by blair on February 4, 2010
Photo courtesy of nakae at Flickr.com.
Leaving aside the organic content, soil is composed of three types of particles: sand, silt, and clay. These can be mineralogically identical, since all are fragments of weathered rock; it’s really the size of the particles that count. Sand is the largest, clay the smallest. If you’re looking to make mud pies, pure clay works the best; but the ideal soil for gardening contains a roughly equivalent mixture of sand, silt, and clay, and is referred to as “loam.”
When it’s bound together with organic material, soil can form lumps of various sizes that create texture. (Needless to say, soil scientists have developed an extensive terminology describing, essentially, dirt clods.) Loose, crumbly soil is best, because it offers plenty of open spaces for air, water, and roots to move through. This is what you’re usually going for when you add amendments like compost to your soil.
Do you need to revamp your soil? Check out our store sections on compost bins and soil amendments.
by blair on February 2, 2010
Photo courtesy of selvig at Flickr.com.
Despite their gaudy exteriors and perky name, harlequin bugs (Murgantia histrionica) are no joke. These red-and-black spotted stinkbugs, which measure about three-eighths of an inch long at adulthood, are the bane of brassica gardeners everywhere. They’re one of the most vociferous destroyers of collards, turnips, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, broccoli, and related species in the mid to southern U.S. (they’re rarely found north of Colorado in the west and Pennsylvania in the east), and if not quickly controlled may destroy the whole crop by literally sucking away all their juices.
Photo courtesy of Anauxite at Flickr.com.
It’s best to stop these little vegetable vampires before they get started, simply by keeping an eye out for their eggs and removing them by hand. Oddly enough, harlequin bug eggs look like clusters of tiny white kegs marked with two black hoops and a black spot. They take 4-29 days to hatch, so move quickly; they can be destroyed most effectively by burning. If you end up with actual bugs on your plants, you should try picking them off by hand and dunking them in a container of soapy water, where they’ll die. If the infestation has gone beyond that point, hit them with some sabadilla dust. It won’t be as effective as a chemical insecticide, but it should knock them back somewhat, and it’s one of the few organic insecticides that work against harlequin bugs.
If you get hit by harlequins every year, a better option may be to deliberately plant sacrificial catch crops early in the spring; turnip, kale, and mustard work especially well for this purpose. Once the insects have concentrated in the catch crops, you can dust them with sabadilla or other organic insecticides, smother the catch crop, or burn it. We recommend the latter for the most effective control.
by blair on January 28, 2010
Photo courtesy of LollyKnit at Flickr.com.
Like Ringo Starr’s Octopus’s Garden, some organic home gardens do best in the shade—great news for those of us who don’t want to have to trim those decades-old trees in the backyard too much.
Here are a few vegetables or herbs that you can try in your shady or partially shady spots:
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Chard,
- Garlic (standard and elephant)
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Radishes
- Sorrel
- Spinach
- Turnip
Oddly enough, these plants also tend to do well in cooler weather; this may be why they take to the indirect sunlight and slightly cooler temperatures of the shade garden so well.
by blair on January 26, 2010
Photo courtesy of Kilarin at Flickr.com.
Although they can be creepy (what has eight legs and isn’t?), spiders tend to be friends to organic gardeners, if only because of their tendency to nab annoying mosquitoes and flies in their webs. Some species trundle around dispatching other insect pests, or grab them from underneath (a specialty of trap-door spiders). Fortunately, there are only a few species that are actively venomous to humans, including black widows, brown recluses, hobo spiders, and mouse spiders, and of those, only mouse spiders are likely to show up outdoors. Even they live underground, venturing out rarely during the day, usually after a rain. In any case, you should be able to avoid these critters simply by keeping your eyes peeled, as long you know what they look like. Here’s a spider identification chart.
If, however, you have children or pets and are worried about the presence of venomous or aggressive spiders, or if you simply find spiders singularly unappealing, there are several simple organic methods you can use to get rid of them. For example, spiders apparently dislike Osage orange fruit (i.e., hedge apples) as much as roaches do, so if you put some around your garden, the spiders will leave. We suspect hedge apple wedges or halves will work best, and when they go bad, hey — all you have to do is toss ‘em in the compost bin, right?
Naturally, this is a seasonal option. Otherwise, you’ll need to keep your garden scrupulously weeded, and relocate brush piles (which spiders like to frequent) to areas outside the garden proper. You can also discourage spiders by destroying their webs immediately when they appear, using either a broom or a jet of water from your hose. Eventually, they’ll get the idea and leave. And wouldn’t you, if someone repeatedly destroyed a work of art you’d spent hours building and rebuilding?
by blair on January 21, 2010
Solar panel installation at Clean Air Gardening in 2008.
The recent American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) has resulted in some unexpected windfalls for those of us interested in producing our own clean, green energy. As of mid-February 2009, 30% federal tax credits are available for anyone who wants to install a wind turbine, photovoltaic solar panels, a solar water heater, or any of a variety of similar green energy systems. In other words, for every 10 bucks you spend installing the system, you get to take three bucks off your taxes.
The ARRA also did away with the tax credit cap already in place for green energy systems—so there’s no upper limit to the credit. If you want to spend $100,000 on a new solar power system, you get to write off $30,000 come next April 14. For the typical system, which actually costs about $40,000, the tax saving comes to about $12,000. That’s pretty attractive, and here’s the kicker: many types of green energy systems, especially solar systems, are becoming increasingly less expensive anyway due to recent technological advancements.
The federal government also offers a 30% tax credit of up to $1,500 for increasing your home’s energy efficiency, so now’s the time to install those new windows, curtains, insulation, and weather stripping you’ve been thinking about anyway. Add in a substantial tax credit for purchasing an alternate fuel or hybrid gas-electric automobile, and there’s never been a better time to go green.
But don’t take any of this for granted and wait too long: the full auto tax credit only applies for the first 60,000 vehicles sold by each manufacturer, and the energy tax credit is due for renegotiation in Congress in 2016.
Check out this page to see what we are doing at Clean Air Gardening to be an eco-friendly business.
by blair on January 19, 2010
Photo courtesy of ewan traveler at Flickr.com.
The next time you come up dry due to watering restrictions, consider using dishwater to keep your flowers and veggies from dying of thirst. The detergent residue in the water won’t hurt them; as you might recall, dish soap is often used as a base for natural pesticides, because it helps the mixture stick to the plants, isn’t toxic, and can be easily washed off later.
Now, one caveat here: dishwater is classified as a type of “graywater,” because it tends to be cloudy rather than clear. While it’s not considered sewage as such, in some areas, you’re required by law to dispose of graywater through a proper sewer system. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check your local regulations before dousing the daisies with dishwater.
Also, keep in mind that while dishwater is fine to use on your plants, not all graywater is created equal. If you’ve used water to wash poultry parts, for example, don’t use it to water anything you’ll later be eating, because of the risk of bacterial contamination.
by blair on January 14, 2010
Photo courtesy of smile4camera at Flickr.com.
Looking for an interesting long-term organic gardening challenge? If so, may we suggest grapes? Now, this isn’t a crop for the impatient or half-hearted; like many fruits, grape vines take years (up to 5-6) before they hit their maximum productivity, and require close attention to protect them against everything from diseases and bugs to birds and squirrels. Plus, there’s a lot of annual pruning involved. However, grape vines can live up to 100 years, and once they hit their stride they’ll produce massive quantities of fruit that can be eaten fresh, made into jellies and jams of all kinds, and yes, even fermented into wine.
When planting grape vines, you’ll need to keep several things in mind. First of all, grapes tend to do better in slightly acidic soils with a pH of 6.5 or so. Soils with a hardpan layer aren’t suitable for grape production; nor are soils that retain standing water on the surface after heavy rains. As for temperature, as long as it remains above about 10 degrees Fahrenheit (and doesn’t fall below zero), the plants will be fine.
The grapes you choose for your garden are up to you, but we’d recommend planting native grapes, specifically muscadine (a.k.a. scuppernong) varieties, since they’re well-adapted to most American environments. The Native Americans exploited muscadines for thousands of years, and interestingly, these grapes do very well in the same areas as a Native American plant that’s become an integral part of Western agriculture: tobacco.
While they’re not the best table grapes ever, muscadine grapes are quite hardy, and with the proper care will thrive in the organic garden (especially if given a taste of dolomitic lime every once in a while). Better yet, they make pretty good wine and excellent jellies—so what else could you ask for? Click the link, if you’d like to learn more about growing muscadines at home.
by blair on January 12, 2010
Photo courtesy of Nikki L. at Flickr.com.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to feed mushrooms manure and keep them in the dark (although this will, in fact, work admirably). It’s possible to grow them in your organic garden in much less odiferous media, or even inside your home. In fact, it’s downright easy. They even make kits for it.
In most cases, the kits come in the form of a log that’s already inoculated with mushroom spores or “spawn”: all you have to do is find a shady place for it in your garden, stick it into or on the ground, and add water. If you prefer, you can instead put the log in a pot in your home and set it on a desk or table. If a mushroom log isn’t really your thing, you can try a mushroom bottle, or simply buy some inoculated compost in loose or plug form that you can dump into a pot. Any way you choose to do it, the kits often produce edible mushrooms in as little as a week, depending on the variety chosen; after all, as most gardeners know, mushrooms can literally pop up overnight. Given the quick turnover, this is a great way to get kids interested in gardening.
They’re not only tasty, mushrooms are good for you, too. Mushrooms that thrive either indoors or out with a bit of care include the ever-popular oyster (blue and brown, especially), morel, pom-pom, lion’s mane, nameko, enokitake, maitake, and shiitake varieties. All are ideal for gourmet cooking, and are just as easy to grow right there on the kitchen counter as herbs like basil and oregano. Sure, you can still go mushroom hunting in the dank woods if you really want to, but why bother when you can grow your goodies in your kitchen?
by blair on January 7, 2010
Photo courtesy of David Blackwell at Flickr.com.
It’s inevitable: one day a kitchen or bathroom drain will become clogged, no matter how careful you are. Well, instead of hiring an expensive plumber or pouring a nasty chemical concoction down the drain, try this simple expedient instead. It won’t cost more than a couple of bucks.
Thoroughly mix a cup of baking soda with a cup of salt, and pour it down the drain; then follow the mixture with a cup of vinegar (we recommend the cheap white stuff). Let it sit for 15 minutes so the salt, baking soda, and vinegar can finish bubbling, then pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. This should dissolve the clog. If it doesn’t, try again. This may seem a lengthy process, but it really doesn’t take much longer than using the chemical stuff—and it’s a lot less dangerous.
by blair on January 5, 2010
Photo courtesy of BarefootGardener at Flickr.com.
One of the best ways to both save money on seed and get a head start on spring is to start seedlings in the home. However, you have to know when to plant your seedlings in order to maximize their success. It’s not enough to see the first pair of leaves and assume you’re good to go; these are most likely the cotyledon leaves, parts of the embryo also called “false leaves.”
What you really need to see are the first true leaves, which are usually the second set that the seedling produces. These leaves contain all the structures necessary to convert sunlight, air, and water into plant cells, so when you see them appear, you can start planting—assuming it’s warm enough out.
Before starting your seeds, be sure to check out our organic tomato seeds, organic vegetable seeds, mini greenhouse and seed planting chart.
