The Providential Gardener

Speaking of Backyard Gardens....

Speaking of backyard gardens... is Katherine Brown, Executive Director of Southside Community Land Trust. Take 5 minutes to see this video filmed in the summer of 2007 on Natural News Network. Katherine describes the work SCLT does to establish community and individual gardens in and around Providence. Her dream is to establish 10,000 gardens here in the city ~ to influence the neighborhood planning process so that community gardens are included in open spaces where possible. SCLT garden practices are exclusively organic, and they welcome interested visitors. Of course their annual plant sale in May is always a great place to buy flowers and vegetables ~ and there's always a good assortment of herbs and perennials.

A Post about Compost

We are lucky to have an excellent composting operation in Rhode Island, Earth Care Farm in Charlestown, and this blog post is about their compost and the upcoming soil/composting workshops at Southside Community Land Trust this Saturday (June 23, 2007) in Providence. Info is on The Providential Gardener Calendar. [Register for these two workshops.]

Plants don't really grow in "dirt." They grow in soil, which is composed of pulverized rock fragments worn down by the weather over long periods of time, clay minerals, and organic matter, which is made up of decaying plants and animals. Soil also contains water and ~ many of us wouldn't guess this ~ air.

Rhode Island soils are mostly light and sandy. For more detail about Rhode Island soil, see the Soil Survey of Rhode Island or attend Southside Community Land Trust's Workshops this Saturday. I'll dish more dirt about soil another time.

Finished, properly prepared compost is beneficial for gardens and significantly improves soil fertility. The above photo shows just one of Earth Care Farm's several huge piles of organic, nutrient-rich materials that include

• farm (and zoo) animal manure
• leaves and wood chips
• fish scraps, shell fish, and seaweed
• coffee grinds, wood ash, vegetable and flower trimmings

The addition of marine byproducts is what makes Earth Care Farm's compost outstanding. This farm's composting methods have been featured in numerous publications (Christian Science Monitor; Rodale's Organic Gardening; People, Places & Plants...). The whole composting process takes 18 months. That backhoe works many hours every day moving and rearranging the piles so that they remain aerated (and don't become smelly), and so that the organic material will continue to decompose.

You can buy a bag of this compost at some local garden centers. But usually you buy it by the cubic yard. Check the website for ordering and purchasing procedures. Also note that Earth Care Farm sells raised bed mix.

Organics & You: Making the Switch

ORGANICS AND YOU: MAKING THE SWITCH A Workshop for Land Care Professionals & Municipal Employees Monday March 12, 2007, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Aspray Boat House, 2 East View Street Warwick, RI, (Adjoining Pawtuxet Park) PARENTS, SCHOOL PROFESSIONALS AND ADMINISTRATORS, MUNICIPAL, COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL LAND CARE PROFESSIONALS, TAKE NOTE! Schools, athletic fields, play areas and parks are especially important to maintain by healthy, child-friendly methods. Yet it can be a daunting process to switch a landscaping/lawn care business or public space land care to organic. Here’s a chance to find out what are the best methods to implement first,

Garden Guys ~ January 28, 2007

This morning's Garden Guys show was full of useful info (WHJJ, 920AM, 8-10am). You miss something when you don't listen to the whole two hours! A few notes:

• Seeds dry out ~ test last year's seeds by dampening a paper towel, put TEN seeds on it, fold the towel, and place in a plastic bag that you seal part way to keep it moist. In 7 to 10 days see how many sprout...
• Time to prune wisteria ~ cut the branches that come off the main trunk leaving one or two nodes... Lack of flowering may be due to too much nitrogen and too little phosphorous in the soil (use 0-20-0).
• Lawn fertilizer ~ beginning in April, add lime and fertilizer (some organic brands are Organica and Bradfield Organics). Don't apply milky spore at the same time you fertilize if using a chemical fertilizer, because the chemicals will kill some of the microbes. Wait a couple of weeks...
• Mature trees in a lawn can be harmed by chemical fertilizers...
• People, Places, and Plants magazine has its Spring Break issue out now. It lists many flower and garden shows and has articles about organic lawn care.

Campus Farms ~ A Growing Trend

Colleges and universities are sprouting farms left and right, and I hear that Brown students are hard at work on plans to create a Brown Campus Farm very near the East Side campus in Providence. There is considerable interest in this enterprise, which is rooted in the Sustainable Food Initiative at Brown. For background, see the current article in the Brown Daily Herald, "Organizers cooking up more local food offerings," (October 27, 2006). Also check out these links to the Yale Sustainable Food Project and the Middleburgy Organic Garden.

Garden Insect Identification and Management Saturday, July 8, 11:00 am

East Greenwich, RI

Between the rain showers, many people are trying to grow gardens this year. When the sun comes out, there are weeds and diseases to deal with. As summer continues, there will be insects to contend with as well. This summer, you don’t need to stand by idly and watch as tiny arthropods consume the plants you have so carefully tended. You also don’t need to spray toxic chemicals all over your yard! Equip yourself with knowledge and with the tools you need to take back control of your garden.

Join organic farmer Trish Garland as she identifies harmful insects in the vegetable, flower, and herb gardens at the Briggs-Boesch Farm, and explains how each pest can be controlled. Garland and her husband, Erik Eacker have been running a 12-acre organic vegetable operation named Ledge Ends Produce since 2004 at the Briggs-Boesch Farm in East Greenwich, a 90-acre property purchased by the East Greenwich Land Trust in 2001. This spring, the farm received its organic certification, which means that the farmers use no dangerous pesticides or herbicides and that the fields are fertilized with only natural products.

Included in this 90 minute workshop will be a presentation by local beekeeper Jason Kerr, who keeps several hives on the property. Kerr will give participants a glimpse into the fascinating world of bees, explaining how the hives work and the benefits they provide to the farm.

This educational program will be wonderful for home gardeners, budding entomologists, and children alike. The workshop will be held Saturday, July 8 at 11:00 am. There is a fee of $8 per adult and $4 per child. Please call ahead to register.  For more information contact Trish Garland or Erik Eacker: 401-884-5118.

Northeast Organic Farming Association of RI

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Rhode Island is looking for members. Individuals can join for $25, families for $35. See their list of organic farms in Rhode Island, and contact them for more information.

Dealing with Those Pesky Pests on Fruit Trees

Do you have an apple tree or other fruit tree in your yard? For those of us who are interested in growing apples and other orchard fruit, we missed some very interesting meetings in the last three months. So make note of this: each year in April, May, and early June the Rhode Island Apple IPM (Integrated Pest Management) has a series of "Twilight Meetings" held in selected orchards. Members tour the orchards and learn about how to manage fruit crops with a minimum or no pesticides. Anyone can join the RI Fruit Growers Association (send email for details on joining). It is a fabulous learning experience for anyone interested in growing apples and other fruit. URI sponsors the RI Apple IPM, which tracks the damage pests cause on fruit tree crops. Reports are issued every two weeks. See, for instance, today's (June 13) Recorded Pest Message in Print, which reports on current problems with plums and peaches, as well as apples and what to do about the pests and diseases. If you were looking at your peach tree this morning and wondered if you would have any decent fruit this year, this is a great source of information. Thanks to Allan Hill of Hill Orchard for bringing this website to the attention of the Providential Gardener. Our local fruit growers are trying to grow more and more fruit without use of pesticides. The RI Apple IPM is helping them move in that direction.