Three Sisters Garden Bed

Three Sisters Garden Bed

July 28, 2010

A few days ago a flyer arrived in our mailbox letting us know about a new organic farm operation in our area.  I'm always watching for this type of thing for the fruits and vegetables I either don't grow enough of or don't grow at all.  Yesterday we drove out to see the operation and oh my gosh it is fabulous!  The next few posts will give a bit more on some of the things I found interesting. 

The owners are absolutely wonderful, down to earth people interested in sustainable living.  I immediately liked them so will be visiting often!  I may even offer to volunteer on their farm just to be able to expand my gardening knowledge.  He is a fourth generation farmer on a heritage farm so it is really encouraging to see this type of farming happening!  It is a great way for those in the area to get to know about organic gardening.  They are planning on having workshops as well.

Pictured is one of the two three sisters garden beds planted on the farm.  Three sisters is an Aboriginal (Native Canadian) method of growing.  The three sisters are beans, squash and corn.  The beans provide nitrogen, while the corn provides shade.  The beans climb the poles which gives a higher yield as well.  I am now convinced I need to plant a three sisters bed.  If you look closely this bed is also raised but in a less formal way.  The support trellis like many on the farm is made from branches that likely would have ended up in the woodstove or firepit.  Looking at the creativity of their trellises it reminded me that we should be using more of these methods when growing organically rather than relying on store bought trellises, supports and cages. 

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Dirt on Worms

Earthworm
July 13, 2009

Worms whether it be earthworms or red wigglers are an excellent indicator of your soil condition. Ideally you will have both since earthworms burrow deeper turning and feeding the soil at the same time. If you are gardening in raised beds or tradition beds and don't see any worms when you are working the soil, you have a problem! If your soil cannot support a healthy population of worms then it certainly cannot grow vegetables. That is because there is an absence of organic matter in the soil, absence of moisture or it is sandy or too acidic. Worms do not like sandy or acidic soil and they consume the organic matter and in return leave rich worm castings. So not only are they helping to break down organic matter they also give back nutrients to the soil. At the same time they continuously aerate the soil helping to keep the light.

Our two new beds were set on the existing cleared ground then filled with a top soil mixture. I am pleased to say that very little soil disturbance reveals red wigglers! Had I not seen these worms within a week of putting in the beds I would have added a bit more organic matter and a tub of red wigglers to each bed. Red wigglers and earthworms can be found at any bait shop or ordered online.

There are many ways to increase organic matter in your soil which will keep your worms happy which in turn will keep your soil in tip top shape for your vegetables. The obvious solution is adding compost from your compost bin. You can also add well rotted manure and well rotted leaves. Some home gardeners using the square foot gardening method use one or two of the squares to put small amounts of pureed kitchen scraps then cover with a light topping of soil. The worms will eat through this within a week much the same as vermicomposting. Another easy way to add a bit of compostable material is when you weed. Young, tender weeds that have not gone to seed can simply be tilled under the soil where the worms will take care of them for you. Apply regular dressings of organic matter to your garden to keep your worms happy. Do not work in any clippings from vegetable plants that appear to have signs of disease such as blight or powdery mildew. Do not work in any weeds that have gone to seed. It is always better to remove the majority of gardening debris to be composted if possible or destroyed if necessary. This practice keeps diseases from spreading in the garden or remaining in the soil.

Worms are one of the most beneficial critters you can invite into your garden. They eat harmful bacteria, nematodes and fungi while producing a top grade fertilizer. They produce nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium carbonate and other micro nutrients in forms the plants can easily use. Their castings also help reduce the acidity of the soil over times because the castings contain calcium carbonate. A healthy worm population will not only help with your soil conditions they will encourage beneficial birds to frequent your garden helping with pest control. For the fishermen amongst the gardeners, a healthy worm population provides excellent bait as well.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Organic Gardening

Organic Farming and Composting
cartoon courtesy of Seppo

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Happy Earth Day 2009! A Gardener's Perspective

Today the world celebrates Earth Day 2009. There are many special events being hosted world wide as the world focuses on saving our planet. While Earth Day brings an immediate awareness to our planet's plight, living green is something each and everyone of us should strive for daily. There are so many things we can do daily that do make a difference not only on a personal level but as a small part in the big picture.

As gardeners we are stewards of the earth. We should strive to grow and maintain our gardens in an eco-friendly manner. That means growing and saving seeds from heirloom varieties, something that is becoming increasing important. It means using strictly organic methods for soil ammendment and pest control. It means growing enough for you immediate usage as well as enough to can or freeze to feed your family to the next season. It means collecting seeds for the next growing season. It means collecting rain water for watering your gardens. This takes the strain off of municipal water purification plants. It means composting year round. It also means sharing your knowledge with others. Be excited about gardening and let others know. The more you share the more you will be rewarded! All of these practices define eco-friendly gardening.

I strongly encourage everyone to grow a vegetable garden. Years ago this was known as a Victory Garden and these gardens served the same purpose as they can today. If you can't grow a garden in the traditional manner think outside the box. Very small areas can be rather productive using the square foot gardening method. You can grow in containers quite successfully and do look up as hanging baskets can be used for growing food as well. If you have no outdoor space at all which is common in city apartments and condos, look to growing food indoors both on windowsills and using energy efficient light supplementation. Low cost, low energy CFL light bulbs are now available for growing indoors. Whatever method or combination of methods you choose, take the plunge and get active in gardening! Your body will thank you in more than one ways and you can rest easy knowing you are helping the earth.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Attacting Birds to Your Garden

Ruby Throated Hummingbird
May 10, 2007

Look at my new garden visitor! Isn't he just adorable? This picture was a real fluke as the feeder is hanging on the back porch so I can see any activity from the kitchen window. Well there he was flitting around so I had to grab the camera and take several shots. I should have taken a video clip as well but I was so excited, I didn't think about it. Hummingbirds are attracted to trumpet shaped flowers like trumpet vine and petunias. Not only will they feed on the nectar they will eat insects so these are birds you want in the garden.

I've talked before about attracting beneficial wildlife into the garden while discouraging damaging wildlife. Most birds are beneficial in the garden but even beneficial birds like robins can present a problem if you do not provide them with the essentials. Birds need: shelter, food and water. Provide all three so you do not inadvertently create a problem. Water is very important so provide a couple of sources including a shallow, on the ground water source for bats, another beneficial garden visitor. Control the birds you are trying to attract by what you plant and what you offer for food. If grackles or cowbirds are a problem and they can be, change your feed to something without corn. Safflower seed will attract the cardinals but grackles and cowbirds do not care for it so they will move on. If rodents are a problem, put up more feeders but away from your house. More feeders attract more birds which in turn will attract the predators like the Sharp Shinned hawk. They will keep your rodent population in check naturally. Finches like Niger seed and don't overlook a suet block for the nuthachers. Be sure to pay attention to where the birds like to feed. Some birds prefer feeding at ground level so account for that but quite often there is enough overflow from the feeders to attract ground feeders. Shelter can be provided in the form of birdhouses or natural. If depending on natural shelter place your feeders near the shelter. This gives the birds a place to hide if a predator appears and it gives them a place to nest.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Ten Ways to Go Green in the Garden

1. compost
2. use mulch
   
3. use only organic fertilizers
4. manually remove pests
5. collect rainwater for garden watering needs
6. use solar powered lighting instead of electric
7. attract beneficial insects
8. use natural pesticides
9. use companion planting
10. use organic soil ammendments
    

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007