Anyone else into organic gardening around here?

[dalsingh101]

Anyone else into organic gardening around here?

[amardeep]

I've actually just started learning.

[dalsingh101]

Cool man. 

 

I'm actually trying autumn/winter crops for the first time:

 

Kale, broccoli, peas, some strains of spinach. In what just passed as a summer for us I grew a bunch of tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans, all types of chillis, some peppers and some spinach. I think palak likes cooler weather. 

 

Want to get into that composting ish as well.  

Edited October 28, 2015 by dalsingh101

[Singh123456777]

I grow apples, pears, grapes, tomatoes, green peppers and a few others without the use of pesticides or insecticides.  

 

Hey can you post the full picture of your avatar pic? I want to save it.

[dalsingh101]

I grow apples, pears, grapes, tomatoes, green peppers and a few others without the use of pesticides or insecticides.  

 

 

What do you use for compost? What do you use to replenish lost nutrients in the soil? 

I've gone all nerdy in the place and am trying to make a worm farm. 

I didn't think you could grow much in snowy Canada!

Hey can you post the full picture of your avatar pic? I want to save it.

 

See attachment.

[Singh123456777]

We use no compost. The soil has enough nutrients by itself. When we have to replenish lost nutrients we use a thing called miracle grow. We put it in after every 14 days. The soil we use is just regular topsoil mixed with whatever dirt we already have there. We water the vegetables every day. The vegetables get plenty of sun.  Next year maybe we might plant five to six acres of corn and five to six acres of wheat. Maybe five acres of potatoes. The rest of the acres will be hay or something along those lines. Maybe plant an acre of tomatoes, green peppers, chillies, carrots etc.

Taking care of flowers is pretty hard. With dead flowers petals you have to pluck them. Water them at least once a day if not twice(if it's really hot that day). This year we had insects eating the leaves on our flowers and especially on our roses. Our roses got so badly damaged that they stopped blossoming for a few months until we put some insecticides and pesticides on the leaves. After that two weeks later the leaves started to heal and they started to bud.

In canada you can start growing from May up until October. After that then the cold brutal winter comes. Winter is coming ;)

Thanks for the picture veerji. 

[dalsingh101]

Trying garlic this year. Apparently stick it in in autumn to harvest in spring. It's winter hardy, but I don't know if it can handle a canuck winter though!

[Singh123456777]

I'm not sure what can handle a cannuck winter lol. Only the moose lord knows 

[dalsingh101]

Singh, your family do commercial farming? 

 

Anyway, here is an interesting vid on more rarer minerals in soil.

 

[dalsingh101]

This comfrey looks well useful!

 

[Singh123456777]

Nope. We do no commercial farming at least not yet. Getting the trees removed is a big deal. Then we gotta plow the fields and cultivate it etc. 

[dalsingh101]

Nope. We do no commercial farming at least not yet. Getting the trees removed is a big deal. Then we gotta plow the fields and cultivate it etc. 

 Next year maybe we might plant five to six acres of corn and five to six acres of wheat. Maybe five acres of potatoes. The rest of the acres will be hay or something along those lines. Maybe plant an acre of tomatoes, green peppers, chillies, carrots etc.

That sounds large scale to me? Daym dude, just how many acres you got over there???

[Singh123456777]

We have a lot of acres but first ya gotta clear out a shitload of trees and prep the soil before anything can be planted. So it will take time before it will be mass scale. We have trees that took over a lot of acreage so we have to cut them then drill the stump with holes and burnt it. 

You should come by and visit. I always need the help!

[chatanga1]

I have been organic gardening for about 4 years now. Have 2 compost bins which i use bi-annuallly. Today I have sealed one of them off and the waste should compost nicely for April next year. I use grass (weedless), leaves (when I can get hold of them) fruit skins (non-citrus only), any old paper from the house, I shred and put that it (usually old letters I don't need anymore and the unsolicited mail you get from companies), teabags, etc.

They break down very nicely and the soil texture and productivity has been brilliant this year. This is after applying compost for about 4 years now. Plus it helps the environment and all that to do your own composting.

This year we have some very good pears of good quality and quantity. Palak is very easy to grow as it grows anywhere. Had excellent dhannia, methe, methi, and onions. We had some good Kadus as well this year and last.

Only have a small garden space but get a lot from it. I usually stick to tried and tested product as I hate to waste the space there but always give something new a chance every year. Today I have cleared up the summer produce from the garden and will turn the soil over once more before planting some lassan.

Maybe we could share some photos of our progress next year?

[chatanga1]

 

     I've gone all nerdy in the place and am trying to make a worm farm. 

If you compost then worms will naturally find their way to the place and breed there. Every year I have composted, when I apply it to the soil in the late spring, there are hundreds and hundreds of worms in the compost and underneath it. Many little but some very big as well.

[chatanga1]

We use no compost. The soil has enough nutrients by itself. When we have to replenish lost nutrients we use a thing called miracle grow. We put it in after every 14 days.

In the UK miracle grow is a chemical fertilizer. I suspect the same in the Canada. Why do you use that and what's it made off?

We have a lot of acres but first ya gotta clear out a shitload of trees and prep the soil before anything can be planted.

Don't cut down any trees you don't need to.

[Singh123456777]

The miracle gro I use is organic. This is the product I buy. http://m.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Gro-Organic-Choice-15-lb-All-Purpose-Plant-Food-100958/202609936

 

We have invasive trees that are taking over our fields so that's why we have to cut down a shitload of trees.

[dalsingh101]

We have a lot of acres but first ya gotta clear out a shitload of trees and prep the soil before anything can be planted. So it will take time before it will be mass scale. We have trees that took over a lot of acreage so we have to cut them then drill the stump with holes and burnt it. 

You should come by and visit. I always need the help!

Get my lumberjack on!! lol

[dalsingh101]

 

If you compost then worms will naturally find their way to the place and breed there. Every year I have composted, when I apply it to the soil in the late spring, there are hundreds and hundreds of worms in the compost and underneath it. Many little but some very big as well.

Apparently, the best composting worms are red wigglers (and not commonly found in the soil like earthworms). I've been sticking earthworms in my compost pile though. Hope I ain't killing them!

If i ever find a fishing shop I'm going to grab some of them red wigglers, but I'm going to wait till the weather warms up a bit first (spring) before that. Autumn (fall in Canada/US) is just starting here.  

 

Yeah, people should make sure they put carbon based sources in their compost too, I know a lot of people just throw food scraps which are all nitrogen based, you actually need more carbon based (saw dust, wood, brown cardboard, paper etc. than nitrogen based shit). 

 

This year we have some very good pears of good quality and quantity. Palak is very easy to grow as it grows anywhere. Had excellent dhannia, methe, methi, and onions. We had some good Kadus as well this year and last.

I found palak tempremental, I think it actually prefers slightly cooler weather. This summer only one breed (perpetual spinach) grew well, two other strands I planted (viking and red cardinal) sucked. I just planed some more of the red cardinal and viking now the weather is cooler, so we'll see if that helps. I had NO luck with dhaniya this summer, but just stuck some seeds out again - fingers crossed. Methi just seems to attract slugs and snails for me. 

 

Only have a small garden space but get a lot from it. I usually stick to tried and tested product as I hate to waste the space there but always give something new a chance every year. Today I have cleared up the summer produce from the garden and will turn the soil over once more before planting some lassan.

I just planted lassan the other week and it is already coming up. But it takes 6 months apparently so patience. Plant it now Chatanga and harvest in spring.

 

I've got a small space too. I'm thinking of putting some raised beds in. 

 

PS - I'd stick photos up too, but the cable from my phone to PC doesn't seem to work. Might try again later. 

[dalsingh101]

Couldn't attach phone to upload photos.

 

Anyway, idea for compost.

 

Most of us would know that channa is a serious nutritional powerhouse. So in theory adding crushed channa to your compost pile (or maybe even straight besan) should turbo boast its nutritional content, cheaply. What do people think? 

[chatanga1]

On 01/11/2015 at 1:06 PM, dalsingh101 said:

 

 I've been sticking earthworms in my compost pile though. Hope I ain't killing them!

 

 

Most likely you are killing them. If you throw them on top of the pile it will be too warm for them and they will dry out and die. Worms will always find their own way to the compost heap and stay at the bottom where it is cooler.

 

Lassan has started coming up a treat.

[dalsingh101]

4 hours ago, chatanga1 said:

 

Most likely you are killing them. If you throw them on top of the pile it will be too warm for them and they will dry out and die. Worms will always find their own way to the compost heap and stay at the bottom where it is cooler.

Fingers crossed. Too late to pull them out now! Plus in this weather I don't think my smallish compost heap gets too hot. Hopefully they made it to a cool place. They haven't dried out and died at the top. I kept the composter lid open when I put them in to get light on it, as they are photophobic they didn't hang around and quickly burrowed away. 

Quote

Lassan has started coming up a treat.

Same here, six months to go! lol

 

Planted peas, but none seems to have sprouted. No luck with dhaniya too. 

[BhagatSingh]

Everything You Know About Composting is Wrong: Mike McGrathhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9OhxKlrWwc

I changed how I composted after watching this.

Edited December 8, 2015 by BhagatSingh

[dalsingh101]

17 hours ago, BhagatSingh said:

Everything You Know About Composting is Wrong: Mike McGrathhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9OhxKlrWwc

I changed how I composted after watching this.

I think I've been on it. Nothing this guy is saying is really radical other than compost the leaves on their own. I still don't agree that that vegetable kitchen scraps aren't useful nitrogen sources. 

 

But I do agree that worms (specific types) can help speed up the breakdown of vegetable scraps. 

 

I think most composters know about the value of autumn leaves. One of biggest thing missing from most of our compost heaps these days is animal shit. Mainly because we have less and less contact with such animals and consequently less access to their shit. I remember my neighbor collecting horse shit that the rag and bone man's horse would drop on the road to put around his garden.  

Edited December 9, 2015 by dalsingh101

[BhagatSingh]

7 hours ago, dalsingh101 said:

I think I've been on it. Nothing this guy is saying is really radical other than compost the leaves on their own. I still don't agree that that vegetable kitchen scraps aren't useful nitrogen sources. 

 

But I do agree that worms (specific types) can help speed up the breakdown of vegetable scraps. 

 

I think most composters know about the value of autumn leaves. One of biggest thing missing from most of our compost heaps these days is animal shit. Mainly because we have less and less contact with such animals and consequently less access to their shit. I remember my neighbor collecting horse shit that the rag and bone man's horse would drop on the road to put around his garden.  

Vegetable kitchen scraps have low quantities of nitrogen and compost very slowly. I found this out the hard way.

Your pee has good amount of nitrogen. Peeing on compost helps compost faster.

Worms have a small role in composting, at least early one, it's mostly bacteria that is breaking shit down. The more nitrogen you have in there, the more bacteria (that feed on nitrogen) can get in there and wreck shit.

And yea shit is good too. They use cow shit for all kinds of things in India.

Edited December 10, 2015 by BhagatSingh