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