We've discussed recycling and composting in the garden a few times. There are many benefits of composting not just for the garden but also for our planet!
If you drink coffee, you NEED to read this! Hey, even if you don't drink coffee, you probably know someone who does and would be willing to share their coffee grounds
Composting coffee grounds is easy! Just throw them into your compost pile or bin. Used coffee filters can be composted as well, preferably unbleached. If you add coffee grounds, this is considered "green material" so you'll need to balance with "brown material."
Coffee Grounds can be used as a fertilizer as it adds organic material to the soil. This can improve drainage and water retention. Bonus, spent coffee grounds attract earthworms!
There are many uses for Coffee Grounds in the garden.
Many gardeners like to use used coffee grounds as a mulch for their plants. Other used for coffee grounds include using it to keep slugs and snails away from plants. The theory is that the caffeine in the coffee grounds negatively affects these pests and so they avoid soil where the coffee grounds are found. Some people also claim that coffee grounds on the soil is a cat repellent and will keep cats from using your flower and veggie beds as a litter box. You can also use coffee grounds as worm food if you do vermicomposting with a worm bin. Worms are very fond of coffee grounds.
Decomposing coffee grounds have their own fungal and mold colonies and those fungal colonies tend to fight off other fungal colonies. If this seems weird, just remember that the antibiotic penicillin was developed from a mold. The world of teeny, tiny things is fighting for space and resources just as fiercely as the world of big, visible things, and you can use that to your advantage.
Disease suppression
As they decompose, coffee grounds appear to suppress some common fungal rots and wilts, including Fusarium, Pythium, and Sclerotinia species. In these studies, coffee grounds were part of a compost mix, in one case comprising as little as 0.5 percent of the material. Researchers suggest that the bacterial and fungal species normally found on decomposing coffee grounds, such as non-pathogenic Pseudomonas,Fusarium, andTrichodermaspp. and pin molds (Mucorales), prevent pathogenic fungi from establishing. A similar biocontrol effect was noted on bacterial pathogens including E. coliand Staphylococcusspp., which were reduced on ripening cheeses covered with coffee grounds.
Effects on plant growth
Given their antimicrobial activity, it’s not surprising that attempts to cultivate mushrooms in coffee grounds have been variable and species-specific. Likewise, their effects on plant growth are unpredictable. Coffee ground composts and mulches have enhanced sugar beet seed germination and improved growth and yield of cabbage and soybeans. It’s been an effective replacement for peat moss in producing anthuriums. Increases in soil nitrogen as well as general mulching benefits, such as moderating soil temperature and increasing soil water, are proposed mechanisms for these increases.
Using Coffee Grounds in the Garden
-Toss them in the compost
-Add them to your vermicompost (worm bins)
-Add directly to soil for organic matter
-Mulch with coffee grounds
-Add to you Organic liquid fertilizer
-Mix with carrot seeds to improve germination and soil aeration
There you have it! Do you use Coffee Grounds in the garden?
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We sent this out yesterday to our e-mail list but thought it would be nice to share to our blog as well. Happy Planting!
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A few favorites @MARY'S HEIRLOOM SEEDS
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We are SUPER excited to announce the addition of several new (to us)
As promised, we're continuing to add heirloom varieties to our already unique selection at Mary's Heirloom Seeds. As an added bonus, the varieties we are announcing today are on Sale thru February 19th!
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HEIRLOOM TOMATO SEEDS added today!!!
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Seeds listed in this section are ON SALE thru February 19th.
We have a $10 order minimum
with the free shipping option.
*Excellent for HOT climates*
If you're wondering what to plant,
check out our
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Also ON SALE thru February 19th @ Mary's Heirloom Seeds
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If you have additional questions please feel free to ask.
Happy Planting,
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I love our raised bed gardens!!! There are so many benefits such as less water usage, almost zero weeding and best of all, LOTS of food produced in a small space.
I've had so many questions about what to use for Garden Soil. The thing is, you can ask all of the "experts" and there is no absolute "right" way. No one way works for everyone so below you will find some of the recommended recipes for gardens beds. You'll also find my own recommendations based on what has worked for me.
Vegetable plants need loose, free-draining soil with readily available nutrients to produce abundantly. Each year's crop takes a bit of the nutrient base of the soil with it, so this must be returned on an annual basis to keep the garden productive. This means adding amendments every year to maintain a healthy balance of nutrients.
First, a caution for the thrifty. Be wary of advertisements for cheap or free bulk topsoil, as this material is generally scraped from construction sites and may be full of roots and rocks, making it unsuitable planting vegetables. Go to the landscape supply yard and look at the options to make sure you are getting a loose, clean, lightweight material that has compost already mixed in.
If you are building and filling multiple beds, buying bagged soil isn't economical. Call around your area and ask for bulk organic topsoil. You might not be able to find "organic" soil so you can always ask for untreated soil.
1 - 4 foot by 4 foot raised bed takes 16 cubic feet of soil or approx 1/2 a cubic yard of soil
I saw one recipe that called for 1/3 Peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 compost.
This is not a recipe I use. First, peat moss is on the acidic side. Coconut Coir is neutral and a more sustainable addition to your garden. Next, too much vermiculite will keep your soil from retaining moisture and nutrients.
Here's another recipe I found:
- 3 parts compost
- 1 part peat moss
- 1 part vermiculite
Here's my all time favorite from Rodales:
You want the kind that’s dark, rich, and loaded with microorganisms. Fill your beds with a mix of 50 to 60 percent good-quality topsoil and 40 to 50 percent well-aged compost. Before each new growing season, test your soil for pH and nutrient content. You can buy a kit at most home-improvement stores. If your test shows a need for additional nutrients like nitrogen and potassium, raise levels by working in amendments such as bone meal and kelp. Dress beds with an additional ½ inch of compost later in the growing season to increase organic matter and boost soil health.
I use my own version of the above recipe. I add coconut coir to each bed. Depending on what I'm planting, if it needs lighter soil I'll add a bit of vermiculite. Most of our beds are fed with our own DIY Organic Liquid Fertilizer Mix
We've been building up our own compost and amending the topsoil we purchased by the truckload several years ago. If you are just getting started, you might have to shop around for a healthy option.
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We're finally updating our Build Your Own Raised Bed tutorial! Our first post was in 2015 when we moved to our new homestead and built a bunch of 8 foot by 4 foot beds.
We are STILL using these beds but we ended up putting gopher wire on the bottom to keep the gophers out. We've also adapted this tutorial to make a few 4 foot by 4 foot beds for different projects or just because they were easier to handle.
Many of you have seen our updates on facebook. We have expanded our growing area over the last week. This place is HUGE! We wanted to get growing fast but with the rocky ground (and gophers) at our new homestead, we decided to build raised beds. Here's how we built...
Tools:
Drill (required)
Circular saw (optional)
Staple Gun (optional)
Lumber & Supplies:
We purchased 2"x12"x16' untreated boards
untreated 4"x4" posts-Buy it 8 feet long and have it cut in 1 foot long posts
48" landscaping cloth (optional)
3" deck screws from a local hardware shop.
It takes 1 and a 1/2 boards to make these 4X8 beds.
That means 12 boards will make 8 beds.
A few thing I've learned:
Landscaping cloth works to keep the weeds out but NOT gophers.
If you have gophers or other burrowing pests, I highly recommend gopher wire or hardware cloth (it's not actually cloth). Affix the wire to the bottom of the bed after you build the bed but before you fill with dirt
The 3 inch deck screws can be expensive but they are well worth it
I was told that the 4" post at each corner was overkill but I feel it is worth it. Our raised beds are in great shape so far!
If you choose to build 4 foot by 4 foot beds, you can purchase pre-cut boards OR buy 1- 2X12X16 and have it cut into 4 foot boards.
If you prefer to make smaller beds then you will need to re-adjust length/quantity of boards.
Screws: 32
3 inch "Star Drive" deck screws
*These include a drill bit*
The 2"x12" board were cut in 4' and 8' pieces.
The 4"x4" posts were cut in 12" pieces.
If you don't have a circular saw (or want to make the boards easier to handle) I suggest having the people at the shop cut your boards.
The 12" pieces of 4x4 post were attached
to the ends of the 2x12x8 pieces with the
3" deck screws: *4 screws per board per corner*
32 screws total
After taking the 4' and 8' boards to the garden the 4' and 8' boards were assembled so that the 4' boards covered the ends of the 8' boards with their attached posts.
This gave the assembled bed a 4'x8' OUTSIDE dimension gopher wire was attached to the bottom
Now, we have pictures of our 4 foot by 4 foot beds!
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| 4 ft by 4 ft bed |
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| 4 ft by 4 ft bed with gopher wire |
We used a staple gun to attach the gopher wire to each bed
The assembled bed was then placed gopher-wire side down and filled with good, organic soil with plenty of Organic Nutrients added to the beds.
For 4 beds @ 4ft X 8ft we used about
5 cubic yards of soil.
Water the bed once it's filled with dirt and organic plant food. We added more dirt once the soil compacted a bit.
If you have additional questions about getting started or would like more info please feel free to ask. As always, I am happy to help.
If you'd like to check out some of our gardening tips, check out our fb page.
Stay tuned for info on FILLING and maintaining these beds!
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I've shared previous "best of" articles from Mary's Heirloom Seeds such as Mary's Top 10 with Companions and Heat Tolerant Veggies.
But how about homesteaders? Some of you, myself included, are growing to become more self-sufficient. We're also working on a soil-prep article so stay tuned for that
What are the Best Veggies for Homestead Gardens?
I'm starting with Radish because it's one of the first crops to mature in our garden. As long as your soil has balanced organic matter, Radish is an easy crop to grow and usually pest resistant. The Early Scarlet Globe Radish is heat tolerant and matures in as little as 22 days. The German Giant Radish matures in as little as 29 days and can be harvested small and early or let them grow as large as a tennis ball (no joke. I've done it)
If you're looking for a good dual-purpose crop, Beans are your go-to homestead crop. Some varieties can be picked early as a snap bean or left on the plant to mature for a nice dry bean (for soups, etc).
While it's listed as a GREEN on our site, we're separating Swiss Chard from lettuce because it's a MUST on our homestead.
-We use Swiss Chard fresh in our salads
-We give some away for my sister's goats and chickens
-We sautee swiss chard with garlic and onions as a meal or snack AND use sauteed swiss chard in crustless quiche. YUM!!!
Here's another dual purpose for your homestead. Glass Gem corn for example is a great popping corn and can also be ground to make cornmeal. Floriani Red Flint Corn is a very unique, strong variety for cornmeal. Blue Clarage Dent Corn can be picked and eaten in the earlier stages or grown longer to use as a cornmeal OR chicken treat. Sweet Corn varieties can be used right away, frozen or canned. So many possibilities!
Even the pickiest of eaters might enjoy a nice beet green salad. We grow beets almost year round here on our homestead. The tops make a great salad. Beets can be eaten fresh, roasted or canned. Most Beets mature in 50-60 days, and are somewhat pest resistant. Even if bugs eat the tops, the bulb usually survives. Detroit Dark Red, Chioggio and Golden Beets have been our best producers so far. The Early Wonder is a great early maturing variety.
Onions take about 5 – 8 months to mature from the time the seeds are planted, so you’ll want to begin them early in January or February. If you are in an area that gets frost in winter, plant them indoors in pots or in a greenhouse to give them protection. Bunching onions are a faster maturing option.
Determinate VS. Indeterminate Tomatoes
Determinate varieties of tomatoes, also called "bush" tomatoes, are varieties that are bred to grow to a compact height (approx. 4 feet). They stop growing when fruit sets on the terminal or top bud, ripen all their crop at or near the same time (usually over a 2 week period).
Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost and can reach heights of up to 10 feet although 6 feet is considered the norm. They will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the growing season.
HOT peppers are tougher to pick. We grow as much as possible for hot sauce, pickling and our Organic bug spray.
Corbaci is a new, mild-hot pepper that we're growing this year.
Ghost Peppers are the hottest pepper we carry and they are not to be taken lightly. They can cause severe reactions/discomfort if you're not careful.
Summer squash are usually a faster maturing option. Summer Squash take longer to mature but usually store for longer than summer varieties. Squash is a great addition to your homestead garden since they are heavy-producers and make seed saving a bit easier IF you are mindful of cross-pollination. Black Beauty Zucchini and Golden Crookneck are our homestead favorites. Spaghetti Squash and Butternut Squash are Winter Squash favorites.
Give Peas a chance! But first, decide what type of pea you'd like. Southern Peas, also called Crowder Peas are not your garden variety peas. Southern Peas are used like you would a dry bean. Our homestead favorite is the Whippoorwill Southern Pea. Then you have Garden Peas, also called Shelling Peas, and these are great for canning and soups. Sugar, Snow and Snap Peas are useful for homesteaders as well.
There are so many unique veggies available, too many to list in a single article. We've gone over a few of our favorites. We'd love to hear from YOU about your favorite homestead crops.
