It's tea time!!!

The seedlings are growing nicely in the greenhouse, the lettuce is planted and garlic and carrots that were started last fall are growing vigorously. Now it's time to start giving them a little added boost of nourishment with compost tea.

I start brewing compost tea in early May and apply it every 2 to 4 weeks. I use a 4-gallon brewer that I purchased from Compostwerks. They carry different size brewers which come with premium compost and the food source to add to the tea. They also carry refill kits if you don't have your own compost.

The Compost Tea Brewer

The compost tea brewer consists of a 4-gallon pail, 2 air pumps with air diffusers to aerate the mixture, a mesh bag that fits over the mouth of the pail to hold the compost, fittings and plastic tubing to connect to the air pumps.

Air diffusers in bottom of pail.

Mesh bag to hold compost.

Brewing the Tea

To brew the tea you first fill the bucket with warm water, about 78 degrees but not warmer than 85 degrees because you could damage the biology in the compost. If you are using tap water that is chlorinated you should run the air pumps for 15 minutes before adding the compost to volatilize the  impurities in the water. Chlorine will harm the organisms in the compost so this is an important step.

Next, with the pumps still running, you add the appropriate amount of compost and food source. Mix all the ingredients slowly to reduce clumping.

Brewing the tea.

Place the cover on the pail to help maintain the temperature and reduce splattering. The tea should brew for 12 to 24 hours - you get better results if you let it go for the full 24 hours. After the brewing cycle is finished, squeeze out the mesh bag in the pail and you are ready to apply the tea to you plants.

This is what the finished tea will look like.

Compost tea should be used within 3 hours of brewing because non-anaerobic organisms may dominate the tea and harm your plants. The tea should smell earthy and have no funny odors. If the tea smells like rotten egg, sulfur or vinegar then the anaerobic organisms have taken over and you should discard the tea.

Applying your Tea

The finished tea can be applied in 2 ways - either spayed on the foliage or poured at the base of the plants to drench the roots. I usually do both.

Applying to foliage - Compost tea contains soluble nutrients that the plants will absorb through their foliage. This is the fastest way for the plant to absorb the tea. It has been said that by spraying on the foliage it will help ward off pests and diseases. I have found that in the past two years of applying compost tea I haven't had any huge infestations of pests like I used to. Last year the only pest problem I had was a pesky mole. The ratio to the dilute the compost tea for spraying on the plants is 5:1 (five gallons water to 1 gallon compost tea). Apply to the top and undersides of the foliage every two weeks.

Applying to soils - The ratio to dilute for applying to roots is 10:1 (ten gallons of water to 1 gallon of compost tea). Drench the root zone of the plants and apply every month. If the soil is dry it is best to water before and after you apply your tea, or apply before a rain.

In Eliot Coleman's book, The New Organic Grower, he says if plants are healthy and strong they will be less susceptible to pests and diseases. I grow organically and do not use any commercial pesticides or synthetic additives. The only thing I apply to my plants is compost in the spring and applications of compost tea during the growing season. The plants seem to be healthier, more productive and I have had far less pest problems than I have had in the past. I am a believer that compost tea makes a huge difference in growing organically.

You can find more information about compost tea at Compostwerks.

Happy Easter!

Pysanky Ostrich Egg - this was a collaborative effort by my wife and I.






Part of our family tradition is to make Ukrainian Pysanky Eggs every year in the spring. This tradition was sparked by a memory of seeing pysanky eggs displayed at my grandparents house when I was a child. It was until later in life that we saw a pysanky egg kit in a craft store and decided to give it a try - we have been hooked ever since!

Pysanky Goose Egg

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Easter!

Signs of Spring

A sure sign of spring at our house is when the asparagus first start to appear from their wintery nap. Last week I was a little disappointed when I raked the leaves off the bed and didn't see any spears poking up. Yesterday was blustery and stormy, but today the sun is shinning and it is much warmer. The asparagus spears are just starting to poke up out of the ground!

Last fall I planted carrots to see if I can overwinter them to get an early crop this year. They survived the cold and snowy winter with only the protection of a row cover on hoops. They were buried under a foot or two of snow turning dark purple color. Now that the days are getting warmer and the sun is shining more they are growing like crazy! I dug a couple up, an early treat for my rabbit, they are about 6" long with 6"-8" tops. We should have a nice variety of early carrots late in the spring.



Scallions overwintered in garden



 The scallions and chives all survived the winter as well and are growing thick and tall. The scallions will need to be thinned and transplanted to another bed soon. They were started from seed last summer. The scallions I transplanted into the cold frames in November are three times as big as these, we have been harvesting them over the past few weeks. 

IN THE COLD FRAMES...

The scallions, cabbage, lettuce, garlic, sage, kale and broccoli survived the winter in the mini-greenhouses. Although it grew slowly, we were still able to harvest lettuce and scallions several times throughout the winter. With the warmer days and nights everything is really starting to get big. We have been harvesting scallions the size of our thumbs with tops 12" tall!

Lettuce in the cold frame planted last fall

IN THE GREENHOUSE ...

The greenhouse is chock full of seedlings growing rapidly awaiting their transplanting into the garden. I have already started several varieties of lettuce, kale, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions, leeks, beets, spinach, parsley, basil, sage, thyme and cucumbers. We have had a few nights that dipped into the low 30's so I have been moving the trays into the basement on those cold nights. I have many different varieties of heirloom tomatoes which are growing nicely in their 2" soil blocks.

Tomato plants in greenhouse.

The heirloom tomatoes are growing nicely in their 2" soil blocks. I have only started organic, non-gmo, non-hybrid, heirloom tomatoes this year with plans on saving the seeds for next year.


Heirloom tomatoes.

 This is the first year I have had success growing romaine and butter head lettuce. They were started in 3/4" soil blocks and then transplanted into trays. I have been leaving them in the greenhouse overnight on the cold nights and they have been thriving in the cooler temperatures.

Romain lettuce.

Last year was the first time we dried our own herbs and really enjoyed the fresh flavor of them during the winter so this year we are planning on expanding our herb garden with lots of basil, parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary and chives!



Basil.

Red Russian Kale in 2" soil blocks.

The next big project is to expand the garden and fence it in so I can get the lettuce, kale and other seedling planted. We are planning on tripling the size of the beds and planting bio-intensively in hopes to grow as much of our own food this summer as possible and preserve some for winter use. We are also working on another exciting project this year, creating a school community garden at our Elementary School! You can follow that project on facebook!

Building a Greenhouse

I grew up living next to my grandparents and spent many days working side by side, starting seeds and transplanting plants, with my grandfather in his greenhouse. It was a fairly good size with a stone foundation and glass panels. It was attached to his garage which had a furnace to heat the garage and greenhouse and had running water and electricity. I have many fond memories of spending afternoons with my grandfather in his greenhouse.

Now that I am older I often dreamt of having my own greenhouse so I could start seedlings in the spring, extend the season in the fall and possibly relive some of those childhood memories. For several years I looked into purchasing a kit but was discouraged by the high prices and cheap plastic panels they came with so I decided to do some research and design and build my own.

Three years ago, after spending countless hours deciding what size to build, what materials to use and what accessories to add, I finally built my greenhouse.

My original plan was to build the greenhouse out of cedar, but because this was my first attempt I didn't want to invest too much into something that might not be exactly what I wanted, so I decided to use pine 2 x 3's for the framing and 6 mil greenhouse plastic for the covering. The entire cost for the 6'-10" x 8' greenhouse the was less than $150.00 including all the hardware.

Framed greenhouse.

Covered greenhouse.

The greenhouse has two work benches, the one on the south wall is 24" high and the one on the north wall is 36" high. There is a vent/window on the wall opposite the door. The floor is covered with landscape fabric which seems to work well for now. The late spring sun can really raise the temperature inside, so I have added an automatic vent opener to the window this year. The vent opener can be adjusted to open and maintain a constant temperature inside. It has been working perfectly and has saved me on several occasions when I would have forgotten to open the vent in the afternoon or close it at night when the temps dip below 50 degrees.

This greenhouse has held up remarkably well considering the framing is untreated and unpainted pine. The greenhouse film is rated for 5 years and hasn't cracked, ripped or yellowed despite being exposed to the northeast bitterly cold and snowy winters.

This fall I am planning on building a new greenhouse. It will be a more permanent one so I am going to construct it out of 2 x 4 cedar. I am planning on making a larger one- probably 8' x 12'. It will have a crushed stone and paver floor, running water with irrigation system, more vents, shade screens and possibly a propane heater. I am also considering using polycarbonate panels instead of the 6 mil greenhouse film to try and better control heat loss in the winter.

****** Update 9/29/12 - Greenhouse Plans are now available! ****** 

* ***Many sizes available from 6'x6' to 8'x16'! ****

You can purchase them from my ETSY store

and they are available in both PDF and Print.

     

Planting by the Phases of the Moon

One of the most interesting, and controversial, techniques I have come across while studying biodynamic gardening is the planting of seeds by the phases of the moon. It's the concept that the lunar gravitational pull has an effect on the germination of seeds and the roots of transplants. I have often started the same variety of seeds at different times only to have one batch germinate almost immediately and the other take up to 2 weeks to germinate.  I never understood why until I read about the influence the gravitational forces of the moon has on plants.

The basic concept is you start seeds 2 days before a new moon, in the first 7 days after the new moon the lunar forces increase root and leaf growth, in the second 7 days the lunar forces increase the leaf growth rate. On the full moon you should transplant your seedlings, then in the next 7 days the lunar forces increase root growth and in the next 7 days there is a decrease (resting period) in root and leaf growth. With the next new moon the cycle starts all over again.

Cucumber seedling planted 5 days ago following the Biodynamic Planting Guide and Calendar.

The book, How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons describes in greater detail the process of planting by the phases of the moon. There is also a Biodynamic Planting Guide and Calendar which you can purchase from The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association which really goes into great detail describing the forces of the moon, starts and planets. It also gives you a daily calendar that tells you which seeds to plant on which days breaking it down by Leaf, Fruit, Root and Flower categories. This is my first year using the Planting Guide and Calendar and the results have been remarkable!

Starting seeds with soil blocks

Pepper seedling in 3/4" soil block

A few years back  I started using soil blocks for starting seeds after becoming discouraged by the low germination rates I was getting using plastic propagation trays. Soil blocks are easy to make, eliminate the need to buy pots, take up lees space and provide extremely high germination rates!

3/4" and 1-1/2" soil block makers

Soil block makers come in 3 different sizes - 3/4", 1-1/2" and 4". You can make your own soil mix or purchase specific soil block mixes. Smaller seeds are started in the 3/4" soil blocks.When the seedlings germinate and the roots start to grow out of the blocks you "block up" to the next size. The 1-1/2" maker has 3/4" square dibbles to allow the 3/4" blocks fit perfectly into them.

1-1/2" and 3/4" soil blocks

The compact soil blocks stay together so they are easy to handle. The roots will grow to the outside edges of the blocks and develope a healthy root system. In the photo above you can see the roots of the cucumber in the 3/4" block on the right coming out at the bottom. The soil blocks can be placed directly on the heating mats, but I use recycled lettuce containers from the grocery store. Each container holds 80 - 3/4" blocks and creates a mini-greenhouse preventing the blocks from drying out too quickly.

Recycled lettuce containers, each holds 80 - 3/4" soil blocks

When planting in the soil blocks, I place the seed in the dimple created by the block maker and tap each seed in making sure it has good surface contact. I don't cover with a layer of soil becasue the seeds seem to germinate better when exposed to air. I get 80%  to 100% germination rates using this method. Seeds seem to germinat quicker - the photo below of cucmber seeds was taken 2 days after planting, every seed germinated (the 2 blocks in the lower right hand corner weren't planted).

Cucumber seedling in 3/4" soil block

Johnny's Seeds has a great video that explains soil block makers in more detail and shows you how to use them. Another excellent resource is Eliot Coleman's book The New Organic Grower. Eliot goes into great detail explaining how to plant in soil blocks, why they work so well and even shows you how to make your own soil block mix. The New Organic Grower has become one of my most valuable tools in organic gardening. 

Let the planting begin!

It has been a long, cold and snowy winter so far. The mini-greenhouses are still producing lettuce, cabbage and kale and the carrots are buried under a foot of snow, protected by their row covers on hoop frames. Most of the seeds that I ordered have already arrived and it is just about time to start the tomato, pepper and other seedlings.

This year I wanted only organic (non-hybrid) and heirloom seeds because I am planning on saving seeds for future seasons. I purchased seeds from Johnny's, Seeds of Change and Bountiful Gardens and ended up getting several varieties of heirloom seeds that have come from generations of farmers, saved by Seed Savers Exchange to preserve their legacy. I am also making the shift to biodynamic gardening - recognizing the soil and the garden as living organisms and growing in a way that replenishes the soils nutrients instead of depleting them. There are a couple great books available, How to Grow More Vegetables and The Backyard Homestead Mini-Farm & Garden Log Book by John Jeavons of Ecology Action, that discuss the Grow Biointensive method, a sustainable farming and gardening program.


Another project I have been working on is to create a record keeping system. One of my goals is to someday operate a small organic farm and, like most gardeners, I have always struggled to find a system of record keeping that works well for me. I wanted to have a place to store all the useful information I have collected over the years and be able to add to it and access it easily. I have tried simple composition books, loose leaf notebooks,  and garden planner software, but they all seems to have their short-comings.  Over the winter I have developed a database where I can keep all my information, record and keep data for the seeds I purchased, the suppliers, the information on germination and harvesting, crop planting dates, germination temperates, maturity dates, and harvest (yield) records. I have all my information in one place and can easily create and print reports if needed. This will be my first season using (an most likely modifying) my database so it will be interesting to see how well it works.

Winter wonderland

Friday and Saturday we were hit with two small storms that dumped a total of 7" of snow creating a winter wonderland.

The mini-greenhouses are still working great and have been providing us with fresh greens throughout the winter. The plants are growing slowly, but nonetheless continue to grow and seem very healthy. The ground inside the mini-greenhouses hasn't frozen at all and is full of earth worms enjoying the winter protection. In the second picture above you can see the snow covered mounds of the row covers protecting the carrots.

The lettuce, kale and scallions seem to be holding up the best in the below freezing temperatures. The cabbage is also doing very well, but like everything else is also growing very slowly. I have been harvesting some of the small cabbage plants for the rabbits so they can have fresh greens during the winter. The broccoli and cauliflower plants have wilted a bit but still continue to grow. The plants are now about 2' tall with new florets growing on the main stalks. It has been difficult to water steadily during the cold days which is why I think the plants are wilting, something I am hoping to address for next winter.

During these cold wintry days I have been sitting by the wood stove pouring through the seed catalogs planning the gardens for this coming year with plans on expanding the gardens and fencing them in, building new mini-greenhouse and placing them on raised stone beds, and adding irrigation systems to them. Another huge project, that we are excited about, is creating an organic school community garden at the elementary school. We received the go ahead in the fall and are already busy planning!! It should be a fun and rewarding project!!