Composting Fun!

Good day happy gardeners, and happy Cinco de Mayo! Or shall I say Compost de Mayo he he he...  But seriously folks in this post I wish to discuss the basics of composting and the benefits that come from having a compost pile, bin, or bucket in your backyard or kitchen.

Much like the chicken and the egg, it is hard to say which came first the compost heap or the  garden but I can say that as organic gardener you can not really have one without the other. In my case, I started my first compost pile the same day I started my first vegetable garden and I have enjoyed building and tending my compost heaps just as much as my gardens.

So what is compost exactly? Well, basically compost is decomposed organic matter. Have you ever reached under the leaf litter while walking in the forest? That rich black soil like substance just beneath the leaves that has been forming over many years is compost and it is the foundation of organic gardening. In nature compost is the fertilizer and what we are trying to do in our home compost pile is to speed up and control the process that natures does so well.

When most people envision a compost pile in their minds they think of a rotting heap of garbage infested with flies, roaches, and rats. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, a properly maintained compost pile is quite unappealing to most pests. Properly maintained piles will emit no foul odor and can be hidden from view by placing them in an inconspicuous location of your yard.

There is no right way to compost, and each of you will eventually develop a method that works for you, but to get you started on the right foot, I will recommend a few different methods and some guidelines that will help you on your way. While it is true that if you take any type of organic matter, and toss it out in nature eventually it will decompose, most of us don't have decades to sit around waiting for this to occur naturally so we need to help the process along, to do this we must construct a pile with the right ratio of specific organic materials.

It helps if you think of composting like a camp fire. A fire needs 3 things to get started fuel, oxygen, and ignition. If you mix these 3 things in the right ratio, you'll have fire! The same is true for compost only instead we have carbon or brown material to provide energy, nitrogen or green material to provide protein,  and water to provide moisture. When these three ingredients are mixed at the proper ratio (which scientists have figured to be 30:1 carbon to nitrogen) and the correct amount of water is added, decomposition can occur very quickly.

So it begs to reason then if you toss your garden debris into a pile and toss some fallen leaves on top give it a hose down in a few weeks you should come to find some awesome compost right? Wrong. What you'd actually find is a pile that looks remarkably similar to the one you left, only perhaps a bit dryer. The reason being you must also properly construct and maintain your pile if you want to reap the rewards of the heap!

Construction of your pile is where you get to add your own flavor, and it is the construction of piles and the techniques involved that make composting more of an art than a science, but there are two very different methods that have been developed and tested over many years that will provide a foundation. Most often organic gardeners and composters, myself included, will use a combination of two methods, the Indore Method and the University of California Method.

The Indore method was developed in India and perfected by soil scientist Sir Albert Howard. It involves building a large compost pile in alternating sandwich like layers of green and brown material and providing the proper moisture content for the microbes in the compost to work effectively. To build an Indore pile start with 40% brown material like straw or shredded newspaper, 40% green material like veggie scraps or grass clippings, and 20% manure. Alternate 6 inch layers starting with green and covering with brown. Add a 2 inch layer of manure and repeat. Provide enough moisture so that the pile has the consistency of a wrung out sponge. It should not be overly saturated or else it will deprive oxygen from the center of the pile, to little moisture and decomposition stops. The key to a successful Indore pile is size. The pile should be as large as possible, no less than 5 ft x 3 ft. Good aeration is also very critical, incorporate large twigs to provide air circulation or create air holes using rebar.

Provided you didn't over or underwater, the pile should be ready to turn in 6 weeks. Turn the pile with a pitch fork and re build adding moisture as you go, this time there will be no need to make layers because the material will be indistinguishable. You can construct another fresh pile in the same place of the first so you always have a steady supply. After 6 more weeks the first pile will be ready for use as the second is ready to be turned.

12 weeks to long to wait huh? Well than perhaps the University of California method is for you. Short of driving down to the closest sand and gravel shop and buying a yard or two of compost this is the fasted method of getting compost. This method involves chipping and shredding the material before building the pile to create more surface area as well as more frequent turning of the pile once it is built. To build a University of California or rapid composting pile first assemble the correct ratio of shredded or chipped green and brown materials as well as manure. You may also consider using an activator to get things cooking a bit faster. An activator provides a boost to the decomposing microbes that will get your pile off to a hot start. Activators include manure, meal blends like blood, bone, hoof, alfalfa etc, as well as dog food and good old fashioned native soil.

Combine the ingredients and moisten thoroughly to the consistency of a wrung out sponge. There is no need to layer the rapid compost pile because you will turn it in only 3 days. Build the pile to about 5 feet high and give the whole pile a wet down just to be safe. You can cover the whole pile with a layer of straw if you choose. You should begin to notice your pile heat up within 24 hours. After 48 hours the pile should be too hot to touch. After three days the pile will reach a climax and begin to cool, this is when you will turn your pile. After the first turn your pile will never get as hot as the first time, but it will continue to heat up and decompose very rapidly. Continue turning the pile every three days for the next 2 weeks.

As I said earlier, most of us will use some variation of one of these methods when building our piles at home. Just remember that composting in a sense is just rotting, and if you leave any material out long enough, it will rot away and compost all on it's own without any input from us. So if you choose, composting can be the most passive gardening chore you have, or that most labor intensive, it is completely up to you.

One final note, if you live in an apartment, or a perhaps a place where you do not have space to build your own pile, you can still compost at home under your kitchen sink using Bokashi. Bokashi compost buckets are what people in large crowded cities like Tokyo have used for years. Boakshi buckets are essentially composting systems that utilize microbes to ferment and consume kitchen waste. You can purchase kits for less than $100 online. Incidentally, Bokashi microbes have lots of other fabulous uses, like removing foul kitty box odors!

For further information on composting please check out the following resources and as always feel free to shoot me any questions you may have or any suggestions for topics you would like for me to cover, until next time Happy Gardening!

Let it Rot - The Gardeners Guide to Composting by Stu Campbell
The Rodale Book of Composting by Grace Gershuny and Deborah L. Martin
Bokashi Composting Systems

Growing Corn in the Desert Southwest

Greetings Happy Gardeners!

Spring is now officially here and the Spring/Summer planting season is finally upon us. I have been very busy in home in my garden as well as around town helping others to get their 2013 planting season off with a bang.  Many years ago, I decided to finally conquer a garden obstacle that had troubled me since I began gardening, and today I would like to
share what I have learned with you. 

I remember the first time I planted corn. It was my first summer garden season and I had a small garden in an old driveway on the side of my rental house. To save space and for shade purposes I planted two rows of corn in six inch high mounds on the north side of my garden. I can't help but laugh at myself now realizing that I did everything wrong. I learned a lot that first growing season, and even though it took me longer to have success at growing corn than other vegetables I stuck with it and eventually I was able to put the healthy delicious treat on my dinner table.

There are many types of corn available to the home gardener. There is corn for popping, corn for tamales, corn for tortillas, decorative corn, corn for feed and so on. Although most of the growing techniques described here today will apply to all types of corn, I really want to focus today on sweet corn, because that is what will most commonly be planted in the home garden.

Seed catalogs are jam packed with hundreds of varieties of sweet corn hybrids. Super sweet and extra sweet hybrid varieties promise gigantic sugar packed ears that gush with milky goodness when you pierce the kernels. Forget about those, for success in the desert we need to think small plants with a quick maturity date. Native seed Search has a great heirloom variety called Yuma Yellow. Full disclosure, I was born in Yuma so I may have a bias. I have also had success with a a hybrid variety called Casino you can get from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. In general, for Spring corn planting, you want to select a variety that matures in less than 75 days. Look for the keywords "early" or "extra early" in the name.

Growing corn successfully is really more of an art than a science, but there are some basic steps you can take to mitigate the environmental obstacles we face growing corn in the desert. Just like tomatoes, much of the success in growing corn depends as much as when you plant as the soil condition and variety of plant chosen. Start planting as the soil warms in March. The optimum soil temperature range for planting corn is 60-95 degrees.

Corn is a heavy feeder and requires a lot of water. Prepare your soil by either planting a cover crop and turning it in 6 weeks prior to planting, or my adding generous amounts of compost and turning it in 2 weeks before planting. Amend the soil at planting with organic fertilizers such as blood meal, bone meal, and kelp meal. Corn also enjoys a shot of fish emulsion and liquid seaweed every 2 weeks throughout the growing season. It is said that Native Americans would bury a fish next to the corn they planted to provide a source of food all season long.

Plant in sunken beds that can be irrigated and mulch heavily to conserve water and to provide even moisture for corn's fibrous roots. Plant kernels 10" to 12" apart and in no less than a 4' x 4' square. The larger the area planted, the more successful you will be. Planting corn on the southern and western sides of your garden will create a natural shade that will aide the rest of the garden in the warm summer months.

You can give your corn a boost and put dinner on the table by interplanting pole beans with your corn. Select a variety that is known grow well such as Bisbee Black and plant between the rows of corn every 6" after the corn has reached about 8" in height. The beans will use the growing corn as a natural trellis and will also provide the corn with nitrogen in the process.

The most critical period for growing corn is the time when the silks begin to form. Silks are the ovaries of the female flower of the corn, the tassels on top are specialized male flowers that distribute pollen. Every single strand of silk is corresponds to a kernel on the cob. If you ever have pulled back a husk to find half of the cob to be kernel free, the reason was not enough pollen reached the silks. Silks are damaged by stress and by heat. Early planting of corn means the silks will hopefully form while the weather is still cool. but it is up to you to keep your plants properly watered during this critical period. Signs to look for include rolling leaves that are drying at the tips.

If all is successful, you will be rewarded with a bounty of the sweetest corn you will ever taste. You will know your corn is ready when the silks turn to a dark brown but are not dried out. Peel back the husk and pierce one of the kernels with your fingernail, if it exudes milky white goodness, you know it is ready. Harvest your corn as close to the time you are going to eat it as possible. Old timey farmers say you should wait to pick the corn until after the water is boiling, and I tend to agree.

I wish you all the best of luck with your corn this season. For those of you who may not yet have the time and space to plant a spring crop of corn, there will be another planting opening towards the end of summer during the monsoon, so check back during that time when I discuss planting other types of corn such as flour and flint.

Happy Gardening!

Native Seed Search .PDF Catalog
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply Seed Selection

Growing Tomatoes in the Desert Southwest

Hello happy gardeners. I hope your gardens are all growing well. Today I would like to talk about America's favorite home grown fruit the tomato.

Even if you have never dreamed of planting a full vegetable garden, chances are you have tried at least one time or another to grow tomatoes at home.  Perhaps you purchased a nice looking potted plant on your way out of the hardware store, or maybe it was the latest tomato growing gizmo selling for $9.99 at the drug store, either way what happens most often in Arizona is those lovely potted tomatoes from the store leave us disappointed because they either die off, or never bear the bounty promised on the packaging.

Growing tomatoes in the desert takes a little more effort than some other crops but with a few simple steps it can be done with great success. Preparation and timing are crucial to successfully grow tomatoes in our climate. Preparing your tomato garden begins by selecting varieties that are known to grow well in our climate.

Tomatoes are susceptible to a large number of pests and diseases in addition to the cultural challenges they present. By purchasing varieties that are disease and pest resistant you can help to combat some common issues like Fusariam wilt and Verticillium Wilt. Look for  initials indicating resistance such as VFNT when deciding on varieties to choose from.  These labels indicate a particular resistance to pests and diseases such as Nematodes and Tobacco Mosaic Virus.

For tomatoes to successfully bear fruit, they need to set flowers before the heat of the summer sets in. This is best accomplished by choosing varieties with a early maturity date, usually less than 75 days. Early Girl and Celebrity are varieties that are known to do well in our climate and are often available at nurseries at the start of planting season. Nichols Heirloom and Flamenco are native varieties that can be purchased from seed at Native Seed Search.

Other traits to consider when selecting tomato varieties are size and disease resistance.  Avoid large tomatoes that the seed catalogs often tout. Large fruit tends to crack before it fully ripens. Conversely, smaller cherry tomatoes do very well. Super Sweet 100 is a common variety found in many catalogs and local nurseries. Punta Banda is a native cherry variety that tolerates poor soil and produces 100's of small tomatoes that make delicious paste.

After you have selected which tomato varieties you wish to grow, the next step is to prepare the planting area. Tomatoes will do best with some afternoon shade, so plant near an eastern facing wall or on the north side of taller plants like sunflower, amaranth, okra, or sorghum. Tomatoes will grow very large so make sure to provide at least 4 square feet of growing room per plant.  Supporting your tomatoes with cages will help to keep diseases from becoming a problem and will also help when harvesting. Specially designed tomato cages sold at hardware stores will not hold up, it is best to custom design cages using heavy duty wire fencing with at least a 4-5 inch square, big enough to reach through.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders, so before planting be sure to amend the soil with plenty of well balanced organic fertilizers like bone meal, blood meal, sea kelp, and fish fertilizer.  The planting area should also be amended with soil sulfur and compost. When planting your tomatoes, rather than digging a hole, dig a trench the length of the plant.  Trim all but the top two or three leaves of the tomato plant before lying in the trench.  Backfill the trench leaving only the top leaves exposed.  Overtime, the fine hairs on the stem of the plant will produce a strong root system that will reward you during the summer with higher yields.

Lastly, and probably most crucially, it is of vital importance that you time your plantings so that your tomatoes will flower before temperatures reach 90 degrees, usually in May. This means that you must begin to plant tomato seeds indoors December through January so that you can begin to transplant in mid-February. If you are not starting from seed, you should begin to plant as soon as transplants are available from the nursery, usually in early to mid-February, and continue through mid-March. These early planting dates are risky because our last frost is generally not until March 15. That means we have 2-6 weeks that a freeze can potentially take out our plants. Read my last post on how to protect your plants during cold weather for tips on how to keep your new plants protected

Tomatoes enjoy the company of beans, marigolds, nasturtiums, and basil, so be sure to plant some around your tomatoes for some added color and organic pest control. Avoid grouping tomatoes with other nightshade plants like potatoes, peppers, and eggplants and all should be fine. Continue to fertilize with fish emulsion and liquid seaweed every two weeks during the growing season.  After fruit production falls off, you can trim your tomatoes back and expect a second harvest in the fall.

If you have any questions at all, please send me a message, or visit my Facebook page  And as always, Happy Gardening!

Protecting Plants During Cold Weather

Greetings Happy Gardeners and Happy New Year! It's been a busy month since my last post. I hope everyone has been having a successful winter planting season. I am looking forward to the upcoming new year and the spring/summer planting season, it's hard to believe that in only a month tomatoes will be in the ground!

Today I would like to talk about how to protect your garden from extreme cold temperatures.  Over the last few years the Southwest has experienced an extraordinarily high occurrence of record low temperatures in addition to the record setting heat we have been experiencing during the summer months.  It can only be speculated as to what is causing our winters to be colder and summers to be hotter, but as desert gardeners we must be able to adapt to these wide fluctuations of daily temperatures.

Winter gardens are planted with types of plants that are not just tolerant to colder temperatures but actually benefit from a light frost. Occasional dips  to 32 degrees improve the taste of leafy greens and are generally no cause for concern. However, when daily temps hover in the 30's and dip to the low 20's at night, and do so for an extended period of time like they did this past week, we must take additional precautions to protect the garden.

When I first began gardening I would cover my plants whenever I got cold. It was not uncommon for me to cover plants around 40 degrees. I know now that this was going way overboard.  At this point, I only protect my plants when temps approach the "hard freezing" point of  below 28 degrees and generally I do it only if the temps are going to stay below that level for more than a few hours. If temps have been warm but suddenly dip into the low 30's, I may also protect plants in that situation since they may not have adjusted to the sudden drop in temperature.

Although I personally have had a full bloom sunflower in my front yard in February, I would not recommend that you waste time trying to keep plants going that just aren't made for cold weather. If you have a warm space inside, and at least 6 hours of direct sunlight, it is possible to keep your tomatoes and peppers through the winter, but this requires a lot of effort on the part of the gardener. It is generally better to start off anew next spring. I know I am probably stating the obvious to some, but we were all new to gardening once!

Of the winter vegetables most commonly planted in Tucson, beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, collards, kale, parsley and spinach are the most cold tolerant. Certain varieties of kale are even known to grow through the harsh Siberian winters! Temperatures between 31-26 degrees will not kill broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, or turnips, but the plants will begin to experience leaf burn.  Peas are the least cold tolerant winter crop, and will begin to die near the freezing point of 32 degrees.

If only a few precautions are taken, it is possible for garden plants to survive temperature dips into the teens and maybe even lower. Brr! The following techniques for protecting your garden can be also used on any landscape plants or citrus trees that may be sensitive to frost damage. Mulching your plants is essential for conserving water in the desert, but mulch also acts as an insulator protecting the roots from the cold. The water conserved also has an added benefit since water also acts as an insulator. In fact, it is a smart idea to water your garden a day or two before a frost is expected. The water will better hold the heat of the day and will create a warm micro-climate when combined with a cover at night. You may also consider misting your plants lightly before sunset. The frozen water will create an igloo effect insulating leaves from the colder outside air.

Covering plants is often the first and only method gardeners use to protect their plants. While a great step, all to often it is done inadequately. Sheets and frost cloth must completely cover the plants to ground level in order to be effective. While draping covers on top of the plants does work, it is more effective to utilize a frame around the plants so the frost protection can be put up and taken down efficiently.

Sheets should be taken down promptly in the morning, especially if they are opaque, but frost cloth can be left up all day for those too lazy to do this burdensome chore. Both sheets and frost cloth can be doubled up for added protection. One last note on covers, never use plastic to cover your plants.  It will trap cold air and actually cause more harm.

A permanent covered garden for starting plants is called a cold frame.  A cold frame is an enclosed box with a hinged lid that allows light in but will trap heat. Cold frames are an excellent way for starting plants from seed outdoors if you lack the light and space for doing so indoors. There are many online plans for building cold frames, and many can be made from recycled materials for very little cost.

Most of us, not my neighbors, but most of us have taken down and put away our X-mas lights. If you're a smart gardener you'll keep a few extra strands handy for cold nights. X-mas lights, especially the older kind with large bulbs put off a large amount of heat.  Running a few strands through your garden bed combined with the other methods discussed will keep your garden toasty warm all night.

For me, I think tonight I'll try a large mug of hot coca and a warm cat. Until next time,


Happy Gardening!