Cucumber Beetles

This is the time of year that adult cucumber beetles will begin to appear in the garden. You will first notice the leaves of cucumber and squash or melon plants being eaten.  The mated beetles will lay eggs at the base of the plant.  About this time of the year, the eggs will hatch and the larvae will dig down into the soil and start feeding on the roots of the plants for about six weeks.  After they emerge as adults, the next problem they cause is spreading disease.


Spraying with chemicals or organic sprays is only a bandaid to the real problem.  If your soil has a healthy community of predatory nematodes, they will control the beetles.  Predatory nematodes feed on the larvae of beetles.   Last year I had cucumber beetles and squash beetles on my plants.  It was not an infestation but there was damage.  This year I have not seen any damage yet.  I did find 3 Colorado potato beetles on my potatoes.  Last year my potatoes were badly damaged but survived.  By adding our vermicompost to the soil, I am reintroducing the life that is necessary for a healthy soil community.


Cucumbers

Zucchini

Water, erosion and earthworms

It has been raining here consistently over the past week and the forecast for the upcoming week is predicting more rain.  Here are some interesting facts about water retention in soil, erosion and the role that earthworms play in the soil's ability to hold water.

Earthworms improve water absorption and prevent erosion.  The castings increase the water stability of the soil, because earthworms castings can take a direct hit by a raindrop and maintain their shape, which reduces erosion and runoff and helps the soil absorb water.  A research study conducted in Minnesota showed that earthworms added to cornfields increased water absoption rates 35 times over control fields without the earthworms within a six-week period.  In soil in a field with 100 night crawlers per square yard, 2 inches of water (a very heavy rainfall) could be absorbed by the soil in 12 minutes.  The same soil without earthworms took over twelve hours to absorb that much water (USDA National Soil Tilth Lab).  Another study found that if the top 3 feet of soil contained 25 percent macropores (earthworm burrows), then that soil should  be able to absorb at least a 9 inch rainfall without runoff.  Note that tilling the soil not only kills beneficial fungi but reduces the number of earthworms, which affects runoff.  One study showed that on a sloping field with no-till practices, there were 155 earthworm holes per square yard and an average runoff of 0.08 inches per year.  This compares to a tilled field with 6 holes per square yard and 4.9 inches of runoff per year (the average rainfall for this area is 39.4 inches).

To attract and promote earthworms, the soil needs to be mulched with organic mulches that help stabilize soil temperature and moisture.  The mulch provides food and shelter for earthworms.  Native mulch and compost are the most valuable for promoting earthworms.  The increased particle surface area of the small particle sizes in native mulches that have been ground also allows for the greater microbial activity that is preferred by worms.  Worms ingest mulches for the microbes that inhabit the surfaces.

Some scientists now believe that earthworms have the potential to eliminate soil erosion.  This could save society billions of dollars in erosion control, reduce pollution from dangerous synthetic chemicals, and improve the environment.

The secret to attracting earthworms to your soil in to restore the diversity of soil life that is needed for a balanced soil foodweb.  We are building that diversity into our worm bins continually.  Our goal is to provide the building blocks for a healthy soil community. 

Spring Garden

pansies

pansies at back door

bleeding heart

 I thought that I would post some pictures of some of my favorite spring plants.

clematis

viola wreath

onions

romaine lettuce

I am lagging behind in my garden. It has been a busy spring for us. Here are some pictures of what I have planted. Hopefully this weekend will be productive.  We are eating lettuce and asparagus and enjoying the taste of fresh produce again.

potatoes

carrots

swiss chard

red iceberg lettuce

broccoli

bibb lettuce

Why soil biology matters

We have been taught that an ideal soil PH is between 6.5 and 6.8.  Did you know that annuals require nitrogen in the form of NO 3 (nitrate) and that form of nitrogen is only produced naturally in soil in a PH of 7.0 or higher.  If the soil PH is lower than 7.0 the nitrogen available is in the form of ammonium that is used by perennials, shrubs and trees but not by annuals.  So we add commercials fertilizer and our annual plants grow bigger than when we didn't add any fertilizer.  We are then convinced that the only way to grow plants that look healthy is to add commercial fertilizer. 

How did plants grow and thrive before the advent of commercial fertilizers?  If we believe what the chemical companies tell us about the need for their products, we would have to assume that plants have never in the history of the earth been so beautiful and healthy as they are today.  We know that isn't true, so how does nature work?

The microorganisms that inhabit the soil know how to cycle nitrogen better than any man made product can ever hope to accomplish.  PH becomes a mute point when you allow the microorganisms to do their job.  They control the PH and that will change many times during the coarse of a plant's life.  The plant sends signals through the exudates at the roots what it needs.  If the soil biology is present in sufficient quantities, they react to that signal and produce the nutrients that the plant is asking for.  The plant is supplying the organisms with the sugars that they need for energy to supply the plants with their needs.  It is a relationship that has worked for thousands of years without any help from man. 

So what can we do to restore the life in the soil that we have done such a good job of destroying?  Start by understanding what the effects of each additive or spray we are told to use is to the life in the soil.  When you hold soil in your hand, know that there are millions and millions of life forms working for your benefit in that handful.  They want to do the work that they are designed to do.  I, for one, am happy to stop spending money on something that nature does so much better than man can ever do.

Healthy soil makes healthy plants that make healthy food.

Gardener's Day at Zwingli Church

I will be at the Gardener's Day at Zwingli UCC in Souderton on Saturday.  I will be demonstrating aerated compost tea,  how to make extracted tea and how to make humic acid.  We will have our vermicompost for sale and will show the process from start to finish.  Here is the link for the Gardener's Day.
http://www.zwingli.org/gday.php

Stop by and ask me what I learned this week at Rodale Institute!  We will have a bowl full of worms (gummy) waiting for you!

Peppers April 25

Here is the update on the peppers.

They both look healthy.  The difference is becoming more pronounced with each passing week.  The size of the leaves and the thickness of the stem is noticeably different.  I am not sure how I will continue the comparison in my garden.  I might replant them in a larger pot and grow them like a patio plant.  It would be interesting to see the difference in production.

The Power of One

I think that too often we forget the power of one person.  What can I as one person do to effect change on the world around me?  I am just one person in a sea of millions.  Do my choices and actions really matter?  These are questions that I ask myself.  Can changing the way I treat the soil make a difference in my community for the good of others?  Is the health of our soil really important?  I believe that it is important not only for me but for all those that will live long after I die.

How do you create a healthy soil environment so you will never have to add calcium, lime, fertilizer, etc. to your garden or lawn again?  Is that even possible?  I spent 3 days this weekend learning about soil biology from Dr. Elaine Ingham at Rodale Institute.  I am so excited to be able to tell you that it not only is possible, it is being done by all who are willing to step off of the chemical merry-go-round.

We can change being dependent on chemicals to grow our foods and our lawns.  The tools and knowledge are available to make that change.  We have the power to make a change.

“One person can make a difference and every person should try.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy