There is a good chance that the garden that you are planting will need soil enhancement at some point in time. If you are going to follow some of the companion planting concepts, you will need to nourish your garden throughout the year. There are only so many nutrients naturally in the soil and it will not take long before you will need more to feed your plants.
Ways to Feed Your Garden
There are many options available to feed your garden. Some require commercial fertilizers, but the best are ones that you can use without adding chemicals to the soil. These include:
• Monoculture
• Rotation
• Mulches
• Compost
• Garden teas
• Fertilizers
Monoculture
Monoculturing is the process of planting just one type of plant. In companion planting, this practice is used to enrich the soil through the benefits one plant can give. This monoculture plant is then turned back into the soil to increase the nutrient level of the soil. One example of this is to grow alfalfa or another grass crop and turn it back under before it goes to seed to let it decompose further before planting that area of your garden. By doing this, the soil has a chance to rest and replenish itself.
Rotation
Crop rotation is a great way to control insects, weeds, and diseases, and it also enhances soil fertility. Vegetables in the same botanical family will require similar nutrients in similar amounts. Some will be considered heavy feeders like broccoli, sweet corn, and tomatoes, and will utilize more of the soil’s nutrients, whereas others are considered light feeders, like carrots, onions, peppers, and potatoes, and will use fewer nutrients. To go along with these plant types, there are plants that add nutrients and improve the soil, like peas and beans. If you practice crop rotation by alternating these three types of crops in one bed, the soil can be enhanced.
Mulches
Mulch is a protective layer placed over the soil. There are many benefits to using mulch including:
• Minimizes weeds — the mulch will suffocate weeds and stop light from reaching the seeds, which stops new weeds from germinating.
• Improves the garden plants — the mulch covers the plant’s roots that are on the surface, saving them from damage caused by cultivation and drying out.
• Retains moisture — mulch reduces the amount of evaporation, which keeps the soil moist, and allows for a more even growth.
• Minimizes temperature differences — the mulch minimizes the temperature extremes at the soil level so it stays warmer at night and cooler in the day.
• Improves the soil — if you are using organic mulch, it will add nutrients to the soil as it decomposes, encouraging microbial growth. It also encourages earthworms to burrow in the soil, which aerates and drains the soil. The mulch also prevents the soil from packing down.
• Creates a more even-looking garden — mulch stops the dirt from splashing up onto the plants during rain or watering and from washing the soil away from the plants during too heavy rain or watering.
• Gives the garden a finished look — the garden looks professional with a nice mulch covering it. A uniform layer of good looking mulch throughout the garden gives the area a uniform, “finished” look.
The following are some forms of mulch you may want to consider.
Organic mulch
There are many types of organic mulch to choose from. There are some you may have readily available and others you may need to buy. Most will be available through your local garden center.
The best organic mulches include:
• Bark or small wood chips — these come as small or large chips (or chip your own if you have a wood chipper) and work well under trees and shrubs. You can purchase finely shredded cedar mulch in various colors that can add an interesting designer component.
• Leaves — fall leaves are great for mulching large open areas, particularly around squash, pumpkin patches, or other sprawling areas. If you are short on another type of mulch, like compost or newspaper, leaves make a great second layer. Not only does it cover up something unsightly, but it also helps with decomposition.
• Eucalyptus — this mulch has to be purchased from your local garden center and comes shredded or as fiber mulch. The advantage of this type of mulch is that the oil in the eucalyptus repels termites, fleas, ticks, and insects. The disadvantage is that it can be hard to obtain and it can be twice as expensive as other types of mulch.
• Grass clippings — when they are fresh, they are smelly and will stain your hands but are high in moisture and nitrogen, making them good for the garden. Avoid using clippings that are full of grass seeds because these seeds are likely to sprout in your garden. This mulch is easy to work with and can be placed throughout the garden where the seedlings are more delicate or closely planted, such as around lettuce, spinach, and carrots.
• Straw — if you have access to straw, it offers excellent winter protection for your garden. The only problem with using straw is the potential for some of the seeds to germinate. Straw should be seed free but because it is often confused with hay, which still has seeds, it is possible to end up with seeds in your bales. Another disadvantage is that it is not very attractive and looks worse as time goes on.
• Pine needles — this is a long-lasting mulch that can slightly acidify the soil under it. This makes it good for potatoes and strawberries, which benefit from the more acidic soil. It is also an easy mulch to put into small or hard-to-reach places. Pine cones can also be used and make an attractive addition to any woodland garden.
• Pine bark — this is a mulch that decomposes slower than other varieties and will last a year or more. It comes in different sizes, ranging from fine to 2-inch chunks. The disadvantage of this mulch is that it can lower the pH slightly. You can still use it around the same plants that prefer a more acidic environment like strawberries.
Non-organic mulch
There are several non-organic mulches available on the market. These types of mulches keep the weeds down and do not need replacing like organic mulches. Some of these mulches include:
• Plastic sheeting — these are large sheets of dark plastic. They are great to use in the spring to warm up beds and are also great for suppressing weeds. If you use a heavy grade plastic, which will last many years, you can lay it down between rows of plants where you want more heat, like between tomatoes, or on paths where you want to suppress weeds. You can use the sheeting to help improve the soil by stuffing the underside of the black plastic with organic matter to compost underneath the sheet. Some gardeners even lay the plastic down and cut holes into it to transplant seedlings. The plastic can stay on throughout the whole season as a weed suppressor. The problem with doing this is that it will not let water through it.
• Landscape fabric — this is a loosely woven fabric that helps retain moisture and slows or even prevents weed growth. The disadvantage of this type of mulch is it is usually one of two layers with a top layer covering the fabric to make the garden bed look better. Also consider that some landscape cloths are nonporous and will not let moisture through. If you purchase the nonporous type, the plant roots can suffocate and rot.
• Rubber — this product is made from recycled tires and will not decompose, making it permanent mulch. It can be purchased as mats, tiles, and nuggets and is available in various colors. It will not blow away or wash away under a heavy watering. It also comes in many attractive colors, giving it a strong design element. In practical terms, insects avoid the rubber and it does not sink into the ground like gravel and rocks. However, the product can give off a strong odor and can be both expensive and hard to find.
• Stone (pebbles and gravel) — stones can be as small as pea gravel or as large as small boulders. The small gravel will stop the weeds better, but when topped with an assortment of boulders, together they create a nice contrast for the garden. Stones are another permanent cover as they do not break down over time but offer great color and texture to a garden. The disadvantage is that some of the smaller rocks will disappear into the soil over time and working with this type of mulch is physically demanding.
When to mulch
Lay the mulch down in the garden after the soil has warmed up in the late spring or the early summer. Placing an even, shallow layer of mulch approximately 2 to 4 inches deep will be effective against wind, sun, weeds, and pests. Be careful of the plants and avoid putting the mulch close to the crown of the perennials and the stems or trunks of shrubs and trees as you do not want to damage new growth and you need to leave plants space to obtain water.
If you live in a winter climate, one of the best times to mulch is in winter. Depending on where you live, the freezing and thawing process causes the soil to expand and contract. This can break new roots and even force your plants out of the ground in a process called frost heaves. If you cover the garden with something loose and full of air, like straw, when the ground first freezes, you can help keep the ground frozen until winter ends. Once spring arrives, you can remove the mulch.
Another benefit of winter mulching is protecting all types of plants, including perennials and ground covers, from winter burn, which can happen when the winter temperatures damage the plants. When the ground freezes and there is a strong wind, the moisture is pulled from the plant.
Compost
Compost can be the best natural fertilizer for your garden, regardless of the type of plants you are growing. It is a mixture of decomposed plant and animal material (manure) and many other organic materials that then go through decomposition in the presence of oxygen, called aerobic decomposition, to create a rich black soil. This soil is excellent for your garden as a soil conditioner and fertilizer.
The best compost materials include fruit and vegetable material, garden trimmings (not weeds gone to seed), and animal manure from horses, goats, sheep, and chicken. Other materials to consider adding if you have them available include leaves, coffee grounds, paper, cardboard, seafood shells, tree bark, eggshells, and even “humanure” (human waste).
How to make compost
Choose a spot close enough to be easily accessible but out of sight. You can choose to purchase a compost bin or alternatively build a system to work in the space you have available. You can make a heap in one corner of the garden and use the area to make your compost pile; you can use a single bin and place all the organic material into it; or you can create a three-bin system (made from wood). If you leave the bins open on one side, you can easily add to the pile, and to turn it over occasionally. Only cover the tops of the compost bins if your area receives a lot of rain. The three-bin system allows you to turn the compost from one bin to the other so that the compost in the final bin is ready to use while the pile in the second bin is in the middle stage and the first bin is just starting to decompose. However, you will need to manually move the compost from one bin to the other.
When starting a new compost pile, making a pile with two parts of brown materials to one part green will help the materials break down faster. The green garden materials are grass clipping or old annual plants pulled from the garden, and the brown garden materials are dry leaves and twigs. The green material is high in nitrogen and the brown material is high in carbon and both are required to make your compost work successfully. If you add in too much green, the compost will have a foul odor.
Pile or layer the green and browns into a heap until you have a compost heap that is about 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet. You want the pile close to this size because it will heat up quickly and will therefore break down faster. Once a week, check the moisture content of the pile. To decompose properly, your pile will need water, but if there is too much moisture, the pile will not be able to maintain the required heat level. Your compost should feel damp like a wrung out sponge; any more water content than this and the pile will start to smell worse than normal. If your pile is too wet, you can add more leaves; if it is too dry, you can water it gently with a garden hose.
Once a week, the pile needs to be turned over, meaning you turn the outside material into the center – where there is internal compost heat. Oxygen is required for the decomposition process, which is why you turn the pile. Turning the pile also stops it from becoming hard and compacted. Some people keep a perforated PVC pipe standing upright in the center of the compost pile to let oxygen reach the center of the pile.
If you turn your pile over once a week, you could have finished compost in eight to ten weeks. The compost pile that is not turned over will not be as active and will take longer to decompose with the good compost sitting at the bottom of the pile. During the decomposition process, the temperature of the pile will reach between 110 and 160 degrees F. You can monitor the temperature with a long probe thermometer pushed into the center of the pile. Turn the pile when the temperature drops below the 110 degrees F mark to speed up the compost process. If you decide not to monitor the temperature, you can turn the pile every month.
The compost from the bin system is ready when the temperature lowers until it is barely warm and the original materials in the pile are no longer recognizable. It is possible you will have a few pieces that are not quite ”finished,” which is fine; throw them into the first bin to start the next pile of compost. The compost should also be a rich black-brown color, moist, and have an earthy smell.
How to use compost
Now that you have this great rich soil, it is time to add it to your garden. If you do not want any bits left in your compost, you can run it through a compost sifter, which is wire mesh in a frame, that will leave you with only soil. The bits and pieces that do not go through the sifter can go back into the compost pile. You can do several things with this nutrient rich-soil but treat it as you would any rich fertilizer or potting soil. There are several ways you can use your compost:
• As a mulch to hold water — you can spread it about 3 inches thick on the base of plants, trees, shrubs, or perennials in the garden. If there are some unfinished pieces in your compost, they are fine to use here as they will continue to break down over time.
• To fertilize the garden — you would want to dig the compost into the existing garden, going down several inches or more to work the compost in.
• To make a compost tea — some compost tea is natural byproduct of compost. If there is no liquid in your compost, you can steep a shovel full of compost in a bucket of water for a few days. After a few days have passed, remove the compost material, put it back in the compost pile, and simply water the plants with the compost tea. If you want, you can put the compost into something like an old towel, cheesecloth, or burlap bag before putting it into the bucket of water.
• As a topping for your lawn — often called a lawn dressing, you can add a 1- to 3-inch layer of compost on top of the existing grass. The compost works its way into the ground as the grass grows through it. Because it is a great way to fertilize the grass, adding compost in the spring or fall may eliminate the need to fertilize throughout the rest of the season.
Many people add the compost into their gardens in fall or spring, whenever it is ready, digging it in as they turn their beds over. Whichever way you choose, your plants will benefit from adding compost.
Garden teas
Garden teas are similar to compost tea except there are several variations to consider making, depending on the type of materials you have available. Making teas for your garden will give them an extra boost of nutrients to help them fight off disease and grow strong. The teas are good for any garden, especially companion planting gardens. Here are some suggestions to consider, depending on what materials you have available:
• Alfalfa tea
• Comfrey tea
• Manure tea
• Scrap tea
• Seaweed tea
• Swiss chard tea
• Weed tea
Alfalfa tea
To make this kind of tea, you will need a 5-gallon bucket and a sack of some kind like an old pillow case or rice bag. You want something that will allow water to soak through the material. Fill one quarter of the sack with alfalfa meal/hay. Fill the bucket with water, place the sack in the bucket, and let sit. The tea will need at least a week to ten days to steep. When the tea base is ready, remove the pillow case and dump its watery contents in the garden. Take 1 cup of the tea and put it in another bucket or gallon-size jug and fill it with water, diluting it down. This is the finished tea. Water the crops once a week with this high-phosphorus content tea.
Comfrey tea
You can make an instant comfrey leaf tea that is high in calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and other various minerals. For this tea, take several cups of comfrey leaves, place them in the blender, add enough water to make it blend, and liquefy the leaves. Take the pulpy liquid and put it into a 5-gallon container. Fill the container almost to the top with water with a strong pressure so that your mixture gets a frothy appearance. After your tea has mixed, it is ready to go onto the garden. Tomatoes and potatoes love comfrey tea as do most vegetables.
Manure tea
To make manure tea, take an old pillowcase or cloth sack and fill it about one quarter full of manure (cow, horse, chicken, or a mix) and place the sack in a 5-gallon bucket. Fill the bucket almost to the top with water and let the mixture sit for a couple of days. Stir it a couple of times while it is steeping. When it is done, remove the manure sack and dump the contents in the corner of the garden where it can finish decomposing. Then take the brown liquid and dilute it down to a pale amber and water the garden once a week. Manure is high in nitrogen, making this a great additive to the garden. When you are working with manure, it is better to use gloves and wash your hands to avoid transmitting bacteria.
Scrap tea
Fill a cloth sack with kitchen food scraps like potato peelings, apple cores, and broccoli stems. Make sure the scraps are not animal-based but do remember to include tea bags and coffee grinds. Place the sack in a 5-gallon bucket and fill with water. Let the mixture sit for three to six days. When enough time has passed, remove the sack and dump its contents into the garden. Dilute the remaining liquid down to an amber-colored liquid and water the garden with this tea once a week. The tea can be left in the bucket outside until the next watering session.
Seaweed tea
For those who live in coastal areas, seaweed products and concentrate are available at many garden centers. If you live near the beach and are able to find your own seaweed, take a large bucket and fill it three quarters full of rinsed seaweed collected from the beach. Fill the bucket with water and let it sit for several weeks or months. (The liquid gets stronger the longer you leave it.) Once the liquid is done steeping, pull out the seaweed, add the plant to your compost, and use the liquid to fertilize your garden.
Swiss chard tea
This tea is made the same way as the comfrey leaf tea. It is just as rich a mixture as the comfrey tea and is rich in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals.
Weed tea
This tea is made of the nuisance weeds you are trying to get rid of from the garden. Fill a cloth bag with harvested weeds and put that sack into a large bucket of water, making sure the bag is completely submerged to kill off the weeds. Some weeds may not be dead even after two weeks submerged in the water, particularly running weeds like sorrel that will regrow from just a small piece left in the garden. After a month to six weeks, check to ensure there is brown sludge in the bucket and the weeds are completely dead. Take out the bag and let all the liquid drain. Put the contents from the bag into the compost pile, not the garden. The remaining liquid is weed tea and it can be poured straight onto the compost heap to accelerate the compost process or it can be added to the garden as a liquid fertilizer. To add to the garden, dilute the weed tea at a rate of one part weed tea to ten parts of water.
Fertilizers
Fertilizers are additives that help your garden grow. There are natural fertilizers and of course commercial fertilizers. There are many different commercial fertilizers that contain mixes of chicken manure, blood, bone, seaweed, sheep manure, and cow manure. For information on what commercial fertilizers are available for purchase in your area, check your local garden center.
There are other additives that you can mix into your garden that will fertilize the area. Consider adding the following items, which are all readily available at your local garden center, to your garden to increase its health and well-being:
• Blood and bone meal
• Mushroom compost
• Lime and dolomite
• Seaweed
• Wood ash
Blood and bone meal
Blood and bone meal fertilizer is a mixture of ground-up animal bones and dried up blood that is rich in phosphorus and nitrogen and have been used for centuries as a fertilizer. All plants will benefit from this fertilizer. It is usually mixed with potash, a potassium compound, for a total plant fertilizer. Check with your local nursery center to see what they have available.
Lime and dolomite
Lime is calcium carbonate and dolomite is calcium carbonate with magnesium carbonate added. They are made from pulverized limestone or chalk. These elements will raise the pH, reducing the acidity level in your soil, and will provide calcium and trace minerals for the garden. It is best to add this to the garden in the fall and let it work into the ground over the winter.
Mushroom compost
Mushroom compost is more than 75 percent straw, wood shavings, and manure, and the rest is a mixture of gypsum and limestone. Mushroom compost is a byproduct of the mushroom growing industry and is rich in organic matter and nutrients. You can buy it in bulk if you have a producer close by or you can buy it in bags. Check your local garden center to see if it is available.
Wood ash
Wood ash in small amounts is great for any garden as it is a good source of potash, potassium, and also contains phosphorus and micronutrients. If your soil is very acidic and has a pH lower than 5.5, the wood ash will raise the soil’s pH. However, if your soil is neutral or alkaline, it might interfere with the plant’s ability to absorb the available nutrients. Do not put it around acid-loving plants like rhododendrons and blueberries for that reason.
Now that you have an idea of the herbs to put in your garden, and the ways to nourish your garden, the next chapter takes a look at maintaining your garden.