The Modern "Victory Garden"

It was really beautiful out today.   No rain, some sunshine, and warm enough that a simple sweatshirt was all that was needed to be comfortable working outside.   Had to do some grocery shopping this morning but once I got home and put everything away, I went straight outside to enjoy the nice weather and get some early season garden tasks taken care of that had been on hold due to too much rain lately.                                

I wrote in my blog entry last night how much the garlic had grown in the past few days.   Since I was out in the garden in the dark last night I could not share pictures, but today I took a few photos of them.   This is the elephant garlic.   

And this is the patch of regular garlic (Inchelium Red).                        

Today, I did some weeding in the asparagus, cranberry, onion/garlic, strawberry, and the rhubarb & bush pie cherry beds.   After these beds were weeded, I side dressed the plantings with some general-purpose organic fertilizer and lightly scratched it into the soil.   I also fertilized the container plantings of blueberries.   While I was weeding I noticed that the rhubarb crowns have new growth emerging.   They don't look like much right now, but it will not be long before we can start enjoying some fresh rhubarb once again.              

I also did the annual strawberry patch "tidy up" today as well.   This involves removing a lot of the spent vegetation that overwintered from last year as well as the vegetation that had actually died back.   I try to generally clear out the area surrounding the crowns of the plants - leaving a good growing point and the young emerging vegetation intact.   After the bed was all cut back and tidied up, I fertilized it with a good all-purpose organic fertilizer.   Here's what one of the beds looked like before I cleaned it up.    

And here it is afterwards.                                                     

It may seem counter intuitive to remove what appears to be green vegetation from these plants, but removing older vegetation and decaying material opens up the plants to better air circulation and makes room for the new growth.   

I also bottom watered all of the seedling trays today too. Took them outside on the lawn to make the job easier.                                         

While I was in the shop, I planted up two 6-packs of Merlot lettuce and put them on the heat mat to germinate.                                        

The primary task I want to get done this weekend, is to turn over the green manure crop of crimson clover in the large 40'X4' bed.   I did half of the bed today and plan to do the other half tomorrow.   It only took a half hour of work to do half the bed, but after a winter of relative inactivity I am playing it safe and breaking the work into two sessions so as not to strain my back.   I made a short video to show how I do this simple annual early spring task.   

                

Here's the bed after I wrapped up this afternoon.                              

The sunshine and fresh air are like a tonic.   Seeing the emerging new growth on the rhubarb, strawberries, garlic, onions, and the bud swell on the bush pie cherries definitely makes me feel quite invigorated.   Hopefully my back will not give me a reality check tomorrow from my exertions today!

There are many of us who have limited space availability for food production gardening and yet still manage to produce a tremendous amount of our own food supply.   This post is the final segment of a blog series devoted to exploring the many techniques available to optimize food production gardening.   There are quite a few topics that relate to this pursuit - including (among others):

• Crop Selection
• Intensive Planting Practices
• Season Extension
• Soil Management & Fertility

Focusing on Crop Selection kicked off the blog series, which was then followed by a four-part exploration of Intensive Planting Practices - including the topics of Raised Beds, Closely Spaced Planting, Intercropping & Succession Planting, and Vertical Growing.   The next segment was devoted to a discussion of Season Extension and now this week we will wrap the series up by talking about the topic of Soil Management and Fertility.   You can see all of these blog series posts by selecting "Blog Series" from the Categories in the side bar menu on the right side of the screen.                    

Soil Management and Fertility -                                                   

Soil is so much more than just an anchor for our plants to grow from.     It’s a living breathing environment that if carefully tended will continue to provide garden production for future years, despite intense planting practices.   Soil that is regularly replenished with organic matter and depleted nutrients will ensure that the food we harvest is truly nutrient dense.   On the other hand, poor soil management generally results in more plant diseases, declining production levels, poor water percolation and moisture retention, crops that do not contain maximum nutrient potential, and plants that generally fail to thrive.                     

There are three main points I personally focus on as it relates to soil management and fertility.

1. It is incredibly important to replenish organic matter in the soil.
2. The structure of the soil and it’s layers should be maintained – or at least as much as is possible within the artificial environment of the garden.
3. Vegetables and fruit plants deplete the soil of nutrients, which must be replenished to maintain fertility of the garden beds.

The Importance of Replenishing Organic Matter

Decaying and decomposing organic matter in the soil provides several important benefits.   First, it releases nutrients as the decomposition process occurs – both major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur) as well as others generally referred to as trace minerals.   Second, the organic matter itself acts like a sponge to hold water (needed by our plants) and prevents soil particles from densely compacting down (particularly clay or silt soils) which then pushes out air (also needed by our plants).   As gardeners we want the organic matter to decompose to provide the nutrient benefits, but that same decomposition process means that the organic matter must be periodically replenished or we face reduced soil fertility and declining soil structure.   If we do nothing else for our gardens, regularly adding organic matter is probably the most effective action we can take.   As a general rule, we need to strive to keep organic matter at 4% to 5% levels in our soil.   This translates into an annual addition of approximately a ¼ inch of compost (or equivalent organic matter) to replenish what is lost through normal decomposition processes.   A new or depleted bed that needs rejuvenating will benefit from greater amounts being added.   Hot and/or wet climates will also benefit from greater additions of organic matter than the general rule, because heat and moisture speed up decomposition.                                   

Adding organic matter must be done thoughtfully because high carbon organic matter that is added directly to the soil will initially utilize all available nitrogen to break down and if plants are in that bed too, they will be robbed of needed nitrogen until the carbonaceous material has largely decomposed.   One method to deal with that is to compost materials in piles and then add the finished compost to the garden.   However, some of the nutrients from the decomposition process in compost piles is lost in the form of leaching and off gassing - particularly cold compost piles that are just heaped and allowed to naturally decompose over a fairly long period of time.   Hot composting (which requires frequent turning and careful balancing of the nitrogen to carbon ratios) is more effective in that it reduces the amount of lost nutrients but requires considerably more attention and work.   Green manure crops can also provide needed organic matter replenishment.   Turning a green manure crop over into the soil several weeks prior to the bed being used for crops – allows the vegetation to decompose sufficiently before the plants are introduced into the bed.   The warmer the soil, the shorter the time needed to finish that first major decomposition process.   When I turn my winter cover crops over in the very early spring, I try to do it six weeks prior to the planned planting date for the bed because the soil is so cold that the decomposition process is achingly slow.   One can also compost directly in the garden bed (known as sheet composting) but again, it must be done in advance of planting to ensure that nitrogen is available for decomposition but not at the expense of a crop planted in the bed.               

(bucket of finished compost)                

Maintaining Soil Structure

Soil is actually a delicate living substance.   It’s ability to hold sufficient water (without getting water logged), and provide nutrients through organic matter decomposition and from living organisms feeding and excreting “stuff” - is very much a function of it being maintained properly.   Microbial activity in soil is what makes all this magic happen and sufficient organic matter to fuel it is the primary input.   The other major soil management task (after sufficiently replenishing organic matter) is to protect the soil structure from excessive compaction and excessive tillage.   The living web in soil is extremely important in that it works in symbiosis with roots to improve uptake of water, air, and nutrients.   Heavy duty tilling on a regular (annual) basis and walking on garden bed soils both have the affect of damaging the soil structure and disrupting the microbial activity in the soil.   Once a raised bed has been prepared initially, it really should not need more than an annual aeration with a broadfork and a cultivation of the top few inches with a three-tined cultivator to mix in compost, fertilizers, and to create a fine textured bed for direct seeding.   Compaction will naturally occur just from gravity, rain, snow, etc but the annual aeration process with a broadfork helps to counter those forces.                                                    

(broadfork)                       

If soil is composed of heavy clay (which is inclined to compact readily), or has suffered from other compacting activity, then it may require another double dig process to rejuvenate it.   Luckily, digging a bed subsequent to the first bed-establishing dig is much easier and faster than an initial double dig process.   Walking on the soil or using a rototiller is obviously not the end of the universe, but avoiding both has been proven to increase soil fertility and soil health.            

Replenishing Nutrients

While regular additions or organic matter to the garden provides nutrients for plants (both macro and micro), the depletion of nutrients by heavy feeding plants (such as corn) can outpace the slow and low level release of nutrients provided by decomposing organic matter.   In addition, not all compost or organic matter is created equally.   The inputs to the compost pile, the care by which it was tended, and the amount of heat and rain it was subjected to – all determine it’s relative value as a provider of nutrient replenishment.   In general, most of us do not have the skills or inputs available to ensure our compost contains a uniformly consistent and properly balanced level of nutrients.    Many of our common vegetable garden crops are classified as medium to heavy “feeders” and can place a significant demand on the available nutrients in our garden beds.   I have found a three-pronged approach to nutrient replenishment works best for me.   First, I add lots of organic matter through either compost or green manure crops.   Second, I add rock minerals to the soil when initially establishing a bed and then periodically re-mineralize the beds about every three years or so thereafter.   I add rock phosphate powder (phosphorous), and green sand (potassium and many trace minerals) at the rate of about 10 pounds per 100 square feet for the initial application – generally less in later additions.   I also use dolomitic lime when the soil ph needs raising - which adds calcium and magnesium while affecting the soil ph as needed.   If the soil ph needs lowering I use garden sulfur (which as the name implies adds sulfur!).            

(rock powders)             

Rock powders are long-term resources that provide needed nutrients slowly over time.   Because these rock powders break down so slowly, it is difficult to put too much into your garden - so if you get heavy handed you will only be wasting some money rather than potentially harming your soil and plants, which can happen with a heavy handed application of organic or chemical fertilizers.   Finally, I use organic fertilizers and fish or kelp emulsion drenches to provide a more fast acting nutrient replenishment or to specifically add more nitrogen or phosphorus for plants that require more of those nutrients.   I generally use a general-purpose balanced organic fertilizer when I first plant up a bed in the spring or when transplanting out seedlings – adding more nitrogen (generally leafy greens) or phosphorous sources (fruiting or root crops) if the crop needs one or the other in larger amounts.   Good nitrogen sources are alfalfa pellets (50lb bags from the feed store are fairly inexpensive), blood meal, or fishmeal.   A good phosphorous sources is bone meal.   I use fish emulsion or kelp emulsion drenches to give a mid season fertility boost if a crop indicates it needs something more – otherwise, I generally no longer use a mid season side dressing of fertilizer.   I have found it to be generally unnecessary once soil has been sufficiently amended and improved – particularly if rock powders are used and organic matter is kept high.                               

There are certainly many more aspects to soil management and fertility than this brief discussion has touched upon, but these three elements are from my perspective the most important to pay attention to.   What are some of the methods and practices you use to manage soil health and provide nutrient replenishment?

Despite the misty rainy weather today, I managed to get some garden time in.   It was much needed as I was away all last weekend and my evenings over the past week were consumed with preserving peaches and pears, and taking care of other routine household business.    Primarily, the garden is in need of a little cleaning up, harvesting, and some of the fall crops are ready for fertilization.      

The broccoli, kohlrabi, and cabbage starts that I planted out on July 11th are all mature now and have been providing good harvests.   Today I harvested a few heads of broccoli, and all of the remaining kohlrabi.           

The cabbage that was planted in that bed is a new variety for me - Beira Tronchuda.   This is a loose-leaf cabbage that in many ways remind me of collard plants.                                           

I need to start harvesting and using these plants in the coming weeks as well as the head cabbages that are growing in other sections of the garden.

One of the tasks I got completed today was to give the brussel sprouts a fertilizing drench of fish emulsion tea.   The plants have stalled out somewhat in the past few weeks and I want to ensure the sprout formation is completed before the really cool and wet fall weather finally arrives.   I also watered the pepper plants in the greenhouse. They are still really producing, are loaded with peppers, and should keep providing fresh harvests well into late fall with the protection of the greenhouse.               

The last chore I tackled was to remove all of the sweet corn and harvest the remaining ears for freezing.   It did not take long to clear the patch out, harvest the ears, and then chop up the stalks for the compost pile.   The ears of corn were shucked, then blanched in boiling water (quick cooled in ice water afterwards).   The corn kernels were then cut from the cob and bagged for freezing in a gallon zip lock freezer bag.   I got just over 4 lbs of corn kernels from the harvest.   The bed is now open and ready to be prepped for the next crop to go in.                

I am sad to see the corn finish up for the season, as we have really enjoyed it.   The removal of the tomatoes and the corn plants really seems to put an official end to the summer growing season.   This empty bed will not remain so for very long though.   If you recall, I started some Walla Walla sweet onions back on August 16th.   They are now about a month along and looking good.              

I will trim about 1/3rd of the top growth back on these plants tomorrow (using scissors) to encourage root development and less top growth.   These onion seedlings will be transplanted into the bed vacated by the sweet corn in a week or so and then allowed to grow on over the winter.   I will also be planting the garlic and multiplier onions in this same bed later in October.  

Got quite a bit done for such a cool and damp day.   How are your fall plantings doing?

Early this morning I noticed one of the zucchini plant's foliage was getting lighter in color and had some rather extensive yellowing on one of the leaves.  After thinking about it a bit, I realized the bed they are in is completely new this year (part of the big garden expansion project) and that the soil is probably not very productive yet as a result.   It takes several years of good soil management to build up organic content and mobilize organisms in the soil that release nutrients.   So it was only logical to conclude that the plant was just in need of a good feeding.   Squash are heavy feeders (like corn) so placing them in a newly established bed means I am going to have to be more attentive to their fertilizing needs.          

I mixed up a watering can of double strength fish emulsion tea and added a tablespoon of Epsom salts to it.   Mixed it vigorously and then gave the zucchini and other squash plants a good drink and a splash of it on their leaves.   An hour later I popped back out to take care of something else and happened to look at that plant and (amazingly enough!) it's leaves had substantially greened back up!    I wish I had taken a "before" picture so that I could then show the dramatic improvement.   Obviously this was just what that plant really needed.          

See the yellowing on the leaf in the lower right portion of the picture?   That whole leaf was yellow like that an hour before!                                  

The other squash and zucchini are not showing nutrient distress (in fact they are booming along!) but they will also benefit from a more regular feeding schedule this summer.                                  

These pictures were taken very early in the morning so the light is low - but as you can see the patch is in great shape and coming along nicely.   All of the plants in the front portion of the picture are zucchini - "Goldrush" and "Sungreen".                 

The pumpkins and winter squash have female (with small fruits) and male flowers formed, which are about ready to open. My big job right now is to keep directing their long vines back into the bed area to make full use of the available open areas before I let them tumble into the walkways and adjacent areas. This end of the bed has the "Small Sugar" pie pumpkins. The middle portion has the "Buttercup" winter squash.                 

The zucchini is definitely moving into high production mode.               

I'll check back in later with more updates on how the garden is progressing.

Today was the last day of my week long vacation from work. Most of my time off was spent traveling to and from Spokane and visiting family there. However, Monday and Tuesday I kept reserved for just decompressing and catching up on some much needed sleep. It was heavenly and the weather could not have been more perfect for puttering around in the garden.      

The warm temps and sunshine has been like a shot of adrenaline to the garden. I took this picture from our deck on the backside of the house.      

The front bed contains the bush beans. This block planted bed is really filling out and will probably be ready for the first harvests around the first part of July. The middle bed is the squash and zucchini and the bed at the back is the tomato patch. You can see three of the four open spots where I had to remove the infected Celebrity plants (bacterial canker). The good news is ... that the basil I planted in those open spots have already emerged! At the very back of this garden area (not really visible in this picture) is the vertical grow bed.                                             

Here's a closer look at the bush green beans.                       

The new vertical grow bed has "Mokum" carrots planted the entire length in the front portion of the bed. Growing up the trellis support structures are pole beans (in the following picture) plus more cucumbers and runner beans (not in the picture).                                              

The corn patch is getting pretty tall.                                        

Corn is one crop that really needs warm and sunny days to get a move on. I gave these plants a fertilizing drench of fish emulsion today. With corn, I tend to feed it more often with the higher nitrogen fish emulsion fertilizer than I do any other garden crop. It's a heavy feeder and needs the nitrogen to thrive.                        

After being somewhat stalled out for a time (due to cool/damp spring conditions), the cucumber transplants are finally getting some decent growth on them since we have now had several weeks of warm and sunshiny weather.        

The potato beds have had all the trenches filled in now and are working on getting their top growth established and fully leafed out.                   

There are flower buds formed on all four varieties of potatoes. This tells me I am about due for the mid season side dressing of organic fertilizer for them. It also means that the new potatoes will likely soon be ready for light harvesting.                  

Finally, the storage onions are doing really well this year.                   

The stems have thickened up, the bulbs are starting to fatten, and the tops are getting lush. I gave these plants a fish emulsion drench today too. It's very important for the onions to develop lots of green top growth during June and early July before they yield to the day length changes and begin the vegetation die back process and final bulb development. The more lush the top growth the more sugars and energy is available to be stored in the onion bulb at that final phase of the plant's maturation.             

It's been nice to be home for a few days, especially since the weather was so stunningly beautiful. The remainder of the week will likely be fast paced and mentally consuming due to my mid week return to work, but the garden is in good order and I know that it will continue to develop and grow - providing more and more harvests in the weeks to come.

The sun put in an appearance today.   After a long period of too much rain and below average temperatures, it was much needed.  I had some shopping to do in the morning, so I did not actually get out to the garden until around noon.   While I was out running errands, I found a catnip plant that I could not resist purchasing for my cat Sid.  I had it sitting out with the hardening off seedlings and he immediately found it! 

Had to pop the catnip plant into the greenhouse or he would have eaten it down to nothing in no time.   Obviously this purchase met with his approval!  My intention is to plant it into a container and place it on the deck for the summer – bringing it into the greenhouse through the winter months like I do my herb pots.   

I moved the second round of broccoli seedlings outside today to begin their hardening off process.   They will spend daytime hours outside and will then be put into the greenhouse at night.  Will keep this up for about a week and then they will be ready to plant out.   Here’s a picture of them.

The first round of broccoli has been planted out in the garden for a few weeks now but because the temperatures have been so cold and the skies so dark and gloomy, they are not much bigger than this second round of seedlings that have been pampered in the shop (grow light and heat mat).    I have a suspicion they will both mature about the same time – despite the significant age difference from when they were actually seeded.   

While puttering in the garden this afternoon, I watered all the seed beds that are germinating (beets, spinach, and carrots).   The plastic sheeting covering the beet and spinach patch is doing a good job of holding heat.  The soil is considerably warmer under it than outside.   

I found two good news items in the garden today.   The first is that the pea patch has finally begun full emergence.   The warm sun today and forecasted for the next few days should ensure that they really take off.   I was starting to get a bit worried because the patch was seeded some time ago but the soil has been so wet and cold due to the foul weather that they basically just stalled out.   Happily, they are getting with the program.  The second exciting find today was the first asparagus spear to emerge!

The asparagus patch is planted with a variety called “Purple Passion” which is a beautiful purple color that is high in sugar content.   I expect many others will quickly join this lone spear and soon we will be officially into the asparagus harvest season.   I can hardly wait!   

In the meantime, we will continue to eat from the lettuces growing in the greenhouse…

…and from the overwintered spinach patch.   Both of which have been providing an adequate supply of fresh salads for the dinner table.   I watered the spinach patch and the lettuces today with a fish emulsion tea.   The shot of nitrogen to these heavy feeders will ensure that they continue to pour on the production while we wait out the first harvest of asparagus.    

Hope you are enjoying some sunshine and time in the garden too.