It is good practice
this time of year, especially if you have been growing throughout
the winter, to perform a soil test.
Starting from a simple PH kit, these tests can measure every aspect
of nutrient balance in tired soil. This is a vital prerequsite to
soil amendment if you wish to provide optimum growing conditions for
plants. Manure teas, organic blood meal and well rotted finished manure/compost
are what we added to our dome to make up for nitrogen depletion and
alkali soil. Diatameceous earth can be used (carefully) if ground
bugs are a problem. Do this before introducing beneficial insects.
Hope this helps!
Weekly
Hint #3
BUG BLASTING
Aphids, Whiteflies, Sow bugs, centipedes, caterpillars,
millipedes, mites, mealybugs, fruit flies and vinegar flies. The
two most effective methods of natural pest control we have used
this spring, before introducing beneficial insects are:
1). Pyola a plant extract oil that controls the
egg stages of pests present in dormant season and scale insects
etc and also works on live insects such as aphids and whiteflies.
The active ingredient is Canola Oil and Pyrethrins. The important
thing about it is that it does not persist for long periods in the
environment and does not contain Pheronly butoxide. Can be purchased
at www.gardensalive.com
2). Diatomaceous earth which is EPA approved and
found at your local gardening shop, is fantastic for crawling insects
such as sow bugs, millipedes, slugs, beetles and ants etc. It comes
in powder form and like Pyola will destroy any beneficial insects
so is best used before introducing them. Check the plastic liners
in beds to see if this is where the bugs are coming from and if
need be place the dust behind these.
Good luck winning the battle with the bugs!
Weekly
Hint #4
Safer® Tomato & Vegetable Insect Killer
- 32 oz
APHIDS AND WHITEFLY DEMISE! Our absolute favorite tool for safely
killing these bugs is called SAFER®,
Tomato & Vegetable Insect Killer. "Safer, is a product
made for the food you eat from a name you trust." Since it
was created with tomatoes in mind, you can be confident when using
it in your vegetable garden. It breaks down quickly, completely
and harmlessly. A patented mix of pyrethrins and insecticidal soaps,
this mixture kills most soft-bodied bugs on contact. The main active
ingredient, pyrthrin, disrupts the nervous system, causing virtual
instant paralysis in insects. The secondary ingredient, insecticidal
soap penetrates bugs and vaporizes their cell walls. The bugs don't
stand a chance. For best results use regularly. Heavy pest infestations
may require more frequent useage intervals"
Note: Hose the plants down to wipe off dead
bodies between sprays. Keep away from beneficials.
Weekly
Hint #5
August is the best time to plan ahead
for your cool hardy crops. Start seeds for carrots, kale, cauliflower,
raddish, lettuce, onions, broccoli, cabbage and many others.
Now is a great time to reduce your
potential pests next year by interplanting for resistance
i.e. garlic and other strongly scented plants, which pests despise.
Also, you should choose pest free plant stock and resistant varieties.
Johnny's
Selected Seeds has a good variety of organic products and has
proved popular with organic gardeners.
To prevent new plantings from being
eaten, put copper mesh or wire around them, this distributes
a charge which shocks and repels them. Because of the fertilizer
they produce, Killing slugs is usually only advised when you have
a large build up - it is much better to control them using copper
around new shoots, beer traps and watering in the morning instead
of night.
Pruning herbs such as basil, makes them bushier
and more flavorful - add these trimmings to your compost to add
an essential source of nitrogen.
Weekly
Hint #6
Preparing for Winter - Part 1
After a summer of cornicopia bliss, we should now be looking once
again to amending/changing our tired soil. If the goal is to produce
throughout winter, the nutrients in the soil will need replenishing
before planting the cooler weather crops.
If you have not changed the soil at all within the last year, you
might want to dig around in various parts of the bed and look at
the quality. A large amount of root matter often gets left in the
soil between harvests and this drains heavy amounts of nutrients
in order to be broken down.
I would try and take out as much as a third in the worst spots
and then put in a good layer of green organic compost and or bagged
animal manure. Then put a layer of top soil and finish off with
potting soil if you are going to plant directly in the beds. This
provides a perfect start for seeds and the layer of compost will
release nitrogen into the rest of the soil every time it is watered.
Weekly
Hint #7
Preparing for Winter - Part 2
Winter planting: Now is a great time to put in the herbs, both
for winter stews and cooking and because they are natures natural
insectisides.
Other plants to plant in November would include; fava beans, kale,
spinich, garlic, cabbage, swiss chard, beets, lettuce, green onions,
turnips, radish, kholrabi and brussel sprouts. If you are bringing
plants from outside inside the dome, try to bring the smaller ones
as larger ones more established plants will often go into to too
much shock. Make sure you spray them with SAFER or eqiuvalent of
a mild soap detergent and clean the leaves the next day to get off
any pests and eggs.
Weekly
Hint #8
Organic Composting:
Good compost added throughout the year will give
your plants a much healthier life. They will be more resistant to
bugs and will be getting a slow release via the compost into the
soil of the nutrients they need to survive. The NPK balance is likely
to be severely depleted by year round growing. What you are looking
for is a rich humus in your finished compost and if your compost
is taking a long time to finish, chances are there is not enough
heat build up to be destroying disease and weed seeds. The most
common reason for this is not enough green material in the pile,
oxygen or manure. The pile is best put in a container with 3/4 sides
and a bottom or to prevent leaching, drying out or overwatering.
If the pile smells too strong, there could be too much nitrogen,
don't put animal products into your compost (exccept eggshells and
manure!). Chopping up the ingredients helps break it down faster.
Some good ingredients to add are: green leaves and vegatable waste,
comfrey leaves, worm castings, algae from your pond, coffee grounds,
egg shells, dryer lint, manure, a small amount of pine needles and
wood ash.