Neighbours talking over the garden gate has long been a tradition. They share gardening tips, complain about the weather and pests yet are ever eager to discuss their gardens. That is what I had in mind when creating this blog. So stop by my garden gate to find out the latest happenings in my garden.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." ~ Madame Marie Curie"
Fallen Leaves
October 28, 2010
A sure sign of winter approaching is the falling leaves. We get a lot of leaves because we have 3 large maple trees in our back yard and the neighbours on both sides of us each have a large maple tree. Across the road in front of our house there are more trees that drop leaves, neighbouring properties with lots of trees and our huge, old willow tree. Most of our neighbours rake the leaves up and burn them. One of our neighbours is out almost daily raking or using a leaf blower then bagging the leaves for municipal collection. They pick up leaves and other yard waste for the community compost centre. With the large number of leaves we experience it is almost impossible for us to rely solely on composting though.
We tend to leave the leaves until after the first frost which is really late this year. We still haven't had a frost but I'm not complaining. My husband sets the lawn mower on mulch to take care of a large portion of the leaves. He also uses a leaf vacuum to collect what can't be mulched. We compost what we can and put the rest out for the municipal collection.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010
Composting is the ultimate in recycling. Food scraps and vegetation are easily turned into the highly desirable soil amendment known simply as compost. Compost can be used as a natural fertilizer for all garden beds, as a potting medium for most container plants including houseplants and even scattered through out the yard to act as a fertilizer for grass and other ground cover. There simply is not such thing as too much compost! As wonderful as compost is there are some items that should not go into your compost bin:
- meats, bones, fat - Meats and fats will not only attract scavenger animals but they quickly go rancid causing your compost to smell. Most bones will not compost so to be on the safe side don't put any bones in your compost.
- paper towels, kleenex, coffee filters, tea bags - Unless you use eco-friendly, non-bleached paper towels or kleenex do not put them into your compost. This is especially important if you are gardening organically. Things like bleached paper products contain chlorine residues and other bleaching agents that will contaminate your organic garden.
- dryer sheets, easy wipes, baby wipes - Chemically treated anything does not belong in your compost bin.
- cat litter, cat/dog/human feces - Cat litter and pet/human feces should not be added to the compost bin. This will contaminate your compost as well as possibly introduce disease or parasites that could pass to humans.
- corn cobs - In general corn cobs do not break down well. In fact when dried they are great for the wood stove or camp fires but not for the compost bin.
- plastic, styrofoam, wax coated paper - These will not break down anytime soon but as they do these materials release toxic chemicals into the compost.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010
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 Farming and Composting
cartoon courtesy of
Seppo
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2009
