It’s All About Nutrition!

Organic Gardening…Composting

Proper and consistent composting will provide a natural and valuable resource for any organic gardener.

Making a compost heap: Garden style, square up to 2m square by about 2m high, this size ensures that oxygen can reach the inside of the heap while still being big enough to retain the heat needed for efficient working.

There are four factors in making a successful compost heap…

1 Oxygen: make the compost no more than 2m wide so air can pass into the centre of the heap, also the heap should not be over compressed so to prevent the access of air to the centre.

2. Water: necessary for the bacteria to develop and to allow the heap to heat up. When high nitrogen is added to a heap the composting process can be so rapid that it uses up all the available water and stalls the composting process. In winter however the heap must be protected from too much water as this will push the oxygen out causing anaerobic conditions which will also stall the process. Water may have to be added to the heap in hot dry conditions.

3.Heat: this will be generated by the composting process but the design of the heap will help to retain it and kep the process going. The heap should be compacted so each layer is in contact with the next but so squashed as it removes all the air. Avoid water logging and drying out.

4. Carbon to nitrogen ratio: The nitrogen (leafy material) speeds up the process while Carbon (wood/straw lignified material) provides the material to turn in humus and slows the process. With too much N the compost will heat up quickly then stall. With too much C the compost will be cold and slow to start.

In the case of a stalled heap it can be restarted by turning the heap adding water, lignified (woody) material, leafy material as needed to get a proper balance.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Tags: Compost, Humus, Nitrogen, Soil and Additives

Organic Gardening…Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is an extremely important aspect of any organic gardening plan. Using a rotation of crops means that the same crop is not grown on a plot of land for two years running. Crops are divided into groups of related plants or crops requiring the same conditions and are rotated around pre determined plots within the growing area, so providing the opportunity to apply manures, lime and pest control measures according to the crops requirements. For example by keeping brassicas and potatoes on separate plots allows lime to be applied to brassicas to discourage club root while avoiding lime on potatoes which may encourage scab.

The movement of crops around the growing area limits the spread of some soil borne diseases although this is less effective on smaller plots.

The rotation can be changed according to need. A traditional rotation would be 4 or 5 years say: Alliums followed by Brassica, followed by Roots followed by Legumes. If Green Manures are used extra years will be added to the rotation.

The rotation will depend on what quantities of each crop are to be grown and whether a green manure crop is to be grown or if fertility is to be added using FYM or compost.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Tags: Compost, Crop rotation, Organic horticulture, Pest control

Planting and Growing Potatoes

Vertically Update 2

It has been 2 1/2 weeks since our last update about our growing potatoes vertically project. Absolutely amazing the amount of growth that has taken place over that time… at least above ground

The big unkknown is still whether or not there are actual potatoes growing under all that foliage… time will tell but we are very much encouraged.

The next step is build up the outside ring so that we can add some additional soil and compost and hopefully force another layer of potatoes to grow. That is this afternoon’s project. Will let you know how it goes on our next update.

Check out Our original post to see where we started from

Check out Our first update post to see where we were 2 1/2 weeks ago.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Tags: Compost, Garden, Potato

Testing Soil Texture and Soil Structure of

your Organic Garden

Soil texture and soil structure are two of the main areas of concern when testing the soil of your organic garden. Soil testing by hand will help you decide whether you have sandy loam, medium loam or heavy loam. The basic soil texture of is not easy to change but knowing it’s make up will give you some real good information on how to make the best use of what you have. A general guideline is that heavy soils will hold onto nutrients better but will also retain water during wet seasons. Lighter soils tend to need more feeding, are well drained and will heat up quickly in spring. Both of these extremes will benefit from the addition of well rotted organic compost.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Tags: Compost, Garden Soil, Organic Compost, Organic Garden, Organic Soil, Soil Structure, Soil Testing, Soil Texture