Comments on: Gardening Without Plastic, Part 3: Mulching and Watering

By: Grow Your Own « Observations of a Backroad Traveler

Grow Your Own « Observations of a Backroad Traveler — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:28:53 +0000

[...] more green gardening info, check out this post from My Plastic-free Life (more info in the comments and links to part 1 and [...]

By: Elizabeth Newell

Elizabeth Newell — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 02:40:30 +0000

Hi,

You probably found this out already, but you need a thicker layer of straw, at least once your plants get going a little. I can still see dirt through your straw. So maybe you don’t have so much extra as you thought.

If it is any consolation, the plastic stuff used on the bales is VERY strong and useful. I remember seeing an article in a horse magazine about how to braid practically unbreakable horse halters and straps to pull your truck out of the mud with it. So, if it is OK in your book to use up such incidental plastic, you can reuse it.

Completely plastic-free alternatives to straw (and often free) are wood chips from local tree trimmers (they usually wanna give you a huge amount, but maybe you could split with someone.), pine needles, and fall leaves saved from the previous year. You might want to let the wood chips age a bit before using them to burn off any excess nitrogen. It will steam, but unless you have a huge pile will not combust.

Oh, and you might want to check out the new squarefoot gardening book for tips on how much to plant and how to get the most out of a small space. You don’t have to do it all his way, but I tried some of it this year and liked it. Some useful ideas.

Good luck.

By: Melina Rudman

Melina Rudman — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:17:20 +0000

Hi Beth, My tomatoes also suffer from blossom end-rot. I’ve used epsom salts, just dissolve them in your watering bucket. They come in a carton, which may be plasticized (or not), but you may be able to find them in other containers. Epsom salts are all natural and won’t harm anyone or anything that I know of. Good luck!

By: Ruth

Ruth — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:21:49 +0000

1) I have lived in Oakland. The weather is cool (generally) and the sun is often covered by fog. Most garden plants love full sun and hot all day.
2) Tomatoes like consistant wetness with no drying out, otherwise the first clue is leaf curl. You can also tell when the leaves look dry or they don’t have those tiny golden dew balls on the stems and leaves
3)Steer manure mixed into the soil is the best fertilizer.
4) Cut worms need to wrap their bodies around the stem, if there was 2 or three toothpicks placed against the stem, blocking that curl, they wont cut. The cucumbers look like it could be cut worm or lack of sun/heat.
5) Earwigs also make holes that look like snail or slug holes. I place a tuna can with a dolup of bacon grease and some vegetable oil about a 1/4 inch deep and the earwigs drowned in it. They feed at night, so place this at the base of the plant at night. Some earwigs are good, they eat softbodied insects. Earwigs live in mulch type areas. Earwigs will not eat established plants, they like new or baby growth.
6) You have the perfect weather for growing spring or fall plants. So look for plants that are planted and harvested in spring and fall and you’ll be able to grow them ALL summer. Lettuce, salads, herbs like mint and cilantro. I can’t think of anymore because I can not grow these things. :)

By: Eve Stavros

Eve Stavros — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:03:33 +0000

Great effort and lots of good comments! I always learn so much from you all!

For basil lovers – my BEST basil has been the ones I planted in some old ceramic African violet pots (I kill AV’s), and keep them in my sunny greenhouse window. The nested pots must just be perfect for watering these thirsty plants. I stuck 3 seeds into each pot, and have had 3 harvests so far (enough for pesto – yay!!)

By: Recommended Reading, 07.25.11 « TanGreen

Recommended Reading, 07.25.11 « TanGreen — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:52:55 +0000

[...] “Gardening Without Plastic Part Three: Mulching and Watering” (My Plastic Free Life” [...]

By: chicknlil

chicknlil — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:15:28 +0000

You can get straw that is twine tied or wire tied. Bailing machines do one or the other but are not equiped to do both. The reason the twine is plastic, is to keep the mice from chewing it in the barn. They like to munch the hemp twine, it is treated to resist rot and rodents and smells funny. Mice love straw, it is warm and dry and makes a good nest. Imho, wire tie is the best. Mice won’t bother it and the wire is handy stuff to fix almost anything. Farmers use it to cobble together all sorts of things. I keep a strand or two in the back of my truck at all times.
Straw is the stems of the wheat plant that are left over after the wheat has been thrashed. The combine mows the wheat, gathers it, thrashes it, and removes the chaft. The wheat goes into the hopper and the stems are conveyered out the back of the machine via straw walkers. The farmer rakes together the stems/straw and bales it. So, straw is a by-product of wheat production. It will have some residual wheat seed in it, more if the combine was not adjusted properly. Wheat is a grass. There are two kinds of straw. Clean straw that was baled without being rained on and mulch straw that has been rained on before being baled. Clean straw is better bedding for animals and is yellow. Mulch straw is greyer and is clumpier. For your garden, just get what’s cheaper.

You can use wood ashes to increase soil ph and deter bugs from eating your plants. The ash tastes bad, so they go somewhere else. You must re-apply each time is rains. Just a nice dusting will do. Maybe a neighbor has a fireplace? You might try handing a bird house. They will help eat your bugs.

ps You should be proud of rough hands, you’ve been working. You can talk about food feet, take that multinational industrial food!

By: Sandra / Always Well Within

Sandra / Always Well Within — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 06:21:22 +0000

Yikes, lead in the hose nozzle! Glad you caught that. What’s going on with this world! Seriously, I didn’t know what mulch was either. I tried using leaves, but they never seem to fully decay and they get moldy. Straw looks interesting.

I don’t water at night due to slugs here.

I wish I had some advice for you. I find the best thing is to read up on the requirements for each plant. They are all different. I would pick that pepper fast too before anything spreads. It makes less stress on the plant to remove bad parts too. I’m pretty hopeless when it comes to gardening so I like the advice you share here not to have high expectations, but keep the spirits up!

By: What’s Going On

What’s Going On — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:56:42 +0000

[...] My Plastic-Free Life gardens without plastic. [...]

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 07:20:34 +0000

Wow! Lead in a water nozzle! How is that even legal?

I am so excited about your garden. The nasturtiums are pretty, but watch out they can take over. They are yummy and pretty in salads.

Amy :)