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While some types of vegetables are simply better suited to growing with their roots in the ground, the determined gardener can grow almost any kind of food plant in containers. It is the nature of all plants that some require more root space than others. Lettuce, for instance, has a relatively small root system that grows shallowly, near the surface of the soil. By comparison, some squash plants have roots that will have an eventual diameter of thirty feet if they’re allowed to grow unrestricted. Clearly, squash plants are not well suited to container growing.
Other kinds of plants don’t have enormous root systems, but they get too tall to manage in all but the largest container. Corn and quinoa grown for seeds are both good examples. And some plants need space for their roots to develop – beets, garlic, onions, parsnips, radishes, and turnips all need depth combined with lateral growth in order to develop fully.
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Many people ask us for the "Mary's Mix" complete organic fertilizer recipe. For smaller gardens, it may be more economical to purchase some premixed 4-4-4 Complete Organic Fertilizer from Gaia Green but for big gardens, and for determined do-it-yourself-ers, here is the classic blend that Mary Ballon used to print in the West Coast Seeds catalogue. She always included the footnote that "actually it's Steve Solomon's Mix and I have been using variations of it since 1983."
4 parts seed meal (i.e. flax or cottonseed)
1 part rock phosphate OR 1/2 part bone meal
1 part lime
1/2 part kelp meal
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Companion planting is probably about 2 parts science to 1 part folklore or wishful thinking. Some plants definitely do benefit from being planted side by side, and conversely, some plant combinations have negative, unwanted results. In other cases, it's not clear where the science meets up with simple tradition. Below is a list of some recommended planting combinations, as well as some tips for attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects.
Agastache – Very attractive to bees. Plant a row away from the garden to lure cabbage moths away from Brassica crops. Do not plant near radishes
Alyssum – Very attractive to pollinators, and useful as a mulch to keep weeds down between rows.
Amaranth – Plant with corn to shade the soil and retain water. Attracts predatory ground beetles.
Asparagus – Plant with asters, basil, cilantro, dill, cilantro, marigolds, nasturtiums, oregano, parsley, peppers,
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About Composting
Composting is the process of breaking down organic material. It is one of the basic principles of organic and biodynamic gardening, and has been in practice for a surprisingly long time. Pliny the Elder refers to composting in his writings from the early Roman era in the first century AD. But it wasn’t until the 1920s when forward thinking scientists and social philosophers such as Rudolf Steiner began to see the profoundly important role composting could play in a modern society. And only now are municipalities in North America contemplating large, industrial scale composting programs to deal with urban waste. More about that later…
In early systems, manure and wasted plant matter from the field was laid in wide heaps for one year or more, by which point it would have broken down into a useful, fully decomposed form. It could then be added to fields either as a top dressing or tilled under, adding important orga
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Crop rotation is the practice of not growing plants where similar plants grew the previous year.
This practice prevents the build up of pests and diseases and optimizes the use of soil nutrients. Plants from different "families" need different amounts of nutrients and their root systems also penetrate the soil to different levels. To simplify, we try to alternate between leaf crops and root crops. Leaf crops tend to be heavy nitrogen feeders with fairly shallow root systems. Root crops usually require more phosphorus and potassium and need deep soils in order to grow properly.
Different plant families also prefer different soil pH levels, so the rotation plan includes planning lime applications.
PH preferences are: Higher pH (limed) Lower pH (acidic)
Brassicas, Solanum Salad, Potatoes, Spinach, Root crops, Squash, Alliums, Peas & Beans
- Brassicas: include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel
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