“No-Till” gardening offers a simple approach to creating a natural, and healthy, soil. Here is a very nice description of the technique.
Monthly Archives: April 2009
Compost Confidential: First Look Outside – My Quest for a Twenty-five Dollar Organic Victory Garden
Compost Confidential: First Look Outside – My Quest for a Twenty-five Dollar Organic Victory Garden.
Well, Joe is only $7 into his $25 budget, and has his seedlings started and is preparing the garden soil. Question is – will he be able to feed his family their summer veggies for $25?
Joe has posted his ‘reveal’ video and updates to his project. I take a personal interest in this since I, and a lot of other gardens across the country, sent him seeds for the garden, as noted in the “I’ve got mail!” segment at: http://tinyurl.com/dzx57g
At Agriculture Department, the Proof Is in the Planting – washingtonpost.com
In another sign that the Department of Agriculture is embracing sustainable food, the agency today will unveil expanded plans for a People’s Garden that will include the entire six-acre grounds of the Whitten Building, the department’s neoclassic marble headquarters on the Mall.
via At Agriculture Department, the Proof Is in the Planting – washingtonpost.com.
How Much Can a Garden Save You? – WSJ.com
“You can easily triple your investment.” That’s better than any of my mutual funds have done lately.
So says the Wall Street Journal. The surprise? Your best investment – it is your back yard. Grow food, save money…
Growing a Greener World with Joe Lamp’l > 021 Growing a Greener World with Joe Lamp’l – Victory Gardens: An interview with nationally recognized authority, Rose Hayden-Smith…
This week Joe Lamp’l talks Victory Gardens with nationally recognized expert on the subject, Rose Hayden-Smith. In this episode we discuss their history, the recent surge in popularity, and what the government is doing today to promote their sustainability.
Introduction
Hi everybody, it’s Joe Lamp’l and Welcome to Growing a Greener World. Well if you love to garden and spend time outdoors, and really care about environmental stewardship, you’ve come to the right place.
Well, not since the early forties has there been so much talk about Victory Gardens. But with a downturn in the economy, the responsibility to feed our families healthier, chemical free food, and our desire to live more sustainable lives, growing our own groceries is back in the spotlight. In fact, 7 million more people will have a food garden this year for the first time, raising the new total to 43 million people. That’s a 19% increase over the previous year, according to the National Gardening Association.
Today we’ll talk to one of the foremost authorities on Victory Gardens, Rose Hayden-Smith to learn about their history and more on why they are so popular today, and are they here to stay?
Click the link blow to read the whole article
Click here to go to the interview audio file
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KPBS > KPBS Radio, 89.5 FM San Diego > These Days
Maureen Cavanaugh: What does President Barack Obama do in his spare time? Well, according to his wife, Michelle, he will be spending some of that time helping to weed the brand new vegetable garden on the White House lawn.
The idea of using land that used to be covered in grass or patchy shrubbery and turning it into food-producing gardens, is becoming increasingly popular. Most observers say it’s because of the recession. People want or need to save money on their food bills.
Others say it’s more than that and point to an increasing awareness of the benefits of locally-grown, organic fruits and vegetables.
No matter what the reason, the question is, how realistic is this idea for most urban and suburban residents? How much land to you need, what kind of skills, and is it time to buy some overalls?
Guests:
* Nan Sterman, garden journalist and author of “California Gardener’s Guide Volume II.” She is also co-editor of the home and garden page for the San Diego News Network.
* Mindy Swanson, garden guide and coordinator for Victory Gardens San Diego, a collaborative group that assists in the establishment of home, community and school edible gardens.
Growing a Greener World with Joe Lamp’l – Victory Gardens: An interview with nationally recognized authority, Rose Hayden-Smith…
Check out this informative interview. Rose is with our local UCCE Master Gardener program, Hanson trust, UC/ANR author, and will be working with the Camarillo Community Garden project at the Senior Expo
A brief lesson in soil prep and planting
Here is the basic crash course in area prep and planting in southern California soils:
Our soil is young and rich; all the minerals it need are there. Some are suppressed because the soil is alkaline, but nitrogen is soluble and always fairly low. You counteract the low nitrogen by adding (mildly) nitrogen rich compost or manures (not really that high in nitrogen, but possibly high in salts as well), or growing ‘green manures’ – nitrogen fixing beans, peas, clover, etc.
You can add agricultural sulfur to the soil before you work it up to slightly change the pH; this is a slow but long term treatment. Other sweetening amendments or mulches include pine needles or peat moss (note: peat moss comes at a an environmental cost – I’m trying to move away from it). Lawn and garden chemical fertilizers also acidify the soil, soil if you are just going organic, your soil is probably good as it is.
Here is the theory: You start off correcting compaction through working amendments into the ground to get the soil particles loose enough to allow air into the soil. You create whatever sort of raised bed you want (they help keep root zones from getting saturated), cover them with mulch and / or compost, and put in the plants. After that, the roots penetrate the soil further loosening it, and the mucilage they secrete binds the soil into clumps giving it what is referred to as ‘structure’. Worms are attracted to the growing areas and the dead roots from previous crops, and as they loop up to the surface and feed on the bottom of the mulch layer, they carry than material back into the deeper part of the soil.
In its extreme form, called ‘permiculture’, you NEVER till the soil – you let the roots, bacteria, fungi and worms do all the work. I work mine up every few plantings, and then only to work in more compost or reshape the beds. As long as you NEVER walk on the beds, especially when they are wet, they will develop a light fluffy consistency all on their own.
Now that you have a good garden soil, transplanting the baby plant from the pots or 6-packs is pretty easy. Garden plants fall into two categories, either potatoes and tomatoes, or everything else. Potatoes and tomatoes grow extra roots from their stems, and can be cover to the bottom of the first leaves (in the case of tomatoes) or progressively up the stems (in the case of potatoes).
All other plants get planted with the soil level of the container at or above the soil line. Do not dig the holes deeper than the root ball. All that does is let the root crown sink below ground level. Put the plant in the hole, scoop the excess dirt in around it and (gently) firm it down around the root ball. Water them well to allow the back-fill to settle into firm contact with the transplant.
Do not add any amendments to the back-fill material. Plant the root balls directly in their new native soil. Amendments in the back-fill just add a layer of insulation that prevents the newly plated roots from getting the moisture in the soil.
For more how-to information, please visit my web site, gardening-coaches.com
How to Articles: Butterfly Gardening
Establishing a butterfly garden at your home or workplace is a rewarding approach to attract these exquisite insects while simultaneously aiding their conservation. Not to be confused with enclosed butterfly houses prominently displayed in botanical gardens, this plant environment is designed as an outdoor haven and natural habitat for butterflies, specifically created to nourish and protect with a wide variety of plants native to their region.
The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center has produced a wonderful series of ‘how-to’ articles, including this one on butterfly gardening. It cover the reasons to help butterflies, and lists plants and techniques to bring butterflies into your garden. Click Here to read more…
recommended vegetable varieties
I have added a video on how to grow seed to this page. I hope you find it informative!
Mike the Garden Coach's Weblog 