Protect Your Garden's Soil With Mulch

Mulches are a vital part of organic gardening, especially in hot climates like the Southeastern United States. Heavy rains can wreak havoc on garden soils, and high daytime temperatures can quickly burn organic material out of the soil. Applying mulch over your garden’s soil protects it’s organic content and structure from compaction when the soil dries, and helps prevent erosion from rain. Mulches also stabilize the temperature of the soil, insulating microbial soil organisms, earthworms, and plant roots from temperature extremes. They help control weeds, and perhaps best of all, mulch helps reduce water consumption by reducing loss to evaporation.  When applying mulch, remember not to spread it too close to the plant as this can cause fungal attacks due to the increased humidity it creates.

So what can you use to mulch your organic garden?

Alfalfa
An excellent , popular mulch that is high in nitrogen, trace minerals, and the plant hormone triacontanol.

Salt Hay
Great because it doesn’t mat and is free of seeds. Avoid using grass hay, as it’s loaded with seeds.

Straw
It’s light and easy to work with, and adds organic matter to the soil when tilled in.

Compost
Be sure to use only finished compost, as material that isn’t fully composted can rob the soil of nitrogen.

Dried Grass Clippings
Dried is the keyword here…spread only about an inch of herbicide free, dried grass clippings over your garden. Piles of fresh grass clippings will only clump and mat. And smell.

Shredded Bark
A nice looking, readily available mulch option that breaks down slowly, but also takes nitrogen away from the soil.

Shredded, Dried Leaves
A high quality, readily available garden mulch that adds organic matter and trace minerals to the soil.

Newspaper
Not the most attractive option, but a very effective weed barrier between rows of vegetables.

Wood Chips, Shavings or Sawdust
Effective mulches that can temporarily rob the soil of nitrogen. Bone Meal and Dried Blood should be added to the soil before mulching to correct this. Do not use material from treated wood.

Keep Fresh Produce Fresher, Longer

So your garden is a success this year. A big success. Because of you, all your friends, family and co-workers now eat green beans three times a week. You’ve got squash piling up in the fridge faster than coupons in your mailbox, and a brigade of tomatoes has begun to fall into formation on your countertop. So how do you best store your home grown produce to share and enjoy next week, or the week after?

For most vegetables the ideal storage conditions are a dry location between 32-38 degrees.  Here are some tips for keeping your produce fresh in the refridgerator.

Apples
Apples will absorb odors, so store them separately from other produce. They also give off ethylene, which speeds ripening in other produce.

Asparagus
Place in a plastic bag and use within a span of 3-4 days 

Blueberries
Store blueberries in a shallow container for up to four days. Do not wash before storing.

Cabbage
Store heads of cabbage in a plastic bag for up to two weeks. The longer cabbage is stored, the stronger the flavor and aroma become. Store a half head by sprinkling the cut side with water, and sealing in a plastic bag.

Carrots
Cut off the tops, and store carrots in a paper bag. A plastic bag works well too, and the carrots will keep for several weeks, but they’ll taste their best during the first week. 

Corn
Corn stores the most poorly of any vegetable. Try and use it the day you pick it.

Cucumbers
Homegrown cucumbers will dry out much faster than the wax coated store bought ones. If you store your cukes unwashed, away from other produce, they’ll last a week or more.

Eggplant
When stored in your fridge’s crisper, it will stay fresh up to a week.

Grapes
Store grapes in a sealed plastic bag until you’re ready to use them. They can keep for several days.

Green Beans
Green beans stored in a plastic produce bag in the refrigerator can last for about a week.

Greens
Start by rinsing the leaves and removing any bad spots. Then dry between paper towels and store in the fridge in a plastic bag.

Herbs
herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro keep better if left on the stem. Place the branch in a glass of water, and cover with a plastic bag.

Melons
Keep melons away from other fruit, in a dry place between 45 and 50 degrees.  Refrigerate melons after cutting.

Peaches
Store peaches in a paper bag at room temperature until they’re ripe, then refrigerate for up to five days. Separate peaches from other fruit to avoid overripening.

Pears
Pears are best harvested before they have fully ripened. Store at room temperature for a few days, then refrigerate apart from other produce. They can last up to a week.

Peppers
Store whole peppers away from fruit, in a dry place between 45-50 degrees. Refrigerate once cut.

Plums
Store unripe plums in a paper bag at room temperature. After they ripen, store refrigerated for 3-5 days, apart from other fruits.

Potatoes
Store potatoes in a paper bag with holes in it, and keep them in a cool, dry, dark place with good ventilation. Be sure to keep potatoes away from onions, apples, and direct sunlight, as it can cause the skins to turn  green and bitter.

Raspberries & Blackberries
Store berries for up to two days unwashed. When preparing, mist the berries instead of washing under running water.

Squash
Wipe dirt from squash instead of washing, and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Strawberries
Store strawberries in a shallow container, covered loosely with plastic, and in the coldest part of the refrigerator. They can last up to three days.

Tomatoes
Don’t refrigerate tomatoes as it will ruin their flavor and texture. Store unripe tomatoes at room temperature until ready to eat.

Screenwriter Finally Gets Her Organic Garden

Michael Amy Cira-Scippo has spent most of her adult life in either New York or LA. Living in these urban settings was just a part of her career as a screenwriter, like the shell that comes with a turtle. “ I loved the lifestyle and culture, but I never had enough space for a garden,” she explains. “ I always wanted one though, and  it’s nice to finally get my wish!”

Michael Amy’s pink bungalow sits nestled near the edge of a large tract of forest in Plaza Midwood. Ancient oaks shield most of the house from hot afternoons, but there was one sunny spot in the front yard that was perfect for an organic vegetable garden. Michael Amy liked the look of our Timbers style raised beds, which are made by interlocking three layers of rough sawed Western Red Cedar timbers. Initially we installed two 3’x5’ beds, but the following day, Michael Amy decided to add a third bed for herbs.

We love when folks value their gardens enough to put them not where it’s most aesthetically pleasing, but where it will be most successful, and convenient to the kitchen. Michael Amy’s garden has all three!

To keep her new garden fertile, we installed a two bin pallet compost station just a few feet from the beds. Her half acre wooded lot has plenty of stuff to compost, as does the family of three’s kitchen.

We planted the beds with bush beans, beets, chard, lettuces, and eggplant, and Michael Amy’s daughter personally planted a patch of Tokyo Verte soybeans. We even worked  a tough strip of ground between the sidewalk and street and planted a few tomato and squash plants.

Incredibly Neighborly Chicken Coops by The Garden Coop.com

There are more ways to build a chicken coop than feathers on a hen, but most aren’t really worth writing home about.

Portland designer John Carr’s Garden Coop and Garden Ark, are two eye catching exceptions.

Besides keeping your flock safe from predators and harsh weather, urban coops have the special challenge of earning a nod of approval from the neighbors…at least if you want to get invited to the next 4^th of July cookout. The Garden Coop walk in coop design, and Garden Ark mobile chicken coop design elegantly achieve all three. 

The Garden Coop can comfortably house up to eight hens, while the Garden Ark mobile coop holds up to three.

Unlike internet coop kits and barn yard style coops, both of Carr’s designs feature covered run areas, which go a long way toward protecting your hens from icy winter rains or scorching summer afternoons. Both designs also have robust protection from common predators like hawks, raccoons, and rodents.

And best of all, they look really cool! Clean lines and a modern feel make for decidedly un-chicken coop looking chicken coops. Would the modern, west coast style of the Garden Coop or Garden Ark clash with your colonial style brick home with white columns? You should tear it down. These coops are that good. And they can be customized!

Know a thing or two about carpentry and good at following directions? The plans for both designs can be purchased and downloaded at  thegardencoop.com. The plans include a complete tools and materials list, and instructions that are clear and easy to follow. The coops typically take about three weekends to complete.

Did you end up in the emergency room when you tried to make that picnic table? Don’t know the difference between a jigsaw and circular saw? Microfarm has been selected by Carr to build both of his designs for customers in the Charlotte area. Interested in owning a Garden Coop walk in chicken coop or garden Ark Mobile chicken coop? Call or write for details & pricing. Want to see one up close? We have a Garden Ark at Atherton Market every Saturday from 9a-2p. Stop by and say hello!

Heidi Billotto's Organic Garden

Heidi Billotto is serious about making cooking fun.  When she’s not teaching one of her popular cooking classes, you might find her giving culinary demonstrations on WCNC-TV, or WCCB-TV.  “I always shop local farmers markets for ingredients,” explains Heidi. “I think it’s important to support the local food system. ..which is easy because the quality of the produce is so much better!”

While many of her classes are taught in the instructional kitchen at Reid’s Grocery, she often teaches classes at local farms, like Proffitt family farm, which specializes in grass fed organic meat.

“I’ve taken a couple of stabs at gardening in the past, and I’ve done okay with my herbs,” she says, waving a hand toward an army of potted plants on her deck.

“This year, I was absolutely determined to have a successful edible garden, and I heard that Microfarm might be able to help,” she continued , smiling.

As with all of the gardens we install, but especially one for a chef, it was important that the garden be close to the kitchen.  An aging gas grill was finally put to pasture, which opened up the perfect spot for Heidi’s garden : a sunny nook beside the deck, and mere feet from the kitchen table.  A 4’x6’ Kitchen Garden style raised bed fit perfectly, and was planted with heirloom beet, eggplant, green bean, and pepper varieties. Cucumber plants were placed at a corner of the bed so that they can climb up and out along the deck’s railing.

An area just across from the raised bed was prepped and planted with six tomato varieties, and three types of squash.

So Heidi’s garden is off to a great start, and one of Charlotte’s most successful chefs will finally have a successful organic garden!