Organic Fertilizer

I just recently moved into a place with my own yard-so this year I have planted a nice big garden. One that is comparable in size and plant types to the one me and my father had always had when I was little. But the one thing I am interested in changing is the fertilizer. I know growing up we had always used 10-10-10. All fertilizers have three numbers on the label which indicate the fertilizer analysis, or "percentage by weight" of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, in that order. Therefore, a 50 pound bag of fertilizer labeled 20-10-5 would contain 20% nitrogen (10 pounds), 10% available phosphates (5 pounds), and 5% soluble potash (2.5 pounds). I wanted to be truly natural since I have planted seeds from a seed exchange put out by Clemson and sold at Angel Oak nursery. I do remember a few years my dad had tried cow manure and chicken manure (which always smelled foul) but they did not seem to give the plants the boost that the combination fertilizers had. I did notice Mr. Ambrose used chicken manure on his crops. So I have been looking around for alternatives. I found a really cool website:http://www.the-organic-gardener.com/organic-fertilizer.html. This site gives good information on various organic gardening topics from fertilizing to mulch. One product Im interested in is called Milorganite which is composed of heat dried microbes and contains organic nitrogen and environmentally friendly phosphorous. Im still learning about what to use and Im sure it will be a matter of trial and error. I would be interested to see how much of an impact this fertilizer would make by maybe only treating half of the garden.

Rain Barrels

I have been interested for awhile in a more efficient way of watering all of my flowers and garden plants. Concerns over using treated water and then paying for it of course were at the top but also rain water has always made plants thrive. I have seen a few rain barrels for sale like at whole Foods but they are a bit pricey (@100 bucks). So I have decided to make my own-also thought it would be a good idea for some of our community gardens. There are two starting points-1)you could get a 55 gallon drum free from some of the geothermal or directional drilling companies because they contain an environmentally friendly soap made of different types of plant polymerst hat they use which can be washed out with minimal residue. 2)Or you could buy a large yard waste can(at least bigger than 30gallons). Next you will need some sort of screen (1/4in mesh screen) on the top to filter out any debris that could taint the water or clog the faucet. The barrel will need to have about a 2 inch lip on the top for the placement of the screen and for a bit of diversion for the water to collect (like a collection dish). Then you will need a hose fitting ( a basic faucet)and pvc fitting to connect inside the barrel (costs about 5 bucks for both fittings including the seal). Most rain barrels I have seen have an additional pvc fitting for overflow to prevent stagnation. The overflow could be faced out towards the garden to direct water flow (will keep the screen from deteriorating) In essence for a maximum of 20 bucks you could make your own rain barrel and save money on the water bill while recycling water. The plants love it!

More about asparagus..

It seems that I shared some similiar excitement with Kingsolver in seeing asparagus being grown. I have always loved the taste of it but had never known what it looked like in the ground. Also when I tasted it, it made me think of the part of our readings that discussed how people dont really know the wide variety of flavors that can be found in natural foods due to GM seeds. I had never had truly fresh asparagus and there was definitely a difference in taste. I found out that back in the 1920's Charleston used to be a hub for asparagus. We had our own variety named Palmetto asparagus. Im not sure what caused it to disappear but one can imagine the difficulties that can arise in having a crop that takes 2-3 years for the seed to develop into a crown. But once it does take hold, an average crop can last about 12 years. In the late 90's a few local farms (including Ambrose) re-introduced this once local crop. Asparagus is ready to be picked about the same time the azaleas bloom and when all the pine pollen covers everything in yellow-the end of the season for asparagus is around Mothers Day when plants are allowed to "fern" out. Im really glad there is a renewed interest in our local farms and hope that everybody will ahve the opportunity to taste the difference.

Water & Barbara Kingsolver

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/water-is-life/kingsolver-text/1

I read this a couple of days ago...If you like Mrs. Kingsolver I'd take a look at it. It is in the new National Geographic!

Since I will be leaving Charleston here in 3 days (and really bummed about it) I've been thinking how much I will miss having the farmer's market, or at the very least, Whole Foods so close by. I'll be going home to Atlanta for a few months, and frankly that's a dearth for fresh food, but then I'll be starting at UGA in the fall and was hoping to find either a CSA or farmer's market there too. Localharvest.org is a great site for anyone else in my position--you can search by place and it gives you locations of farmers markets, CSAs and restaurants that utilize local food. I'm looking forward to being on my own and also having the chance to fully control where I get my food, hopefully starting to make good decisions that will stick with me for life. I really enjoy cooking, but I'll be cooking for one from now on, and the cool thing about incorporating fresh produce into your meals as much as possible, is it allows you to easily buy just what you need. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle really emphasized the satisfaction in getting your food locally and seeing meals happen start to finish, I look forward to trying some of their recipes!

*On a side note--I finally got to try raw milk this past weekend--SO good, and not thick or weird tasting at all :)--Check it out in Marion Square on Saturdays

Organic farming in India

So I was reading an article here that was discussing the major shift in farming in India from conventional methods to organic. The article noted that the country has some 300,000 organic farms, which sounds like a good amount to me, and that brought a couple things to mind: first, if its obvious to farmers in India the health as well as financial benefits of going organic--why is it such a hard sell in America? Second, they mentioned how many of these farmers are selling to countries all over where consumers will pay a premium for the food. So, although I know a big part of our class the semester was about eating local, in part I do feel better knowing that my willingness to spend more on food means a farmer in India can afford to not use pesticides and help his environment and health. I'm not sure where the balance is with this--but it points out how our choices as consumers really do have tangible effects, not only in our communities, but abroad as well.

Bogarden (cont.)

Well, here is an update on the Bogarden.
Some things are still being over run by Septoria Leaf Spot fungus, namely the tomatoes and possibly the red and green leaf lettuce. We have been wanting to do is remove the tomato plants that appear to be affected by the fungus and plant bush or pole beans because they supposedly have a way of fixing the soil; hopefully, we will figure this out soon. Also, the new tomatoes are hopefully going to be companion planted with marigolds, chives, and onion to hopefully maximize health...as the master gardener has suggested... here are some pics of the garden...the poor tomatoes...aphid/bug damage...and urban agr. new beds with lots of toma toes...(also the master gardener advocated for planting two or three tomato plants together..they don't seem to mind) anyhow, slowly but surely...we might get a water system figured out by next week but, still looking for ideas and resources...
hope all is well
: )