Clean Air Gardening Blog

More About Mulch

blair — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:30 +0000

You’re probably aware by now that mulch has many beneficial qualities; heaven knows, we’ve sung its praises often enough! Mulch is nothing less than one of the organic gardener’s “greatest allies,” as one publication puts it. Properly applied, mulch discourages weed growth, prevents soil erosion, enriches the soil, helps retain moisture, and in some cases (depending on the material used) can discourage insect attacks. And did you know that the mulch spread around tree trunks offers a protective barrier as well? It makes the trunk less likely to be damaged by your lawnmower, if nothing else.

That said, mulch can be bad news if handled or applied incorrectly. You should never pile it right against the base of a tree or the stem of a plant, as it can promote disease and provide a haven for bugs. Plus, you should never layer it more than 3-4 inches deep, or it’ll prevent rain from reaching your plant roots and will interfere with oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange.

Also, you can’t use just anything for mulch; some materials contain natural toxins that are dangerous to other plants, so you should never mulch with them without running them through the compost pile first. Some examples of these include chips or bark from acacia, California bay, camphor, cypress, eucalyptus, madrone, oak, pine, pittosporum, red cedar, and walnut.

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Get Those Weeds Once and For All!

blair — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:36 +0000

Every gardener, organic and otherwise, knows that dealing with weeds is a never-ending struggle. There are various ways to suppress them in your soil, from mulching to solarization to planting an undercover, like clover or winter rye, to choke them out (and incidentally to supply a green manure later on). You can also try pulling them up, burning them out with a blowtorch, pouring hot water on them, and spraying them with vinegar. All these methods work, at least temporarily; but most weeds are going to come back if you don’t get the taproot.

If you don’t want to deal with the same weed again and again, take the time to get the whole root, using something like a thin-bladed knife or trowel if you have to. It’ll be a lot easier if you do your weeding right after a soaking rain, when the ground’s softened (especially if you have a heavy clay soil like we do in Dallas). And while smaller weeds might be easier to pull than larger ones, the really small ones can be hard to get ahold of. You can make this process easier by using a strawberry huller to grab them with.

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A Quick Growing Tip for Clay Soils

blair — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:16 +0000

If you’re having trouble getting seeds to germinate in soil with a high clay content, here’s one hint that might help. Rather than cover them over with the clay, use vermiculite instead.

Why?

Because clay can absorb heat, baking the seeds until they’re sterile and won’t germinate at all. It can also be difficult for developing seedlings to push up through clay. Vermiculite, on the other hand, has a spongy, loose granular structure that both keeps the internal temperature down and provides plenty of air and water for the seedling. It’s also soft and easy to grow through.

Check out our vermiculite! It’s great for raised bed gardening, too!

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When to Stake Tomatoes and Vegetables

blair — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:00:13 +0000

Don’t do what I did. This is how long I waited to stake my cucumber vines. Yes, I waited until I couldn’t even see what to pick. And yes, it was a mess untangling the cucumber vines. Hopefully, I didn’t damage the vines in the process of untangling. They were even starting to wrap around the squash plants.

Tomatoes are next. Now technically, some tomato varieties can grow without tomato cages or support, but it really makes a mess. Stems fall over and start growing parallel along the ground, and fruit may end up lying on the ground. This opens your tomato plants up to pests, diseases, and rot. So, stake them early so the cages can direct and support their growth. Here are some options for staking tomato plants. See what works best for your garden:
Foldable Tomato Cages
Ultimate Tomato Cage
Planter Staking Kit
Vegetable and Tomato Cage

And don’t miss this video from Lars on more gardening tips for growing tomatoes.

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Water Saving Tips

blair — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:06 +0000

Regular watering is vital for any lawn or garden, but it’s especially crucial in an organic garden, where you don’t have artificial chemicals to help perk up the plants. That being the case, we thought we’d offer a few reminders to help you get the most out of your water, which may be limited in times of drought.

First of all, how do you know when to water? For plants growing in containers, you should check the moisture with your fingers on a daily basis. Remember, potting medium is very lightweight and porous and tends to dry out quickly, so it may require more frequent watering than normal soil. For your lawn or garden, an electronic soil tester is invaluable for testing soil moisture; otherwise, you can dig up a small area with a thin-bladed trowel or screwdriver and do a touch test. If the soil down to 3-4 inches is dry to the touch, it needs water.

On average, a lawn needs about one inch of water per week. It’s better to water less frequently and more deeply, so that your plants and lawn develop stronger root systems. Trees and shrubs should be watered deeply every 10-14 days, if you don’t get a deep, soaking rain during that period.

It’s best to water early in the morning or late in the evening, because it decreases the rate of water loss through evaporation. Of the two, morning is best; dampness overnight may lead to fungal diseases. Don’t water in the heat of the day, especially when it’s sunny; ironically this may burn your plants, as sunlight refracts through the water droplets and is focused to higher intensity.

Finally, keep in mind that watering can flush nutrients out of the very soil you’re trying to enrich, so it’s a good idea not to overwater. One way to limit this problem is to use an organic fertilizer or compost as a top dressing around your plants. This will help stabilize the nutrient load.

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Test Your Stored Seeds First

blair — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:00:00 +0000

While it makes good sense to store any leftover seeds for later use, some may not survive the wait. Plus, some vegetable seeds—particularly those of onion and garlic—have a low germination rate anyway. In either case, it’s hard to tell which seeds are duds until they’ve actually been in the ground for a while. That wastes valuable gardening time.

Here’s a way around that problem: germinate suspect seeds between moist paper towels, as we suggested here a while back. If they sprout, you’ve got a head start on your garden; if not, you haven’t lost much. Incidentally, if you’ll place the germinating seeds on a mat on top of your refrigerator, where it’s always nice and toasty, they’ll germinate quicker.

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How to Handle Organic Produce

blair — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:00:45 +0000

Photo courtesy of NatalieMaynor at Flickr.com.

Any produce should be treated with care, in order to lengthen its shelf life until you’re ready to eat it. However, special care needs to be taken with organic fruits and vegetables, since no chemicals are used to preserve them. If you’re choosing organic produce in a store, look for items that are as blemish-free as possible, lacking any breaks in the rind or skin. Even small nicks and dings can allow in decay and markedly decrease the shelf life. If you’re growing your own, be as careful as you can not to damage it during handling, either during cultivation or harvest. You may not end up with perfect produce either way, but it’ll last much longer if you’re willing to take it easy.

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Get Paid for Riding Your Bike to Work

blair — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:00:46 +0000

Photo: Lars biking to work!

One practical way to reduce your carbon footprint and stay carbon neutral is to ride your bike to work every day. But did you know that you might be able to get paid for it? It’s true! Section 211 of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (which is most famous for bailing out America’s bankrupt financial institutions) also allows for a reimbursement of expenses a bicyclist incurs while commuting to and from work. Since February 2009, commuter bicyclists have been able to get reimbursed by their employers for up to $20 per month for bike-related expenses. You can use the money for repairs, storage, license fees, or any other basic expenses. For detailed information on what the Bicycle Commuter Act covers, click here.

The catch is, it’s a voluntary program, so your employer has to sign up for it. But there’s an incentive for them, because they can deduct what they pay you for bike maintenance from their own taxes.

Twenty bucks a month may not be much, but it’s better than nothing—and now you don’t have to worry about where the money to keep your bike in good repair is going to come from. Think of it as a little perk for doing the right thing.

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Critters and Organic Pest Control in the Vegetable Garden

blair — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:32 +0000

Did you see this article from Mother Earth News on Coping with Critters? It gives a lot of great information about the critters, themselves. Did you know:

A skunk can shoot its spray as far as 12 feet, and it is said that it will aim for another animal’s eyes.
From Mother Earth News Coping with Critters

With all the critters coming to the garden, it does make me wonder why I just don’t seed a lawn, and completely garden in containers. I have already seen a cat, and a rabbit in the garden. And, two deer and a turkey were eyeing it yesterday. The raccoons better stay out.

I ask a lot of folks, “What do you do to keep garden critters away?” You wouldn’t believe some of the suggestions, or maybe you would.

Two raw eggs mixed with a gallon of water.
Irish Spring soap hanging in pantyhose.
When you have to pee, pee around the garden, and mark your territory.
Boil cayenne pepper with water.
Soak garlic in water, and spray on the plants.
Build a big fence.
Plant a nice crop of rye for them to eat, instead.

Some of the suggestions seem a little farfetched. But, really, they’re not! They’re all pretty much organic pest control methods. Ways to deter these garden critters from your plants without using chemicals.

That’s what we support, too. Check out our organic pest control options! We’ve rearranged the store section a bit, so you can find what you need by garden pest, or where the pests are located, like vegetable garden pests. Don’t miss the end of this video!

And, look at the product ingredients, and you’ll see the similarities in garden pest folklore remedies, and these organic pest control methods. The organic pest control products save a bunch of time, and the guessing game of what to use. More importantly, it keeps your neighbor from seeing you pee in your backyard!

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Keep Your Earthworms Happy

blair — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:00:51 +0000

One reason you should regularly work compost, organic fertilizers, and other amendments into your soil is to keep your resident earthworms happy. They’ll love the added organic materials, and a happy worm is an active worm. Never underestimate the value of a healthy, thriving earthworm population in keeping your soil healthy, which is the basis for any organic gardening success. Not only do worms aerate the soil, providing plenty of open spaces for water and air to percolate downward, they break down organic debris into useable nutrients and keep bacteria and other pathogens from attacking plants. Plus, their castings are themselves incredibly rich in nutrients.

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