Impeccable neatness in a yard, without a leaf in sight and with all the natural debris of nature shredded and sent out, does not necessarily indicate good husbandry. On the contrary, it is evidence that the owners have no conception of the natural processes by which land regenerates itself year after year without the need of expensive fertilizers. ~ Thalassa Cruso, The Gardening Year
If you haven't completed all the fall chores in the garden, don't worry. There's still time. Distilled and detailed below are four simple, but must-do tasks.
Your garden will look attractive all winter (but not too tidy) and will be very pleasurable to venture into next spring. Most importantly, though, the simple work completed this fall will actually improve the health your garden.
Task #1 If not recently done, take soil samples and send to the U for analysis. The test results will yield important information about texture, pH, nutrient levels and percentage of organic matter. Plus, you'll need results for Task #4. Go to: http://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/ or call 612-625-3101.
Task #2 Cut back annuals and vegetables and place on compost pile. Don't cut back perennial foliage and don't deadhead fall-blooming perennials which provide winter interest, help prevent erosion and provide natural insulation. Exceptions include peony foliage and any diseased or pest-infected plant parts which should be discarded.
Task #3 Shred fallen leaves with the mower and do one or all of the following: leave on the lawn, spread as mulch (See Task #4.), add to the compost pile. Don't bag your leaves and toss in the garbage which is a terrible waste of time and effort, as well as environmentally reprehensible.
Task #4 Over all beds, spread a 2-inch layer of organic mulch (compost, shredded leaves, well-rotted manure or a combination) and any materials suggested by soil sample results. The materials will decompose into wonderful, luscious soil–rich with organic matter and proper nutrients.
This also appeared in the Askov American, Askov, Minnesota.
Previously I wrote about the incredible value of compost and various choices for compost bins. And even though composting can be as simple as a big pile of stuff left to decompose on its own, the ultimate goal should be to have excellent soil using sustainable means. One of the best practices is an active compost system.
Let's discuss what to compost, preparing and maintaining the compost pile and, finally, what to do with it.
What to compost A compost pile needs carbon-supplying brown material and nitrogen-supplying green material in an approximate ratio of 10 - 25 parts brown material to 1 part green material. Listed below are suggested sources of brown and green materials.
Brown material • leaves. • pine needles and cones. • corn cobs and cornstalks. • dryer lint. • sawdust and wood shavings. • straw. • wood ashes from a wood-burning stove or fireplace.
Green material • garden refuse from deadheading, pinching, spent plants, thinned seedlings, annual weeds before they've gone to seed. • kitchen refuse including plant scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters, ground-up egg shells. • manure from horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, pigeons, ducks. • hair. • seaweeds and lake moss.
Don't add these items to the compost pile. • dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt. • kitchen refuse such as fat, grease, oils, bones or from meat and fish. • diseased plant material. • annual weeds that have gone to seed or perennial weeds with sturdy root systems . • manure from cats, dogs, other carnivores. • coal or charcoal ashes. • grass clippings. (Leave clippings on the lawn to decompose en suite. They don't cause thatch.) • newspaper and cardboard. (Recycle instead.) • lime (although can be controversial).
Preparing and maintaining the compost pile Since the objective is to provide the best environment for soil organisms such as insects, earthworms, bacteria and fungi to do their thing, let's help them out. They like smaller-sized materials, moisture and oxygen.
Chop, shred or mow most of the materials so they are less than 2" in size. Keep some larger to provide adequate air space. Layer 8 – 10 inches of brown material and water until moist. Sprinkle a thin layer of green material. Repeat layers and watering.
Mix up or turn the compost pile once or twice a month with a pitchfork or shovel to blend the cooler outer edges with the warmer, active center.
Water the compost pile if adequate rainfall isn't received. The contents should be damp but not soggy with a moisture content of 40-60%. Do the squeeze test. A handful of compost should feel like a well-rung-out sponge.
No additives or chemical fertilizers are necessary.
How to use compost If the above steps are followed, luscious compost should be ready in two – four months during warm weather. The pile should be about half the original height and be rich dark brown in color with a wonderful, earthy smell.
Finally, what to do with the compost? • Spread 2+ inches on all garden beds every fall. • Spread a thin layer on the lawn every fall. • Spread on or dig into new planting beds. • Spread several inches as mulch around newly planted trees, shrubs and vines. • Mix with potting soil for indoor and outdoor container gardens.
So get busy, gardeners. It's not too late for this season. Get your compost together.
Ready for some mind-numbing numbers? Each household produces an average of 700 lbs. of yard and food waste per year, which makes up 30 – 35% of materials going to landfills. Wow.
On the flip side, composting removes those products from the waste stream, allows them to go through the natural process of decomposition which results in the perfect soil amendment.
What a win-win-win situation.
What is compost? Composting is the transformation of various garden and kitchen waste into a humus-like soil amendment, basically mimicking the natural decaying process that occurs in fields and forests. The process relies on soil organisms such as insects, earthworms, bacteria and fungi to do the decomposing.
Why compost? As a finished product, compost is spread on all parts of the landscape and, from a gardener's point of view, provides huge benefits. Compost: • increases organic matter in the soil • supplies essential plant nutrients (no need for fertilizers) • improves physical properties of the soil • acts as a mulch • can reduce weed problems • is free
How to compost? Composting can be as simple and easy as one big pile of stuff left alone to decompose in its own good time. As with any project, though, the more one ponders the desired outcome and noodles the options, the more complicated it becomes.
Efficient decomposition involves having the best environment for microorganisms to do their thing. There are four components to consider. • Aeration: Microbes need oxygen from air space in the pile to work. Air space is generally determined by size of the compost materials. • Moisture: Microbes need water to work. If adequate rainfall isn't received, supplemental watering is necessary. The compost pile should be damp but not soggy with a moisture content of 40-60%. • Material Size: Microbes work most efficiently with smaller size materials. Chop, shred or mow materials so they are less than 2" in size but keep some larger to provide adequate air space. • Temperature: When microorganisms work, heat is generated to 90 – 140 degrees. During winter months, decomposing will occur, although at a slower rate.
Compost bins As mentioned previously, composting can mean just a pile of stuff but better results will be achieved with some sort of structure. Carefully gathered materials could blow away which makes for a messy landscape. More importantly, perhaps, microbial activity will be faster and more thorough when waste materials are confined.
Several options–both homemade and ready-made–are available for compost bins. • bricks or concrete blocks laid without mortar • stacked straw bales • horizontal or vertical wooden boards • heavy-duty wire fencing or snow fencing shaped in either a circle fastened with chain clips or a rectangle supported by steel or wood stakes • 55-gallon drum drilled with holes
My favorite scheme is a three-bin affair made with steel fence posts at the corners and wire for the sides. The first bin is a holding area for new items like kitchen scraps and deadheaded flowers from the perennial garden. The second bin is the actual site of decomposition and the third bin is the finished product ready to shovel out and spread on the garden.
When locating a compost bin, choose a spot that gets plenty of sun but is protected from strong winds. The area should be relatively handy for both adding to and removing from the compost bin. If possible, the location should be reachable by hose.
Mulch is an amazing and beneficial thing...although the definition lacks pizzazz: A layer of material which is applied to the soil surface in a garden bed.
Mulch provides numerous benefits to the garden (see list below) and, actually, is part of natural decomposition.
…for mulch, like compost, is not so much a product as a process. ~ Barbara Damrosch, The Garden Primer
What mulch does: • inhibits weed growth • conserves soil moisture • prevents soil erosion • reduce soil temperature in summer (by as much as 30 degrees!) • keep soil temperature warmer in fall and winter • feeds soil microorganisms • attracts earthworms • improves soil structure • improves soil fertility • makes the garden look tidy and attractive
Mulch, in my opinion, is comprised of organic materials. Black plastic, landscape fabric and rocks, therefore, are not mulch.
As you contemplate fall gardening chores, let me introduce one of those old-as-new practices: no-till tilling.
No-till tilling is, basically, self-explanatory (not to mention oxymoronic). Don't till soil to prepare the garden every spring. Instead, each fall, put down a lovely, thick layer of mulch which will slowly decompose into fabulous soil rich in organic matter and nutrients.
There are wonderful, important benefits of no-till tilling. • Soil structure isn't damaged. • Creatures (earthworms, microorganisms and others) that live in the soil aren't disturbed. • Reduces the need for watering and fertilizing. • Saves time and energy. • Helps reduce soil erosion.
For further information, check out the book, Weedless Gardening by Lee Reich.
This first appeared in the Askov American, Askov, Minnesota.
Property around our lakes has been bought for astonishing prices and developed at alarming rates. Lakeshore owners bring their urban mindsets to their new purchase. They remove native vegetation and install huge expanses of familiar turf, which needs to be mowed and usually requires the use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Lawn clippings and chemicals wash into the adjacent water. Perhaps hardscapes such as retaining walls or rip-rap are installed which not only are eyesores but further disturb the shoreline ecosystem.
Tragically and ultimately, lakeshore owners are ruining the lakes. How ironic! By mimicking their urban landscapes, these owners are destroying the primary reason they bought the property!
According to the Minnesota DNR, development along lakeshores is the primary cause of many natural resource problems. "A natural shoreline is a complex ecosystem that sustains fish and wildlife and protects the entire lake. Native vegetation along the shore acts as a buffer zone, intercepting nutrients and reducing runoff, erosion and sedimentation. Aquatic plants provide food and shelter for ducks, songbirds and other animals… Plants growing in and near the water are critical for wildlife and fish habitat and a healthy lakeshore."
What a complicated, interwoven mess! Thankfully, the solution is very simple and straightforward.
• If you're a lakeshore owner and want to design spaces for a beach and a dock, remove no more than 25% of the native vegetation. Maintain the remaining 75% as natural shoreline.
• If you're a lakeshore owner but don't need to remove any native vegetation for a beach or a dock, maintain 100% as natural shoreline.
• If these regulations are unpalatable to you, don't buy the lakeshore property. Go to an indoor water park and enjoy weed-free, chlorine-scented water.
The solutions are not only ecological and aesthetic, but they are the law. Shoreline alterations of any kind are highly restricted and, in some cases, prohibited without necessary permits from the DNR and/or the appropriate governmental units–federal, state, county, township, city or watershed. In addition, collecting, transplanting or removing aquatic vegetation is illegal without a permit from the DNR Fisheries Aquatic Plant Management Program.
This first appeared in the Pine County Courier, Sandstone, Minnesota.
If you grow plants anywhere–indoors or out, in the ground or in containers–you're bound to end up with a pest, disease or fungus of some kind. Detailed below are two simple steps and, because I endorse earth-friendly solutions, I've listed several "organic" which control measures are readily available. (For my purposes here, "organic" gardening uses products or techniques that are natural.)
#1. Identify the problem. Do you see an insect? Look closely! If not, then it's a fungus, virus or bacteria. What are the symptoms on the leaves, stems, blossoms or fruits? If you need assistance with specific identification of thrips vs. aphids or black spot vs. powdery mildew, get help. Contact a nursery, the extension service, the county Master Gardeners or me.
#2. Treat the problem with the appropriate product at the right time. Rather than run out and buy a one-time fix which will no doubt end up dusty and forgotten on some garage shelf, supply yourself with a selection from the following organic products. As with all products, read the label carefully and follow instructions for specific precautions about timing, plant sensitivities and other safety measures.
• Insecticidal soaps are specially formulated solutions of potassium salts and fatty acids that control insects. Insecticidal soaps are not dish soaps. Don't substitute! Insecticidal soaps work by mechanically washing away the protective coating of the insect and then breaking down its cell membranes. Soft-bodied, sucking insects like aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips and whiteflies are effectively controlled. Insecticidal soap has some control on larger caterpillars and leafhoppers.
• Horticultural oils are petroleum- or vegetable-based oils that are effective on insects. They work by smothering insects and their eggs and also the larval stages of caterpillars and beetles. When horticultural oil is mixed with baking soda, it successfully controls powdery mildew, black spot and rust fungal problems.
• Neem oil is extracted from seeds of the neem tree, an evergreen (Azadirachta indica) native to India, and works as a repellent and as a contact and residual insecticide by interrupting the life cycle of insects. It is also an effective fungicide against powdery mildew, black spot, anthracnose and rust.
• Bacillus thuringiensus (Bt) is a naturally occurring bacterial disease found in insects and was first identified in 1901. It controls fungus gnats, caterpillars, leaf beetle larvae and other chewing insects.
• Sulfur has been in use as a fungicide since Homer's days, more than 3,000 years ago! It controls fungal problems such as powdery mildew, certain rusts and leaf blights. In its various forms sulfur is also effective against fruit rot diseases and insects such as spider mites and thrips.
• Pyrethrums are organic compounds produced from the seeds of a certain chrysanthemum plant (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium). They control by attacking the nervous systems of insects and can act as an insect repellent.
This first appeared in the Pine County Courier, Sandstone, Minnesota.
