Prepareing an organic garden

[Organics North]

Thanks for the resources I will look into it a bit more..
I use Myco's. (I think it may be better with longer term crops than things like lettuce...

Yes the biozome is use like you describe.. Apparently it even eats oil spills.
http://www.biozome.com/


I really like the Bacteria, the one I mentioned and others. I see the name of the game as adding organic matter of all sorts, and getting the bacteria to eat it and poop out the elements plants can use as quick as possible.

I use some teas, mostly indoors on the lettuce crop. Worm casting tea, with a little maple syrup bubbled for 24 hours seems to really kick things in high gear... I also recycle nutrient rich water, to be sure it is not to "hot" ie nutrient wise, I bubble it to with beneficial bacteria before using it to water with.

Outdoors and indoors I also have the habit of using plugs for fertilizer instead of mixing it in globally, I place real hot plugs, so the plant can go to it when it needs it, and not get burned by it if it does not need it. (Really neat when you take a plant out of a pot and see the mass of roots in the plug area.)

With raised beds I put a layer of well draining shredded bark, rotting wood, straw and such at the bottom, on top of that I add my nutrients lots of lots of nutrients, so many it would burn a plant if mixed in the soil. On top of that I put on a layer of nice compost rich soil. Again letting the plants grow to the nutrients. I swear you can see when the hit them. Boom!

The book I referenced in the first post, "Teaming with Microbes" It really changed my perspective in some areas. It was a good read for me, helped my understand soil life better.

ON

 

[muddstopper]

You really need to be careful mixing in sugary sustances in with your compost and teas. The harmful microbes seem to do better in a sugar enviroment than the benefituals.

Making sure the microbes have a good food source, such as your rotten wood, straw, bark and of course food scraps will insure a steady release of recycled nutrients for your plants to reuse.

I would also keep a check on your calcium and magnesium levels. Plants seem to do better when you have base saturation levels of 68%, Calcium and 12 % Magnesium. Pottassium saturation should be around 3-5% ofr veggies and up to 7% for woody and viney plants.

 

[Organics North]

Good points.. Yes the sugars in moderation and only in an aerated tea..

Yes Ca and Mg are to be watched.. I like Dolomite Lime, because of the Mg too. Other wise I use oyster shells, egg shells, bone meal and many of the other organic additives help with Ca

I have not wrapped my mind around Ca uptake and Ca lock out issues in nutrient dense planting mediums... I am not sure if I ever even saw it, though I expect I did once in a failed pumpkin patch once... I could not seem to correct the problem.

ON

 

[BlackBart]

I use a Bokashi mini composter in the kitchen. It contains a all natural compost starter. When the Bokashi bin is working under the kitchen sink, there is absolutely no smell.

One of the components is efficient microbes, a naturally occurring microbe in a concentrated form. The kitchen waste is turned into compost at a rapid rate.
When it has turned into soil, I feed it to the chickens. It contains billions of beneficial enzymes that help the chicken digest grains more efficiently. They are ravenous for it.
You can also add the finished product to your outdoor compost to jump start the existing microbes.
I aslo use one of the concentrates to wash out my chicken coops once a year. You add the concentrate to molasses and water and make a "mother" much like sourdough bread. It is the "mother" that you spray.
It eats all of the stuck on poop. When it is finished the coop smells absolutely clean. You can also spray your prepared garden bed and it will feed the soil microbes and it cuts down on the diseases that vegetables get. It is 100% organic.

If you don't want to go that route for speeding up your compost. Chopped up comfrey and yarrow leaves will do the same but without the added benefits.

 

[Organics North]

Cool..
I will need to do that too. What the heck my house is full of all kinds of interesting bacteria and cultures anyway... (Kumbucha, Water Kiefer, Yogurt in the kitchen, worm bins, compost teas in the basement...

ON

 

[muddstopper]

I want to hear more about the compost spray being used to wash out the coops, thats something we all probably need to learn more about.

ON, Yes dolomite does contain calcium and magnesium, but have you ever tested your soil to see if you need either. I always caution about adding any type of lime with out testing first. Calcium and Magnesium are both double + Cations and too much of a good thing isnt necessary a good thing. Over applying Ca and Mg can lead to other nutrient tiesups and result in reduced crop harvest. I have tested hundreds of lawns in my area over the years, There has only been one instance where I didnt need to use dolomite to lime the yard and never a instance where some lime wasnt needed. In the lawn that didnt need dolomite, they had been applying dolomite, year after year, with no soil testing. their magnesium levels where over 20% saturation. This results in rain water running off insted of perculating down into the soil and severly drought stresses the lawn in dry weather. The cure was to apply gypsum. Gypsup contains Calcium as well as sulfur. Calcium will reduce magnesium saturation percentage point for percentage point, for every % you raise Ca saturation, you will lower Mg saturation one %point. Sulfur being a anion also attaches to the magnesium molecue and aids in lowering the Mg saturation levels. The magnesium is still in the soil, but due to tieups with other nutrients, it no longer causes a problem with hard soils. I also caution against using gypsum as a calium source, in fact, I wont apply anything until I know what I am working with first.

 

[BlackBart]

Different supplier than where I get mine, but virtually the same stuff.
I think they call their concentrate EM 1... $22.95 and mine makes approx 24 applications.

http://www.emearth.com/

Info found under Agriculture listing

Learn How to Make Activated EM
You can take one liter of EM•1

and turn it into 5 gallons of Activated EM! When you purchase a liter of EM•1

, this is a first generation of the EM culture. Because these are living organisms, they can reproduce into a second generation of the EM culture. This second generation is called “Activated EM” or simply AEM. However, this second generation of AEM no longer has a shelf life of six months—but has a shelf life of about 4 to 6 weeks. So be sure to activate only enough to meet your needs for that timeframe. Also, be sure not to try to produce a third generation of AEM from a second generation. The vitality of the microbes is diminished too severely, if this is attempted.

EM•1

Microbial Inoculant.
Benefits of EM for Crops and Soils
EM stands for Effective Microorganisms™, an all-natural blend of beneficial microorganisms. EM∙1

Microbial Inoculant is made through a natural process of fermentation. Nothing has been genetically altered or chemically engineered. EM is safe and easy to use and is listed as a fully organic product by OMRI. EM∙1

is now being used in over 120 countries, and is resolving a broad variety of environmental problems.

EM•1

Microbial Inoculant.
EM Applications for Turf and Lawn Care
There is growing public demand for natural turf management that does not compromise the health of people and the environment. EM represents a viable natural solution that offers a safe and effective alternative to harmful agrochemicals. EM is quickly becoming an important natural tool for the health of residential lawns, city parks, schools, and golf courses.

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
It appears to be a PNW thing!.. On the Marans thread Pinkchick was who brought the concept to my attention on the coop wash. Neat idea... I typically just re whitewash my coop.

Ahh mudstopper you are a turf guy! It makes sense with the name know... Mud stopper...

I have read but not yet applied to my level of working knowledge the relm of Cations and Anions... For me that area is still a bit of a black hole... So I approach additives cautiously. I do soil tests but only basic NPK and PH tests... Some day I want to send a sample in for a real test.. Thanks for the great lesson/refresher... (I need to only hear that about 100 more times before it will stick..) I am lucky to have a green thumb and a pretty good "gut" instinct.

-----
Blackbart,
thanks for the link..
I believe EM is a trademark. I wonder if any of the Beneficial Bacteria mixes on the market could be used?

Same goes for the coop wash concept....

ON

 

[BlackBart]

PNW soil is notoriously acidic. All the rain, moss, cedar trees. As well as animal manures being acidic.

I have no idea what the enzymes are in the EM product.

You probably could find out by doing some online research.

One bottle last me almost two years. I spray my horse manure pile and my four coops once a year. I also put some in my septic tank.

 

[shortstaque]

Ok, I'm going to be a bit less technical than the latest posts (much as I appreciate them). What am I doing to get the gardens ready for next year?

I'm letting the chickens prepare a new bed for me. The green grass is winding down here, so I have the chicken tractor "parked" where I want a new 5 x 20 foot raised bed next year. I throw in greens, scraps, garden gleanings, and copious amounts of dead leaves abundant this time of year and then I sit back and relax while the chickens kill the grass, till the soil, break down the organic matter, eat the grubs and weed seeds, and add a bunch of nitrogen, aka chicken poop, to the soil. When they are done with their work, I'll cover it all over with some compost and top with some straw. In the spring, I'll pull back the straw and plant into the nice new garden my chickens made for me.

I'm planting garlic into one this fall for a nice harvest next summer.

In another bed, I think I may try broadcasting some seeds this fall for a guild garden to come up in spring. I have to go back and take a look at Gaia's Garden though and refresh my memory on how to do it.

My other existing beds are being cleared of debris, topped with compost and straw.