Xylem & Phloem

Naysayers always have plenty of excuses for not going green in the garden. "I don't have the time!" or "Organic fertilizers don't perform!" or better yet, "Finding stores that stock organics is impossible." Now, thanks to one of my favorite organic gardening companies, TerraCycle, there are no excuses for grabbing that bottle of chemical-laden Miracle-Gro.

I was thrilled to discover TerraCycle's garden fertilizer that features a hose attachment. Now, instead of crawling around on my hands and knees to sprinkle organic fertilizer around the base of each plant, I can simply spray down the garden until the soil is damp and well-saturated. 

These days, with my precious time taken up by unpacking at my new digs, the ability to quickly feed our vegetable patch with a sweep of the hose made me a very happy camper.  And stay tuned, because photos of the new gardens in Port Aransas will be coming shortly!

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    For several years, I eschewed compost bins in favor of a big pile in the corner of the garden. This method of composting is a bit disorderly, but it works just as well. In an attempt to tidy things up a bit, however, I have decided to purchase a few composting bins and my online research uncovered a good deal I thought I should pass along.

    As part of Smith and Hawken's "Fall Cleaning" sale,  the company is offering the Biostack Composter for $103.00, down from $129.00. (The Biostack Composter is rated a Consumer Reports Best Buy.) Seeds of Change advertises similar composter made of recycled synthetic materials for $99.00, but the Seeds of Change version holds only 11 cubic feet of material compared to Biostack's 13 cubic feet of capacity. The same 11 cubic foot composter at CleanAirGardening.com sells for $89.99.

 *UPDATE: Found an 11 cubic foot composter at Growers Supply for $79.99.

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From Tomatoes

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TOFGA Tip #1: Keep your tomato plants flowering in the heat of the summer

As most organic gardeners know, tomatoes and peppers respond very well to compost and living mulch. They are also very demanding of potassium and calcium – something gardeners may not know. So make soil testing a regular part of your organic gardening program. Calcium deficiencies are rare, but can be treated with soft rock phosphate. Additionally, when blossoms start to drop in the middle of summer, it may not necessarily be the oppressive heat, but the fact that magnesium becomes tied up in the soil. To encourage blossom, Reggie Destree, an organic crop consultant, suggests spraying plants with a foliar spray of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts). This is why many experts recommend adding a handful of Epsom salts when putting tomato plants in the ground, and once again halfway through the season.  (Free soil tests are available at Calloway’s Nursery in Dallas. Click here for more information.)

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What an experience… My typing can’t keep up with my excitement right now. This past weekend I attended the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Annual Conference in McKinney, and it was the best decision that I have made in a very long time. Speakers covered everything that ANYONE growing plants or produce needs to know to develop and sustain an organic program of care and cultivation. I came in contact with people that are actually living MY dream of producing organic crops. Now, let’s be honest. When you think of an organic farming conference, you think of something reminiscent of Woodstock. NOT the case this weekend. Most of the attendees were actually conventional farmers assessing their options for adopting an organic program.

Continue reading "TOFGA Conference: Part One" »

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Stay tuned for full coverage of the TOFGA Conference.

TOFGA Web site 

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