Good ole publisher's tact...they have sense enough to bury the icky bits deep in the bowels of an article. I was reading some fascinating stories on Terra Preta soil formation in the Amazon when I came across the bit where they used humanure to inoculate and condition the biochar used to create the soil. Yup, they mixed people poop and pee with charcoal to create some of the richest soil on the planet. And they grew their food on that. Ick.
But maybe I shouldn't cringe too much; after all, we do the same thing here. There are anti-dumping laws that limit how much sewage material you can dump into the oceans so our processed sewer sludge ends up being converted into a cheap fertilizer that's sold to farmers who grow our food. The marketing gurus wisely sensed that "processed sewer sludge" wouldn't sell well so they created the name, "Milorganite" for the sludge so it sounds more like a naturally mined mineral. Clever. I saw bags of milorganite for sale at Sunnyside Garden Sentres as a lawn fertilizer a few years back. Wasn't able to bring myself to buy it, even for the lawn.
Still, this whole humanure thing bears looking into. Other cultures in other parts of the world do recycle human waste into fertilizer for their fields. In fact, all of the long-term, successful, closed systems of agriculture included returning humanure to the soil. You had to keep the minerals and nutrients from leaving the land or the soil would become depleted over time. Since we're already eating food grown (imported or domestic) that's fertilized with humanure, I thought I would look into it further.
I remembered seeing a Home Depot flyer that advertised a composting toilet so I decided to find out how those worked. In the process, the Internet whimsically directed me to a link on how to compost a cow. I had to click on it. My curiosity demanded to know how they got the cow into the toilet.
Prior to the current regulations that say you have to take the carcass into an approved processing/rendering facility, people would simply compost their cow if it got hit by lightning. Now if you were able to get to it fresh, and you happened to have a backhoe, you could try the Hawaiian-luau-pig-in-a-pit thing, but alas, who the heck has a pit of coals at hand...especially in a lightning storm? Pity our lack of prescience or we would have more roast beef.
The thing to do to compost your dead cow is to bury it in a whole lot of sawdust. The high carbon:nitrogen ratio of the sawdust (500:1) helps to absorb the large amount of nitrogenous waste from the decomposing cow and a couple of years later, you have good compost. Humanure is composted in much the same way. You can make a simple composting toilet by doing your business in a large bucket and then covering it up with a layer of sawdust. When the bucket is full, you empty it into a humanure compost pile and let it break down. At some point some bright Amazonian must have realized that charcoal would help keep odours down in the pile and terra preta was inadvertently born. At least that's my theory.
I like to speed up my composting by adding weeds. They're high in nitrogen and minerals and break down very quickly. For those of you who worry about weed seeds, you can always try adding a cow. The existing composters are too small for that but we'll be building new ones soon....
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Anyone want Red Currants?
My red currant bush is loaded with fruit. I'd be really happy if someone would like to come and pick some. It seems such a shame to let them go to waste. I still have juice from last year that I haven't made into jelly yet.
Alma
403-285-4853
Pineridge NE
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Square Foor Gardening
I found this article I though you might be interested in:
Square foot gardening offers an ideal method for new gardeners. It is also perfect for busy people, and those with arthritis or other physical limitations. If you are looking for the easiest way to garden, this method offers real advantages. Square foot gardening can even be done in raised beds, or in containers, to make it easy on your back.
Square foot gardening is simply dividing a well-planned garden into one foot sections. Each of these one foot sections is part of a four foot square block. These garden blocks are designed to be four feet on each side so you can easily reach all of the plants from outside the planting bed. When you step in a garden bed, your weight will compact the soil and make it harder for plant roots to grow. Each individual square foot is then divided so each plant gets just the space it needs.
Gardening in simple squares allows you to plant only what you need instead of having to plant a whole row of one crop. With this method, you can also plant crops in succession so they do not ripen all at once. If you have too many plants it can become overwhelming to care for them.
Square foot gardening works well in raised beds. By raising the beds 12 inches (or more if needed) it also makes it easier to reach them. Wheelchair users or those with severe back problems may choose to have truly raised beds built so they can tend to their garden without having to lean over.
Container gardening can be adapted to the square foot method as well, although you will need to take care to select containers that are deep enough for the roots. When using containers, plan to use rich soil and water often for best results. Container plants are dependent on you for nutrients and can dry out quickly in hot weather.
An example of a four foot block planting for maximum production might be one tomato plant in each of the first two squares, four bush squash plants in the next two squares. The next four squares could hold one eggplant, one cabbage, one pepper plant, and one cauliflower. Broccoli in two squares, 16 onions in one square, 32 carrots in two squares, a dozen loose leaf lettuce in one square, four marigolds in one square, and nine spinach in one square (each square is one foot). As produce is harvested, short season or late season crops such as baby lettuce or cabbage can be planted in the empty spots.
Gardening in squares instead of rows saves space too so you will probably be able to put your garden closer to your house. You will need about twenty percent less space than with traditional garden rows. With your garden just beyond your back door, you will enjoy it more and spend more time tending to our vegetable garden. A closer garden is also easier for harvesting since you can pick vegetables as they ripen and use them right away.
You'll find that square foot gardening is much easier for both new gardeners and experienced gardeners. Not only will you plant only what you want and not too much, but you will be planting in rich, loose soil and in raised beds that are easier on your back. No need for exhausting double-digging and pulling out excess seedlings. You can plant closer to the house and you use your space more efficiently. Once you try square foot gardening, you'll love having your own fresh vegetables with much less effort.
Julie R. Holland is the editor of Gardening it Easy blog and e-newsletter. Want more tips and hints about how to raise a lush, beautiful garden while saving money, time and your back? Subscribe to the free Gardening it Easy e-newsletter and get the Beginner's Guide to Organic Gardening for free!
Article Source: Julie R. Holland
Square foot gardening offers an ideal method for new gardeners. It is also perfect for busy people, and those with arthritis or other physical limitations. If you are looking for the easiest way to garden, this method offers real advantages. Square foot gardening can even be done in raised beds, or in containers, to make it easy on your back.
Square foot gardening is simply dividing a well-planned garden into one foot sections. Each of these one foot sections is part of a four foot square block. These garden blocks are designed to be four feet on each side so you can easily reach all of the plants from outside the planting bed. When you step in a garden bed, your weight will compact the soil and make it harder for plant roots to grow. Each individual square foot is then divided so each plant gets just the space it needs.
Gardening in simple squares allows you to plant only what you need instead of having to plant a whole row of one crop. With this method, you can also plant crops in succession so they do not ripen all at once. If you have too many plants it can become overwhelming to care for them.
Square foot gardening works well in raised beds. By raising the beds 12 inches (or more if needed) it also makes it easier to reach them. Wheelchair users or those with severe back problems may choose to have truly raised beds built so they can tend to their garden without having to lean over.
Container gardening can be adapted to the square foot method as well, although you will need to take care to select containers that are deep enough for the roots. When using containers, plan to use rich soil and water often for best results. Container plants are dependent on you for nutrients and can dry out quickly in hot weather.
An example of a four foot block planting for maximum production might be one tomato plant in each of the first two squares, four bush squash plants in the next two squares. The next four squares could hold one eggplant, one cabbage, one pepper plant, and one cauliflower. Broccoli in two squares, 16 onions in one square, 32 carrots in two squares, a dozen loose leaf lettuce in one square, four marigolds in one square, and nine spinach in one square (each square is one foot). As produce is harvested, short season or late season crops such as baby lettuce or cabbage can be planted in the empty spots.
Gardening in squares instead of rows saves space too so you will probably be able to put your garden closer to your house. You will need about twenty percent less space than with traditional garden rows. With your garden just beyond your back door, you will enjoy it more and spend more time tending to our vegetable garden. A closer garden is also easier for harvesting since you can pick vegetables as they ripen and use them right away.
You'll find that square foot gardening is much easier for both new gardeners and experienced gardeners. Not only will you plant only what you want and not too much, but you will be planting in rich, loose soil and in raised beds that are easier on your back. No need for exhausting double-digging and pulling out excess seedlings. You can plant closer to the house and you use your space more efficiently. Once you try square foot gardening, you'll love having your own fresh vegetables with much less effort.
Julie R. Holland is the editor of Gardening it Easy blog and e-newsletter. Want more tips and hints about how to raise a lush, beautiful garden while saving money, time and your back? Subscribe to the free Gardening it Easy e-newsletter and get the Beginner's Guide to Organic Gardening for free!
Article Source: Julie R. Holland
Friday, August 7, 2009
Mulch and Meeting
Hello everyone,
The mulch did not end up getting delivered on the 5th. They are now looking at between the 10-12th. I'm trying to get a Calgary Attendance crew in on the 13th to help move it. Hopefully it'll get here in time.
We have a date to add to the calendar. Child and Youth Friendly Calgary will be bringing out a group on Saturday the 15th.
We need to have a meeting soon to figure out where we're at and where we're going and to set a date for the next work bee, open house/tea at the garden and possibly a fall celebration/volunteer appreciation. Please email everyone the times you're free over the next week or so.
Thanks.
The mulch did not end up getting delivered on the 5th. They are now looking at between the 10-12th. I'm trying to get a Calgary Attendance crew in on the 13th to help move it. Hopefully it'll get here in time.
We have a date to add to the calendar. Child and Youth Friendly Calgary will be bringing out a group on Saturday the 15th.
We need to have a meeting soon to figure out where we're at and where we're going and to set a date for the next work bee, open house/tea at the garden and possibly a fall celebration/volunteer appreciation. Please email everyone the times you're free over the next week or so.
Thanks.
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