July13, 2015

Ooops almost forgot. I am posting the first two columns that I saved. I will continue with 2 until I get caught up to the present. Hope these are helpful.  mark

A recent question is "why my spinach seedling only get so tall then disappear".

I have experienced this with several seedlings also. The strange thing I discovered this bug on my Boc Choy roots that I had brought into the house to clean for dinner. An odd response from Deb when she was going to wipe some soil off of the stove when she realized it was crawling, got my curiosity. Luckily Deb is not timid. I sprayed neem oil that I used as a soil drench. It didn't touch them. Although I did not see them adversely affecting the boc choy, I was concerned. 

 It wasn't until I noticed these same critters wreaking havoc on my carrot, radish, spinach, and beet seedlings that they really got my attention. There were hundreds if not thousands of them. I could not ID them but they looked like they belonged to the Lepidoptera family. My best shot, so I brought out the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) [a bacterium that is highly effective against moths and butterflies] and soil drenched them. Not all butterflies are adorable Monarchs. This  took care of them.

So if you are having this problem look very close in the soil around your seedlings and this may be your problem. They are very dirt colored and you need to watch for motion. It may take some patience.

 On a lighter note I am having a bumper crop harvest of Sun Cokes or sometimes called Jerusalem artichokes. They are neither an artichoke or from Jerusalem.  They are the root of a North American sun flower. Very productive (35 pound from 6 feet). I should be harvesting them for a while.

 One may ask “sun choke?”.  These are tasty little roots that can be boiled and mashed like smashed potatoes, chopped and cooked for a hash, roasted with other veggies, eaten raw or use them as a substitute for water chestnuts.

 To the untrained eye they can be confused with ginger which also is a root. Oh how I wish I were that good to have this kind of harvest with ginger, ohhh maybe someday!

 Yes the feel of spring is in the air. I have heard the Curved bill thrasher’s in spring chorus along with the cactus wrens doing their so familiar rattle. So spring planting is on the way. Of course all the fabric is out and ready for those chilly nights to come. I had some setbacks with my early tomato seedlings but I should be good to go by the first of March. 

 Transplanted my bulb onion seedlings and I must say they are some very nice transplants.

 The recent sunny weather has the peas blooming, beets and cabbages are sizing up, new seedlings of carrots, green onions, beets and radishes are up.

 What a lovely time of year before our usual spring weather kicks into gear.  Happy gardening.

 

This week will highlight some answers to recent questions. These questions are all interconnected.

 A compost heap would not heat up. Ideally to build a compost heap you need to have a 1 part nitrogen (green veggie matter or manure) to 30 parts carbon (any dead plant mater, sticks, paper….)

These are best mixed before making a heap but subsequent turnings will deal with this. Also the smaller and more even sized your compost material is the quicker it will heat up and break down. As you make your layers (a layer is about 3 inches),  I water the layer thoroughly.  Continue making your pile and wetting it as you go. I free form my heaps (a mound) but anything can be used for a compost bin. Chicken wire, hay bales, pallets…. to name a few ways. For a home owner a 4’ X 4’ x 4’ pile is a good size to retain moisture and generate heat.  If your pile is not heating up it is because there is not enough moisture, too much carbon and not enough nitrogen.  Myself I like to go heavy on the nitrogen and this heats things up nicely although the pile will generate an aroma. I like to call it the smell of fertility. It has happened to me but a well-balanced 30 to 1 pile will not smell. If the pile is dry then there needs to be more moisture but do not saturate because this will cause its own problems.

I subscribe to a 14 day compost pile and the pile is turned and moistened as needed. The compost is not totally broke down but is quite usable. Most folks let it go a year and it becomes almost like dirt. Either way is good for plants.

What to do with heavy clay soil and poor drainage? These folks wanted to plant some perennial plants. This added a twist to it the problem. With veggies you could improve drainage easily by adding compost after each crop. It is difficult to dig up a permanent plant to add compost to the root zone. It would be best to dig compost into a bed like area that the plant will be placed.  Transplant the plant at the same level as the prevailing soil level and use any remaining soil from planting to make a water retention berm around your plant. Then place compost over the surface within in the berm (an inch or so and add as the compost decomposes)

 How to prepare your garden for the growing season? In the fall and if you do not intend to have a winter garden, dig in 2 to 3 inches of fresh manure and your garden will be ready for spring planting. NEVER use fresh manure and then plant. This will kill your plantings!! If it is planting time and you have not done the fall manure thingy, you can always use compost. A layer of 2 to 3 inches tilled in should do you quite nicely.

This is the beauty of compost you can use it anytime in the garden with NO ill effects. Happy gardening!!