Can I grow successfully in Hard Clay or in Worn-out Soils?
What Can I do to Grow In My Heavy Clay Soil? You do NOT have to replace your heavy clay soil with something better, nor do you need to add tons and tons of sand and/or compost. To start off you simply eliminate all weeds, dig or till the soil, measure and stake your garden area into 18”-wide beds with at least 3’-wide aisles, and make raised, level, ridged beds, as described in the FREE ebook, in the Learn section of the Food For Everyone Foundation website at www.foodforeveryone.org, and in all the vegetable gardening books by Dr. Jacob R. Mittleider at www.growfood.com. That and just a little bit more. Just add three simple steps beyond the above procedures that apply to ANY soil, you can have excellent success with your clay soil - without amending it! 1) When you plant seed, use the handle of your hoe or rake to make a straight shallow furrow along the inside edge of the ridges. For small seeds the furrow should be only ½” deep, and for large seeds it should be 1” deep. Mix the seed you’re planting with 100 parts sand and apply evenly and sparingly in the furrow. This greatly minimizes the inevitable thinning that is otherwise necessary. 2) Then, instead of covering the seed with clay soil, cover it with a shallow layer (1/8″ for small seed and ¼” for large seed) of clean sand. You will have much better germination and emergence of your seeds if they don’t have to fight their way through that heavy clay. 3) After planting and after you water your soil-beds, when the soil begins to crack as it loses moisture, apply just a few pounds of sand per 30’-long bed to the cracks in the planting area of each grow-bed and water the sand into the cracks. The sand will fill the cracks and eliminate the cracking. You may need to do it a second time, but this will stop the drying and breaking of your plant roots that cracking clay soil usually causes. What type or condition of soil must I have to produce the best results? All types of soil will produce the same healthy, high quality and heavy yield in food crops except land with standing water on it or toxic substances in it. How is it done? Simply by restoring the essential plant nutrients to the soil. The water-soluble minerals in soils, which plants use for food, have been leached by rainfall and irrigation, out of the soil for thousands of years into creeks, rivers and oceans. This has greatly reduced the water-soluble minerals available in the soil, and thus soils everywhere are less fertile. The floor of every ocean and sea in the world contains these solidified minerals, which were once on dry land. These same minerals, from rocks mined from the earth, are packaged, inexpensive, and available worldwide for use in your gardens. Their nutrient content is high and accurately determined - almost always far greater than comparably priced “organic” nutrients. The quality of your soil will not keep you from having an excellent garden if you follow the procedures outlined on the website and in Dr. Mittleider’s books and videos, and if you feed your plants properly. A little natural mineral nutrient fertilizer goes a long way toward solving the worst soil problems. And here’s the simplest way to do it. Get two packets of pre-mixed micro-nutrients from the Food For Everyone Foundation, so that you don’t have to search for them individually. We ship two 8 ½ ounce packets, each of which is mixed with 20# of 16-16-16, or whatever similar mix is available at your nursery or farm supply store, plus 3# of Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) that you can get at any drug store. The Micro Mix is $13.95 for two packets plus shipping. It is the surest and easiest way to assure you have the nutrients you need. Hard-Pan Clay Soil That Doesn’t Drain - Usable for Garden? Are you like this person? “We are living in a very bad hard-pan soil area. When I dig a hole and add water, the water will stay for days.” Many families only have heavy, clay soil in which to grow gardens, and some have asked how to drain the soil so it isn’t too wet to grow in. Following is a little history of commercial clay soil gardening in the USA and Russia, along with some suggestions. The Imperial valley of California grows some of the most prolific and healthy vegetable crops anywhere in the world. The soil is hard, heavy clay, and before it was drained it was so saturated with salt the crops were very poor. This condition existed because the Colorado River had for centuries deposited salty water on the land, which evaporated leaving the salt residue. At first the farmers tried applying large amounts of water in attempts to drive the salt down, but the benefits were short-lived. Finally in the 40’s, the farmers put underground tile drainage systems in, consisting of 4″ drainage pipes buried more than 4′ in the ground at intervals of about 100′, which all led to larger drainage ditches and etc. Today they produce over $1 billion in vegetables per year. You can also grow great gardens in your clay soil, but if it’s wet or saline you may need to drain it. In Russia Dr. Mittleider’s students dug drainage ditches 10-12″ wide and 2′ deep to drain a small parcel of “waste” ground loaned to them by the Soviet authorities. It quickly became so prolific and beautiful the authorities gave them 23 acres! That ground is now the site for the most famous and productive family-based gardening agriculture school in all of the Russian Commonwealth Countries. And millions of Russian families, themselves growing in clay soil, credit the Mittleider Method for giving them self-sufficiency in their food production. The Mittleider Grow-Beds consisting of level, raised, ridged soil-beds themselves assist in the drainage process on clay soil. But if you have very high rain-fall, you may need to leave the ends open during the rainy season. Beyond that, either open drainage ditches, or buried drain pipes, as described above, will solve your wet-soil problems. So long as you have plenty of sunshine and access to water, the soil is no problem! We promise “a great garden in any soil, and in almost any climate.” And we mean it/ If you feel the clay soil is just too hard to work with, and you’d rather not fight it, then build Grow-Boxes and grow your food above-ground. Several Mittleider gardening books show you how, including Gardening By the Foot and Lets Grow Tomatoes. And The Mittleider Gardening Course has a section devoted just to Grow-Box gardening.
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Raised garden beds are the perfect answer to any gardener’s quest for more control over their garden, for would-be gardeners stuck with poor soil conditions, and for those desiring easy accessibility to their garden.
Raised garden beds are full of options, from choosing the best place for a garden and designing it to reap the best sun of the day to developing the best soil conditions for any particular plant and adding flowers or vertical plants for a showy display. By building a raised garden bed, a gardener can control the garden soil, moisture drainage, soil amendments, and even eliminate the need for weeding. Raised Garden Beds Provide Control Over Garden Good soil is the key to successful gardening. A raised garden bed is built above ground and often with new soil selected by the gardener for optimum growing conditions for their vegetables and flowers. Sometimes, if the raised garden bed is built upon a layer of soil, the old layer of soil is incorporated into the new soil by digging it up and using a gardening hoe or fork to mix the two soils. But, often, new soil is just placed on top of the old soil, giving the gardener complete control over soil conditions. If the garden bed will be placed atop sod, the sod must either be removed or turned into compost before building the garden bed. Raised garden beds are typically several inches deep in conditioned soil and are contained by wood or stone frames, although some are more “free-form” in their construction. Wood frames are generally less expensive to make than are stone frames. Within the frame, gardeners can plant a myriad of vegetables, herbs, or flowers for which they’ve amended soil to match growing needs.Fruits, like raspberries, strawberries, grapes, and blueberries also grow well in a contained raised garden bed.
Raised Garden Beds Eliminates Poor Soil Conditions
What is soil, anyway? Soil is composed of inorganic particles, organic matter, water and air. Inorganic particles include: silt, sand, and clay. Organic matter includes manure, compost, leaves, and other additives. The quality of soil depends upon the proportion of each component as well as the activity of microorganisms, fungus, and earthworms. The single most important way to improve soil conditions is by adding 1 to 4 inches of organic matter to the garden, and turning it in deeply. Tilling the soil adds oxygen, which is needed by microorganisms to break down the organic matter and release its nutrients. To analyze the condition of soil is to analyze its acidity and alkalinity as well as its structure and texture. Acidity and alkalinity of soil is measured on the pH scale, which runs from 0, or pure acid, to 14, or pure alkaline. It can be tested by purchasing a litmus test kit that is sold at most drug stores. The kit should come with litmus paper and a color scale. It’s easy to use by mixing distilled water with the soil in a clean cup until a moist paste forms. To find the pH, insert the litmus paper into the mixture and then match the final color of the paper to the color scale. Amending pHresults depends upon the “texture” of soil. Texture refers to the amount of clay, sand, or loam in the soil, and it goes hand in hand with the term “structure”. Structure refers to how the soil feels when it’s clumped together between thumb and forefinger. Soil with too much silt will feel smooth and slick, a soil heavy with clay will feel sticky and ball up easily, and a soil that is too sandy will feel gritty. An ideal gardening soil, or loam, will feel like a spongy ball and should contain up to 50 percent sand, between 25 and 30 percent silt, and up to 25 percent clay. Raised Garden Beds Provide Accessibility Most home raised garden beds are typically no more than 6 feet across and are built with space to walk around the entire garden allowing gardening from its edges. This is a particularly desirable feature for the elderly or anyone who loves gardening but finds it difficult to transverse a larger garden space. Additionally, a newspaper layering method can be employed to eliminate the need for weeding – a chore that is hard on anyone. Advantages of Raised Garden Beds
Planning and Constructing Raised Garden Beds If you are gardener who also likes to build and construct things, there are several “plans” available for creating a raised bed garden. The raised garden beds plans could include such things as plant arrangement within the garden as well as the actual physical construction of the raised garden bed. In addition, there are numerous raised garden kits available. The kits vary, but they usually contain all the materials needed to construct a raised garden bed minus the soil. Materials would include a set of instructions as well as the wood and brackets to connect the frame. Whether you are interested in finding a raised garden bed plan, design, or kit, they can all be purchased at your local garden center or hardware store. The convenient way to shop is to purchase the items online and there are some good options available. Gardeners should be sure to find a seller that offers free shipping because the materials (the wood) can run up to 50 pounds or greater, adding high shipping charges to the cost of the raised garden kit if free shipping isn’t included. Another thing to look for in a kit is ease of putting the raised garden bed together. Some companies offer kits that can be assembled in a matter of minutes, with no hammering, drilling, or screwing necessary. If you aren’t handy with tools, this may be the way to go. Maintaining Moisture in a Raised Garden Bed Raised garden beds offer great water drainage due to a couple of factors. One is that a gardener of a raised garden bed can amend the soil so that it is in a good “loamy” condition. In this condition, the soil will not have the moisture trappings of too much soggy clay. Another factor is that the gardenwill not be compacted by foot prints as a gardener can pick vegetables, fruits and/or flowers from the edges of the garden. So water will easily drain from the raised garden bed soil. Gardeners should balance the good drainage by adding a layer of mulch (compost and/or manure) to the garden bed each year. If the garden only grows seasonally or for a few months of a year as in colder climates, it’s a great idea to fold that mulch into the top layer of soil.Mulching the topsoil helps to retain the raised garden bed moisture and will also help to keep weeds away.
For more information about raised gardening beds, check out the following articles:
I don’t know if they’d even heard of raised garden beds back then. In my grandmother’s garden, she grew strawberries right in amongst the vegetables. My mother had a vegetable garden and a separate contained (although not raised) garden for raspberries. Oh how I dreaded being asked to do weed or pick the berries – especially the raspberries that grew fast and thick. But I knew that if I wanted to eat strawberry or raspberry shortcake with ice cream, I knew I better do what I was told and weed and pick in the gardens. In more recent years, my mother has a raised garden bed, and it’s fun to see how much she enjoys it. At 85, my mother can still manage this type of garden (and I don’t have to weed it) and she loves to make salsa from all of her fresh vegetables and herbs. A garden builds lasting memories of good, fresh food and learning experiences. Whether you are a beginning gardener, an old hand, or somewhere in between, I recommend planting raised garden beds for the ideal gardening experience.
From the sheer power of the numbers, social pests affect the ecosystems where they reside. The authentic social insects--rodents and termites, and some bees and wasps--include 75 percent of the planet's insect biomass, based on E.O. Wilson.
Why have some bugs evolved to reside in big, concerted colonies? There is power in numbers. Social pestsgain several benefits over their lone cousins. They could mount a vigorous defense of their house and tools if under assault. They could outcompete other insects, as well as bigger creatures, for land and food. Social pests can quickly build a refuge, and expand it as necessary. They could split chores in a fashion that guarantees everything gets completed expeditiously. Therefore, how can we define societal, when talking of insects? Many insects exhibit societal behaviours, like aggregating in massive amounts sometimes. Gregarious behaviour doesn't, by itself, imply an insect is societal. By definition, eusocial insects have to display all 3 of those traits: overlapping generations cooperative brood care A sterile worker caste To provide an example, consider termites. Within one termite colony, you'll come across people at different stages of their termite life cycle.Generations of termites overlap, and there's a steady supply of fresh adults ready to assume responsibility to the colony's care. The community cares for the youthful cooperatively. Termite communities are separated into three castes. The reproductive caste is constituted of a queen and king. The soldier caste of both females and males is especially adapted for protecting the colony. Last, the worker caste includes immature females and guys who do all actions: cleaning, feeding, structure, and brood care. Solitary insects, by contrast, do not exhibit one or more one of these social behaviours. They do not take part in parental control of the offspring, nor do they occupy a frequent nest together with others of the species. Solitary insects do not use a caste system. Essentially, it is every insect for herself. As you might recognize by now, many insects do not fit in either group. Some insects are neither eusocial nor solitary. Insects fall somewhere on a range of sociality, with different levels involving unmarried and eusocial. SUBSOCIAL INSECTS Only a step over solitary insects would be the subsocial pests. Subsocial insects deliver restricted parental attention to their own offspring.Many subsocial insects do not utilize nests to shield their young, even though there are exceptions to this guideline. Giant water bugs fall to the subsocial group. COMMUNAL INSECTS Next, we've got the bronchial bugs. Communal pests share a nest site along with different individuals of the identical generation. This social behaviour may be shown in one specific period of the life span, like in the larval period of a moths. Communal insects utilize complex types of communication, and gain certain benefits from nesting together. Communal living might help them prevent predation, help them with thermoregulation, or permit them to locate and utilize resources better. Communal pests never discuss in caring for offspring, nevertheless. Tent-making caterpillars, like the eastern tent caterpillars, construct a tropical silk tent, where they all shield. They share information regarding food resources by producing chemical paths, permitting their siblings to trace the scent to its own location. QUASISOCIAL INSECTS A slightly more complex kind of social behaviour is shown by quasisocial pests. These pests do exhibit concerted care of the young. A single production shares a frequent nest. Though most of the bees discuss in brood care, not all of bees put eggs from the nest cells. SEMISOCIAL INSECTS Semisocial insects also share child-rearing responsibilities with different people of the exact same production, in a frequent nest. As in authentic social insects, some members of this team are nonreproductive employees. But this creation will leave their nest prior to another generation emerges. The new adults will distribute and build new nests to their very own offspring. Paper wasps are semisocial in the spring, together with nonreproductive employees helping enlarge the nest and are inclined into the brood at a fresh colony. PRIMITIVELY EUSOCIAL INSECTS Ultimately, we've got the primitively eusocial insects. In primitively eusocial insects, the employees look exactly the like queens, with very little if any morphological differences between the castes. Bumblebees are also believed primitively eusocial, though they're an uncommon instance of that the queen is a little bigger than her employees, and so can be discerned.
No one likes uninvited guests. But, when the unwanted visitors are goose-bump inducing creepy critters, drastic action may be required.
So when you of pest control you’re thinking of racing to the store and purchasing a tub of over the counter pesticide, you should be aware that in it’s Citizen’s Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety, the Environmental Protection Agency advises that “one of the greatest causes of dangerous pesticide exposure to humans is the use of pesticides in and around the home.” In addition, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that, “The pesticides we use to control weeds and insects in and around our homes can be significant health hazards. Exposure to certain pesticides is associated with health problems ranging from skin rashes to nervous system disorders and cancer.” Those with children could be at an even greater risk. According to the NRDC, “children are at the greatest risk of harm because of their hand-to-mouth habits and still-developing nervous systems.”
With that in mind, you may want to opt for a professional pest controller. But how do you know if you’re getting one that is qualified?
According to James Whidden, President of Mug-A-Bug Pest & Termite Control in Colorado, there are a few questions wise customers should ask before hiring a professional exterminator, such as: “Are they licensed by the Dept. of Agriculture Christian Louboutin 2010 in their respective state? Are they bonded and insured?” Widden also suggests that customers ask if the exterminator is using chemicals that originate from the original manufacturer Christian Louboutin sale or if he or she uses any products that are formulated in-house? “You have to assume that if you’re hiring a professional exterminator, they are educated on the proper products for the pest being treated,” he says, “But you will not have an absolute guarantee that is the case. If the products are in their original containers you should be ok.” Jeff Eisenberg, President of Pest Away Incorporated in New York City, agrees that a thorough interview is essential to picking the right pest control services professional. “They should ask if they are licensed and, more importantly, if all of their technicians are licensed and certified,” Eisenberg says ” They should be prepared to show proof at time of service and they should make sure they have a BBB rating that is A or higher.” Eisenberg also says customers should make sure that the pest control specialist has been in business for a good while and runs a successful and stable business. “You want to see if they work out of their house, which may indicate a rinky-dink operation, “he says, “They should ask for references of places they have done and asked about warranties. “ Many sufferers of infestations worry about the cost of hiring a professional exterminator. And, despite the risks, they decide to employ their own methods to try to solve their pest problem. According to Eisenberg, this can be a big mistake. “Almost all of the poisoning mishaps in this country are from do-it-yourselfers,” he says. Whidden also warns against a do-it-yourself mentality when it comes to pest control. “Choosing the proper product is absolutely essential,” he says, “For example, with Ant Control, certain times of the year an ant will be feeding on protein, instead of sugar. If you choose a sweet bait and their feeding on protein at that time you will have an improper result of control.” Whidden says you should choose a professional pest controller for the same reasons that you choose a surgeon for your surgery: you want the job done right and precise.
“A professional knows the biology behind each pest that he is treating,” he says, “In most cases, the homeowner is throwing some sort of chemical at the pest hoping they get lucky.”
Whidden says a professional is looking for the food source, harborage, and other conducive conditions that will enhance the problem. According to him, chemicals are not always the answer and that educating the customer many times resolves the issues at hand. In addition to their confusion about whom to call, many people may also feel anxiety Louboutin sale about balancing the desire to rid their home of pests with the worry about endangering their family with toxic chemicals. For those, individuals, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) may be the answer. (IPM) is a technique that the EPA says is “an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. ”San Antonio Storage – Helping You Store And Move is is a useful method which Eisenberg says his company has been using since the very beginning over 19 years ago. “This method is a philosophy of solving pest problems by utilizing as little to no pesticides as possible,” he says, “The way this is accomplished is by correctly identifying the source of the problem and correcting it. This can be achieved by cleaning up an unsanitary area, building the pest out of the structure, fixing a leaky pipe, and sometimes if necessary, using a mild material that is targeted right at the infestation.”
When the majority of home cures and additional tactical techniques of deterring cats away from you’re respected yard stop working, you might want to look at several substance deterrents to keep back them cats all the time. There can be plentiful rewards and drawbacks of using a deterrent spray. When you conclude that a chemical product is correct for you, one can find that the choices will be enormous when looking for your options available. Next is a few of the most popular cat deterrents along with just a little description on how both ones work.
1 of the most popular cat repellents is called Shake Away. Shake-Away is really a dry grain formulation for you to shake over on your garden and currently its known not only to fend off kitties but additional four-legged pests also. The formulation will not include any chemical substances and is completely natural plus harmless about relatives and pets.
Shake-Away provides the agreement on their product directly from its maker, therefore if you happen to use the invention then ain't satisfied, there’s information within the product to obtain a refund for the product. A bulky 20-ounce bottle of Shake-Away is in general in the region of $15 and given that Shake-Away does construct different treatments intended for several types of critters, be certain that you find the precise formula for household kitties to let you receive the effects that you are seeking.
If you happen to have a preference the liquid preference you can place, you may sample the formula known Liquid Fence. The invention also makes use of completely natural supplies as well as being not dangerous to be used about young ones plus your pets. Liquid Fence ultimately takes a bit of the known scents of the plot, furthermore masks it through an unfamiliar scent. That part of the idea is with the purpose of pests love the familiarity smells featuring in you’re garden and as a result of altering the whiff, they will not feel as at ease and can uncover a different home which is more “familiar” to them.
You may have to replicate those deterrent treatments regularly until you stopping those critters tradition, nevertheless, when the kittie has learned that they are not welcome inside your back garden, you are able to stop using the product until you discover one more annoyance concern.
Electronic pest control devices can be extremely valuable products, with many repellent and deterrent solutions on the market.
Employing electronic pest control devices within your home can be a great way to remove pests in a more humane way. They are a non-lethal way to ensure the rodents and bugs in your home will want to move elsewhere, by causing them discomfort. This way living in your home becomes practically unbearable for any pest, and they will be inspired to go elsewhere in a hurry. Plus there are a wide variety of different types of electronic pest control devices, so you’ll be able to find the ideal addition that serves your needs perfectly. The way that any electronic pest control devices work, is by emitting an extremely low frequency ultrasonic signal. Typically this is broadcast around 300hz, so it won’t be harmful to humans that can only pick up sound between 16 to 20hz, or pets which are also out of the target range. The signal is emitted using your home’s wiring, and will cause discomfort in all the pests living within your walls. It takes a little time, but within a few weeks you’ll see that the rodents will start to leave, as they become uncomfortable. They will seek shelter elsewhere, just to get away from the signal of your electronic pest control devices. This is a great way to get rid of the rodents in your home, without having to kill them to do so.
The main thing will be choosing the electronic pest control devices that are right for you. In most cases any given device can cover an area of between 500 and 3,500 square feet. That means you’ll want to look directly on the device’s specifications to see how broad an area their signal will encompass. This way you can find one that’s guaranteed to work within the size of your home.
If you don’t know how many square feet your home encompasses, you should be able to find the information on your deed, or worst case scenario, measure the length and width of the outside of your home. When you multiple both numbers, you’ll have a semi accurate square feet estimate to work off of. From there you can target how many you’ll need to fully cover your home. You’ll want to have enough electronic pest control devices to cover the entire area, otherwise the rodents can simply move to a different section of your home to find sanctuary. The only way to prevent this, is by ensuring that every angle is covered so that there is no safe haven. This way the rodents will become too uncomfortable and annoyed to stay put, and they’ll be forced to find shelter elsewhere.
You can purchase electronic pest control devices from practically any department or hardware store, as they are fairly common tools for ridding your home of rodents. Remember to always check on the area that any given unit will cover. The right electronic pest control devices for you are the ones guaranteed to protect every area of your specific home from pests.
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