Organic Gardening Tips

The Coaldale Community Garden Society

Under the operational policies, use of Pesticides, Insecticides, Herbicides, Synthetic fertilizers,
 Animal Poisons and Non-organic materials are prohibited

ORGANIC GARDENING TIPS

 SOIL AMENDING:  To improve soil quality and reach optimum pH (6.5-7.0) for vegetable growing consider incorporating the following into your soil profile:

• Blood meal:
• Bone Meal:  is rich in phosphorus which feeds blossoms and acidifies soil
• Coffee Grounds:  Acidify soil and add nitrogen to compost.  Applied near the base of some plants repels insects.
• Compost:  works both as a nutrient and mulch
• Coniferous mulches (needles and chips):  Fantastic around for acid loving plants – especially strawberry.  neutralizes alkaline soil.
• Deciduous mulches:  Oak leaves provide the greatest benefit for acid loving plants – chop with a lawn mower first before applying.  Oak wood is very high in calcium (extremely hard wood).
• Dolomite:  rich in magnesium neutralizes soil pH
• Fish meal:
• Ground rinds of oranges, lemons or limes will help lower pH
• Peat Moss:  has little or no horticultural value.  It absorbs water therefore depriving your veg from getting what it needs.   Consider compost or mulches as a better option.
• Wood Ash:  MUST BE UNTREATED.  Work in a small amount at a time.  Provides a wealth of nutrients.  Can deter cutworms.
• Manures – decayed Horse manure is best for our heavy clay soils.  Composted sheep and cow manure offers some benefit.   Best amended in spring
• Plant nitrogen fixing plants – beans or peas are great examples 
• Green Manures or cover crops:  Barley, Buckwheat, winter Rye, Soybeans, oats, millet, soybeans, clover (yellow sweet, red and white) or hairy vetch, planted in the fall, cut back early in the spring before seed heads are produced and turned in to the soil to add nitrogen, nutrients and humus to soil before planting.  Kale can be left in the garden over winter turned under in the spring.

INSECT CONTROL :   It should be noted that homemade ‘insecticides’ are not recognized by Health Canada and therefore no scientific evidence either for or against use can be concluded as safe or ‘organic’ and as such the Society WILL NOT publish recipes).  

Encourage natural predators such as ladybugs, green lacewing and predatory wasps.  Handpick or squish pests.  If you intend to apply organic commercial products, please contact the Board with the product information so other gardeners can be notified.  They must be applied as described on the product label.  Once you introduce any type of pesticide (organic or otherwise),  the plants become dependent on your intervention.  Avoid if at all possible.   Note:  modern dish detergents no longer contain the ‘ingredient’ to be effective as an insecticide.  Failure to rinse leaves after applying can result in sun scald/leaf scorch – it clogs/blocks leaf function. 

Bird Baths:  Attract birds with something as simple as a shallow dish with fresh water.  They will gladly eat your insects.

Use toilet paper rolls (2 inches deep) should help to prevent cutworms from crawling up stems of tomatoes

Coffee Grounds:   Applied near the base of some plants can repel certain insects.

Slugs:  Easiest to find in early morning or late evening.  Most active prior to a rain.  Slugs are a bird delicacy – DO NOT APPLY ANY chemical controls or you can harm the local birds population.  Try crushed egg shells – they won’t cross to prickly surface.

Personal Insect repellents – please apply at home before coming to the garden.

DISEASE CONTROL:    Diseases are easily spread by slopping gardening methods.   To keep the ENTIRE garden disease free please address disease issues immediately.  Pick and remove any infected plant parts (leaves, stems, etc.).  Do not place infected materials in the composter – bag it and place in a trash bin.  Keep your tools clean and avoid sharing tools where transfer of disease is possible.  Wash using water and antibacterial products such as Lysol or spray nine.  Bleach (1:9 parts water) will cause rusting – so be sure to dry tools following cleaning.  There are COMMERCIAL SOLD ORGANIC fungicides.

COMPANION PLANTS:

Artemesia :                repels cabbage worms, moths and flea beetles, slugs

Basil:                         repels insects and diseases around tomatoes

Chives/garlic:             repels aphids around sunflower and tomatoes, repels boring insects, repels mildew.

                                 attracts pollinators.  Deadhead to prevent excessive self- seeding.  Improves soil health

Celery:                      repels cabbage moths and white butterflies

Dill:                           repels cabbage moths and attracts aphids away from other plants

Marigolds:                 repels bean beetles, aphids, boring insects

Nasturtiums:              attracts aphids, repel beetles – great near squash, broccoli, potato, radish, cabbage

Parsley:                      repels carrot flies.   Enhances tomato growth

Queen’s Anne Lace:  repels aphids

Radish:                      repel cucumber beetles

Sage:                         repels cabbage moth and loopers

It is our hope to plant a perennial pollinating garden on the slopes by the fruit trees in the coming seasons.

ALLELOPATHIC PLANTING:  Avoid planting:

•        dill to close to carrots
•         beans with onion or garlic
•         beans near potatoes will repel beetles
•         beets with pole beans
•         potatoes with pumpkin, squash, cucumber, sunflower, tomato or raspberry
•         strawberry with ‘cabbage family’
•         corn with tomatoes

WEED CONTROL:  Just as a reminder – you are responsible for managing the weeds in the pathways surrounding your plots. 

 

Don’t allow weeds to take root – routinely hoe and leave seed free foliage to compost in place.

Bindweed –cut down but don’t dig.  It can re-grow from a root hair left behind.  Without leaves it will eventually starve the roots.

Squash leaves shade the soil and minimize weed growth

Apply several layers of newsprint topped with bark mulch for difficult areas.

Avoid use of plastics as they trap gases in the soil and can make it toxic.

RODENT AND RABBIT CONTROL:  Please report any problems to the Board and we will try to find solutions if it becomes a problem.  Rabbits don’t like onion – plant throughout your plot, amongst your carrots and lettuce.

SLOW DRIP WATERING SYSTEMS (Ideal for tomatoes) since they prefer a constant supply of tepid water.  Recycle your 4 litre milk cartons.  Place next to your tomato plants, poke a small hole in the bottom.  Fill the jug with the hose and let it slowly continually irrigate the roots.

http://www.ghorganics.com/