Low Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening with Edibles Workshop, March 3, Olbrich Gardens, Madison

March 3, 9 to 4 p.m., Olbrich Gardens, Madison,

Low Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening with Edibles Presentation

From low-maintenance gardens to edibles, this day-long workshop will cover strategies to grow an efficient, self-sufficient garden. Educator Roger Reynolds from Infiltrating Landscapes will discuss nature's "weed and feed," simple composting, lasagna gardening, edible landscaping, organic practices, and much more to help you plant and maintain a healthy, nourished edible garden and landscape. Bring a bag lunch.  cost: $40/50 for the day.

This will be a information packed day.  Attendees should leave with a really clear understanding of how and why deep mulched gardens work--and all the benefits of gardening this way.  

There is still room, if you are interested.

Hope to see you there,

Roger  

Olbrich Class--Stunning Plants for Dazzling Effects, Thursday, March 1 at Olbrich Gardens

This should be a great class. Ed Lyon is a great speaker and a hanging basket full of knowledge!!!

Stunning Plants for Dazzling Effects, Ed Lyon

http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops

Sustainable Gardening--going all the way--book suggestion

Here is an interesting book a about a garden fertilizer you make yourself.  A plus, it also helps repel rabbits, groundhogs and deer.

Liquid Gold--Carol Steinfeld

http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Gold-Logic-Using-Plants/dp/0966678311/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330476403&sr=1-1

Companion Planting book

If you are interested in companion planting, here is one of my favorite books on the subject.

Sally simpliefies the concept and has a great two page listing of family plant groups to consider planting together.

I find this book much easier to use than "Carrots Love Tomatoes" and "Roses Love Garlic".

Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch.detail?invid=11111841956&browse=1&qwork=15820104&qsort=&page=1

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Garden-Companions-Companion-Planting-Chemical-Free/dp/0875968473#_

Upcoming classes

Thanks to all who attended my class at Olbrich Gardens in Madison on growing Sprouts and Micro-Greens.  The class went really well and people got to taste a lot of spouts.

This Sat, Feb 25, I will be presenting a class on Lasagna/Deep Mulch Gardening at Borgen's Restaurant at 10 a.m. in Westby, WI.  This is sponsored by the Bethel Buttik Community Garden Project.  This is free and no registration is required.

March 3, Olbrich Gardens, Madison, WI, I will be presenting Low-Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening Including Edilbes from 9 to 4.  This class is $40/50 for the day.  Look at Olbrich Gardens website under education for adults.

Deep mulch garden install in spring

Dietrich asks:

I'm inspired by your work, and especially delighted to learn about lasagna gardening, which, once you see what it is, seems like such a logical approach.  Question:  If I do it right away, is it too late to have a lasagna patch ready for spring, or say late spring (May) planting?  I would be able to put hay and composted material on top of the cardboard base.

I hope to be able to attend your March 3 all day session at Olbrich.

My thoughts:

Thanks Dietrich.  I agree--it does seem really logical, once you understand the process. 

I recommend waiting until the ground is thawed in spring, before putting down a lasagna/deep mulch garden.  All the materials in the deep mulch garden are basically cellulose insulation--we don't want a garden on top of an ice-cube.

So, mid to late March you can do an new garden installation, and still plant for this season.  Once it is installed, be diligent about watering.  It will take 2 to 4 weeks of almost daily watering, at first, to get it wet through and through.  Water up to 1 inch a day for the first week.  Then dig in 5 to 6 places and see how wet things are getting.  The adjust your watering pattern, based on how wet things are getting.

IT TAKES MUCH MORE WATER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE!!!

You can cover the garden with a plastic sheet or tarp between waterings.  This will reduce evaporation and speed the process.

Yes, you can still install a deep mulch garden plant it this spring.  Good luck.

Hope to see you at Olbrich Gardens March 3rd.

Happy Gardening,

Roger

The Power of Cardboard

This is the Boscobel School Garden--out at their school forest.  The garden is in a fallow grassland filled with perennial grasses--mainly quackgrass!!!  The main difference between where the garden is and where the grass is so lush--is a cardboard smother layer with deep mulch on top of the cardboard. 

There is a part of the garden that was tilled like this part was--that other part, did not get cardboard and mulch and by mid-summer it looked like the untilled fallow grassland. 

In one application of cardboard--all perennial weeds can be eliminated from the garden!!!  And the cardboard is usually free from appliance and furniture stores.  Plus it breaks down and feeds the soil life.

Just be sure to over lap your seems 4 to 8 inches.

Happy Gardening

Sprouts and Micro-Greens Class at Olbrich Gardens, Madison, WI, Feb, 20

Hi All,

I will teaching a class at Olbrich Gardens in Madison next Monday night, Feb 20.

This class is about growing sprouts and micro-greens.  You will leave with supplies to start growing both at home, including a number of seeds types.

Hope you to see you there.

Roger

http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops

Planting in a Deep Mulch Garden

Dan asks:

Late last summer i started this type of garden, over my existing garden, using layers of newspaper, grass clippings, and leaves this past fall. One question is when i plant plants like tomatoes i remove the bottom leaves and lay the plant on its side. Do i dig the hole and plant it all the way down to the initial soil or not that deep? Also do i ever till this new part up, or just keep adding to it?

 Also will you be in the Milwaukee area in the near future?

My thoughts:

Watch the video from The Wisconsin Gardener.  The link is here. 

You plant just a few inches down into the damp mulch--not down to the soil.

You never till again.  You just keep adding mulch year after year.  Fall clean-up is the easiest--you just pile leaves on top of all the dead plants.

I don't have any scheduled talks in Milwaukee, but if you are part of a group or club that would like to sponsor me to come to Milwaukee, please get in touch with me.

Happy Gardening,

Roger

Will just leaves work?

Jeremy asks:

I have the makings of my first lasagna garden.  I have knee deep leaves, which were chopped up in a lawn vacuum device,  my concern is, I missed the step where I was supposed to add the manure.  Am I in trouble?  I have been adding my kitchen scraps(not meat related).  Is there something I need to do?

My thoughts:

Look at my composting handout from here.  You need mostly carbon (leaves) and some nitrogen ingredients in a deep mulch Lasagna garden.  You don't have to use livestock manure.  I have not grown in pure leaves, so I don't know.

I am coming to the conclusion that not as much nitrogen is needed in a deep mulch garden as is recommended for soil based gardens.  (I think there may be microbes fixing N from the air.) 

Last summer, one school garden had 12" leaf mold and 3-4" of hay on top and that was their garden--it grew really well. 

Watch your plants, you can add fish emulsion or blood meal during the growing season for a quick N fix, if they look like they need it.

Good luck,

Roger

Garden Expo--Thanks

Thanks to everyone for coming to listen to me at Garden Expo.  I hope you all found my ideas worth your time of listening.  It really is pretty simple to make these things work.

Thanks again,

Roger

Upcoming Presentations

Feb  10, 11, 12  Garden Expo  http://www.wigardenexpo.com/

Friday--Tomato Blight Prevention and Build Worm Bin

Saturday--Tomato Blight Prevention, Lasagna Gardening, Vegetables 101, and Energy Efficient Landscaping

Sunday--Leaf Printing Workshop and Growing Sprouts and Micro-Greens Workshop

Monday, Feb 20--Olbrich Gardens--Sprouts and Micro Greens  http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops  $30/$38 

Feb 25, Sat--10 a.m. Westby, WI--Lasagna Gardening

Sat, Mar 3--Low-Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening Including Edibles at Olbrich Gardens 9 to 4 p.m. 

http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops   $40/$50

Sat, Mar 10--Monroe, WI  Lasagna Gardening

http://green.uwex.edu/2012/01/09/gardening-inspirations-for-all-seasons-going-green-in-your-own-backyard/

Wednesday, March 14--Olbrich Gardens--Fun with Fencing

http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops    $12/$15

 

I will also be teaching at the Driftless Folk School this year.    http://driftlessfolkschool.org/

Garden Expo this weekend

Hi All,

I am getting ready for Garden Expo and will get back to your questions after the weekend.

I will be presenting 7 times at Garden Expo this year, starting Friday night.

Friday--Tomato Blight Prevention  and Build your own Worm Bin

Saturday--Tomato Blight Prevention, Lasagna Gardening, Vegetables 101 and Energy Efficient Landscaping

Sunday--Leaf Printing with paint and bleach.  Sprouts and Micro-Greens was cancelled, due to lack of interest.  (This class will be at Olbrich Gardens Feb 20.)

Say Hi at Garden Expo, if you see me.

Roger

Don't install on frozen ground and how to warm things a bit.

Sheryl asks:

Do you have to wait until the ground is completely frost free before laying down the garden components?  I am hoping that I can start the layers about the end of March and start planting after Memorial Day.  I am way up north in southern Douglas County WI, so we do not dare put in any plants that can be damaged by frost until after June 1.

My thoughts:

Yes, the mulch materials for a deep mulch garden are basically "cellulose insulation"--you don't want your garden on top of an ice cube.  (Read the post below for more installation ideas).   

You can help things out a bit--where you want your garden--place clear plastic sheets over the area and weight then down on the ground, as soon as the snow is gone.  This will create a micro greenhouse to help warm the soil.  Use clear plastic, not black--we want the sun rays hitting the soil--they contain the heat energy. 

You can cover the deep mulch garden with plastic between waterings to accelerate rehydrating. 

One more advantage---next winter, the soil under your garden will not freeze.  I just checked my garden--I can poke a fence post about a foot down--the soil is not frozen--because it is covered with cellulose insulation.  This means in the spring--it does not have as far to warm up to get to 60 degrees F for planting.  Plus, the deep mulch garden is a raised bed--so it warms faster in the spring, also.

Next spring, in your northern climate, you can place clear plastic sheets over the deep mulch garden after snow melt for faster warming in the spring.  This won't stop frost--but warms the planting medium.

Happy Gardening,

Roger

Build a deep mulch garden with compost and wood chips--how long to planting?

Deb asks:

My husband and I moved last summer and we didn't have time to put in a garden.  I want to start off on the right foot this year.  He's wanting to buy tillers and I said, let's not and do it this way!  We have a great established grape arbor and many apple trees.  I can't wait to have a garden too but time is a factor since we both work.  This sounds like the best solution to all!  I'm excited.  Since I didn't start my mulching in the fall will I still be able to plant this year in this fashion?

My thoughts:

Deb,

That is nice to have some established fruit in place. 

If you follow the directions--I think you will be quite happy come June, July, August and September.

Yes, you can build the gardens this spring and plant this growing season.  It takes 2 to 3 weeks to get all the materials rehydrated, then as soon as it is cool, you can plant.

One option, I forgot to mention on the show, you could build the lasagna/deep mulch garden with purchased compost and put a top layer on of old hay, straw or 3-4" of wood mulch.  With compost as the base, you can plant the same day or one or two days after watering, depending on how damp the compost is.  This finished compost only needs to be about 12" deep at installation.

I would recommend 8 to 10" of compost and a couple layers of leaves, straw or wood chips in the compost, so it is not too rich in Nitrogen.

Good luck,

Roger

Planting into a cover crop of white clover

Francesco asks:

Greetings,   What are your thoughts on broadcasting sweet white clover  over the entire garden plot before planting the bedding plants to inhibit weeds and add nitrogen?  Francesco

My thoughts:

I have not done this, but it makes a lot of sense and is a practice many do.  I have heard it works especially well with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and others in that family.  I am not sure the temps white clover likes to germinate at.  I think it likes cool soil for good germination.

I think whatever you plant into the clover, needs to be something that grows 8" tall or more--so the clover does not out compete your desired crop.

White clover can be perennial or could be tilled or smothered after the growing season.

Here is a great book on cover crops.  "Managing Cover Crops Profitably".  It is written for farm scale operations, but with a bit of thought, any gardener can figure out some cover cropping that will work for them.

I own this book and like it a lot.

http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition

Happy Gardening,

Roger

March 3rd--Low Maintenance, Sustainble Gardening Including Edibles

Hi All,

At Olbrich, this class can be a bit hard to find.  You have to go to Education, Classes and Workshops, then Classes and Workshops for Adults, then scroll down to March 3.  They are in date order.  This link might work.

 

http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops

Sat, Mar 3--Low-Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening Including Edibles in Madison

Sat, Mar 3--Low-Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening Including Edibles

Olbrich Gardens, Madison, WI    9 to 4 p.m. 

http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops   $40/$50

This is going to be a fun and educational day--I think.  Here are the details:

Any garden can be low-maintenance and include edibles, this day-long workshop will cover strategies to grow a garden with few weeds, little watering; that will be admired by most. I will discuss nature's "weed and feed," simple composting, lasagna gardening, tomato blight prevention, edible landscaping, organic practices, and much more to help you plant and maintain a healthy, naturally fed edible garden and landscape--that feeds you.

Here are the topics:

Mulch! Mulch! Mulch!  Nature’s Weed (Control) and Feed
Nature abhors bare soil!  Learn how plant based mulches suppress weeds, retain moisture, moderate soil temperatures, feed and protect soil life—who feed and protect our plants.  Then learn how to use this info to the best advantage for you and your plants.  Reduce weeding, water and fertilizing.
 

Composting 

You just wet layered Carbon and Nitrogen ingredients and let the microbes Break It Down--but which are Carbon and which are Nitrogen?

Lasagna Gardening

Lasagna (deep mulch) Gardens recycle cardboard, and leaves or old hay into a deep mulch that you plant directly into.  Come learn how to have a garden that has no tilling, no digging, and little weeding and little watering--all season.  Plus, really healthy/productive plants.

Vegetables 101
Growing some of your own food is a great feeling, great eating and a great use of some of your yard.  How to choose what to grow, basics of planting, spacing, when to plant, mulching, watering, soil preparation and more will be covered.  

Tomato Blight—Prevention Is Worth a Pound A Year, Actually More
Having 8 foot tall tomatoes that have leaves to the ground until frost, starts with the seed starting medium.  And watering, mulching, plant spacing, air flow, available nutrients, plant support, fall clean up and LUCK!!

Lunch Break

Edible Landscaping

Combine edible and non-edible annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees in one landscape design and create a really beautiful yard that will be the envy of the neighborhood, not the scourge.

Organic By Design, Not Neglect
Learn many simple, practical and cost effective ways to have a more Organic garden, vegetables and flowers. Soil Health, Insect Control, Cultural and Physical techniques, Encouraging Natural Controls and more will be covered.

Upcoming Talks

Feb 3---Garden Talk with Larry Meiller on WPR.ORG

Low-Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening--that looks good.

Feb  10, 11, 12  Garden Expo  http://www.wigardenexpo.com/

Friday--Tomato Blight Prevention and Build Worm Bin

Saturday--Tomato Blight Prevention, Lasagna Gardening, Vegetables 101, and Energy Efficient Landscaping

Sunday--Leaf Printing Workshop and Growing Sprouts and Micro-Greens Workshop

Monday, Feb 20--Olbrich Gardens--Sprouts and Micro Greens  http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops  $30/$38 

Feb 25, Sat--10 a.m. Westby, WI--Lasagna Gardening

Sat, Mar 3--Low-Maintenance, Sustainable Gardening Including Edibles at Olbrich Gardens 9 to 4 p.m. 

http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops   $40/$50

Sat, Mar 10--Monroe, WI  Lasagna Gardening

http://green.uwex.edu/2012/01/09/gardening-inspirations-for-all-seasons-going-green-in-your-own-backyard/

Wednesday, March 14--Olbrich Gardens--Fun with Fencing

http://www.olbrich.org/education/classes.cfm#workshops    $12/$15