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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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For gardeners who are considering building raised beds, the key is to make sure the soil in the bed is well-aerated. The sides of the bed don't necessarily have to be held up with bricks or wood (which are great slug and sow-bug havens), but can be used for planting. Make use of low-growing ornamental plants on the sides of the beds. All the vegetables, except the root crops, can also be planted right down the sides to the path.
"Double-digging" is the term used to describe soil preparation for raised beds. The joy of this method of preparation and gardening is that plant roots are really happy and you only get to do it once, because you will NOT be walking on those beds again. Weeding is done from the path and a piece of plywood can be laid over the bed if you want to plant while sitting on the soil. If you want to repeat the double-digging in future years, lay the plywood down and stand on it while you dig. Decide on the shape and size of each bed, remembering t
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