This summer we converted an old compost bin into a new garden. It was kind of a smelly eyesore and placed right along the path where customers walk to get to the nursery. It had to go. But something kind of amazing happened before I decided what that area should be… The seeds from last years tomatoes sprouted and grew 10 times better than in the vegetable garden. So I let em GO, I didnt even stake them, just let nature do its thing.

This was my most exciting experience learning about good soil. Because everything I put in that garden grew faster than ribbon grass (Jon will get the joke). And the worms, oh the worms. you gotta see them.

Recently, we learned about Geoff Lawton. Sustainable permaculture? food forest? I dont have much experience with either, but these words give me a little jolt every time I hear them. And the information is just as exciting. In one of his permaculture videos, Geoff and his students practice what they call ‘chop and drop’. Its kinda like permission to be a lazy slob. Ive been freed! After you’ve pruned or harvested the plant, you chop up the debris, then drop it right below the plant you pruned it from. I am so DOWN for that.

But freedom is harder than you think!

We have this human NEED to CLEAN UP after ourselves. We like things neat and tidy, compartmentalized, fit in its right category. But nature doesn’t do it that way, and frankly, nature doesn’t appreciate it either. Nature litters all day long! Leaves and branches fall, animals poop, and the wind blows all that garbage around. You’d think nature would be a terrible neighbor. Yet it comes out BEAUTIFULLY! All that stuff we’re tidying up, packing neatly in yard bags and paying for removal? It all makes incredibly rich organic soil. So keep your leaves, grass clippings, yard debris… and dump them back into your garden.

And dont stop there!

Kitchen waste can go straight in your garden too! Oh, you’re shaking your head now… ‘No way am I throwing garbage in my garden’. uhhm, did you see the worms??? ok, i’ll show you!

This happened because I couldn’t get under my tomato plant to clean out all the tomatoes that rotted on the ground. What I would have never guessed in a thousand years was, what a drastic improvement rotten tomatoes could make!

So here’s the experiment Im working on.

THE ZERO GARBAGE Project.
The goal of this project is to reduce the volume sent to the landfill while creating the richest soil my garden has ever seen. Why should they get the good stuff, right? 😉

Every sliver of compostable kitchen scrap now goes straight into the garden. Ideally what’s left, should be mostly recyclable. I’ll tell ya, I feel a little naughty, standing at my doorway in the middle of December, tossing a banana peel into the garden. But its for a CAUSE! And since no ones out there looking at the gardens, winter is the perfect time to start composting. Even though it wont do much decomposing in the winter, I believe it should have enough time to break down in early spring, before the summer planting months arrive.

ok! so what goes in?
Vegetable scraps. Fruit. Herbs. Popcorn. Coffee and coffee filters. Tea bags. Napkins and Paper towels. Shredded paper, newspaper and cardboard. Stale bread and burnt toast. Dead flower arrangements. Pencil shavings and sawdust. Basically anything organic that breaks down. heres more of what goes in

now, what stays out?

• Kitty litter, dog business. I read that feces of carnivores might contain disease organisms. ewww. i dont want that anywere near my tomatoes.
• Lime, coal, charcoal. May be toxic to plants or change the pH in a way that stops decomposition.
• Meat, fat, grease, oil, bones. This is a little controversial. Some people say yes, go for it. Other say that fat and grease dont break down. Not only do they not break down, they coat everything else so that wont break down either.
• Dairy products like milk, butter, cheese, ice cream or yogurt. This one is iffy. Its said the pungent odor attracts pests, but can be hidden in the middle of a compost pile to mask it. For our purposes, milk would just be gross, so lets skip it.
• Heres more of what stays out

COOL COMPOSTING TIP! When the Mess Becomes Unbearable.
It really does look bad when garbage piles up, so I have been covering it. We have a pile of finished compost and a pile of woodchips here at the nursery. Good materials to have on hand. I’ll sprinkle light layers on top. This not only covers the mess, but it helps it break down faster! I’ve read of people digging a hole or a trench, throwing scraps in, then covering lightly with the dirt from the hole.

I implore you, I EMPOWER you to throw your garbage straight into the garden. It doesn’t feel terribly right at first, but I imagine the rebellious attitude I’ll boast, knowing that what I’m doing is the best thing for my garden.

UPDATE: Summer 2015
Ok, well, everything decomposed well before planting time, so that was a plus. BUT I did not really see much improvement in plant growth. Because my garden area is large, I believe that I needed MUCH MORE compost to create great garden soil. More than I could consume in a winter. Now. If I were to have added a thick layer of grass clippings, and then another thick layer of woodchips to this soil, we might see an improvement. It takes quite a bit of compost to change the biology of soil enough to see vast increases in plant growth. Since grass clippings aren’t available in the spring, I can add them in the fall when the garden is spent. Add kitchen scraps all winter. Then early spring cover everything with woodchips. Mel Bartholemew, the square foot gardening genius, recommends that compost contain at least 4 different materials. The experiment was worth doing, and I enjoyed sending less waste the the garbage dump. Plus, I’ve learned what to do next year!

The post How to Compost Without a Bin appeared first on Roots Nursery.

Great gardening starts with good soil right? and things grow differently in each type of soil.  Different types of soil include sand, clay and silt.  I tried the ‘jar test’ to determine what my garden soil is made of. It was easy and fun, a project your kids will love!

The Jar Test

I found this test in a few places each with different instructions, but the premise was the same. Find a mason jar. Add soil, water and dish soap. (The best combination for a large jar was 1 cup of soil, 1-2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp of dish soap) Shake it up for a minute to break everything up, and then let it sit. The soil will settle into layers.

Set the jar where it wont be disturbed, and in 24 hours all the layers should have settled. The 1st layer on the bottom will be sand. The 2nd layer is silt and the 3rd layer is clay. Organic matter will float to the top of the water. (the more organic matter, the better).  If you have equal parts sand and silt with a thin layer of clay and some organic stuff floating on top, you have great soil! (40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay).

Sandy soils drain too quickly, unable to retain moisture or nutrients to feed your plants. Amend sandy soils by adding 2 inches of organic matter (composted yard waste or manure) mixed in with the top 6 to 12 inches.

Clay soils dont drain well and drown your plants. Amend by adding an equal amount of sand and compost to create 2 inches mixed in with the top 6 to 12 inches. (dont forget the compost… clay plus sand equals cement!)

The Earthworm Test

Earthworms are a sign of great soil. They aerate the soil and help break down organic matter. Dig 1 square foot of your soil, down 6 inches. Sift through your soil and count the earthworms. 10 is the magic number. If you find 10 earthworms, your soil is doing fine. If you dont find many earthworms, add more organic matter.  One way to attract earthworms is by adding used coffee grounds to your compost bin. Worms love used coffee grounds, and the acid thought to be found in the grounds is removed during the brewing process… And since theyre made of paper, you can even add the filters!

The Ph Test

Want to save a trip and some cash from buying a soil test? Test the Ph level of  your soil with stuff you have at home. Grab a tablespoon, a glass of water, a paper towel, vinegar and banking soda and head out to the garden.

1. Add a few drops of vinegar to a spoonful of dry soil. Does it fizz? If it does, your soil is alkaline (over 7.5) Alkaline soils are amended by adding sulfur.
2. Clean the spoon off and grab another spoonful of soil. Add water and a pinch of baking soda. Does it fizz now? If it does, your soil is acidic (less than 5) Acidic soils are amended by adding lime.

One of the best ways to maintain great soil is to add 2-3 inches of compost on top of your garden as a mulch. It’s cheap, retains moisture, attracts earthworms and keeps plants fed. And when its time to work the soil, you’ll make it better every time.

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right click to download.

Recommended for zone 5! If you life in a different zone, check out Johnnys Seed Chart
Add your frost free date for seed starting in YOUR zone

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When Mel started gardening, conventional gardens were single row gardens, averaging a 20’x30′ ft. His very first disappointment was that tending this type of garden was really hard work. You tilled and dug and amended and weeded… and weeded, then weeded some more. It was just plain hard. So much work! all summer long.

Gardeners know, by July, your energy is spent and guess what, your garden is full of weeds. And who would blame you, its too stinkin hot to be out there doing the worst gardening task to ever exist, weeding.

But Mel went along with it, after all, he wanted to garden and he was up for the challenge. So he learned, and worked hard, but his acute engineer mind griped as each new ‘conventional method’ posed another question… and he had to know why…

Why do we garden in single rows?
Why do we need 3 foot aisles between the rows?
Why do we till to loosen the soil, then walk all over it to pack it back down again?
Why is the garden located in back, as far from the house as possible?
Why do we fill each 20 foot row with one single plant?
And who can eat that much of one thing?
Why do we plant all these seeds just to go back and thin them all out?
Why cant we just plant the seeds we want?

None of it made sense and Mel wanted answers.

So he traveled the country asking experts “Why do we Do it this way??” The most common answer came back as “that’s the way it’s always been done” For an engineer slash efficiency expert, this was just not good enough.

So many brilliant discoveries stem from questioning the norm. This was no different. Mel proposed the following…

What if we create a space that we dont walk on and compact the soil? A space that everyone can reach into to tend. Instead of one long row, couldnt we have multiple rows combined in a smaller space? What if we stop using fertilizer? What if we eliminate digging entirely and did away with expensive gardening tools and most importantly, all that hard work?

So he started experimenting with ways to make his garden better. In the end, he invented a new way to garden… one year later, he came up with ‘Square foot Gardening’.

He created a smaller garden space within everyone’s reach – 2 feet. And the first square foot garden was built.

A raised 4’x4′ bed, where you can reach the middle from every angle. This reduced garden size. It reduced waste by sowing only the seeds you need. And at 6″ tall, it reduced the amount of soil.

Square Foot Gardening Raised Bed

It’s an open bottom box frame measuring 4 feet wide, 4 feet long and 6″ deep (OR 3’x3′ for children) Made of lumber, usually cedar to keep from rotting. Or Heavy duty plastic composite to last a lifetime. To prepare, weedwack the grass underneath and fill the box with soil.

What kind of soil you ask? He calls it “Mels Mix”.

Square Foot Gardening Soil

It’s equal parts compost, peat moss and vermiculite. This soil mix provides all the nutrients you will ever need to grow a beautiful, bountiful harvest. He claims it never needs to be replaced, fertilized or ammended. You’ll only need to replenish with more soil when it runs low. He is very specific about his compost being a combination of at least 4 different types of composted material. Every bag of compost has the ingredients labeled, so read before you buy.

Square Foot Gardening Spacing

When your square foot garden is filled, it’s time to sow your seeds and plant your plants. Separate your garden into, you got it, square feet. A 4’x 4′ bed will create 16 – square foot spaces, so you’ll be able to grow 16 different types of plants in one garden. Creating a “Grid” makes it easier to tell your spaces apart.

Plant different vegetables, herbs or flowers in each space. Large plants will take up one whole square foot space. Spaces can be divided further to accommodate smaller vegetables. (see companion planning chart below)

Mels square foot spacing guidelines:

• Plants requiring 6″ spacing – plant 4 per square.
• Plants requiring 4″ spacing – plant 9 per square.
• Plants requiring 3″ spacing – plant 16 per square.

What about thinning?
There’s no longer a need to thin plants with this method. Drop a couple of seeds into each hole and let it grow. If you do get too many plants in one spot, Dont pull it out! It’s recommended that you snip the unwanted plant off at the stem with scissors.

Square Foot Gardening Location

The best place to put your square garden? Mel says, right outside your kitchen window where you can see it often. It will keep you interested! If you’re planting more than one garden, space each box 3 feet apart from each other, or far enough to work comfortably and at least get a push mower through.

How Much Can You Eat?

Mel says one 4×4 square foot garden will feed one adult, one salad, every day, all summer. SO plant one for every person in the house that wants to grow a beautiful garden, eat fresh food and do something good for their health.

Square Foot Gardening Layout – Companion Chart

Is all this confusing or hard to plan? Maybe at first. But with a little research, it can be extremely easy. To make things easier, I designed this chart of square foot companion plants, based on my vegetable garden layout.

Right click to save this chart on your computer…

Square Foot Gardening Pictures

Mel and his gardens

I absolutely love square gardening concept because when the gardens grow, they fill in so nicely and are loaded with a variety of color and texture, sure to be beautiful whatever your combination.

Gorgeous design by The Walden Effect

Look at this beautiful square foot combination. Absolutely gorgeous with the trellis arbor and marigold border. The Walden Effect took extra care in preparation to ensure weeds don’t grow outside the boxes. If this much preparation ain’t your cup of tea, keep it in the box.

Mel and his team have been traveling around the world, teaching third world countries to grow their own food and providing the tools to do so. He has moved his company over to non-profit status, and all proceeds for items you buy through his company go toward his efforts to bring food to the world.

On a local note, right here in our very own county, we have a similar effort. Garden Works DuPage is bringing vegetable gardens to low income families who show an interest. What a loving effort. Head over to their facebook page and like them if you live outside the area or are unable to donate or volunteer.

If you can see square foot gardening in your near future, and would like to know more about it, visit squarefootgardening.com or squarefootgardening.org You can still buy Mels books

The post Square Foot Gardening… Vegetables Just Got a Whole Lot Easier. appeared first on Roots Nursery.

Used Coffee Grounds are GREAT for your plants, don’t throw it away! Add it to your compost pile filter and all, or even sprinkle the grounds directly into the garden to help plants grow like crazy. Its loaded with nitrogen, with a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 20:1, the same as manure. Not only does it smell delicious, your plants will love it.

Here are 5 ways to Use Coffee Grounds as Fertilizer

1. Add it to your compost bin. Coffee grounds make an excellent ‘green’ material (nitrogen). When you compost, you layer ‘green’ materials, like grass clippings, kitchen scraps and plant debris, with ‘brown’ matter (carbon) like leaves, bark, straw or newspaper. Combining the two helps the organic matter break down quicker and leaves you with a nutrient rich soil to add to your garden. “Black Gold!!!”

2. Use it straight in your garden as a mulch or soil conditioner. Coffee grounds will add nitrogen to the soil to feed the plants and adds acidity for bluer blooms on hydrangeas.  Coffee grounds will also attract worms. The more worms the better, as they are continuously composting and aerating the soil and feeding your plants with fresh nutrients.

3. Use it as worm bedding and feed. Worm castings are said to be the gardeners ultimate compost because they naturally contain so many of the minerals plants need. If you’re itching to try ‘vermicomposting’ give your worms a treat with used coffee grounds.

4. Make a compost tea. Stuff a sock full of used coffee grounds and steep it in a 5 gallon bucket of water  (or bigger)  for a few days. What comes out?… compost tea! Use the tea to water your plants for a nutritious boost.

5. Add it to your house plants. Our facebook fans report that sprinkling used coffee grounds in the soil around your house plants will make them grow like crazy!

Check out the results of compost created from only coffee grounds and shredded newspaper. The results are pretty cool

FEED YOUR SOIL!
You should always be feeding your soil to keep your plants healthy and growing. If you have a few more minutes and would like to learn exactly whats going on in your soil, heres the best video Ive seen about it! These people are growing gigantic vegetables with just great soil…

The post How To Use Coffee Grounds as Fertilizer appeared first on Roots Nursery.

To organize this sprout effort, I compiled a chart based on information gathered across the web. Most of the nutritional values came from Sprout People, a wonderful resource of information, delicious sprout mixes and tools to help you sprout.

I learned the ‘Terra Cotta Plate Method‘ from apollocircle on youtube. I love this woman, and she really knows her stuff when it comes to healthy eating. She also created an easy way to make seaweed water to water sprouts with, for an extra nutritional kick.

The post Growing Sprouts: A Chart of Nutritional Benefits appeared first on Roots Nursery.

Grow an Indoor Vegetable Garden from Leftover Scraps.

I’ve been seeing a lot of people growing celery from the bottom 2″ of the stalk, and was inspired to try it. But what other vegetables can you root from parts of the original plant. Here’s a quick list of what I’ve found from around the net.

1. Celery
2. Onions – Green and Round
3. Potatoes – Regular and Sweet
4. Leeks, Scallions
5. Carrot Tops
6. Pineapple
7. Romaine Lettuce
8. Cabbage
9. Avocado
10. Sprouts – beans, sunflowers, lentils, pumpkin, alfalfa
11. Ginger
12. Garlic
13. Bok Choy
14. Beets
15. Turnips
16. Rutabaga
17. Lemongrass

Blackthumb Gardener published a similar list of vegetables with photos and instructions.

One other fantastic experiment from Birds and Blooms

Ive personally tried pineapple, but it always seems to rot the minute I stick it in dirt. Heres a video of it actually working, plus quite a few other veggies rooting.

And last but not least… if youre REALLY into this, theres an entire book dedicated to the subject

Don’t Throw It, Grow It!: 68 windowsill plants from kitchen scraps by Deborah Peterson

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