Scorching the Garden 2018 Part IV
Follow along as we Scorch the Garden for our 2018 season. From seed to harvest, we document the growing of the peppers for our 2018 batch, available in December 2018. This is a big year for us and we want everyone to be a part of it. And this is Part 4.
So a secret weapon of ours is compost tea. We walk between the plants, inspecting for damage, peppers, weeds, or a cool looking bug as we spray. Each plant gets a good top to bottom misting of this super booster several times in June and July.
We make our compost tea by running rain or pond water through a basket of mature and immature compost. We will pour the tea through the compost more than once then filter it through a cloth (an old sheer curtain we found) a few times to get out any bits that may clog our sprayer.
Nothing fancy, but the results are amazing
Down on the ground, you can see the cardboard has done a perfect job of preventing weeds from sprouting up. The mulch makes it hard for stray seeds to find a good place to germinate and take root. Most weeds appear just below the bushes. They don’t do well and are usually attacked by pests.
All in all, about 15 minutes per 100 square feet per season is needed for weeding. All we need to do is spot check for weeds once a week or after a heavy rain. These photos were taken in August and late September. Very clean, very moist. Weeds just didn’t grow. Most of the weeds are herb seeds we tossed as companion plants. The aromas are absolutely amazing.
There are some interesting things going on just a few inches below the surface. Scraping away some mulch and a bit of compost, we see mycorrhizae. Those white fibers are the fungal network that will protect and feed our plants’ roots as it decomposes the cardboard and wood chips. They colonize root areas and literally block pathogens from getting to the plant. They also tap into the roots and directly feed the plant nutrients and boost its natural immune system.
Roto-tilling breaks these delicate filaments and it takes time and energy to re-establish the connections. When we lasagna with another layer of cardboard and all that, we end up with a garden bed that is loaded with every good thing for plants. We know cardboard is not found in nature, but it’s wood pulp and starch. Completely non-toxic and worms LOVE it..
We release ladybugs and plant praying mantis cocoons amongst the branches as a 24/7 patrol. We encourage insects and other critters into our garden. They hunt, feed, reproduce, get jobs, and start businesses. Pesticides would kill these useful and non-aggressive (towards humans) creatures that we rely on…so we don’t have to use pesticides. Does that make sense?
The fact that we have such a variety of life tells us that our garden is pure and healthy. We get such little insect damage, we don’t even think about it. It’s so very nice to not have to worry about getting sick from poison sprays while you are walking around where food is growing. Just the idea of putting any kind of poison on your food is ridiculous.
Be a part of the conversation. Say things and like and share this post.
It takes more than one pepper to Scorch a Garden.
Click below to visit the Gang of 9.
Garden at a Glance 2018
