Filling Raised Beds

I have been a huge proponent of raised bed gardening for most of my life.  My father gardened in raised beds and taught me all of the benefits you get from gardening that way.

Recently I have listened to several podcasts and read a few blog posts from people advocating building raised beds.  Great!  The one thing I was less than happy to hear / read was when they finished building their beds.  They then went on to recommend going to the local garden supply to buy peat moss, steer manure, topsoil, etc... to fill their new beds.

My Little Garden

How to Get Rid of Ants

I am not a fan of pesticides - I think they generally do more harm than good.  They kill all of the bugs - the good, the bad and the ugly!  It takes a lot longer for the beneficials (the good ~ and sometimes ugly ~ bugs) to come back; while the bad bugs literally take over.

So, I am always looking for ways to control bugs the natural or organic way.

Here is a method of controlling ants - indoors or out - that will not harm your pets, children or the environment:

Tomato Blossom End Rot

First it just looks icky on the bottom of the tomato - like it has a water blister. Then it turns kind of brown -  like an apple that fell on the floor yesterday and has a big brown bruise.  Finally the bottom starts to become concave and turns almost black.  All things you do not want to see on your tasty tomatoes that you've been tenderly looking after since early spring. 

     "But what is it?  And more importantly, what can I do about it?!!" 

It is known as The Dreaded Tomato Blossom End Rot.  (Actually just tomato blossom end rot - I added the dreaded part, if you get it in your garden you probably will add the dreaded too)  It is a relatively common garden problem. 

• Good News - It is not a disease and is not contagious to the other plants around it in your garden! 
• Bad News - It is a physiological disorder caused by a calcium imbalance in the plant.  Which means that it is possible that other plants in your garden - namely Pepper, Squash, Cucumber and Melons - could have the same problem.

But don't despair. 

There are a few factors that can effect a plant's ability to take up calcium:

• Fluctuations in soil moisture (too wet or too dry),
• Too much nitrogen in the soil,
• Root damage due to cultivation,
• Soil pH that’s either too high or too low (Should be around 6.5),
• Cold soil,
• Soil high in salts

Now we come to the "What to do??" area:

1. Be consistent with you watering. Uneven watering is the #1 reason for B.E.R. Water thoroughly, and deeply. Roots and leaves will take the available soil moisture first leaving the little baby tomatoes to suffer if the soil gets dry. If you're not sure if the ground is too dry or too soggy, stick your hand in the soil and feel it - So many people seem afraid to do this. Are you a gardener or what? Get your hands dirty!
2. In cold climates, allow soil to warm before planting; cold soils can limit nutrient uptake.  Consider using raised beds if the problem persists.
3. Maintain soil pH at or near 6.5.
4. Use fertilizers that are low in nitrogen and high in phosphorous.
5. Apply mulch to minimize evaporation and help maintain consistent soil moisture.
6. When planting (next spring) sprinkle some Epsom Salts in the planting bed and mix in well. 

"But, I have this dreaded problem right now and need a fix - not a prevention!!"

Don't Panic!  If you are currently dealing with this problem - and why else would you be reading this - then there are some things you can do. 
Usually blossom end rot is confined to the first crop of tomatoes when your baby plants have little bitty shallow roots and growth is running rapid. 

• Pick and discard the effected fruit, as it will start to rot quickly - (none of us wants rotting fruit in the middle of our pristine gardens). 
• Follow all of the steps above that can be done at this point in the growing season. 

If the problem persists there are products on the market like Tomato Rot-Stop.  While I have never used these products they claim that you simply spray it on your plants and it will be absorbed into the plant stopping the B.E.R.  If anyone out there has used these products please comment and let us know the results.
If none of these things work for you contact your local extension agency as you may have some other issue that we have not covered here.

Good luck and get dirty!

Bindweed - Another Eradication Method

I have read a myriad of articles about the evils of using Herbicides and in general I am in complete agreement that the less we can use these products the better.  In my garden I am 100% organic and will continue to be as long as I have anything to say about it.

That being said, I told you I would give you several options to get rid of bindweed.  One of those options is Herbicides.  Specifically products like Roundup - which will kill pretty much any plant that it gets on; and 2,4-D (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) which is a systemic herbicide that kills broadleaf plants.  I have used both of these products in the past and had varying results on bindweed.  The Roundup killed the bindweed after several treatments, but it sprang back up in the same location the next spring.  The 2,4-D killed the bindweed in my lawn, but once again it reappeared the following spring.

So, in the spirit of the Organic Gardener my recommendation is that if you can try to use organic methods instead of resorting to herbicides you will be doing a great service to the earth, your yard and your pocket book (pulling weeds by hand is free).  And, if you compost your grass you won't want that stuff in your compost heap either.

Keep digging!

Organic Control of Bindweed

Get ready to work!  Be vigilant!  Watch for any signs of this rotten little weed and as soon as you see it pull it up or cut it off at soil level.   Don't worry about getting all of the root - you never will.  But, if you can keep up with it and pull it out every time you see any sign of it the bindweed won't be able to feed it's roots and eventually it will die.  You have to stay ahead of it - don't let it get any leaves.  Easy to say - Hard to do.  Be patient, you will be doing this several times.  Good Luck!!

More methods of dealing with bindweed coming soon!

Help! I'm being choked by Bindweed!

Are your plants pleading for help?  So am I!

Bindweed (AKA Morning Glory, Convolvulus arvensis) is an evil little blighter that grows along the ground until it reaches a fence, pole or your favorite plant and then jumps and climbs like wild fire smothering everything in it's path.  It can reproduce from a piece of it's root, from rhizomes, stem fragments and seeds which can lie dormant in the soil for 20 or more years.  To put it bluntly, once it is established it is nearly impossible to eradicate.

So, what can we do to get rid of it?

Well, Let's open it up to you...   Let me know what you have done and how it worked and I will follow up with some of the tactics that have worked for me and hopefully some new ideas from you.