of water before pouring it on to your plant or bush.
Coffee Grounds
Just like you may need that cup of coffee to energize your day, our plants need the nitrogen and minerals found in used coffee grounds to boost their life. Other natural elements that sustain plant growth such as calcium, copper and potassium are also found in our caffeine byproduct. Some experts suggest using the grounds only on acid loving plants or on alkaline soil, Start slowly by mixing modest amounts in to your potted plants or garden-try 1 tablespoon for pots and one cup for gardens. I also suggest drying the grounds before using them so there is no concern over mold growth.
Sustainable Enterprises suggests sprinkling used grounds around plants before watering for a slow-release nitrogen, or dilute with water for a gentle, fast-acting liquid fertilizer.
Egg Shells
Those plants really are apart of the family—you can feed your household scrambled eggs, then feed your plants with the leftover eggshells. The soil around potted plants, your vegetable garden and outdoor trees will get an incredible boost from the shells calcium composition, which is almost 98 percent of the shell.
First wash and dry out the eggshells. Then, place them in a bag or blender and crush them in to a powder-like consistency. Simply sprinkle the eggshell powder around your trees and plants.
Happy planting!
Green Gardening: By The Numbers
Source: Planet Green
http://mountainvalleyviewfarmblog.com/demo/wp-admin/post.php?post=377&action=edit&message=10
- 1500 lbs: the amount of garbage the average person throws out each year, according to Mark Harris, the author of Embracing the Earth (Noble Press, 1990). Expect to haul only 375 pounds of trash to the curb annually if you compost.
- 400 percent: the percentage of total vegetables consumed, that were produced in ‘victory gardens’ planted in homes, schools, and farms during World War II.
- 19lbs/person: the amount of tomatoes consumed per person in the US each year – not counting the tomatoes used to whip up sauce and ketchup. In fact, the United States is second only to Italy in its consumption of tomatoes per capita.
- One third: of all garden plants sold in the United States are tomatoes, according to the Seed Savers Exchange.
- 40 million: acres of lawn exist in the United States, and are the single most irrigated crop, according to NASA. Don’t forget to weigh in the fact that it takes 238 gallons of fresh, usually drinking-quality water per person, per day, to keep our lawns pert and verdant.
Top Green Gardening Tips
Source: Planet Green
- Keep it real
You know what they say about Mother knowing best? Well, Mother Nature never needed to steal sips from a chemical cocktail of pesticides, weed killers, and chemical fertilizers to keep her act together. Nix the poisons and layer on some all-natural compost, instead. Call in beneficial insect reinforcements to wrestle pesky garden pests to the ground. Who needs to play Command & Conquer when you have battlefield drama unfolding before you in real time? - Make compost from kitchen scraps
Compost like a champ by throwing in your vegetable waste, instead of allowing it to be trucked off to the landfill. Known as “gardener’s gold,” compost enriches soil fertility by giving it a shot of high-powered, plant-loving nutrients. Aside from stimulating healthy root development, the addition of rich and earthy compost also improves soil texture, aeration, and water retention. Why waste your hard-earned cash on commercial products when the real deal is free for the taking? Speed up the process with the help of earthworms or go wriggle-free (if you’re the squeamish sort). - Buy recycled
If your delicate aesthetic sensibilities balk at the idea of reusing yogurt or takeout containers to house your hydrangeas, check out the myriad environmentally friendly planters and raised-garden kits now available. It takes less energy to recycle something than to mine virgin materials, so whether you choose recycled copper, plastic, or even rubber to anchor your tender shoots, it’s all copacetic. Admire your handiwork and eco-smarts while lounging on recycled lawn furniture. - Grow your own food
Buying organic produce can admittedly get pricey, so how about growing your own food instead of painstakingly manicuring that lawn for the umpteenth time? An estimated 40 million acres of the 48 contiguous American states are covered in lawns, making turf grass the United States’ largest irrigated crop. American homeowners apply a cringe-worthy tens of millions of pounds of fertilizers and pesticides to their lawns, often at many times the recommended levels. All that for little more than ornamentation. It’s time to return to the use of gardens as food sources—you won’t find fresher (or cheaper) eating anywhere else. - Join a community garden
Urban dwellers bereft of a yard shouldn’t fret: You can still get in on the hoeing and growing action by signing up for a plot at your local community garden. Community gardens typically have a communal composting area, as well, so if you don’t have room for one of those triple-duty rotating barrel composters in your home, here’s your hookup. - Go native
Now that you’ve learned some of the merits of “de-lawning” your home, consider replacing the ol’ putting green with native and indigenous plants, whether they’re cactus gardens in Arizona or bottlebrush grasses in Northern Michigan. Already adapted to local conditions, native plants are easy to grow and maintain, generally requiring less fertilizer and water, as well as less effort to rein in pests. - Harvest rainwater
Adding a rain barrel is an inexpensive and effortless way to capture mineral- and chlorine-free water for watering lawns, yards, and gardens, as well as washing cars or rinsing windows. By harnessing what’s literally raining from the sky, you’ll not only notice a marked dip in water costs, but also a reduction in stormwater runoff, which in turn helps prevent erosion and flooding. Pop a screen on top of your barrel to keep out insects, debris, and bird missiles, and make frequent use of your water supply to keep it moving and aerated. - Water with care
While we’re on the subject of water, adopting a few smart-watering habits will do much to stretch out your supply, especially during dry, hot spells in the summer. Adding mulch and compost to your soil will retain water and cut down evaporation. Plus, soaker hoses or drip irrigation only use 50 percent of the water used by sprinklers. Water early in the day so you can avoid evaporation and winds. And the best place to drench your plants? Directly on those thirsty roots. - Bring on the butterflies and bees
Provide a pesticide-free sanctuary for our pollinator pals, such as butterflies and bees, by growing a diverse variety of native flowers they’re particularly drawn to, such as wild lilac, goldenrod, and lemon balm. (Gardens with 10 or more species of attractive plants have been found to entice the most bees.) If you haven’t already heard, we’re in the throes of a major bee-loss epidemic, which is causing beekeepers in North America and Europe much hand-wringing. Because pollinators affect 35 percent of the world’s crop production—and increase the output of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide—extending a little hometown hospitality could go a long way. - The power of 4
Get hip to four “R”s of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenScapes program: Reduce, recycle, reuse and rebuy. You want to reduce your output of waste to ensure you’re using materials efficiently. Reusing compost and tree clippings for mulch, or rainwater for watering take up little time and energy, but offer plenty of environmental bang for your buck. Recycling saves resources, while rebuying means seeking products that meet your needs, but are more environmentally friendly than your usual purchases—take, for instance, solar outdoor lighting versus electric-powered fixtures.
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