Quick Tip, Less Weeding and Save Water!

  Here is a great way to conserve water, keep down unwanted grass and weeds in your garden and at it doesn't cost to much. As a matter of fact if you will work with family, neighbors and friends that just through them away you can get them for free and its a wonderful way to recycle! My Grammie used to do this to her entire garden and other than hoeing around her plant, she rarely pulled a weed, because there wasn't many!

  All you need is old News Papers:

1.  Water your garden really good before laying!
2.  You can either take the news papers and soak them in water in a large container before you spread them or wait to a non windy day and lay them, then spray down with water. It always seems to become a windy day when I try the later, God has a since of humor!
3. Lay enough that they are overlapped well and no ground is showing.
4. Keep watering, this will make the lack of weeding easier. Oh, if you get board, I guess you can read as you garden, lol!

  You can also use news papers as a  way to clear grass in a non tilling effect. It takes 6 - 8 months to do this but if you plan ahead, it sure is easier.

1. Figure out the summer before where you want your new garden and mark it.
2. Lay about 1 inch layer of news paper. You can either take the news papers and soak them in water in a large container before you spread them or wait to a non windy day and lay them, then spray down with water. Also with this method, lat rocks or boards on them. (Keep it as moist as you can)
3.  In the fall remove rocks and spread about 8 inches of chopped up leaves on it.
4. On top of the leaves spread your compost, manure, top soil or sandy loom over it.
5. Now here is the hard part! Sit back, read The Good Book and let the worms do all the work.
6. Next spring, just till everything under and plant. You will start out with good rich soil!

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Worm Tubes, "A Worms Buffet"

   While doing the 3 part soil series, I was asked many times more about the "Worm Tubes". So I thought maybe I should do a quick post to help explain a little more. They are really easy to make and install any they help attract your "Garden Champions". It's like making a "Buffet" in your garden for them, its up to you if you charge them or not, lol!
    First you will want to make a trip to the plumbing dept. of your favorite hardware store or if you have a "Habitat for Humanity Restore" in your area you can go there as well and probably get your supplies you need! (it doesn't have to be new)
    Here is this list you will need: 1) A piece of 3" or larger PVC Drain pipe. You can get the french drain pipe with the holes already in it or you can drill the holes yourself, (Holes need to be large enough for your worm customers to enter, lol). 2) You will need 1 cap to fit each worm tube that you are making. 3) If you don't have a saw to cut your pipe, you better swing by the tool dept. as well!

Pipe you need

Cap you need

 
   So you have your supplies, know for the fun part, unless you are like me and love to go to the hardware store! 

1. Cut your pipe into 3' sections or longer depending how much you want above ground.
2. At this point if your pipe doesn't have holes you will need to drill holes in it 3/4" or larger, (I feel larger if you can). Leave the end of the pipe that is barred cap free!
3. Dig down, in your garden area, 2' to 2 1/2' (use a post hole digger for a nice round hole) you can go deeper if you would like as well.
4. Place pipe in hole vertically into ground 2' to 2 1/2' into ground and back fill dirt.
5. Start dropping your kitchen scraps into the tube and put the cap on, so you can easily remove it!   Note: Follow the same guidelines for this that you would your compost bin. Don't put greasy foods, meats, ect. into the tubes!

  You can do this in a conventional garden or raised beds if you would like. A hint for conventional gardens: you could use a large trash can! Just cut the bottom out of it, drill holes in the sides and put it halfway or deeper in the ground. Use it the same way but with this one you could drop small amounts of leaves or grass clippings in as well!

  I hope you have fun with this and I am sure some of you will even come up with cleaver, artistic ways to  disguise them in your garden. When you do, please stop back by and drop us a link so that we can come see! Here is the finished product for you as well.

See them in the Corners?

More on soil:

"Black Gold and Other Soil Amendments"

"Garden Soil Part 1"
"Garden Soil Part 2" 
"Garden Soil Part 3"
"My Neighbors Raised beds"

Matthew 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

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"Black Gold and Other Soil Amendments"

   Well this is the time of the year when I will tuck most of my beds in for the winter, other then the one that I plant fall/winter crops in! There are many things to do in the fall but to me the must important thing to do is soil preparation for next year, The soil is the "Heart of the Garden".
 There are at least four factors to consider in selecting a soil amendment:

• how long the amendment will last in the soil,
• soil texture,
• soil salinity and plant sensitivities to salts, and
• salt content and pH of the amendment.

 Soil tests can determine the salt content, pH and organic matter of organic amendments. The quality of bulk organic amendments for large-scale landscape uses can then be determined.
  Remember each plant that you have planted has had its fill of a lot of the minerals and vitamins that are in the soil. So its our job to help replace those key elements so we can get the best out of our garden next season. Some people will plant a cover crop, which with my bed that I have kept open for fall/winter crops that what I will do but with the others I believe I will just use good old "Black Gold and Other Soil Amendment"!

The Redeemed Gardener

   If you don't know what black gold is, it's the product of those free compost bins I made in the beginning of the year. Read more on that at "Dirt Cheap Compost" and don't worry if you live in the city you can have compost with the "Champion Composters", worms! Here to the right is a hand full of the finished product out of my compost bins. I also mixed in equal parts of horse manure that I got for free from a friend of mine at church, you remember her from the trip we made to see her new born baby goats! All I had to do is go pick it up and they are glad to get rid of it! After I worked that into my beds, I took a couple scoops (about the size of a large coffee can) of die chicken manure and scattered it on top of the soil. Chicken manure is very rich in stuff that the soil needs. I got 5 gallon buckets of it for free as well from a friend of mine that owns chickens and by just asking he gave me some! Then as with the other Amendments I work it down into the soil.

Chicken Poop in a Bucket, lol!

  Why work it into the soil, because amending a soil is not the same thing as mulching, although many mulches also are used as amendments. A mulch is left on the soil surface. Its purpose is to reduce evaporation and runoff, inhibit weed growth, and create an attractive appearance. Mulches also moderate soil temperature, helping to warm soils in the spring and cool them in the summer. So that leads me to the final thing that I do to tuck them in for the winter and that's put a good layer of my mulched up leaves/grass mix, from the yard right on top of the soil, about 4 to 6 inches will do. Then I will work that in in the early early spring to the soil as well. You can also use bark mulch as well and here is a great video to watch on the use of mulch in the garden, "Back to Eden". These are just some of the things I do to get the soil prepared for winter and for next season. There are also many different "Organic and Inorganic Amendments" out there, I just chose Organic for all the best reasons! Here is a very good article I found from "Gardener's Supply Company" that is more in depth from the professional side of this subject. Remember I am a simple farm boy (living in the city) that has been known to be called "Jethro" before, lol! Those of you that haven't been with me for a while should read that article for a good ol knee slapper of a laugh!
  So for us simple folks here is a recap:

•   Test your soil, to see what it is missing and what type it is
•   Locate the type of Amendment you need for your garden (free/organic is best)
•   Work you Amendment into your soil
•   Tuck your Garden in with a good layer of mulch, (leaves, bark, news paper, etc)
•   And let God do the rest, "He Promises"

"You must keep all earthy treasures out of your heart, and let Christ be your treasure, and let Him have your heart." ~ C.H. Spurgeon

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Save Those Coffee Grounds for the Garden!

Every day across America and the world millions of pots of coffee and tea are brewed, and the millions of pounds of wet grounds, filters and bags thrown in the trash.  How wasteful is that, my wife years ago gave me the idea of using them on my acid loving plants.
Coffee by-products can be used in the garden and farm as follows:

• Sprinkle used grounds around plants before rain or watering, for a slow-release nitrogen.
• If you have an over abundance of grounds you can apply them directly on your lawn, very good for your grass!
• Add to compost piles to increase nitrogen balance.  Coffee filters and tea bags break down rapidly during composting.
• Dilute with water for a gentle, fast-acting liquid fertilizer.  Use about a half-pound can of wet grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water; let sit outdoors to achieve ambient temperature.
• Mix into soil for houseplants or vegetable beds.
• Encircle the base of the plant with a coffee and eggshell barrier to repel pests.
• If you are into worm composting, feed a little bit to your worms

It is easy to collect coffee grounds from your office.  Just put an empty coffee can next to the coffee maker.  Empty once a week or as needed.  Once people get wind of what you're doing, don't be surprised if others want the grounds, too! I have also heard of people going to their local coffee house and asking them to save their used grounds as well, most of the time they are happy to get rid of them! Or ask your neighbors to save them for you as well!




Ezekiel 17:8 "It was planted in good soil by many waters, To bring forth branches, bear fruit, And become a majestic vine.”’


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"Compost Tea Anyone?"

    I have had a few emailed questions about, "What is compost tea?" and "How do you make it"? We all know that compost is a wonderful addition to soil and helps our gardens grow better. Your garden can benefit even more by using compost tea. Compost tea is easily made by soaking or steeping compost in water. I take a piece of cheese cloth, scoop a handful of compost into it, tie it up with a piece of twine and toss it the watering container just like you would a tea bag!

    By using compost tea to replace chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides, you can garden safer and be more protective of the environment. Compost tea also, Increases plant growth, Provides nutrients to plants and soil, Provides beneficial organisms, Helps to suppress diseases, Replaces toxic garden chemicals. So there are many benefits’ from using it!

    Also you can make tea out of other organic things as well such as: Crushed egg shells (for calcium), Grass clippings (for nitrogen), by placing Banana peels in a food processor (for potassium). I have even seen people take all different sorts of vegetable waste from the kitchen and process it that way, dig a hole in the garden and pour it straight in! 

    Funny story! I grossed my daughter and one of her friends out with it a few weeks back. They came carrying the water can to me and said, "There is something wrong with the water in your can"'. I stuck my hand in the water and pulled out the ball of cheese cloth with the compost/horse manure. They asked what it was, so I told them what it was. I just so happened to have a cup of fresh brewed ice tea sitting there with me. So I took a drink and said, "It taste pretty good, want some"? LOL! That really grossed them out! Yes, I did tell them a little later it was for the plants!

Here is a cheap way to make a compost bin, "Dirt Cheap"

Let me know what and how you make your garden tea!

Palms 126:2 "Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them."

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My neighbor and His Raised Bed

  Well, you have met my wife. Now meet my neighbor and good friend Jason. We kinda inspire each other in our gardens and other aspects of our lives. His son makes fun of us all the time but we give it right back to him. Jason is very smart and an always thinking kind of guy. Always trying to come up with a better way of doing things. He is like me, a "Jack of all trades and a Master of none". I want to show all of you how he took, basically all the ideas we have talked about in gardening,  into one bed. He plans to expand and continue with the techniques of gardening. So here is a step by step of his latest raised bed!
  Other Posts on Raised Beds: "Pros and Cons", "Coming Along","Dirt Cheap"!

How can I make this work?

The frame w/ chicken wire

  As you can see, Jason did a lot of thinking, where we do most of our best thinking, lol! His was in the front lawn! That's just how we do things in West Virginia, lol!
  To frame he used 2x4's and chicken wire. Then as you will see in the next pictures he used commercial grade weed barrier, like I used, to  hold the dirt in! He also used the "Hugelkultur, link" idea as a filler in the bottom of the bed, (used wood and scrap cardboard he had around the house).

Sides complete

Hugelkulture

  He used recycled potting dirt and dirt that was taken from his front yard when he had his new driveway poured to fill it the rest of the way up. So he had No cost in dirt! Here is a great video I found that he wants to incorporate into the next one, "Back To Eden"!

Recycled Potting soil

   Here is his final Raised Bed! If you will look closely, you may ask, "What are those white pipes for?" Well, those are his "Food Composter/Worm feeders". You use them by putting them down in the dirt as you see, they have to have holes in them (so the worms can get in). As you get table scraps you just remove the lids, drop the scraps in and its a open buffet for your worms! You can put them in  conventional garden's as well, I am sure!
  Here is a link for "Worm Tubes" and an earlier post "Worms champion composter".
  I think he told me he had about $50.00 in all of this. So see how easy and fun this can be. If you have anything to add or suggestions please feel free to add!

The completed bed. With the "Worm Buffets"!

  So you have met Jason a little and Have seen one of his creation's. He and his family are wonderful people. Always have been! I will say, when you find friends like them its a wonderful thing.

  “If you have two friends in your lifetime, you're lucky. If you have one good friend, you're more than lucky.”  -S.E. Hilton

 


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"Worms, The Champion Composter"

  I had been wanting to investigate more on "worm composting". So as I was looking around one of the blogs I follow posted about a project they did! A Flock in the City has a great post on creating a worm compost bin. But what is "Worm composting"? Worm composting is using worms to recycle food scraps and other organic material into a valuable soil amendment called vermicompost, or worm compost. Worms eat food scraps, which become compost as they pass through the worm's body. Compost exits the worm through its' tail end. This compost can then be used to grow plants. To understand why vermicompost is good for plants, remember that the worms are eating nutrient-rich fruit and vegetable scraps, and turning them into nutrient-rich compost. So I'm thinking its worm poop, right? lol

  To get started you need worms, a container and "bedding." I have learned something interesting about worms. Growing up on the farm I always thought, "A worm is a worm is a worm" boy was I wrong, all worms aren't created equal. Don't try using your garden-variety night crawlers. They need to worm their way through dirt to eat and survive and they don't dine on organic waste. So what kind of warms do you need, for this you need red worms -- Eisenia foetida (also known as red wigglers) or Lumbricus rubellus (manure worm). I hope I spelled those right, lol!
   How many red worms does a person needs when starting? Some experts recommend a one-to-one ratio -- one pound of worms for one pound of garbage. But others recommended two pounds per pound of garbage, so I guess somewhere in between will do. The other thing you have to keep in mind is that worms multiply like rabbits, so they say! (Or maybe it's more like rabbits multiply like worms!) Anyway, if you give them adequate food and a good home they can double their populations every 90 days. So, you may want to start out slow and with fewer worms than you think you'll need and the resulting worm population explosion will take care of the rest. I found that to be really interesting!

   I guess the only real important thing left is, what about the environment? Ideally your worm compost bin should be in an environment where the temperature ranges between 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and red worms generally prefer temperatures in the 55 to 77 degree range. (Unlike backyard composting with bacteria who like it hotter than heck, worms are more like us.) Many people use a corner of their kitchen, or, if they have a worm bin outside and live in a place where it does get chilly in the winter, they move it inside for the cold months. So after you build your bin CLICK HERE! or buy a kit, you should be able to start pouring scraps in and before you know it have great "worm compost for you garden or house plants.

  Here are some good sites I found that you may want to look at as well. Most of this information came off them but they do have more for you!

  http://www.unclejimswormfarm.com/

  http://www.cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.html

  http://www.redwormcomposting.com/

"I do think we have a responsibility to care for the environment – we ought to care for every resource God has provided for us."  John MacArthur

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