Yard and Garden

Seed Starting Grow Station

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In preparation for the upcoming growing year and with projects at:

I decided I needed a spot to grow as many of the vegetable starts myself as I could.  I have started my own seeds for decades.  I think it is one of the most rewarding and inexpensive ways to maximize what you grow and how much you grow and it allows you to pick whatever is in a seed catalog and not have to rely on sale at a plant store.  The economy of scale is simple:

$2  =  One head of lettuce  =  one six pack of lettuce transplants  =  one packet of 1000 lettuce seeds  =  $2

So I am going to show how you can make your own grow station at home.

First  thing to do is to pick your spot. Mind it needs to have close electric.  You also need access to water to water your plants.  Shop lights are four feet long so factor that in.  You also need to watch how cold or hot your spot gets.  This is a table top spot I am going to use in my office.  Water is halfway close across the hall,  electric is right there.

Table top area is 2′ x 4′. Has a socket right next to it. Perfect size to fit three flats without crowding.

I needed to build a frame that will allow me to hang the shop lights.  The lights are the cheapest 4 foot shop lights from Home Depot or Lowe’s that you can find.  I will splurge on the bulbs as the amount of light is critical.  I just cut some wood and used the chains and hooks that came with the lights to hang them.  I set the lights at one height and then move the plants.  Much easier that way.

Then I hooked up the lights using a basic timer and a power strip.  The timer is set for 15 hours of sun, which is basically mid-summer.  One common problem many have if they grow at home is not enough light.  You are trying to mimic the effect of the sun in summer. There are no windowsills in Ohio sunny enough in March and April to grow tomatoes, they will get leggy and do poorly.

Then I started some seeds.  Why not?  I have a seed starting class coming up at Bishop Educational Gardens and I will need to bring plants at many growth stages to have good examples.

Lettuce and Asian cabbages are great plants to start with when you are learning to start seeds. They germinate rapidly and reliably and take to transplanting very well.

 

A little bit on what bulbs to buy. You are trying to mimic daylight in terms of brightness and spectrum.  When I first started growing there was only one choice of bulb and it worked OK.  Now you have many.  I bought highest on the Kelvin scale which is basically looking at the “color temperature” of light.  The daylight one is the best for new seedlings.  If I was going to full maturity on plants or trying to get fruit in my basement or office I would mix up the bulbs a bit to get a fuller spectrum but since the plants finish under the sun, I am only looking for a great start.

LED’s are out there that would do a great job too.  They are out of my budget right now but I am looking forward to using them in the future due to their extreme long life.

pic source: foodiegardener.com

I will be able to start and grow hundreds of transplants to use in area gardens with this technique.

Plants need to be very close to the light source, only 2-3″ away maximum or they will get leggy.

 

So now I have some awesome mood lighting in my office.  Stop by and take a look if you want.  I will post updates on growth as it happens.

 

 

 

 

 

Save the Date!! Seed Starting Class at Bishop Educational Garden, Wednesday March 1st.

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OSU Extension and Hocking Soil and Water Conservation District will be partnering to present a FREE workshop at Bishop Educational Gardens, the home of Lilyfest, on Wednesday March 1st from 6:30 to 8pm.

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Basic techniques for starting your own flowers, herbs and vegetables will be demonstrated as well as a discussion on how to construct your own home growing environment.

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Registration is recommended to ensure we have enough seating.  Bring your questions and your friends.  Bishop Educational Garden is located at 13200 Little Cola Rd. Rockbridge, OH 43149  (click for google map)

For more information or to register contact Rebecca Miller, HSWCD,  at 740-385-3016 or Tim McDermott OSUE at 740-385-3222 or email to McDermott.15@osu.edu

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Dehydrating Herbs

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I want to say a big “Thanks!!” to Hocking Valley Community Hospital for hosting the “Holiday Projects from the Container Garden” class.   HVCH is an amazing partner and an asset to our county.   This is a web version of the Power Point proceedings so folks have a reference as needed.

Dehydrating is one of the oldest preservation methods known.  It allows storage without energy of a food product.  Similar to canning.  Once the product has been prepared properly, it is shelf stable.   It fits within the food knowledge plan I am teaching here in Hocking County:

Start seeds–> Grow plants–> Harvest–> Storage–> Eat

I consider herbs the gateway to dehydrating.  If you can do herbs, you can move on to veggies, fruit and meat.

Things to consider:

  • Some herbs dry better than others
  • Different herbs dry at different speeds
  • Harvest herbs at the peak of flavor to get the best product
  • Dry herbs as whole leaves and store as whole leaves to preserve flavor
  • Different tools can dry herbs: dehydrator, oven, microwave, solar

The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a nice factsheet on this topic.

First thing is to make sure your herbs are at peak flavor and you trim off any bad leaves.

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I use a dehydrator for drying.  Many methods can be used –>  Four methods of drying herbs from MSU Extension

Thyme - leaves kept on stems works best

Thyme – leaves kept on stems works best

 

Sage - Individual leaves dry best with this large leaf herb

Sage – Individual leaves dry best with this large leaf herb

 

Best herbs for drying: parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano, chives

Trickiest herb to dry that everyone wants to dry: basil

  • Basil dries at low heat only or turns black, needs 95 degrees
  • Great alternate way to store basil is blend with olive oil alone or as pesto and freeze

Herb you can dry or freeze: mint

  • To me it is not bright when dried.  Store blended in lemon juice or iced tea for a flavor punch

Herb best frozen only: cilantro

  • I blend my cilantro with lime juice and freeze, then add to dishes when cooking

 

I like to make blends and use them for cooking or give them as gifts.  Some great blends are:

  • Italian – parsley, basil and oregano
  • Roasting – thyme, parsley, chives, sage and rosemary

 

Once fully dried, store in a jar, as whole leaves.  It will taste much better than store bought.  Lightly crush leaves when added to cooking.

 

Use these amounts as guidelines for substituting one form of an herb for another: (Source: PSU Extension)

  • 1 Tablespoon fresh herb
  • 1 teaspoon dried herb
  • ¼ teaspoon powdered herb

 

Once again a shout out to Hocking Valley Community Hospital.  We will continue to partner on health and wellness programs.  As a side note they are one of my favorite Hocking County restaurants.  Stop in the cafeteria for some lunch and tell them I said “hi.”

I stop in every so often to hit the salad bar and get my health and wellness on:  (For only $1.25 for a “small” !!!)

Get your salad fix at the HVCH cafeteria.

Get your salad fix at the HVCH cafeteria.

The Urban Farm is Done for the Season

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So on a sunny 60 degree day in late November (I know, right?), Sam, Brad and I finished the paths around The Urban Farm and are now done with Phase II construction.   The target for growing will be to sow some seed like spinach, lettuce, carrots, radishes and peas in March of 2017 to prepare for vegetable sales on May 1 for the Senior Farmer’s Market Voucher Program, and to hopefully have some extra for public sale and inclusion into Meals on Wheels and lunches at the Senior Center.

Special THANKS! to Athens Hocking Recycling Center for some more donated mulch.  I took some pics for you all to enjoy.

Phase I, the herb bed, is doing great. It is still being harvested for use in the Kitchen

Phase I, the herb bed, is doing great. It is still being harvested for use in the Kitchen

 

The winter rye cover crop is starting to germinate. Hoping it gets enough root growth to survive the winter

The winter rye cover crop is starting to germinate. Hoping it gets enough root growth to survive the winter

 

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See you all in the spring.

The Urban Farm – Raised Bed Growing Medium

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We built six raised beds as our starting point for growing vegetables next spring.  Each bed is 4′ x 12′ and 8 inches tall.  The math works out to about 32 cubit feet of soil per bed, with a cubic yard being 27 cubic feet, we need over 7 cubic yards of fill material.

I wanted to get a good head start on organic material as increasing soil organic matter over time can take years, but I did not want to put all my eggs in one dirt basket, so I went with two different compost options,  one a commercial blend and the other a municipal yard waste blend.  We used the municipal blend here at the Children’s Educational Garden at the fairgrounds and while it is a dynamite additive to soil,  when I planted into it straight away,  some plants did not look happy,  showing a symptom called chlorosis, or yellowing of the leaves.  That means the product needs something done to it to smooth out any rough edges.   That is my main concern, making sure I correct any needed deficiencies before planting season.

The first was the compost created at Athens-Hocking Recycling Center.  Sam and I wanted to purchase from them as they have been so gracious with donations of mulch for this project as well as the What a Waste Project.  This material is made from food scraps they collect regionally from homes and businesses that keeps this waste from a landfill and turns it into a salable product by mixing it with wood mulch, turning it, then shredding it down.

Here is a close up of the finished product, some cover crop seeds are visible:

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You know me,  I have to soil test it:

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Pretty impressive numbers.  High organic content,  lots of nutrients.  You can still see some wood pieces as well as some egg shells if you look close.  It is an excellent soil amendment  The problem with using it straight is the alkaline pH of 7.7 can cause some problems with certain nutrients being available right away.   The soil test states to add sulfur to combat that.

 

Next up is municipal yard waste from the City of Logan.   They very graciously donated to this project and Sam and I are grateful.  They take collected yard waste and pile it up and it sits there for years, slowly breaking down.  Here is a close up:

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Not bad looking stuff,  still some bits and pieces.  The soil test results:

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Very similar numbers noted here.  High organic matter,  lots of nutrients,  same alkaline pH.  I did the same with both.   Added ammonium sulfate fertilizer then sowed cover crop seed.

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Ammonium sulfate has  both sulfur, to correct the pH and some nitrogen to help both the cover crops grow and help the soil bacteria break down the residual carbon bits.  My hope is that the fertilizer, the cover crops and the winter will combine to help both of these growing media get to a good point for vegetables by April.

 

Sam and I want to say THANKS!!!! to the City of Logan for generously donating a huge dump truck of compost that we will be able to use to grow vegetables for years.  

 

Save the Date! – Winter Holiday Projects from the Container Garden.

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There will be another fun evening at the Hocking Valley Community Hospital on Monday, December 5th, at 6pm.   Come to see the Hospital’s decorations including a holiday theme in the courtyard container garden.   If you are anything like me, you can never get enough Christmas lights.  I went over today to the courtyard and everything is still doing awesome.

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Even the tomatoes and peppers look like mid-summer.

I harvested a tremendous amount of fresh herbs.

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Into the dehydrator they go.

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I will be making some fun herb blends from the container garden produce and will bring that to show you how to do this from your own herbs at the holiday event, so save the date!

Here is the official release from HVCH with contact info,  hope to see you there!

 

 

OSU Extension Class – Making

Holiday Gifts & Decor with Dried Herbs

Join Timothy McDermott, OSU Extension Educator on Monday, Dec. 5th at 6 pm, to learn how you can use container produce to create holiday gifts as well as for use right in your own kitchen! In addition to learning how to make natural and aromatic displays and gifts, McDermott will also provide a short presentation highlighting trees and plants specific to the upcoming holidays. Location: HVCH Front Main Lobby. Cost: FREE, but participants must register by calling 740-380-8336 or emailing ljohnston@hvch.org

 

 

My take on Fall Lawn Care

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Everyone has chores they like(tolerate)  and chores they hate.  For instance I do not mind hand washing dishes, but hate to empty the dishwasher.  That is weird, I know.   One chore I despise is raking leaves.  You can rake leaves for two hours at my house and come back later and see no grass visible.  Hate. It.

So about five years ago or so, I decided to experiment with using my lawn mower to mulch the leaves in place, with the hope that if I get the particle size down small enough, they would finish breaking down over the winter into some much needed organic matter.   I always do a fall application of fertilizer(and you should too,  it is the best time to do so) and so I would be adding a nitrogen(fertilizer) with a carbon(leaves)

And it worked pretty good.  I do not need my yard pristine.  Just mostly green with weeds at a minimum.

So it is getting to that time of year.  Here is my backyard:

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Buckeye leaves right now. It leafs out first and drops them first

Sometimes to get the leaves into little bits you need to run over them more than once.  Not a problem for me, I like to mow more than I like to rake:

After three mower passes. Still see some brown. It will be all done by spring.

After three mower passes. Still see some brown. It will be all gone by spring.

Leaves are an outstanding organic matter supplement.  They have twice the nutrient content of manure per pound.  In the Columbus Dispatch Home and Garden section, on Sunday October 3rd, 2016,  they quoted Purdue Extension four year leaf mulch test results with applying shredded maple leaves to lawns:

  • no negative effect on turf visual quality, color or growth, soil pH, or the likelihood of developing weeds.
  • research suggested that mulched leaves might reduce dandelions!

 

I still have to follow with fertilizer.  As I stated,  if you only fertilize your lawn  once per year, best to make it in fall.  That is because my lawn, made up of perennial grasses, is in the process of sending energy to the root mass to be able to overwinter for a strong spring emergence.  Putting some organic matter plus fertilizer down will help tremendously with that.

The fertilizer basics:

lawn-fert-herb

Nutrient breakdown is 28-0-3.  (N-P-K).  28% Nitrogen, 0% Phosphorus, 3% Potassium.  The phosphorus is removed due to the harmful algal blooms affecting the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico.  A good batch of Nitrogen to help the grass build up energy in the roots to survive winter and come on strong in spring.

The active herbicide ingredient is 2,4 D.   Good against broadleaf weeds, with minimal toxicity to pollinators.  Good for fall use when the weeds are sending energy to the roots to survive the winter.  I send a little herbicide down to the roots of the weeds to kill weeds and eliminate competition to the grass.

I do not use a pesticide by choice.  Your lawn may or may not need that control.  I need the bugs to help break down my organic matter and I enjoy lightning bugs, earthworms and pollinators  so I do not apply a pesticide component.

 

I am five years into this process and it has been pretty successful.  I have a decent looking lawn that tolerates deep shade with a minimum of work and cost.  Just have to remember to run the gas out of the mower and clean and sharpen the blade before winter.

 

CLICK HERE for a factsheet on controlling lawn weeds from Georgia Extension.

 

Fall Project Updates

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As we progress through fall and the growing season slowly comes to an end I thought I would give an update on several projects that I have been working on over the last few months.

First up is the Children’s Educational Garden here at the fairgrounds:

The garden is still doing great.  Tons of cherry tomatoes and peppers still.  Some shell beans left from the green bean bushes.  Parsley and onions as well.   Feel free to come down to the fairgrounds and help yourself, especially if your tomatoes are done as we have lots.

In a few weeks when frost has killed most of the leftover summer veggies we will plant cover crops in the raised beds.  It is the same blend as last year which turned out great.  Rye, clover and vetch from Walnut Creek Seeds.

72.5% Winter Cereal Rye 12% Crimson clover 11.9% Hairy Vetch

72.5% Winter Cereal Rye
12% Crimson clover
11.9% Hairy Vetch

 

Next up is The Urban Farm:

The perennial herb garden is doing great.  We finally got some rain and it has cooled off.

fall7

 

The site we have selected for the raised beds could not be much better.  South face, full sun, aligns east to west. Perfect.

hapcap2

 

 

Last update is the accessible raised beds from the What a Waste project.  The veggies did great and they got a major harvest.  Fall is definitely a great time to grow vegetables.

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I will have a bigger update on The Urban Farm at Southeast Ohio Regional Kitchen in a few weeks.

 

Preparing the fall garden to benefit a spring garden

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It is common to not really want to think about additional work at the end of a gardening season, especially one that had as many heat and water challenges as this season did, but fall is the best time to do many things in the garden that if you wait for spring, you lose your best chance.

The best things to do in Fall to prepare for Spring include:

  1. Remove the old/dead/unwanted plants
  2. Amend the soil
  3. Make a compost pile
  4. Start a new garden
  5. Clean your tools
  6. Plant a cover crop

Lets go over them one at a time.

  1.  Removing the old/dead/unwanted plants is common sense, but I commonly see leftover plants come spring time and that can set you back when you want to plant.  Remove all plants that will not be overwintered,  pitch any that have disease or seeds or might be a problem in a compost pile(like thistle, dandelion, or bindweed)  Most diseases are fungal and produce spores.  These spores will become next years disease if left alone.  Do yourself and your plants a favor by removing them.
  2. The next thing to do after you have cleared the garden is to think about what soil amendments you can add will help for next year.   Their are several things that can be added:
    • Lyme
    • Compost
    • Leaves
    • Wood Ashes
    • Fertilizer
    • Manure
      • The best way to determine what you need is by doing a soil test.  I use Spectrum Analytic.
      • CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW TO SAMPLE YOUR SOIL
      • soil testA soil test shows what you need to add to grow what you need.  It is helpful to get accurate amounts by letting them know exactly what you are planting.  Some fertilizers are helpful to add at planting, some like Lyme need to be added in advance.
      • Soil Testing Factsheet from Ohio State Extension
      • Once your soil test results come back let me know and we will sit down and discuss them.
      • I am a huge fan of adding leaves and wood ashes in the fall.  Adding leaves and wood ashes basically adds the sum total of nutrition from an entire tree over its life of digging deep for minerals.  Leaves have 2X the minerals per pound vs. manure.
      • Fun Facts about Wood Ashes —>wood-ash-facts
  3. Start a compost pile
    • Composting is easy and fun.  It happens two ways.  Hot and Cold.  Hot composting gets hot enough to kill weeds, seeds and diseases while cold composting takes longer, does not get hot, but requires much less work.
      • Penn State Master Gardening has a nice breakdown of hot vs. cold
      • It is important for the pile to be just wet enough and have enough carbons(brown things) and nitrogens(green things) to make the magic ratio of about 25 to 1.  Click Here for a list of compost item ratios –>compost-materials
      • As you can see by my pile I am a cold composter
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      • Manure is a great addition to a garden or a compost pile.  The overwintering time in the soil or in a hot compost pile will speed the breakdown of any potential pathogens in the manure and it makes a great nitrogen addition to offset the carbons like leaves.   Here is a table of the C:N ratio’s of common manures –>manure-table
  4. Fall is the best time to start a new garden.  That will allow you to get started planting in spring when everything is at its busiest garden wise.  Pick your spot, lay down some newspaper over your new spot or the addition to your current garden and cover with organic matter deep enough to smother anything growing on the surface.  After a winter’s worth of time, you will be able to directly plant into your new garden.  Consider adding some lyme or fertilizer based on a soil test of your new spot to make sure spring starts off on the right foot.
  5. Clean your tools.  This is self-explanatory although I will be the first to admit I am horrible at this.   My hand tools are rusty and look like garbage.   They should be cleaned of dirt and lightly covered in oil to prevent rust.
    • A neat idea to do this is put old play sand and used motor oil in a five gallon bucket and push tools in and out of that.  It will clean and oil them all in one.
    • This chore includes running the gas out of mowers and tillers.   Those cost money and even I remember to do that on occasion.
  6. Plant a Cover Crop   Regular readers of this website will know I love cover crops and use them in multiple applications.  A cover crop can do many things for you like suppress weeds, add biomatter, dig through hardpan and increase fertility.  You can pick your crop based on what you need.
    • Looking for a summer cover crop to smother weeds, provide pollinator habitat and add biomass?  Try Buckwheat:
    • Buckwheat cover crop at the Logan Community Garden

      Buckwheat cover crop at the Logan Community Garden

      Looking to drill through hardpan, smother weeds and increase fertility by increasing organic matter?  Try Sorghum X Sudangrass:

    • sudex1

      Sorghum X Sudangrass at Wallace Community Garden

      Want to prevent erosion, add biomass, add fertility through nitrogen fixing and keep your ground working for you over the winter?  Try rye, vetch and crimson clover as a blend:

    • earth5

A great place to read about cover crops is from SARE, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.  They have a Learning Center Online with great information and free publications.

Try to spend some time this fall working on making your garden better for next year.  In spring time when you want to get planting you will be happy to have a new garden with great soil, some compost to add, and clean tools.   That way you can start planting right away.

SUPER FUN BONUS SECTION: Want to make an easy cheap compost pile you can move anywhere?

dr-mcd-easy-compost-pile

Early September garden update

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A few interesting things to note as the gardening season winds down.  My community garden is open until November 1st and I will most likely still be harvesting at least a few things until the end of the season such as parsley and leeks.

Speaking of Leeks…….early-sept4

I know right?   Would you like to Know How to Grow Leeks?

 

I am starting to get some peppers.  Mostly chili-types like banana peppers.

early-sept2

 

I have not gotten a single bell pepper this year and barely have gotten any the last three years.  The bell pepper plants have decent size but the leaves are a little curled and brown at the tips and the flowers fall off without being pollinated.  I need to spend some time to figure out what the  heck is going on before I waste any more time growing bell peppers.

 

My Sorghum X Sudangrass is coming back with a  vengeance.  That is its nature and one of the reasons why I chose it for my garden.  When it is cut it doubles down on growth.  It is now back up to near 6 feet tall.  I might have to mow again!  I need some cattle I think.

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Do not give up on your garden just yet.  We are supposed to get relief from the heat with some rain.  Plenty of time left before first frost date and most vegetables like fall weather just fine.  I am hoping for a late tomato harvest if the plants set flowers.  I will be harvesting herbs, peppers, eggplant, leeks, butternuts and tomatoes for hopefully another 4-6 weeks.