Compost...Finally!

I started a compost pile as soon as I moved into this house in 2008. Unfortunately, it didn't produce any useable compost until this year. I opened up the little bottom door and saw some nice brown stuff, but it was covered with lots of unfinished scraps. So my partner and I pushed the whole thing over, keeping the unfinished stuff in the top part with a shovel.

Then we shoveled the finished compost from the bottom into a bucket, and sifted it through a screen my husband stapled to a rectangular wooden frame.

Below you can see a pic of my husband sifting it onto one of the raised beds. Unfortunately we only got enough to sprinkle maybe 1/4 - 1/2 inch on two beds.

Or maybe not so unfortunately! Now a month and a half later, I have more volunteered vegetables growing in the beds then I do ones I planted! The lettuce bed is filled with volunteer tomatoes, and many other unidentified plants. Some of them look like they could be either cucumbers, watermelon or squash but I really have no idea. Here in this picture you can see one tiny lettuce seedling that I purposely planted in the middle surrounded by volunteer tomatoes and the cuke/melon/squash thing:

I didn't realize so many viable seeds would come out of compost. I thought they were supposed to burn up in the heat. I guess maybe my home compost pile doesn't get hot enough? *shrug* I don't know.

I guess I could leave them to grow and find out what they are, but I really don't have enough room. So I think I will end up pulling everything out. (just one more thing to weed ugh) I might keep one of the tomatoes and put it in a large container I have unoccupied just to see what happens.

At least I finally found a source for semi-vegan compost. Well, ok, not really vegan. But it is made partially from recycled veggies and other foods, and only part of it is recycled animal wastes. It is so hard to find any compost in New Jersey at all, nevermind some that isn't entirely cheap quality, scary chicken poop (that will likely burn the plants), I am thrilled to have finally found this product. I searched and searched all last season and didn't find anything, so it is none too soon I'll be getting this. I can definitely tell the soil in my raised beds, which was only topsoil to begin with, is really hurting for some organic matter.

The crazy thing is I have to drive about 45 minutes away to get it. But the good news is it is not too far from the Rutherford Pancake House, which I've been dying to go to for the longest time. So at least we can make a nice trip of it and get a good stack of vegan pancakes! I called ahead to make sure the nursery listed on the website carries it, and even the employee I spoke to raved about what a great product it is. We're going to head there Saturday morning. Then Sunday I'll be able to mix it into the planting holes of all the tomatoes and peppers, then top dress the rest of the beds.

Today's Garden Tasks: Updated

1. Pick up garden-quality straw (no or dead seeds) from local horse farm, then spread over paths and around plants (but not touching stems). This straw mulch will prevents weeds, reduce watering needs, and break down into the soil within a season or so, acting as a rich compost/fertilizer. I got this tip for a great new list I found: the veganic agriculture network. http://www.goveganic.net/ STATUS: HALF DONE. The horse farm was literally on the same street as my Aunt & Uncle's house, that I've been going to my whole life. I had no idea there was a horse farm, dog park & nature preserve all right there! It was so cute! The hay looks and smells really sweet. I will definitely go back & bring JJ to the dog park, and maybe even go horseack riding on the trails. Did not yet get a chance to spread it out though, it is sitting in the basement.

2. Mix baking soda, a little biodegradable dish soap, and water then spray on plants to prevent powdery mildew. http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/bakingsoda.html STATUS: DONE.

3. Add more Maxicrop (seaweed) fertilizer. 1 tsp per gallon of water, spray on leaves & soil. STATUS: ON HOLD. Veganic network & gardenweb say I should wait for a soil test and/or just use hay b/c of the carbon footprint from importing this stuff from Norway. I agree & will use sparingly. I think I will put on another teaspoon in a week or so though. Also need to continue researching local sources of NJ seaweed and salt hay.

4. Might also add this fertilizer I picked up yesterday at Lowe's made of soybeans! I was so happy to find this in just regular old Lowe's from the list of ingredients it appears to be vegan! I just wrote them an email to confirm it is. I hope so!! STATUS: ON HOLD. (see above entry on Maxicrop)5. Reset fence & plant a few new plants I bought yesterday to attract more pollinators: 2 shasta daisy, 1 echinacea, 1 black-eyed susan, another yellow black-eyed susan type, I'm not sure the name, & a purple plant I'll have to update later with the exact name too. STATUS: MOSTLY DONE. Just need to trim off excess fence posts, staple down hose, dig a bit more dirt and plant 1 daisy & the royal candle purple plant. Got all the others planted and the whole fence pounded in.

6. Maybe I may even make a bit of compost tea by putting some in a sock and soaking it in water. I have to turn the pile and add some straw to it, too. Definitely the low-fi way of making compost, that I read on the gardenweb forums. Whereas this article makes it a lot more complicated: http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/brewing-compost-tea.aspx But I just may try soaking it just for a day or two and see. STATUS: ON HOLD. (see above entry on Maxicrop)

I need to find out if I could mix the seaweed, fertilizer and compost all in one batch. That would be easiest if I could, but I'm not sure if they'd react with one another or something. Anybody happen to know? STATUS: CANCELLED. Veganic network/gardenweb says no, or at least - be cautious when doing something like this. Might have too much nitrogen, which would promote too much leaf growth instead of fruits and veggies.

PHEW! I better get to work!!

Well Sweep Swept Me Away

Even though a Well Sweep is an old-time farming implement that made getting buckets of water out of a well easier, and has nothing to do with a broom, I can definitely still say this herb farm swept me off my feet! They had so many plants, it was completely overwhelming, in a good way of course.

As you can see from the picture, it was herbs as far as the eye could see. They had literally every single kind of herb I had ever heard of, plus many, many more that were completely new to me. I also saw a whole flock of the most adorable lambs, adults and babies - plus lots of pretty chickens in really nice coops. For a New Jersey farm, I have to say they really put the garden in the Garden State!













I spent about 3 hours just looking at all of the plants for sale, but could have easily spent twice that much time, or more. There was so much to learn, especially since their catalog was very well labeled and told a lot about each plant, such as whether or not it was winter hardy in our area, drought tolerant, edible, fragrant, sun needs, etc. It was helpful just to see what plants are supposed to look like too. Now for the seeds I am trying to grow at home, I know what they should look like when they grow. Unfortunately I had to get back home, so I didn't even get to go in their greenhouse with topiaries and rare species, or walk around the formal herb gardens. Guess this means I'll just have to go back soon! It was definitely worth the 1.5 hour drive.

I ended up wanting to buy everything of course, but managed to resist pretty well and only ended up spending a little over budget. I didn't really get anything that exotic, since I'm still new to this and trying to stick with things that are easy to grow. This is what I got, with a * next to the ones I planted last night:
LIST TO BE UPDATED TONIGHT

• *Logee Blue Rosemary
• *D- Rosemary
• *-Lavender
• *Flat leaf Parsely
• *White Borage
• *2 Red Gem Marigold
• *2 Tangerine Gem Marigold
• *- Giant Dill
• *Pink Chives (They had white too! They were a bit expensive since they are so rare, so I didn't buy one. Boy I'm kinda sorry now.)
• 2 Black Hollyhock (since only 6 out of the 15 seeds I planted germinated)
• Jacob Cline Red Bee Balm (since my seeds didn't germinate)
• White Yarrow (since I lost the seeds I ordered somehow!)
• - Shasta Daisy
• Anise Hyssop (since my winter sowing experiment failed miserably)
• Shiso (Perilla) Japanese Mint
• Ostrich Fern
• 2 Astilbe

Unfortunately Well Sweep did not have any compost for sale. We also stopped at a couple places on the way home, but none had anything suitable. I spoke with a knowledgable worker taking care of the plants at a decent nursery - and while they did have bagged organic compost made out of manure and humus, she said it has a tendency to burn plants so she didn't recommend that type. She also said my peppers are probably turning green because we have had so much rain lately. So it may just be too much water. I'm hoping that's it, and they'll recover soon as the weather gets warmer. I also bought some yellow squash from this nursery since I forgot to get them at Brock's when I bought the rest of the summer plants.

Uh oh! Newly Transplanted Pepper Leaves Turning Yellow

Oh no! I noticed last night, the peppers I planted from Brock's last sunday are turning yellowish, definitely not the deep bright green they were when I brought them home. More like light greenish yellow, as you can see from the habanero picture on the right. The soil around them in one bed was looking pretty hard and cracked, too.

I had some problems with peppers last year, so I'm not that surprised. I think it may be nitrogen deficiency in the soil. Although, the one bed I planted the scarlet runner beans in last summer, so it should have nitrogen? I also read it could be from too much chlorine in the water, which I'd say is definitely a possibility around here.

I wish my compost pile had worked out better. That's totally what these peppers need.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any vegan compost around here. I was thinking I might have to settle for something non-vegan but as harmless as possible. maybe vericomposted tea, even if the worms were fed non-vegan ingredients.

But they didn't have any compost tea at brock farms. I even asked the staff and they were like "nope, never heard of it - but it sounds cool". If it gets more desperate I might settle for animal poop, like bat guano or chicken manure? I mean, poop happens, and I don't think it would be un-vegan to use it, as long as the animals were not harmed in the process.

I have resisted buying it though, because i assume the stuff they sell at home depot probably is collected from harmed animals, since it most likely comes from factory farms.

Maybe I will find something tomorrow. I'm going to Well Sweep. I've never been there before but, according to the 80+ page catalog they have over 50 kinds of lavender and rosemary, and like every other herb known to humankind!! It looks awesome, and you can walk around their gardens, so we are making a day trip of it. I'm so excited!

I'm sure we'll pass many farm markets and gardening centers on the way too, since it is in west-central jersey. So there is hope we could find a good farm with compost.

Here's the main pepper bed. Three habaneros in the front, and three jalapenos in the back. Behind it on the trellis I planted zuchinni rampinato, or climbing squash. The four plants in the front are 2 red and 2 tangerine gem edible marigolds.

Actually, all this just made me remember I bought kelp at the end of last fall from a place on the west coast over the internet! But I just went and looked for it, and can't find it! Darn. Well, I better get off this computer. I gotta go look for it and put on the epsom salts.

edit: I just found this post about how to grow great peppers: http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2009/06/pepper-tips-and-tricks.html
It says
Pepper Growing Tips

Give peppers at least eight hours of light a day.

Peppers like rich soil that is high in phosphorous.

Make sure your peppers have good drainage.

Provide them with a soil pH between 6 and 8.
I need to follow up and make sure my peppers have enough phosphorous and a good pH.

Second Week of March Update

I'm posting from outside in the garden right now!! Haha gotta love technology.

We put in two new raised beds on the other side of the yard today! I am so happy, I can hardly believe we managed to get it all done. It was a lot of work, but not as bad as last year. (at least right now. We'll see what my muscles say tomorrow!) Especially b/c last year we hurriedly buried a huge plank of wood underneath one pile of soil. Whoops! Had to shovel up the whole pile to slide the board out from underneath.

The compost pile, unfortnately, doesn't seem done. I was only able to get out a sprinkle. But, I worked in lots of cottonseed meal, lime and rock phosphate so hopefully that will help. I'm going to try to find some compost tea at the local nursery so I can put that in too.









And now we are on our way to Ikea to get a shelf (Gorm) for our growlight setup. Got full spectrum florescent lights, chain and hooks last night so all we need now is the shelf to hook it to. Hoping to get that done tonight.

First Week of March Garden Update

I planted peas!! It was 69 degrees here yesterday, and despite 8 inches of snow and freezing temperatures in the beginning of the week, my raised beds were totally workable. I tested it with a shovel, and was able to dig up all the over-wintered carrots remaining from last spring. So, I set to work and cleaned up all 4 of the existing beds. First I removed the remains of the kale, dried branches, etc., then weeded & raked. I also extended the strawberry bed into twice its size. Then spread about a cup of rock phospate and another of cottonseed meal on the beds, lightly tilled it in with a garden claw and watered. Finally, I planted two types of peas.

I also started 6 types of lettuce inside last week. I soaked them first, and to my surprise I got 100% germination! So I have 25 individual seedlings about 1 inch tall now, and I put all the leftovers in one big tray to use as cut and come again variety. I have a little florescent light on them but today I'm going over to the hardware store to get a bigger light and we are going to build a table-top growlight system.

Finally, I started some flowers and herbs. I soaked johny jump ups and pansies using the soaking method, but they are just starting to germinate now so they aren't planted yet. I also winter-sowed some lavender, pansies, and johnny jump ups in recycled containers outside. Who knew it would get warm so fast! My partner also got me these neat looking soda-type-can planters from a computer show he went to last week. Inside are violas and lavender, plus soil & fertilizer already in there. So you just had to pop the can open and water it. Neither of these have sprouted yet either, so I guess we'll see what happens.

Here is the finished indoor setup on March 8th:



Update: This all of the lettuce, two days after the above (3/10), when I added a second florescent light: