Organic Gardening Tip of the Week

How to Improve Soil Biology

How to Improve Soil Biology

What is meant by soil biology? Isn’t soil just a bunch of minerals? The answer is no and your soil contains so many living organisms, most of which are not visible with the naked eye, but all are important for the soil’s ecosystem. The visible organisms are earthworms and small mammals like gophers, moles or voles, however the vast number of organisms are only visible with a microscope such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and more. What does all of this biology have to do with the health of my garden? Well the answer is without soil biology, your plants will have problems accessing nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, both essential for growth. What can be done to improve and increase your soil’s biological makeup? Well they need adequate organic matter, good aeration, proper moisture, and a fairly neutral pH. One of the easiest things to do to improve your soil biology is to work in some good quality compost. The compost will help hold onto moisture, help aerate the soil by maintaining soil porosity and supply nutrients to the microbes already living in your soil.

Another important practice that will help improve soil biology is to plant a cover crop in areas that you are not actively growing in. Cover crops can be planted in the fall and cut down in the spring, or grown in the summer and finishes in the summer. Don’t forget to inoculate your cover crops if they contain legumes and inoculate legumes you are growing for food, like bush beans or pole beans. The Rhizobium bacteria in the inoculant forms a symbiotic relationship with the plants’ roots and converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant usable form, in turn the plant supplies the bacteria with carbohydrates needed to live. Any extra nitrogen the plant does not need is stored on the roots and can be used by the following crop. 

If you are interested in reading more about soil biology, you can read our articles Weaving the Soil Food Web or The Dirt on Mycorrhizae.

How to Improve Soil Biology

What is meant by soil biology? Isn’t soil just a bunch of minerals? The answer is no and your soil contains so many living organisms, most of which are not visible with the naked eye, but all are important for the soil’s ecosystem. The visible organisms are earthworms and small mammals like gophers, moles or voles, however the vast number of organisms are only visible with a microscope such as bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa and more. What does all of this biology have to do with the health of my garden? Well the answer is without soil biology, your plants will have problems accessing nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, both essential for growth. What can be done to improve and increase your soil’s biological makeup? Well they need adequate organic matter, good aeration, proper moisture, and a fairly neutral pH. One of the easiest things to do to improve your soil biology is to work in some good quality compost. The compost will help hold onto moisture, help aerate the soil by maintaining soil porosity and supply nutrients to the microbes already living in your soil.

Another important practice that will help improve soil biology is to plant a cover crop in areas that you are not actively growing in. Cover crops can be planted in the fall and cut down in the spring, or grown in the summer and finishes in the summer. Don’t forget to inoculate your cover crops if they contain legumes and inoculate legumes you are growing for food, like bush beans or pole beans. The Rhizobium bacteria in the inoculant forms a symbiotic relationship with the plants’ roots and converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant usable form, in turn the plant supplies the bacteria with carbohydrates needed to live. Any extra nitrogen the plant does not need is stored on the roots and can be used by the following crop. 

If you are interested in reading more about soil biology, you can read our articles Weaving the Soil Food Web or The Dirt on Mycorrhizae.

Choosing the Right Irrigation for You

Choosing the Right Irrigation for You

If you are just setting up your drip irrigation system for your garden or yard, there are quite a few things to consider when choosing the type of irrigation you want to use. Drip systems can be made up of either drip tape, emitterline, soaker hose, drip emitters or a combination. If you are watering straight, flat rows then drip tape is a good choice. Unless you have a low pressure system, you will need to put a pressure reducer on your drip tape system. If your property has a slope, then you may want to use emitterline (works best with higher pressure). Soaker hose is great if you want to wind it around your landscape plants (not sharp curves). Drip emitters can be plugged right into your 1/2” poly or attached to 1/4” poly and run to your plants. There are so many options with drip irrigation, check out our selection to choose the right system for you.

Choosing the Right Irrigation for You

If you are just setting up your drip irrigation system for your garden or yard, there are quite a few things to consider when choosing the type of irrigation you want to use. Drip systems can be made up of either drip tape, emitterline, soaker hose, drip emitters or a combination. If you are watering straight, flat rows then drip tape is a good choice. Unless you have a low pressure system, you will need to put a pressure reducer on your drip tape system. If your property has a slope, then you may want to use emitterline (works best with higher pressure). Soaker hose is great if you want to wind it around your landscape plants (not sharp curves). Drip emitters can be plugged right into your 1/2” poly or attached to 1/4” poly and run to your plants. There are so many options with drip irrigation, check out our selection to choose the right system for you.
Harden Off Your Seedlings Before Transplanting Into the Garden

Harden Off Your Seedlings Before Transplanting ...

“Hardening off” is the process of acclimating your pampered vegetable starts to the outdoors. The process should be gradual and can take place over a weeks time. Take your starts outdoors and introduce them to an hour of sunlight (morning sun is best) and increase the time by an hour each day. By the end of the week they will be have been exposed to 7 hours of continuous sunlight and are ready to go into their permanent location. Avoid putting them out on windy days and when temps are going to be below 45°F. It is also important to slowly decrease the amount of water they are getting, but not to the point that they will wilt. Do not fertilize your seedlings during the process as well. You want to slow down their growth rate a bit during the hardening off process.

Harden Off Your Seedlings Before Transplanting Into the Garden

“Hardening off” is the process of acclimating your pampered vegetable starts to the outdoors. The process should be gradual and can take place over a weeks time. Take your starts outdoors and introduce them to an hour of sunlight (morning sun is best) and increase the time by an hour each day. By the end of the week they will be have been exposed to 7 hours of continuous sunlight and are ready to go into their permanent location. Avoid putting them out on windy days and when temps are going to be below 45°F. It is also important to slowly decrease the amount of water they are getting, but not to the point that they will wilt. Do not fertilize your seedlings during the process as well. You want to slow down their growth rate a bit during the hardening off process.
Control Adult Flies and Larvae Early

Control Adult Flies and Larvae Early

Spring is here and so are the flies. When controlling flies, it is important to control the larvae (maggots) and the adults. To control the larvae, fly parasites are the answer. If you have livestock (including chickens), the fly parasites should be released every 2 weeks throughout the season. Monthly or weekly shipping can easily be set up for you in our Order Department so you don’t miss releasing the parasites on a regular schedule. Release them near a fly breeding site, like a chicken coop or stable. Adult flies can be caught with traps. Most traps use a smelly bait to lure the flies into the trap, then they can’t figure out how to get back out. You can use the Peaceful Valley Fly Bait or make your own. Place the traps in the sun and near your livestock.

Control Adult Flies and Larvae Early

Spring is here and so are the flies. When controlling flies, it is important to control the larvae (maggots) and the adults. To control the larvae, fly parasites are the answer. If you have livestock (including chickens), the fly parasites should be released every 2 weeks throughout the season. Monthly or weekly shipping can easily be set up for you in our Order Department so you don’t miss releasing the parasites on a regular schedule. Release them near a fly breeding site, like a chicken coop or stable. Adult flies can be caught with traps. Most traps use a smelly bait to lure the flies into the trap, then they can’t figure out how to get back out. You can use the Peaceful Valley Fly Bait or make your own. Place the traps in the sun and near your livestock.
When to Cut Down Your Cover Crop

When to Cut Down Your Cover Crop

If you planted a soil building cover crop in the fall and about half of the plants (the peas and vetch) are blooming, it is time to cut it down. The easiest and fastest way to incorporate all of the goodness of the cover crop is to cut it with a weed eater or mower, apply a product to speed up decomposition like our Biodynamic Field Spray, and turn it under with either a rototiller or garden fork. If you don’t add the Field Spray, then the cover crop should be allowed to decompose for about 3 to 6 weeks before planting your next crop. It’s important to wait because your cover crop will be decomposing and during this decomposition process you will temporarily lock up some of the nitrogen in the soil. If you don’t want to wait, the plant material that you cut down can be added to your compost pile to decompose. To also speed up break down is to cover it with some weed fabric or a silage tarp. This will heat up the soil and chopped cover crop and help increase decomposition. We have a great video on cutting down your cover crop in the spring.

When to Cut Down Your Cover Crop

If you planted a soil building cover crop in the fall and about half of the plants (the peas and vetch) are blooming, it is time to cut it down. The easiest and fastest way to incorporate all of the goodness of the cover crop is to cut it with a weed eater or mower, apply a product to speed up decomposition like our Biodynamic Field Spray, and turn it under with either a rototiller or garden fork. If you don’t add the Field Spray, then the cover crop should be allowed to decompose for about 3 to 6 weeks before planting your next crop. It’s important to wait because your cover crop will be decomposing and during this decomposition process you will temporarily lock up some of the nitrogen in the soil. If you don’t want to wait, the plant material that you cut down can be added to your compost pile to decompose. To also speed up break down is to cover it with some weed fabric or a silage tarp. This will heat up the soil and chopped cover crop and help increase decomposition. We have a great video on cutting down your cover crop in the spring.
How to Monitor Codling Moth Activity in the Spring

How to Monitor Codling Moth Activity in the Spring

Codling moths can ruin your apples, pears or walnuts and who wants that? Codling moths will start emerging, (depending on your temperatures) in March or April. A good way to monitor for their activity is to put out a trap with a codling moth lure. The male moths will be attracted to the pheromone in the lure and get trapped in the sticky substance on the inside of the trap. If your populations are low, then the sticky traps may be enough to disrupt the mating process. If the infestation is heavy then you will want to use a combination of monitoring traps and insecticides that are labeled for codling moths. Another solution is to apply a barrier around your developing fruit so the codling moth larva cannot penetrate such as our Maggot Barriers. For more information, check out our video on Controlling Codling Moths.

How to Monitor Codling Moth Activity in the Spring

Codling moths can ruin your apples, pears or walnuts and who wants that? Codling moths will start emerging, (depending on your temperatures) in March or April. A good way to monitor for their activity is to put out a trap with a codling moth lure. The male moths will be attracted to the pheromone in the lure and get trapped in the sticky substance on the inside of the trap. If your populations are low, then the sticky traps may be enough to disrupt the mating process. If the infestation is heavy then you will want to use a combination of monitoring traps and insecticides that are labeled for codling moths. Another solution is to apply a barrier around your developing fruit so the codling moth larva cannot penetrate such as our Maggot Barriers. For more information, check out our video on Controlling Codling Moths.
How to Take a Good Soil Sample

How to Take a Good Soil Sample

Getting your soil tested is a great idea and it all starts with taking a good sample. First of all start with a clean trowel; don’t use ones made of brass or soft steel and never use your hands. Have a clean plastic bucket or pail to use, don’t use galvanized steel or rubber. Do not sample your soil if it is wetter than you would want for tilling. Take about 10–12 subsamples in your garden soil or raised beds to get a good composite of your soil. Clear away any debris or organic material from the top of the soil. Dig down about 6” or as deep as you are planning to cultivate. Dry soil should be submitted for analysis, so if your soil is too wet, spread out on a newspaper and allow to air dry (and out of direct sunlight). Watch our video on How to Take a Good Soil Sample for Soil Testing for more information.

How to Take a Good Soil Sample

Getting your soil tested is a great idea and it all starts with taking a good sample. First of all start with a clean trowel; don’t use ones made of brass or soft steel and never use your hands. Have a clean plastic bucket or pail to use, don’t use galvanized steel or rubber. Do not sample your soil if it is wetter than you would want for tilling. Take about 10–12 subsamples in your garden soil or raised beds to get a good composite of your soil. Clear away any debris or organic material from the top of the soil. Dig down about 6” or as deep as you are planning to cultivate. Dry soil should be submitted for analysis, so if your soil is too wet, spread out on a newspaper and allow to air dry (and out of direct sunlight). Watch our video on How to Take a Good Soil Sample for Soil Testing for more information.

How to Use Soil Blockers for Starting Seeds

How to Use Soil Blockers for Starting Seeds

Soil Blockers are a great way to start seeds without using a pot. Soil block makers are sold in basically three sizes–a 3/4" mini block (for small seeds), a 2" medium block and a 4" large block. You can use all three and move up from the mini block to the medium block and finally the large block, or the 2" medium block will work for most seeds. We have a great video on how to make the soil blockers using our Quickroot seed starting mix. If you want to make your own soil blocker mix, check out our article How to Make a Soil Mix for Your Soil Blocks. 

How to Use Soil Blockers for Starting Seeds

Soil Blockers are a great way to start seeds without using a pot. Soil block makers are sold in basically three sizes–a 3/4" mini block (for small seeds), a 2" medium block and a 4" large block. You can use all three and move up from the mini block to the medium block and finally the large block, or the 2" medium block will work for most seeds. We have a great video on how to make the soil blockers using our Quickroot seed starting mix. If you want to make your own soil blocker mix, check out our article How to Make a Soil Mix for Your Soil Blocks. 
How to Use the Seed Starting Calculator

How to Use the Seed Starting Calculator

Seed starting is just around the corner for some folks. If you are unsure of when to start your seeds indoors or when to direct seed, try our Seed Planting Calculator. Go to the top of our site and click Resource Center, that will take you to our Organic Gardening Resource Center. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the Seed Planting Calculator. The calculator will determine spring or fall planting times based on either your last or first frost of the season. If you are unsure of your frost dates follow the directions on how to get your last and first frost dates. We have a helpful blog on how to use the Seed Starting Calculator. Planting dates given for spring or fall planting dates are estimates only. For more information about growing conditions needed for seed germination and growing, such as soil temperature, check the back of your seed packs.

How to Use the Seed Starting Calculator

Seed starting is just around the corner for some folks. If you are unsure of when to start your seeds indoors or when to direct seed, try our Seed Planting Calculator. Go to the top of our site and click Resource Center, that will take you to our Organic Gardening Resource Center. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the Seed Planting Calculator. The calculator will determine spring or fall planting times based on either your last or first frost of the season. If you are unsure of your frost dates follow the directions on how to get your last and first frost dates. We have a helpful blog on how to use the Seed Starting Calculator. Planting dates given for spring or fall planting dates are estimates only. For more information about growing conditions needed for seed germination and growing, such as soil temperature, check the back of your seed packs.

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