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| | * [[Square foot gardening]] | | * [[Square foot gardening]] |
| | * [[Lasagne Gardening]] | | * [[Lasagne Gardening]] |
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| − | == Growing under glass ==
| + | * [[External links]] |
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| − | Planting choices
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| − | === 1. Growbags and Pots===
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| − | === 2. Directly into the border===
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| − | === 3. Ring Culture===
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| − | A shallow trench is dug out in a border, lined with polythene and filled in with gravel (a large gravel filled tray can also be used). A nine-inch bottomless pot is filled with soil, planted with the tomato seedling and placed on the gravel bed.
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| − | The tomatoes are watered from the bottom via the gravel bed and fed via the pot. This way the tomatoes have a free draining system with water and feed available to the plants as and when they need to take it up.
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| − | At the end of the year, remove the plants and pots. Fill a watering can with jaye's fluid, dilute as per the instructions, and water the gravel to kill off any germs and disease. One disease free greenhouse.
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| − | === 4. A mix of 2 & 3===
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| − | ==Square Foot Gardening==
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| − | 'Square Foot' gardening
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| − | If you have a pocket handkerchief garden, or are a novice vegetable grower, why not try gardening in a 4ft x 4ft square? This is all the space you need to start a square foot garden, explains Colin Shaw who is adapting this high input technique to organic growing, with trial plots at Ryton and in his own garden.
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| − | How much can you grow in a bed measuring 4ftx4ft (1.2mx1.2m)?
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| − | You may be surprised by the results claimed for the 'Square Foot' gardening technique imported from the US. The idea was developed about 20 years back by Mel Bartholomew and his claims are impressive. A typical bed can contain everything from leeks to lettuce, even allowing some space for attractant plants.
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| − | A raised and edged bed 4ftx4ft is made and subdivided into 1ft squares. Each square is planted with a different crop using very close spacing. Throughout the growing season, as soon as each crop is finished it is replaced by a different one. Plants are grown so that the tallest are at the back, with sizes decreasing progressively towards the front of the bed. The bed should face south for maximum sunlight.
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| − | The original technique was based on beds with a premixed artificial 'soil'. The idea was to create the best possible growing medium with little effort. Mel Bartholomew also used a fairly rich balanced fertiliser. Although he did not follow the principles of organic growing, the overall idea is not far removed from the close spacing and intensive growing used by organic gardeners.
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| − | During the 1998 season I have been managing two trial beds in my own garden and one at in the Ryton Garden at Garden Organic’s Ryton (then HDRA) headquarters. Converting the square foot gardening method to organic growing did not look difficult, as a good healthy soil should support this kind of intensive growing. All the beds have been planted in accordance with the principles that Mel laid down in his book. So far the results look promising, apart from the massive slug problem this season and a plague of rabbits at Ryton.
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| − | It might seem important to use small varieties of plants at such close spacing, but this is not the case. Trials with mini lettuce and traditional varieties like Webbs Wonderful, Salad Bowl, Frisby and Cochade have shown that it is perfectly feasible to use standard varieties. My own preference is for 'cut and come again' lettuce like Salad Bowl or Frisby. Five Salad Bowl in a 1ft square on one of my trial beds provided a continuous supply of lettuce for several weeks. At Ryton we grew four Frisby in a square foot and they also performed well, taking up less space than Salad Bowl.
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| − | Rotating friends and foes
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| − | Rotation is crucial in organic gardens both in terms of pest management and to prevent nutrient depletion, and the square foot bed is no exception. Having 16 distinct growing areas would appear to make crop rotation easy. Mel argues that when a crop is finished all that is required is to replace it with something different, producing an automatic, 'natural' crop rotation. I do not think it is as easy as that, however. Square foot gardeners will need to use good rotation practices. The position is further complicated by the need to grow tall plants at the rear of the bed as this places a restriction on the rotation plan.
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| − | There is a similar problem with companion planting. With so many different plants in such a small area, there is a maximum of 3ft between any two plant groups. This is fine for plants that like to be close to their friends but it also means they can be no more than 3ft away from their foes! My own trials suggest that this is not a big problem. However, Dwarf French beans planted next to a square of onions did not do well, while another square of beans 2ft from the onions thrived.
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| − | Rethink your techniques
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| − | Planting methods and bed management need a complete rethink when you are gardening on such a small scale. Some Square Foot Gardening techniques can be transferred to the conventional garden. Planting long rows of seeds and subsequent thinning can be an irksome task. Not only are more than half the seeds wasted, but the time and effort required seems counter-productive. The technique suggested for square foot beds is "station sowing". It is a simple process. A dibber is used to make a small hole of the required depth at the spacing needed by the mature plant. Seeds are dropped into the hole which is then filled with fine soil. For most plants 1-2 seeds are sufficient, but for carrots and parsnips I used 4-5 seeds to ensure uniform germination. If more than one seed germinates, those not required are simply snipped off with a pair of scissors, rather than pulled out, to avoid disturbing the roots of the remaining plant.
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| − | The proof of the pudding...
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| − | The Square Foot Gardening method has a lot to offer the organic gardener. It is a very economical way of using small patches of ground to grow the maximum amount of different crops. It is also an IDEAL way to start vegetable growing, as a new gardener does not need to make huge investments in time, space, seeds and tools to achieve good results. One of my neighbours has been tempted to have a go at growing vegetables for the first time, and she found that digging up a small patch of lawn was not so daunting as making a larger bed. The reward was the sheer joy and enthusiasm when she harvested her first organic lettuce.
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| − | Taken from issue 153 of The Organic Way (HDRA News) 1998 - written by Colin Shaw and (updated 2005)
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| − | ==Lasagne Gardening==
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| − | ''A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens:
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| − | No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding,''
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| − | '''Quote'''
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| − | This method of gardening was first shown in a television program with a lady showing her home which had once been an old church house and also had a rich growing vegetable garden was an inspiration. She had turned the old church building into a cafe. With the method she called "lasagne" gardening the middle aged woman provided meals for a healthy group of people from what she grew.
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| − | To make a long story short the very easy looking garden was achieved by having one row of newspaper directly on the ground with a layer of peat moss over that. Next came a layer of manure. The next layer was another one of peat moss. Then there was a layer of potting soil on top. Into the potting soil she planted her seeds.
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| − | This woman was so convincing as to the wealth of her garden, of course, we had to try it, and so far, it looks really gorgeous. There are cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower standing straight and growing rapidly.
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| − | We had to wet the place where the plants were to go after we finished our lasagne garden and then we took a small heavy metal wrecking bar to punch the holes through the paper in order to plant. This was an easy enough task, since my nephew did it for me. The strength of youth is wonderful isn't it.
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| − | He has a real love for gardening and is always looking for better ways to do things also. This makes for even more pleasant projects.
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| − | '''Unquote'''
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| − | By Lynda Guydon Taylor, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
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| − | Browsing the shelves of Citizens Library one day last year, Joanna Mungai's eyes fixed on the title "Lasagna Gardening."
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| − | On the cover, an artist's drawing showed a gloved hand lifting a layered square of organic materials topped by veggies.
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| − | Perhaps, she mused, it was a book about raising herbs and tomatoes that make up the Italian dish she enjoys. A closer read, however, revealed "Lasagna Gardening ... A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!"
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| − | "Then, when I read it, I thought 'Wow,' " Mungai said.
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| − | Author Patricia Lanza advocates building a garden from the ground up by layering mulch and organic materials on top of the soil instead of digging the traditional 12 to 18 inches into the earth before planting. It cuts down on a lot of the grunt work many, if not most, gardeners abhor.
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| − | That sounded like a winning recipe for Mungai, a master gardener who, with two young daughters, is time-challenged. She figured anything reducing labor-intensive chores was worth a look.
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| − | Today, she's hooked on the method and lectures on the topic but credits Lanza, who acknowledged it is something that's been around for awhile. She just brought it to the forefront, Mungai said.
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| − | Among those Mungai first had to persuade of its merits was her husband, Evan, who was convinced it would not work. The Canton couple waged a marital "contest" of sorts, with Joanna building a lasagna garden and Evan doing the traditional tilling. As the season progressed, neither had the time to weed. In the end, while Joanna's plot thrived relatively weed free, Evan's did not.
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| − | "He was very skeptical you could grow without dirt," she said.
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| − | One lesson learned: less weeding and watering compared to a regular garden. By laying newspaper first on top of the grass, a gardener eliminates the possibility of any dormant weed seeds growing. The only weeds that grow are airborne, but they are easily pulled because the soil is so loose.
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| − | "The reason I started this is because we have a well, and last summer, during the drought, we didn't have water at all, and I couldn't water my vegetables," Mungai said.
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| − | The moisture is held in by the newspaper and organic materials compared to a regular garden, where rain water easily dissipates.
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| − | Mungai tried the idea last year and was so pleased that she persuaded neighbors Alvin and Linda Dinsmore to give it a try. Challenged by poor clay soil, the enemy of so many gardeners in this area, the Dinsmores of Canton had had little luck raising vegetables the traditional way.
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| − | Talking about his wife, Dinsmore said, "she's never had a garden. She's just been tickled to death, especially with all the cucumbers we've had."
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| − | Pulling a steroid-sized carrot from the ground, Dinsmore laughed at a visitor's response.
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| − | "Not very pretty," he acknowledged. "They weren't all that big, but a good many of them had size to them."
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| − | "It's because the soil is so loose that you can grow carrots in here so easily. Well, if you grow carrots in a regular garden, they'd be like golf balls sometimes if your soil is not loose enough," Mungai said.
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| − | Using the method Lanza explains in her book, Dinsmore first laid down cardboard, followed by peat moss, then hay and decayed hay on top. The only thing he had to buy was the peat moss. The various layers serve as a mulch to prohibit weeds from growing and protect the soil from the ill effects of sun, wind and rain.
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| − | Newspaper, except the glossy paper, also could be used for the bottom layer and should be wet so that it does not blow away. Mungai fills a wheelbarrow with water and submerges the papers, allowing them to absorb the water.
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| − | Other layers, in no particular order, could include: shredded leaves, compost, aged animal manure because it does not contain weed seeds, grass cuttings, chopped up corn cobs, sawdust, wood ashes and seaweed or kelp. The beauty of it is that a gardener need not plow up the sod first.
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| − | Lasagna gardening also served as an opportunity for Mungai to interest her two young daughters, McKenzie, 5, and Jessica, 2, who planted carrots, pumpkins, melons and zucchini. They both eat their vegetables every night because they grew them.
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| − | This year, Mungai also put in a flower bed using the lasagna method with the same good results.
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| − | The experiment left Dinsmore amazed at the amount of stuff he got out of his garden, and with plans to expand next year. This summer, he built two raised beds enclosed by slats of wood.
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| − | A lasagna garden need not be enclosed if done in a flat area, Mungai said. With a slope, however, the border prevents the layers from washing away and makes it easier to cut the grass.
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| − | If started in the fall, Mungai said, the "lasagna" cooks under plastic, allowing the organic materials to decompose over the winter so the garden is ready for planting in spring.
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| − | "It's great. I highly recommend this technique to anyone, because it's not nearly as labor intensive as a traditional garden. You can grow herbs and flowers and vegetables."
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| − | '''unquote'''
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