Periodic Feeding with Compost Tea for Continued Success

I've written about how it is imperative to continue to feed your plants after the initial planting.  I know how hard it gets to continue to care for plants after the temperatures rise up into the 90s.  It seems it takes almost all of my time just watering.  But I have learned that just a little plant food every other week will keep most summer vegetables going much longer...and also reduce stress which results in increased pest and disease problems as well as reduced production.

15 Gallon Homemade Compost Tea Brewer

My favorite "plant food" of choice is compost tea.  It is economical (it costs about $35 to build but virtually nothing to operate) and seems to have the same magical properties that compost has.  I usually add some actual fertilizer to my compost tea and water all my potted plants and raised beds.

If you want to know more about how to build your own compost tea brewer, click on the link under Popular Posts to the right.  There are also some good videos under Natural Gardening Links.

Complimentary Planting for Beauty and Pest Control

I was complaining to my mother-in-law about how my raised beds did not have the curb appeal that the flowers I sell have from the road in front of the store.  She suggested that I do some complimentary planting that would serve both to create a more beautiful garden and provide some added pest protection.  So I planted marigolds, known for their ability to repel insects, basil (for eating), and citronella (the mosquito plant) in addition to four tomato plants in the middle.

Complimentary Planting with Tomatoes, Marigolds, Basil and Citronella

I was pleasantly surprised with how much more attractive the bed was and the plants seem to be doing very well so far.  The crowding hasn't appeared to affect production.

Container Gardening: Great Results for Busy People

For producing a bountiful harvest with the least effort and time, container gardening and raised bed gardening are the best answer.

I differentiate between container gardening and raised bed gardening.  Container gardening is focused on growing in enclosed pots and containers such as flower pots, tubs, and even Earthboxes.  Raised bed gardens are built up from the ground but are open to the soil below.  I make this difference because container gardens are limited by the contents of the pot.  Once they are used up, the plant becomes stressed, stunted and quits growing and producing.  Because of this, constant watering and feeding (ie. constant care) are required of all container plants.  On the other hand, raised beds have more soil and the plants can even make use of the topsoil below the raised bed.  It's the best of both worlds, the benefits of less weeding and care of container gardening, and the increased production potential of ground-planted gardens.

Many people have been disappointed with their container gardens; both in the quantity and quality of the fruit, as well and the constant watering during summer months.  I can grow tomatoes in almost any size pot, but it takes constant watering and feeding.

There are over 40 tomatoes on this plant growing in a lick tub!

Hanging Basket with Two 3/4 Lb. Tomatoes

It is my opinion, raised beds are the best choice for those wanting the grow a good amount of vegetables but don't want or have time to plow, weed, and care for an in-ground garden.  From my experience, several 4x4 foot raise beds and add a good deal of food for the entire family.

Earthbox, 4x4 Raised Bed, Tub Tomato, Wire Trellis

The picture above shows several different type of container gardening options.  The Earthbox (shown in front) has a water reservoir in the bottom that eliminates much water and can be used to provide a constant liquid fertilizer charge.  The raised bed is built out of recycled lumber.  It contains 8 pepper plants, and a row of cantaloup and a cucumber plant.  The cantaloups and cucumbers are trained up the wire trellis maximizing space and minimizing care.  On the left of the raised bed, is a tub tomato.  At this point, I had already harvested a half dozen tomatoes, all of which were over 3/4 lb.  The tomato is tied to the trellis for support.

The raised bed in the background is planted with pole beans, bush beans, onions and a squash plant.

Strange Leaf Curl

The biggest problem I faced this year with my tomatoes was a strange leaf curl that started on the youngest, tender leaves at the top of the plants.  As it turned out, I don't think that the leaf curl affect blossom set or fruit production but here some stuff I learned about it.  Let me know if you found out anything different!

Strange Leaf Curl at Top of Plants

I searched the web for hours and most of the expert sites agreed that leaf curl on the tops of the plants was either pesticide drift damage or stress.  Since there were several folks around town with the same problem, I determined that it was not pesticide drift.  I thought it could be stress as it showed up right after a 7 inch rain but it persisted (and continued to spread) even after it dried out.

Finally I heard from the local extension agent.  An extension specialist from College Station said that it was most likely a microscopic mite that cause the problem.  It feeds on the chlorophyll in the plant and causes the damaged leaf to curl.  There is not visible damage to the leaf other than the curl and you can only confirm the presence of the mite by sending off a sample which takes time and money.  He suggest a foliar spray of liquid sulfur or pyrethrin.  Sevin dust does not work.  Since I don't use chemicals, I decided to try neem oil which is an excellent miticide, at least on red spider mites.  However, these seemed a little tougher than their more common cousin (assuming that the mite was the problem).  I did spray once with neem and the progression seemed to slow and eventually stop, I'm not sure that it was the answer.  I'm also not sure if the the little critters did enough damage to slow the plants down.  For a couple of weeks, I was harvesting around 10 lbs. of tomatoes a day!

At any rate, if you have this problem, you can give the liquid sulfur or the neem oil a try.  They are both very safe.

Great Year for Heirlooms

I'm really behind on my posts so expect a lot over the next few days (hopefully!).  I've taken pictures all along so I have lots of info and pics to share from the past couple of months.

It's been a great year for heirloom tomatoes - all tomatoes actually!  All 20+ varieties of tomatoes that I planted have produced well and provided me and my family a cornucopia of tastes, shapes, and sizes...just what nature intended.

It has been a wonderful spring with one of the largest tomato crops I've ever had including several dozen "pounders" and the largest, a Belgium Giant weighing in at 1 lb. 8 oz., just short of my record 1 lb. 10 oz. Watermelon Beefsteak from 2008.

Most of my tomatoes are in my tomato and pepper garden at The Green House.  Springtime at the store requires that my garden is very low maintenance so  I use a combination of no till and carpet for weed protection.  As with most organic gardens, with a little compost and organic fertilizer, the soil just gets better and better.  I had few pest problems (tomato horn worms of course; corrected with a little Dipel) and a strange leaf curl which didn't seem to affect production (I'll post another blog with details on this).

Here's some pictures from my garden by month:  April, May, and June.

The Green House Backyard Garden April 2010

TGH Backyard Garden May 2010

TGH Backyard Garden June 2010

You can tell it's getting hot but most of the plants are continuing to produce.  In the foreground is an heirloom squash and a couple of Jubilee watermelons with their vines trained along the carpet to keep away from weeds.  Just behind the squash is a couple tomatillos and a 4x4 box of potatoes.  To the left is a row of black-eye peas (seeds bought from the grocery store) and a row of bush green beans.  It seems that Strike is the best bush bean variety for our area.  The second row is a double row of Betty's (my mother-in-law) LaJoe giant jalapenos.  I have a special batch of seeds called #1 Sport which are doing fantastic.  Here's an example pic - and they are still growing!

LaJoe #1 Sports

To the back of the pictures are five rows of 4 tomato plants each; each a different variety.  Both heirloom and hybrids are represented but I haven't noticed the hybrids as having an advantage over the heirlooms in either production or disease resistance.

Hope you are having a great garden year too!

Organic Pest & Weed Control Lecture

I am speaking at the Mason Spring Round-Up which includes a variety of organic gardening and farming and sustainable living topics.  For those that attended, I promised to post the notes from the lecture.  Here they are.  Enjoy!

Reasons for Use of Organic Treatments

• Marketing/Certification
• Environmental
• Safety – Pets & Grandkids

• Works Best as Part of Total Organic/Natural Program

Myths of Conventional Agriculture

• Myth #1: Insects are “Out There” just waiting to Eat your Plants
• Insects are Designed to Seek Out Weak/Stressed Plants
• Myth #2: The Only Purpose of the Soil is to Hold the Plant Down
• There is More Life Under the Soil Than on Earth.  This Life Has a Symbiotic Relationship with Plants to Mutual Benefit.  Any Disruption of this Relationship Causes a Decline in Plant Performance

Treatment Considerations

• Even Organic Treatments Have Some Risk - Evaluating Level of “Safety”
• Selectively Targets Species Type/Non-Toxic – BT, Soap
• Non-Selective/Non-Toxic – Orange Oil, EPA GRAS list
• Non-Selective/Toxic - Pyrethrum

• Know What You’re Trying to Get Rid Of
• Texas Bug Book
• Make Sure You Need to Get Rid of It!
• Yes, you have bugs but are they eating anything?
• Understand Cause of Infestation
• Will Your Plant Grow Here?
• Well Adapted Species 
• Correct Amount of Water 
• Sun or Shade
• Soil Drainage
• Planted in the Correct Season
• If Yes to Above, Is There Environmental Stress (e.g., drought, excessive rain, etc.)?
• EX: Drought brings on stink bugs to tomatoes
• EX: Rainy season causes increase in fungal diseases or nutrient leaching resulting in discoloration
• Seasonal Change (e.g., increase/decrease in temperature, etc.)?
• EX: Early summer causes cool season veggie stress attracting harlequin beatles
• Plant Stress (e.g., heavy feeders or bloomers needing additional nutrition)?
• EX: Roses bloom themselves into exhaustion
• EX: Heavy feeders such as tomatoes exhaust soil nutrient supply
• If All of the Above Are NO, Then Soil Needs Attention
• Choosing the Best Treatment for The Job
• Insects
• Worms – BT or Dipel – Tomato Hornworm. Cabbage Loopers
• Aphids, Spider Mites, Whiteflies, and Lacebugs
• Mild Infestations “normal” for many Crops
• Large Infestations Sign of Soil Issue
• Treat with Water Blast, Soap, Fish Emulsion/Seaweed, Garlic-Pepper Spray
• Orange Oil – Non-Selective; Will Kill Beneficials as Well
• Prevention - Longhorn Farms story...
• Squash Bugs/Hard Shell Bugs
• Treat with Pyrethrin
• Give Bugs Weakest Plant to Eat
• Squash - Keep mulch away from plant
• Are Plants Out of Season?
• Stink Bugs
• Vacuum/Drop in Bucket of Water
• Are Plants Out of Season?  Stressed?
• Fire Ants
• Mound Treatment - Auntie Fuego Mound Drench
• Bait Treatment - G/L Fire Ant Control w/ Spinosad
• Orange Oil, Aspartame, other home-made treatments
• Diatomaceous Earth (DE) as a Barrier
• Grubworms
• Beneficial Nematodes or Sugar – 
• Indicates Need to Improve Soil
• Mosquitoes
• Eliminate Water Sources - Empty Standing Water
• BT Dunks or Granules for Water Troughs, etc.
• Slugs, Snails, Land-Bound Critters
• Hot Pepper, cedar flakes, DE
• Fleas
• In lawn, beneficial nematodes
• In home, boric acid in powder
• Citrus Oil in shampoo or area spray
• Cedar oil as barrier
• Grasshoppers
• Battery Acid or Flame Thrower
• Healthy Plants Will Still Resist!

Choosing the Best Treatment for The Job

• Fungal Diseases such as Black Spot, Powdery Mildew for Ornamentals & Vegetables
• Horticultural (Whole Ground) Corn Meal
• An Aggie Invention...
• For Vegetables and Ornamentals, Generously Sprinkle On Ground Under and Around Plants
• Won’t Remove Existing Spots
• Neem Oil
• India’s Medicine Tree
• Insecticide, Miticide, Fungicide
• Indoor/Outdoor
• All plants, herbs, shrubs, fruits, etc.
• Sulphur Dust
• Used extensively in grape production
• Watch sulphur content in soil
• Baking Soda/Potassium Bicarbonate

• Lawn Fungal Diseases such as Brown Patch, etc.
• Corn Meal at 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.
• Compost - The Magic Elixer
• Alfalfa Meal or Alfalfa Meal Mixes
• Back to Nature - Nature’s Blend
• Chlorosis (Mineral Deficiencies) – 
• Texas Greensand
• History of Over-application of Phosphorous
• Medina 5-3-4 + Greensand
• Weed Control
• Non-Selective Pre-Emergent Horticultural Corn Gluten
• Must be 9-0-0 - Blends Do Not Work
• Apply at 1 lb. per 100 sq. ft.
• High Nitrogen Provides Timed-Released Greening
• Granular Much Easier to Apply
• Excellent for Grassburrs - Apply by March 1st
• TOO EXPENSIVE!
• Horticultural Vinegar – Natural Round-Up
• Should be 20% acid to work well
• Add surfactant – squirt of soap
• Apply on sunny/warm day
• Mechanical Weed Control
• Hoe & Mow
• Plastic Row Cover, Recycled Old Carpet, Newspapers, etc.

Prevention vs. Treatment

• Frequent Inspection - Key is to Catch Problem Early

• Best Defense is Good Great Soil
• Richard Polk’s Garden Story...

• Organic Soil Testing
• Texas Plant & Soil
• Use CO2 Acids that mimic plant’s action - increase accuracy
• Use Comprehensive Soil Chemistry Analysis (Albrecht System) to make recommendations/calculations
• Pages of personalized recommendations for your crop/soil profile

• Creating Biologically Active Soils
• Compost & Manures
• Actively Aerated Compost Tea

References

• Understanding how Plants Literally Signal Insects to Come Devour Them: Tuning Into Nature by Phil Callahan
• Identifying Pests and Organic Solutions: Texas Bug Book by C.Malcolm Beck and John Howard Garrett
• Soil Food Web and Compost Tea: Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis
• Organic Soil Testing: Texas Plant & Soil at www.TexasPlantAndSoil.com or call at 956-383-0739.
• For a copy of these notes, compost tea recipes and many links to natural and organic resources, visit my blog at www.NaturalGardener.blogspot.com

Potassium, Phosphorous Levels Declining in the US

I am constantly reminded that food and health are tightly linked...and this link shows up in funny ways.  I was just researching for our natural health newsletter and came across an article on the declining availability of agricultural phosphorous and potash (the P and K in N-P-K on your fertilizer bags).

The article, entitled "Falling Potash: Stop the Impending Agricultural Collapse", was printed on a national natural health website.  According to the article, readily available potash (mined from the earth) is rapidly declining and fertilizers producers are having to transport the mineral longer distances using much more fuel.  My Dad, who runs the local feed and fertilizer store, mentioned that much of our fertilizers components are being exported to China which has been driving up prices.  Neal Kinsey, a well-known agricultural consultant whom I've trained with, told us during class (about 5 years ago) that a dozen of the largest families in the US have been quietly buying up mineral rights and mines across the country...cornering the market.  He expected then that prices would rise.

The same article mentioned that phosphorous stocks have been on the decline since the 1970s.  I've experienced this first-hand when Lonfosco, the manufacturer of Malcolm Beck's Soft Rock Phosphate, ran out of material a couple of years ago.  While there is other soft rock phosphate, it is harder and less available to the plants.  http://www.NaturalNews.com/028495_agriculture_potash.html


Impact on Organic Gardening/Farming
For organic farmers and growers, it is less of a problem.  Potassium is relatively abundant in manures and composts.  For those needing to build their soil,  Texas Greensand, mined here in Mason county, is loaded with potassium as well as iron and many other trace minerals.  I recently learned from a Master Gardener friend that greensand is actually fossilized trilobite poop...dinosaur poop?

Phosphorous is a little more interesting.  Malcolm Beck is the guy that discovered that the best way to apply phosphorous is by dusting the hole or row directly beneath the roots with soft rock phosphate (SRP) would increase yields by 20%.  Phosphorous is about the only mineral that doesn't move through the soil and has a nasty habit of locking up essential trace minerals.  By placing the SRP near the roots, the plants take it up before it has a chance to bind with other minerals and become unavailable.  If you use this technique, it may be worthwhile to stock up on SRP while it is still available.  Garden-Ville's Rock Fuel is a transplant fertilizer loaded with SRP and is an excellent alternative to straight SRP.

Chicken manures and composts are loaded with phosphorous and there probably is adequate phosphorous in most good composts.  Bone meal also has 12% phosphorous if you can find it.

Soil Biology and the Soil Food Web
Dr. Elaine Ingham has been researching the soil food web and all the microscopic creatures that inhabit this underworld.  She has learned that these guys live in symbiosis with plants and produce many, if not all, of the nutrients a plant needs.  Actively aerated compost tea is a method she came up with to inoculate soil with these guys to help provide plant nutrition and protection against disease and pests too.  This is an inexpensive method requiring little inputs (molasses and a shovel of good compost) and may be the future of agriculture.

What Does All This Mean?

Well, for conventional agriculture farmers who use copious amounts of these minerals, productions prices will increase meaning food prices will increase.  Eventually farming practices will change and the old wasteful methods will disappear.

In the short term, it most likely means food prices will continue to increase and food quality will continue to decline.  

Another good reason to grow your own food!

Losing Access to Seeds

On the way to speaking to the Llano Master Gardeners, I found out that Parks Seed, a major retail consumer seed company, filed bankruptcy.  It's another example of the loss of access to many varieties of seeds we are encountering.

At the Master's Gardeners meeting, my talk was on heirloom tomatoes.  One of my main reasons for planting heirloom and open-pollinated varieties is that I can save my own seeds and not be held hostage of the seed companies.  One of the challenges we face is find open-pollinated varieties that do well in our hot summers.  This year, I am trying Rutgers, an old time favorite before the introduction of Celebrities.  I am also trying F2 varieties (saved seeds from hybrids) to see how they will do.

Heaven forbid, if there ever comes  a time when we have to grow at least some of our own food, we will need seeds that we can save and share without the need for mega-seed companies and genetically-modified foods.

Stay tuned this summer for a visual lesson on how to save tomato seeds.  It is easy and produces highly viable seeds.  In the meantime, happy gardening!

A Visit with the Extension Vegetable Specialist

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't have much respect for the agricultural programs at Texas A&M.  However, I find it interesting that one of their most popular spokesmen (and the only exception to my "I have all A&M agricultural experts") is Dr. Jerry Parsons.  I listened to him speak at the Llano Master Gardeners last week and what amazed me is that he has been listening to the complaints of many gardeners on a range of topics and has responded with some good advice and solutions.  Here's some examples:

Saving the Lost Hybrid Varieties.  We have been losing our best hybrid tomato seeds for several years including Bingo, Merced, Heatwave and many others.  The consolidation of the seed companies has resulted in the loss of many hybrid varieties as well as expensive hybrid seeds.  Solar Fire and 444 seeds cost 20 cents a seed - to the wholesale grower!  Jerry's response has been to trial saving F2 seeds (the offspring of the hybrids).  Apparently we've been told that you can't save seed from hybrids because you lose the positive characteristics in the children.  However, Jerry knows that tomatoes are 85-90% self-pollinated.  He is collecting old seed stocks from across the state and is saving and testing seeds of these old hybrid varieties.

The Value of Manures.  Another funny story from Dr. Parsons was his (and all Aggies) that they could grow any tomato as well or better with conventional methods; specifically chemical fertilizer.  Apparently, they tried for years but gardeners kept growing huge tomatoes with manures and composts and they couldn't compete.  Not to be wrong, Dr. Parsons now recommends manures and composts as one of the best soil amendments to growing vegetables.

Heirlooms.  As much grief as I receive from Dr. Parsons and other Aggies over the years, I can't believe that he would even be talking about heirlooms much less putting them on his website.  But, low and behold, heirlooms are a topic.  He shared something that I had not put into clear words yet about heirlooms.   Most of the heirlooms we get are varieties from the north.  This is why I can plant them early and get good results but they do not work when planted later - no heat tolerance!  However, there are some old southern heirloom varieties that he talks about on his website and I will begin growing this year.  One is Rutgers, probably the most popular tomato variety before Celebrity was introduced.

Seed Bank.  The extension service has developed some really interesting and vigorous producing varieties of peppers and other veggies that never made it to market.  These, along with other open-pollinated and F2 hybrid varieties are available to the public through his seed bank.

Plant Answers.  On a final note, Dr. Parsons is funny and interesting speaking (if not a little annoying sometimes...) AND he knows his stuff.  He tests everything so if he says it, its because he's actually done it or seen it himself.  No "theoretical stuff" here!

If you are interested in his website, it has a lot of great stuff and a huge database of answers to typical gardener questions...definitely worth a look.  www.plantanswers.com

Spiffing Up Your Store-Bought Veggies

This post is for those of us whose can't grow everything they eat.  Or, how to clean and freshen your store-bought veggies...

I learned this trick from my wife who learned it from someone in the restaurant business.  It is an old restaurant trick that gets the limp out of your veggies but it also helps remove harmful bacteria and other toxins.  So enough talk, here is the trick:

Fill the sink with water (about half full leaving room for your veggies) and a half cap of bleach.  Place your veggies in the sink and let them soak for 20 minutes.  Drain and fill with pure water and let the veggies sit another 20 minutes.  Repeat.  Let your veggies drain and dry for a few minutes and put them in the fridge.

You will be amazed at how freshness and crispness will be restored to lettuce!

The Winds of March

Spring is Sprung...well, almost.  I missed posting last Sunday mostly because I didn't have anything new to report.  It is just not quite time to plant the summer garden yet.  We had a frost on Sunday that was so hard it nipped my Celebrities in my unheated greenhouse.  The last three years have seen a frost in April not to mention 3 years ago when it snowed on Easter and stayed around 32 for several days!  So, my advice, don't let the March spring days fool you.  WAIT!...just a little longer, I promise.

Heirloom Tomatoes Are Ready.  My heirloom tomato starts are just about ready for transplant.  They were started on Feb. 1 so that is just about 6 weeks.  It really is good for the plants to give them an extra couple of weeks so I'm planning on planting them in two weeks.  Some people are just now trying to start seeds - it is too late...sorry!  Six weeks will put their transplant time May 1st which means they will be trying to set in some serious heat.  Actually it may work; it just depends on the weather.

Starting Peppers.  I don't start my peppers especially early.  Unlike tomatoes, peppers refuse to grow until things warm up.  I started a wide variety of peppers, including my mother-in-law's LaJoE (Largest Jalapeno on Earth - yes it reaches lengths of 6 inches or more!), about 10 days ago.  Pepper seeds are a little slower to sprout than tomatoes but they are up and starting on their first mature leaves.  They should be ready for transplant by the end of April and that is just about right for this country.

Starting Summer Veggies.  Lots of people start many of their summer vegetables directly in the garden, but I like to start my own melons, cucumbers and squash, protect them in the safety of my greenhouse, and pick the biggest and strongest plants for my garden.  This is the easiest of all the seedling starts as they would probably sprout in saw dust!  It does give me a little head start in advance of our last freeze date of around April 15th.

Starting Fall Tomatoes.  Surprisingly, around May 1st is the time to starting fall tomatoes!  Add six weeks to transplant (Jun 15th) and 75 days to fruit and you're in September.  That will give you a couple of months of tomatoes before the first frost in mid- to late- October.  Starting fall tomatoes is a good idea especially if you like determinate varieties, such as Celebrity, which produce their crop and die.  You may want to mark your calendar as it is difficult to worry about a fall garden in the middle of weeding and watering in May.

See you in the garden!

Container Gardening

I posted a lengthy discussion on container gardening last year (see Popular Posts) and it has all the essentials on preparing the soil, planting, and successfully growing your veggies in any type of container; raised bed or otherwise, but I wanted to talk about it again BECAUSE I LOVE IT...and here's why.

For shear volume, there is nothing better than an in-ground garden, BUT...  labor is significant!  Tilling, weeds, pest control, etc.  Everything is bigger...including the problems.  We are so busy at the store in the Spring that it is difficult for me to have TIME for my own garden.  I need a garden that fits my schedule.  Talking with my customers,  TIME may be the biggest shortage we all have - more than money!  So here's some ideas on container gardening that don't take much time to set up and are a breeze once they are going.

Square Foot Garden.  The obvious is the small square-foot garden made famous by Mel Bartholomew in his book Square Foot Gardening.  One of the main points I got from his book was this.  We tend to garden like commercial farmers but our goals are not the same.  The farmer uses mechanical tools and usually farms a huge quantity of a few crops in huge fields.  We small gardeners are just the opposite relying on manual labor and growing a wide variety of crops in confined spaces.  Bartholomew showed me that I can grow a lot of different crops and produce enough for my family and friends in small spaces with less work than my traditional in-ground, row garden.  One of the main ideas I got from him is that more plants planted closer together grow more total produce PER SQUARE FOOT than my row garden.

The picture above shows two 4x4 foot square gardens; the left with 16 broccoli plants and the right with 8 cabbage, a 2x2 plot of carrots, and a 2x2 plot of onions.  Nearly invisible is a welded wire trellis arched between the two beds.  Once the cool season veggies are done, I will plant cantaloupe, cucumbers, tomatoes, and pole beans and train them on the trellis.  The remaining 3/4 of  the beds will be dedicated to tomatoes, squash, egg plant, or bush beans.  I am adding two more 4x4 beds this year and will be able to produce most of the veggies I want for my entire family.  The benefits including superior soil, less watering and weeding, and less bending over.

Recycle Old Containers.  There are many other kinds of containers that can be extremely easy to use for particular crops.  Here's an example of styrofoam boxes used to ship grapes to grocery store being used for lettuce.  Two or three of these can be seeded every 2-3 weeks giving you plenty of leaf lettuce for about 8 months out of the year.  The red teepees in the background are actually walls-of-water with early season heirloom tomatoes inside.  According to some university research, the red increases yields.  The walls-of-water protect the plants from frost (down into the low 20s) and wind.  They are one of the best early season tools for southern gardeners.  They tomatoes are planted in old 200 lb. cattle lick tubs with the same soil mix I used on the  raised beds.  I will secure the plants to the side of the trellis for support.

Earthboxes are another favorite of mine for people who are away from home and can't water every day during the summer.  The bottom of the container contains a reservoir which holds about 2 gallons of water.  With the top mulched, that will last up to five days in the summer heat.  This one is shown with a red/green leaf lettuce mix.

Make it Fun.  Here is my first strawberry of the year in a hanging basket.  I also plant container variety tomatoes such as Tumbling Tom in hanging baskets.  In our summers, a deep basket with a small reservoir for water is best.  Otherwise, you will be watering twice a day.

What to Avoid.  I have not had luck with the upside-down containers and neither have any of my customers.  I bet that a dozen people tried them last year with no success although last year was a terrible year for gardening - 102 degrees for a couple of months!  Here are some other things to watch out for when choosing a container.  Be sure that the container isn't contaminated with something you would want in your produce.  This may include pesticides, herbicides, and treated lumber.  Also, color can make a difference.  I local gardener was growing tomatoes in black lick tubs and was having to water twice a day and the plants were still suffering from the heat.  He painted the tubs a lighter color and problem solved.  Be sure to fit your container to your plant - bigger pots for bigger plants, etc.  Also, be sure to site your container keeping in mind your plants' light requirements.  Don't forget that the trees don't have leaves yet!

Seed Starting Week 5 Update

Quick update on the seeds I started on February 1st.  As you can see, they are in good shape and on track to be ready for transplant at six weeks.  These are some of the best seed starts I've every had.  I attribute that to several things:  1) practice, practice, practice...as seed starting is an art.  2) placing my starting rack under central heat with constant ideal temperatures, and 3) mixing a large dose of organic fertilizer directly into the transplant mix.

So, if you live nearby and are interested in organically grown, beautiful heirloom and hard-to-find tomato varieties, reserve yours now.  They go pretty fast once the spring season gets started.

Herbs Upon Us!

I went to Nature's Herbs in San Antonio and picked up our first load of herbs.  I love buying from small, family-owned growers.  When families are involved, there is more care, love and service in the plants...and it shows.

Plant Many Herbs Now.  While it's too early for Basil and other annuals, it's OK to plant the perennial now.  Rosemary, Thyme, Mint and Lavender can be planted now without worry of frost.  Cool-season annuals (and biennials) such as Cilantro, Fennel, Dill and Parsley can also be planted.

I love herbs because they have wonderful smells, textures, and generally take very little care.  Most like sun but can stand some shade.  They generally need good drainage and can stand some drought and heat.  Just throw a little organic fertilizer in the hole when planting and you're off to a good start!

Recycle Your Potting Soil

Every spring, people start showing up to buy new potting soil to replace the old stuff from last year.  I can understand the desire once you look at the gray, dried block of peat moss sitting in the pot.  But this can be an expensive proposition, especially if you are talking about large containers.

Make Old Potting Soil Like New.  While it's not good for business, I always tell people to reuse their existing potting soil by simply mixing in fresh compost or compost-based potting soils.  A mixture of 1/3 to 1/2 new material to existing material is enough to refresh your potting soil and make it look like new.  That's it...problem solved, money saved!  Just add a good fertilizer when you plant, and you won't notice any difference between your recycled potting soil and new potting soil...it may be better!

Not All Potting Soils Are The Same.  Here's some other info that may help you with your potting/container garden soil.  Almost all potting soils are made from Canadian peat moss.  It is useful as a potting mix ingredient because it is light and inexpensive (even though it is brought from Canada - another government subsidy).  This is also the material in the pot that remains after a growing season, dries out, and turns into a brick.  Some believe that we are destroying the peat bogs but my research shows that these bogs are nearly infinite in supply.  I don't like it because it unfairly competes with out local compost potting soil producers such as Lady Bug and Garden-Ville AND because it has no growth enhancement properties - ie., no fertilizer.  If you want a high quality, long lasting potting soil, naturally pre-fertilized, try Garden-Ville's or Lady Bugs products.  Made from compost, rock dusts (for trace mineral content), and natural fertilizers, you will see consistently excellent results.

Making Cheap Potting Soil Better.  For some, the lure of $2 bags of potting soil are inescapable.  You can make cheap potting soil much better simply by following the instructions above. Mix compost and/or a premium potting soil in with the cheaper stuff and you have a much better medium in which to grow your veggies and flowers.

When to Plant/Transplant...

I was looking at the weather forecast for next week and beyond and I saw sunshine, warm days and few freezes.  It is about all I can do not to get out there and begin planting my garden even though I know that our last freeze date is mid-April and nature has confirmed that the last two years.   But, if you're like me and you MUST PLANT, then here's some ideas to get you started.

Plant Cool Season Plants.  Obviously, cool season plants can be seeded and transplanted now.  It's not too late for broccoli and cauliflower.  You can still start sugar snap peas, kale, spinach and the other greens from seed.  Of course, lettuce can be planted every two weeks for the next several months.

Warm Season Plants.  Now for the tricky stuff.  My mother-in-law plants green beans March 1st.  It takes a couple of weeks for  them to get up and many times, they can survive through a light frost.  If not, you are only out a dollar's worth of seeds.

Then There's Tomatoes.  We have a contest in the family for the first fresh garden tomato each spring.  I have tried every trick in the book with varying success.  Frost protection is the most important.  Five-gallon buckets, tarps, blankets, my coat if I run short of other materials, etc. have been used.  Still, very little can influence a tomato to begin producing early.  Soil and ambient temperature matter as does length of daylight.  Still, you might get your first tomato a week earlier.

My Favorite Gadget is the wall-o-water.  It is a plastic sleeve with cylinders built into it that you fill with water.  It creates good insulation and protects the plant down into the low 20s.  It also acts like a mini-greenhouse which the plants just love.  I highly recommend everyone have a few of them for early transplants.

Cheating is something I not afraid to do and I'm pretty sure that garden cheating is not a sin so I think I'm safe.  I start my tomatoes in the greenhouse and continue to pot them up in progressively larger pots until it really planting season (April 15th or later).  Many times, I already have tomatoes set (but for the contest, I always move the plants outside before I pick the winning tomato).

Heirloom Tomatoes do better in our area when planted early.  I start them early, pot them up in my greenhouse and transplant around April 1st using walls-of-water.  What's nice is I get the heirloom tomatoes in May/June and the hybrids such as Celebrity come later and finish the summer.  If I take care of them, many of the indeterminate heirlooms will produce again in the fall giving me garden tomatoes 8 months out of the year.  If you are trying to grow huge "pounder" tomatoes, you need the extra time as these varieties are usually 80-90 days from transplant to fruit.

My Earliest Tomato Date:  April 21st.  Try to beat that!

Popular Herbicide Linked to Birth Defects

I don't usually write about the negative effects of conventional agriculture but I feel its important to share hard data when it comes available.  According to a study by researchers at the University of Washington, the popular herbicide Atrazine (used in commercial growers and in consumer lawn care products) is linked to Gastroschisis, a birth defect where intestines and sometimes other organs are formed outside abdominal wall.  It is rarely fatal and is treated with surgery.  The researchers first began wondering if there was an environmental effect when they notice the birth defect rate was much higher in the agricultural part of the state, several times higher than the national average.

Atrazine has been in the news before being linked to sexual abnormalities in frogs and prostate cancer in factory workers where atrazine is made.  Atrazine, along with 24D, a common herbicide used locally in hay production and on lawns, seem to be more highly linked to prostate cancer in men to work professionally applying the chemicals.  I've noticed that many of the men I know who have had prostate cancer are in agriculture and have used these chemicals extensively.

The EPA has not acted on the current scientific reports.  Atrazine is scheduled to begin review in 2010 but the review could take months or years.

To me, it is common sense not to use these chemicals.  For lawn care, must mow the weeds until the grass comes in in May.  For gardens, use plastic row covers, carpet, mulch or corn gluten (a natural herbicide) instead.

Seed Starting Update - Week 4

It's week 4 and my tomatoes and basil planted on February 1st are ready for transplant.  I usually transplant from the 1 inch slots in the seed starter to 4 in. pots because of the large quantity of plants and limited greenhouse space.  Remember, LAST FROST DATE IS MID APRIL!!!  While it's good for business, gardeners should either wait for April or...well, I'll see a lot of you in March (and April).

Clearly from the pictures, you can see that sterile soil is not necessary...and probably is conducive the superior growth later on.  Malcolm always taught me to listen to nature...and then do what she says.

So back to transplanting...  My 4 week old plants are around 4 inches tall and the roots fill the cells.  If you are using self-watering propogation kits like me, you do not want to leave the plants much longer as the wicking mat will be filled with roots.

Transplant Mix.  I make my own and, of course it is full of organic and natural materials.  I spare not expense because it is much easier to splurge on my 4 in. pot than in the garden.  so here's my recipe I used this time:

• 3 parts potting soil
• 3 parts cotton burr compost
• 3 parts horse manure
• 1 part earthworm castings
• 1 part Texas greensand
• (sprinkling of some mined minerals - azomite, zeolite, and desert peat)

This time, I also spiked the mix with Rabbit Hill's Buds N Blooms 6-8-4.  Usually, I use Gardenville's Rocket Fuel but the BnB was handier.  In both cases, they contain a high amount of soft rock phosphate that Malcolm Beck reported adding an additional 20% of fruit production.  It must be place near the roots as it gets bound up in the soil pretty fast and the plants take up the majority of their needed amount in the first two weeks.

I keep them in the green house until they are ready to sell or I'm ready to transplant.  They will need a minimum of 2 additional weeks before transplanting but more is probably better.  If you plan to keep them in the green house until April, a second transplant will be needed.

Heirloom Tomatoes Next.  My heirloom tomato varieties will be ready next week (plant date was February 7th).  I follow the same general practices as this week but I add a few tricks which I learned from the best tomato growing book I know, Giant Tomatoes, giant yields - giant weights.  The author interviews the world record holders to uncover their secrets for success.

Rain! Rain! Rain!

Get Rid of Grassburs...Naturally!

Mat Sandbur, more commonly known as grassburs - or "stickers", are a common problem in the Texas Hill Country. A natural solution for grassburs is corn gluten, a natural non-selective, pre-emergent herbicide. You must have it in place and active before the grassbur seeds sprout. Once the plants are growing, there isnt' much you can do beyond hoeing, Round-up, or an IED (improvised explosive device like they use in Iraq). Since hoeing is too much work, people reading my blog are not likely to use Round-Up, and IEDs usually cause some collateral damage (such as burning your house down or killing the cat), I suggest using corn gluten now.

For our area, corn gluten should be applied around March 1st. This gives it plenty of time to become active in the soil and still give it coverage through the spring growing season. One application lasts around 10 to 12 weeks. If we have a wet summer or early fall, a second application will be necessary.

Application rate is 10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. so a 40 lb. bag covers 4000 sq. ft. Be sure to get horticultural corn gluten - the feed grade stuff does not have enough active ingredient in it. Check the tag and make sure that nitrogen is at least 9 percent. (A nice "side effect" of corn gluten is the greening power derived from the high nitrogen content!) Also, if you have a choice, get the granular version. Some people sell a powdered version which works well and is a few dollars cheaper but it will paint your legs yellow from the knees down and the wind will scatter most of it on your neighbors property!

Past customers tell me that you should expect a significant and noticable decline in grassburs in the first year but it takes 3 years to eliminate them.

One caveat, corn gluten is a non-selective pre-emergent which means that is prevents all seeds from sprouting including wildflowers and garden seeds. Don't use where you want other seeds to sprout!

Seed Starting Update - Week 1

Here's a picture of my seed starting rack. It is located in my office where I can admire the progress of my seedlings every day. I planted my first round of seeds on February 1st using my 55 cell propagation units (top shelf). I planted celebrity tomatoes and Sweet Genovese basil. These will be ready for transplant in around 3 weeks. I will pot them up to 4 in. pots and then again to 1 gal. pots depending upon the weather.

By February 7th, I had newly sprouted plants in 53 of 55 cells. Once they sprout, I take the clear plastic domes off and le

t the plants grow to the lights. Notice that the lights are nearly touching the plants. They

produce so little heat that that they can't harm the plants. The tomatoes will literally grow around the light tubes!

On February 7th, I planted 4 units of 40 cells each; full of heirloom and specialty tomatoes. Some of my favorite large heirlooms include Black Krim, Watermelon Beefsteak, Giant Belgium, Caspian Pink, and German Head. My largest tomato was a 1 lb. 10 oz. Watermelon Beefsteak. I am trying Big Zac this year which holds the world record at over 7 lbs.

I also plant a lot of hard-to-find specialty tomatoes such as container varieties, early producers, and interesting colors and shapes.

As I mentioned previously, I grow my own plants to ensure availability of the varieties I want when I want them, and to ensure the quality of my plants.

Stay tuned to watch my progress. Next week, I will begin starting peppers. I like to have them started by March 1st so that they are ready for planting by April 1st.

Seed Starting

The end of January marks the beginning of tomato season for me - That's when I start my tomato and basil plants from seed. Seed starting is more difficult than buying plants and transplanting but it has some great benefits.

Benefits. First, you are in command of the plant from the beginning which means no chemical fertilizers to artificially speed the growth process (and thereby growing a weak plant susceptible to disease later on). You only use the chemicals you need. You have many more variety options than what will be available in the nursery, especially with heirloom varieties. You also dictate the timing and are not dependent upon what is available at the nursery.

When to Start Seedlings. It takes about six weeks from planting seed to transplanting plant for tomatoes. So here in the Hill Country, last freeze date is around mid-April so to plant April 15th, you would start your seedlings March 1st.

Early Start Tip. Generally speaking planting earlier doesn't buy you much in the way of and early crop because tomatoes are smart enough to understand daylight and ambient and soil temperature (even if we aren't). But I have a little trick that seems to give me a jump start, especially with heirloom varieties. I start a whole month earlier and periodically pot up my plants in successively bigger containers. This grows plants that are extremely sturdy and more ready to tolerate transplanting into the elements. The downside is the need to lots of room in either a greenhouse of very bright sunroom.

The Soil. Any good commercial seed starter mix will work. The "experts" will tell you that you need a sterile soil mix but I have used a home-made organic mix full of living microorganisms with good success - 90%+ germination. In my view, a sterile environment is a vacuum inviting pathogenic opportunists to come in and disrupt the health of my soil and plants.

My Soil Starter Mix Recipe. My recipe has varied over time but here is the general formula:

• 1 part peat moss (claims to help prevent damping off disease)
• 1 part vermiculite
• 1 part horse manure (dried; not green)
• 1/2 part greensand
• 1/2 part sand

If you don't have any horse manure, use cotton burr compost or organic potting soil such as Garden-Ville. Mix thoroughly and remove and large pieces or screen using a 1/2 inch mesh.

Planting Containers. There are lots of choices here. Seedlings need very little space for the first two weeks. A square inch pot will work just fine. When starting a lot of plants, the smaller the better is usually the rule due to space and lighting requirements. But if you are just doing a few pots and are planning on keeping them in the pot for awhile, you can start with a 4 inch pot or even a plastic drinking cup.

My Favorite "Guaranteed" Planting System. Garden Supply sells a planting system called Propamatic which comes in several sizes. It is a complete propagation system with clear plastic dome, 40 cell planting tray, and bottom watering wicking reservoir. It is the secret to my success. I've tried other systems that look better and this one, for whatever reason, out performs the others. Check it out at www.gardensupply.com.

Lighting. You can start seeds in bright windows or in a greenhouse but I've had the best success with artificial lighting. I give my plants 16 hours a day of intense light. I start my lights on top of the boxes and actually let the plants grow around the light tubes. If you mount the lights too far from the plants, they will get leggy. Once the plants grow into the top of the light fixture, adjust the light height a few inches so that they are just above the top of the plants.

Choosing Lighting. While I'm sure that grow lights are great, I'm too cheap to buy one and I have had good success with regular fluorescent shop lights - the cheaper the better. I hang two two-bulb, four foot, light kits on each shelf which provides light for four 40-cell propagation kits.

My Shelf System. I have a three shelf unit with four light tubes on each shelf that can grow 480 plants at one time. I built it from 2x4's and welded wire which cost around $75 including the lights and timer. Not as pretty but much cheaper than the professional grower systems which cost $300 or more.

Heat. A final consideration is heat. I don't know exactly the temperature for starting tomato seeds (I guess I'm an amateur) but the soil must be at least around 60 degrees. The lights will produce some heat but if you choose to start your seeds in an unheated area such as a garage, be sure provide some heat. I started my seeds for years in a small garage storage room and used a cheap heater with a thermostat to keep the minimum temperature. The temperature needs to be constant at the beginning but it can vary more later. However, cold days will slow the growth process and affect the six-week cycle. Be sure to keep a thermometer under the lights to monitor temperature.

Planting. This is the easy part. Fill you pot with moist soil (water first if dry) and pack gently (too loose and water will not wick, too tight and the roots will struggle and delay growth). Plant seeds around a quarter inch deep. I usually plant a couple of seeds in each tray so I'm guaranteed a plant in each pot. Cover with soil. Some people will cover with peat moss to prevent damping off and other fungal diseases (see below).

Watering. Always water from below. In my opinion, this is the best prevention for disease. If you don't have an automatic wicking system, fill a leak-proof tray with an inch of water and set your pots in the water for 10 minutes. I always water seedlings with rain water. I water with pure water until the first mature leaves show up and then I mix 1 tablespoon of liquid fertilizer and 1 tablespoon of molasses with a gallon of water to water the plants. Allow the soil surface to stay as dry as possible but don't let the plants dry out even once!

Damping Off Disease. The biggest disease problem for seed starting is damping off disease - a fungal disease that causes the base of the new plant to shrivel and many times kills the plant. Convention growers treat the soil with fungicide. From an organic standpoint, there are things you can do as well. Top the soil off with peat moss which has natural fungicidal tendencies. Malcolm Beck recommends sprinkling corn meal (another natural fungicide) on top of the soil after planting. I think that good practices are the most important aspect of disease prevention. Watering from the bottom and keeping the soil surface dry seems to help. I use a small fan to keep the air from getting stale. I also use a custom homeopathic fungicide that I make to help prevent damping off.

Six Weeks and You Have Transplants! That's it - good soil, light water and heat and in six weeks, you will have your own tomato plants ready to plant! There is a lot of art to starting your own seeds so you may want to start small and go bigger as you gain confidence.