Buy or make your own compost?

The debate is on........ buy an organic compost or make your own?

If you listen to the die hard organic's out there (& I'm one of them), making your own compost is really the only way to go. It delivers huge satisfaction of seeing your seedlings grow in your own compost; eating vegetables that have come out of your own soil. If you are looking for a recipe for making your own organic compost, look down the right of this page for some links (or just click here if you want to go directly there)

As well as gets rid of all this pesky cuttings, grass clippings and a whole range of other garden and kitchen related things without contributing to the land fill problems associated to built-up areas.

It takes time to make your own compost, but it's time well spent and the rewards are huge.

But, what if you don't have the time (or you don't have the space)? What are you to do on a balcony or in an apartment complex?

Well, if you live in Johannesburg, Pikitup (our local refuse removers) have been working on a solution for about a year now.

Quoted directly from the Pikitup website:

• Pikitup has launched several sustainable development initiatives in line with the global aims of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. One of these initiatives is Pikitup’s composting plant, situated at the Panorama site in Roodepoort. The composting plant processes green waste into soil-enhancing compost, which is sold to either the agricultural sector or to city homeowners for use in suburban gardens.

The compost is available in 30dm3 bags at most of the garden refuse sites around Johannesburg for a meagre R 10 per bag. A list of garden refuse sites is available at the pikitup website.

The compost is made from your garden waste (that you religiously trailer to the "dump").

So, if you don't have the time, the inclination, the space to make your own compost, you can now feed your organic moster by buying local and help to keep your environment clean.

Composting tips

There are lots of innovative things you can do to help reduce your rubbish - check out some of the tips below to get started.

Tips about what can and can't be composted:

• Shredded paper can be composted.
• Paper can't be recycled if it's contaminated with food, but it can be composted. Next time you have pizza, don't dump the boxes in the rubbish bin - soak the box, break it into pieces and add it to your compost bin instead.
• Kids' lunches can be wrapped in paper instead of cling wrap. The used paper can be put in the compost.
• Compostable kitty litter takes longer to break down than regular compost. Put the kitty litter into a separate compost bin and add an equal amount of soil every time you add more.
• If the prunings from plants and shrubs are small enough they can be run over with the lawn mower and put on the compost heap.
• Don't compost pumpkin seeds. They often don't work very well in the compost - too hard for worms and they sprout - but they can be cleaned off and saved for salads and lunches.
  

Tips about worm farms:

• For people who don’t have enough garden waste to make their composting bin work effectively, a worm farm may be a better option.
• Worm farms take very little space and maintenance, and are a great way to get rid of most compostable food scraps. The 'juice' is really powerful as a fertilizer.

General composting tips:

• Buy two bins for the kitchen: one for rubbish, the other for compost. This will remove the need to separate compostable waste from non-compostable waste later on.
• A compost bucket can get messy and smelly. An easy way to keep a bucket clean is to put water in the bucket before adding scraps. (The water can be emptied on to pot plants.)
• If you have too much material for your compost bin, stick it in a black plastic household rubbish bag (thin-walled), loosely twist off the opening, and store it beside the compost bin. A few weeks later, the volume of material in the bag will have reduced and you should find worms have made their way in to the bag and started breaking the waste down. The waste can be added to the compost bin when there is room.
• You can compost directly into the garden itself. The vegetables will love you for it, and the compost will attract the worms to that area and the soil benefits directly.
• If your compost bin starts to smell offensively give it a turn - odour can be a sign of a lack of aeration.
• Contribute your organic matter to a neighbour’s compost if you don’t have one, or invest in a worm farm.

Organic protection from pests

You may have heard of Integrated Pest Management and wondered what it meant. Integrated Pest Management is a fancy way to describe the practice of planning and working in your lawn or garden to prevent weeds and pests, using chemicals only as the last resort. Here are some basic steps:

1. Learn about the plants and the weeds and bugs that affect them.
2. Choose the right plants. Plant native species whenever possible. Native plants are better protected by their own “immune systems” and their relationships with other plants and animals in the area. You may also look for plants that are pest-resistant. Diversifying the garden with a variety of plants will help the plants protect each other from pests. For example, small flowered plants like daisies, mint, and rosemary attract many insects that eat the pests. Check with a local garden shop or nursery for recommendations.
3. Maintain healthy, fertile soil by rotating your plants, adding compost, and mulching.
4. Plant early to avoid the worst bug season.
5. Allow growth of the pests’ natural predators. Ladybugs, ground beetles, and birds eat many pests, and fungi and moss can infect the pests naturally. Spraying chemicals often kills the beneficial bugs too.
6. Get out there and work with your hands! A hoe, spade, and your hands are the best tools to combat weeds. Getting close to your plants will help you identify problems and remove pests and damaged plants by hand. Tilling can eliminate many weeds as well. Pruning plants helps remove diseased parts, leaving the plant's nutrients for the healthy parts. Always prune back to a main branch or stem; leaving "stubs" opens a door for pests.
7. Keep a garden journal in which you record when you see pests, what they look like, what they have done to the plants, and the actions taken. In this way, you will learn what works and what doesn't while experimenting with new techniques.

Organic Pest Control

The keys for natural pest control in your home and in your garden are modification and prevention. In generalities, natural pest control is defined as the use of techniques, products and methods that won't put human health or the environment at risk.

More often than not, very simple changes that you make to your home or garden can drastically change and reduce pest populations on your property. When it comes to natural pest control, the idea is that before you reach for the phone to call an exterminator, or grab a pesticide and spray it yourself, you can take steps to get rid of the problem in a far less invasive way.

First and foremost, you should monitor the pest problem. Find out what they are, where they are entering and exiting your home and what they are feeding on. Once you have a better understanding of the pest or pests you are dealing with, you can better make a determination on how to deal with the problem.

Modification is important when it comes to a pest's ability to enter and exit your home. Do structural repairs as they are needed, like caulking cracks in the foundation, making certain that windows and doors are sealing properly and repairing damaged or missing screens. If the pest's are in the habit of getting in through crevices and open doors, modify those habits by sealing them off.

Many pests are attracted to spills like greasy or sugary liquids, poorly stored pet food, and uncovered garbage. Eliminating the possibility of food sources for many outdoor and indoor pests can often eliminate the pest problem.

Prevention comes when you continue upkeep of structural repairs, maintain proper sanitation and housekeeping practices, and keep food storage well sealed.

Although these practices aren't fool proof ways to ensure that you will have no problems with pest infestations, natural pest control practices do help in reducing the possibility without increasing your potential for harm by using chemicals and pesticides.

Organic Pesticide - What is an organic Pesticide?

Will the real organic pesticide please stand up? by Gerhard Verdoorn

"Since when are organic pesticides not chemicals?" asks Prof Gerhard Verdoorn, Director of BirdLife SA. The word 'organic' is probably one of the most abused in the English language as far as a chemist is concerned. Consumers lured into believing the promises of so-called organic pesticides, take heed, there is no such thing as an environmentally friendly pesticide, says Verdoorn, they are designed to kill.

Pesticides are as old as modern civilizations and were first recorded long before the Renaissance in both the Western world and the Orient. Development of modern pesticides took a quantum leap forwards after the First World War and the developments advanced even faster after the Second World War. In a rapidly changing world people realize the importance of safer agricultural practices and in particular the more responsible use of pesticides. The question is, however, how do we achieve effective food production while minimizing the impacts of pesticides on the broader environment? The same question holds true for the control of garden and household pests.

"Organic" pesticides

It has recently become a favourite topic of the environmental lobby to promote the so-called 'organic pesticides' while slating the classic pesticides as environmentally damaging. The word 'organic' is perhaps the most misused and misunderstood word as far as pesticides are concerned and leaves someone like me as an Organic Chemist with a rather bitter taste on the tongue. Organic in scientific terms means a molecule that consists mainly of a carbon skeleton with other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus and a few others as contributing building blocks. The majority of modern pesticide molecules are organic and fit in 100% with the scientific classification of organic. The so-called organic pesticides should thus definitely be called natural as they are also mostly organic (in scientific terms) but are strictly of natural origin. The classic pesticides that are often referred to as chemical pesticides are in fact all chemicals but they are synthetic (such as organophosphates) or semi-synthetic (such as pyrethroids) whereas the natural pesticides are chemicals of a natural origin such as salts of fatty acids and plant oils. Some of the so-called organic pesticides contain active ingredients such as copper octanoate. Any environmentalist that is worth his or her salt will know that copper is extremely damaging to the environment, yet the marketing agencies of these products brand them as environmentally friendly organic pesticides. Copper is inorganic and at best the product may be branded as organo-metallic.
Synthetic pesticides

Synthetic pesticides are in most cases highly effective against the pests that they are registered for, have a good residual activity (which means they are active for a certain length of time) and are fairly cheap, depending on where the consumer acquires them from. The dangers of synthetic pesticides lie in their toxicity to life forms and their persistence in the environment. Note that different classes of synthetic pesticides have different toxicities towards different organisms and have a highly variable range of persistence in the environment. There is no such thing as an environmentally friendly pesticide; they are designed to kill and that is what they will do in varying degrees of efficacy. As conservationists we should be concerned with biodiversity and that means all life forms and not just the birds and mammals. Pyrethroids for example may be quite soft on mammals and birds but this particular group of semi-synthetic pesticides is extremely toxic to insects, fish and amphibians. Some products within the organophosphate and carbamate groups of synthetic pesticides are extremely toxic to basically all forms of life, including human beings. Such products should never be used by the general consumer.

"Contains no chemicals..."

Natural insecticides are popping up all over the market and are often accompanied by extremely risky claims. Labeling such products as 'safe', 'contains no chemicals' and 'harmless to children and pets' are not only highly unethical but also encourages the public to seriously misuse such products. As mentioned earlier, all pesticides are chemicals, even the natural ones and if the natural ones were safe, how would they kill the pests?

In South Africa no pesticides may be branded as environmentally friendly, not even the naturals. Fatty acids and plant oils such as canola and garlic oils are toxic to the environment because they kill invertebrates and aquatic organisms. If we remove the goggas from the cycles of life the entire biological network will fall apart. The advantage of natural pesticides lie in their low toxicity to warm blooded creatures and fairly rapid decomposition; this latter characteristic may be construed to be a disadvantage as there is no or little residual action on their part. If you don't contact the gogga directly with the natural poison, then the application is in vain.

Comparing the application rates of natural insecticides with that of synthetic insecticides paints a somewhat ridiculous picture in certain cases. As much as ten times more natural insecticide is required per litre of spray mixture compared to the dosage required for a synthetic pesticide. This is naturally more expensive and may be somewhat less attractive to the consumer. I see it as a great disadvantage for the environment and for garden biodiversity to have to apply such a load of even a natural chemical. In most cases the application of natural pesticides is required more frequently than with synthetic pesticides. In many cases the lifespan of natural insecticides has not been assessed properly, so we don't even know how long they remain active in the environment and what their effects may be, yet producers claim rapid breakdown of the products. I cannot imagine that a spider would be happily crawling around on a plant that is covered in a layer of plant oil that is supposedly 'natural'.

Pesticides and the law

All pesticides in South Africa are governed by the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947 (Act No. 36 of 1947). All products that claim to control, kill or repel any vertebrate or invertebrate pest have to be registered with the Registrar of Act No. 36 of 1947 whether such products are natural or synthetic of origin. The Act is highly prescriptive in terms of the registration requirements, claims that are made on the labels of such products and a host of other things. This is to ensure that products are effective, that they do not pose a significant risk to human beings and the environment, and do what they are supposed to do.

Pesticide manufacturers are bound by law to print warnings and precautions on their labels but of course we can expect that the in many cases the public do not read and follow the advice presented on the labels. In the Poison Working Group we deal with wildlife, domestic animal and human poisoning on a daily basis and sad to say, virtually all incidents are the result of some end user failing to follow safety precautions and application instructions. Someone who fails to follow the instructions supplied with pesticides causes as much harm with a natural pesticide as with a synthetic pesticide. The synthetic pesticides sold in the household and garden markets are generally much less toxic than those products supplied to agricultural industry, yet home owners poison themselves, their pets and their garden wildlife by not adhering to instructions.

The greatest danger as far as I am concerned lies in people's general perceptions that synthetic pesticides are dangerous and natural insecticides are safe. There is no safe pesticide!! People should start having a respect and concern for all life forms and not just for the big and hairy. Take for example the practice of killing spiders with so-called environmentally friendly natural pesticides. Spiders come as close to a natural insecticide as you will ever find and should never be killed, irrespective of whether they are poisonous or not. Some synthetic insecticides are extremely toxic and it is justified to be very cautious about such products but from a responsible and environmental point of view, natural insecticides should be used with as great a respect and caution as the synthetics. Or do we not regard the insects that keep our gardens alive as less important than the birds?

By all means people have a right to choose a product that they believe will do the job and be less harmful to the environment, but base your selection of pesticide on the holistic facts of wildlife and human life and not on fictitious marketing claims. Don't believe that synthetic pesticides are all bad news. These products have all been tested rigorously and approved by the Department of Agriculture and if used according to the label instructions pose little risk to life. There are organophosphates such as mercaptothion that are soft on warm blooded creatures but there are natural insecticides that will wipe out fish and frogs faster than mercaptothion can hope to achieve. Don't believe that natural insecticides are the answers to all our problems. Rather use a legally approved synthetic pesticide than some so-called organic pesticide that has never been tested nor approved by Agriculture. This spells danger to some form of life in your garden.

Should you prefer a natural insecticide choose one that is registered with the Department of Agriculture and follow the instructions on the label as rigorously as you would follow the instructions on a container of oxydemeton-methyl. It is your responsibility to use all pesticides only as instructed to get the desired effect, to minimize impacts on the environment and to prevent poisoning yourself. I have never come across a bad pesticide but I have come across thousands of bad pesticide users.

Some pesticide producers are very concerned about the misuse of their products and offer training to retailers on product safety and responsible use. Sadly, this training stops there as members of the public are hardly ever trained in responsible use. The Poison Working Group and certain pesticide companies offer telephonic advice to the public as well as training. I manage an information service and it is heartening to see how many people care and call for advice. Those are the ones who should be using pesticides. The rest? Well, I have my doubts even if they use an organic insecticide! Call me on my Nashua-PWG Emergency Helpline 082 446 8946 for any advice you may seek on responsible pest management and don't be surprised if I sometimes refuse to recommend a pesticide for a gogga that is not really a pest!

More information:
Article by Prof Gerhard H Verdoorn, Director: BirdLife South Africa

Starting A Herb Garden :: How to start a herb garden indoors

Learn how to plan an herb garden and start seeds indoors before the growing season begins. You will have strong seedlings ready to transplant right after the last frost.

Even while the cold winters are still keeping eager gardeners indoors, there is plenty of work to be done. Winter is the best time to plan and start an herb garden. By planning the garden and starting seeds indoors weeks before the last frost, gardeners can, in effect, stretch the growing season, while ensuring the greatest possible yield from their plants.

As with any garden project, the first step is deciding what plants to include in your new garden. A logical starting point is the location of the plot. Will this bed receive adequate light? Most herbs require full sun to thrive, but a few can tolerate some shade. Check the area at different times throughout the day to determine whether it receives continuous or only partial sun. Keep in mind that light patterns may change with the seasons. An area that receives unobstructed sunlight in the winter and early spring may be in shade during the summer when trees have their leaves.

Next, determine which herbs you would like to grow. Decide if you are interested in growing herbs for culinary, medicinal, or aesthetic uses, or a combination. Refer to a good gardening book for descriptions of each herb, and start a chart showing how tall and wide each plant grows, how much space it requires between plants, and any other specific information about their characteristics. This is very important, since some plants have specific growing requirements. For instance, mint and violets are highly invasive, so these herbs might be better suited to containers rather than the garden itself.

Once armed with this information, you’re ready to design your garden. First, outline the dimensions of the bed on graph paper. Then indicate where you want each plant to go using circles with the plant’s name written inside. It may take more than one attempt if this is your first design effort, so try to enjoy the creative process.

If you have the luxury of space, you might try a formal design, with a birdbath or other focal point in the center, and gravel paths or stone walkways dividing the growing area surrounding it. Otherwise, simply arrange the plants according to height, so that the tallest ones will not cast shadows on the shorter ones. Be sure to consider how you will get to the farther plants, allowing enough room for you to pass among the herbs to tend and harvest them. Also, remember to space plants the proper distance apart; some will not grow well when crowded.

When you are happy with your new garden design, count the number of each plant that appears in it, and prepare a master list. Then purchase the supplies needed to start your plants from seed indoors. This will include seeds; starter trays, which have multiple compartments for starting many seeds in a small amount of space; enough peat pots for the number of plants you intend to grow; plastic liner trays to hold the peat pots; and a good soil mix. This is much lighter and less dense than regular potting soil, making it easier for the tender new roots to grow. If you are not sure how much soil mix to buy, ask an associate at your garden center. He or she can advise you on how much is needed to fill the starter trays and the number and size peat pots you are purchasing.

Some beginners like to start more plants than they need to fill their garden, and this is a good idea. If some plants don’t survive, the surplus will save you from having bare spots in the garden. If all your plants make it, you can always give the extras to family, friends, and neighbours, who will be glad for your talent and generosity.

Seed manufacturers recommend starting your seeds eight to twelve weeks before the date of your last frost. Check your seed packets for specific recommendations. When you are ready to begin, fill your starter trays with the soil mix. (An alternative to purchasing starter trays is to use egg cartons. Be sure to punch several small holes in each compartment for drainage.) Add a seed to each compartment, planting them to the depth specified on the seed packets. Mist to wet the soil. Seeds require warmth in order to germinate, so arrange your trays in a warm, well-ventilated room. Keep the soil moist. Germination time varies from one plant to another, so your seeds will not all sprout at precisely the same time.

While you’re waiting, prepare to meet the lighting requirements of your plants. Although very elaborate and expensive lighting systems are available for indoor gardening, many growers have found that simple fluorescent shop lights cost much, much less and are equally effective. The light must be suspended about 30 centimeters from the top of the plants, so you must be able to raise the lights as the plants grow. As soon as your seeds begin to sprout, move the trays to their new home beneath the lights.

When your plants have sprouted their first set of true leaves, they should be transplanted into the peat pots. Place the pots in the plastic trays, then add water to the tray. It will take awhile, but eventually the water will be soaked up along the sides of the pots and throughout the soil mix. This is called bottom watering and is much better than top watering, since it will not cause the starter mix and seeds to run out of the pots. Bottom watering also encourages the new roots to reach downward.

Your plants must be hardened off before they can be planted in the garden. This means they are become acclimated to the temperature, wind and light differences between your house and the outdoors. After the last-frost date, take your seedlings outdoors for a few hours each day, leaving them in a spot where they will be sheltered from the sun and wind. After a few days, slowly expose them to the sun and wind, a little more each day, over the course of a week or two. This will allow them to make the adjustment without going into shock. Then, using your design sketch, transplant your seedlings into their permanent home in the garden.

Starting an herb garden indoors is an easy and creative way to stretch the growing season. With a little forethought and planning, growers can have herb seedlings ready to plant and the garden bed ready to receive them first thing next spring.

How to Make Your Own Compost Bin

Composting is a wonderful thing. It allows you to use organic / vegetable waste from your kitchen and garden, thereby reducing the amount of stuff going to landfills, and producing something useful that will help your garden grow healthier. Making your own compost requires a little bit of effort. Although compost can be made by piling or heaping organic material, you'll get better and faster results if you use a compost bin.

A compost bin can be made of a variety of materials. Most of the compost bins available for purchase are made of heavy plastic. But you can make your own bin out of materials you likely have lying around the house, or can be purchased cheaply. Try a few of these ideas:

Heavy Mesh Wire

I found this method too wobbly for my taste, but it's a quick, easy way to contain your compost heap. It's also highly mobile - you can lift the wire easily and move it to another location when you're ready to start a new pile. Simply make a circle of the wire, and attach the openings with small wire. You'll want to be able to open and close the container fairly frequently to turn your compost. To give the container more shape, drive stakes into the ground at four corners, and wrap the wire around the stakes. Secure wire to stakes with a short piece of wire, or simply squeeze the wire around the stakes.

Wooden Pallet Compost Bins

Wooden palettes can be found at many warehouses for free. We had several left over from deliveries of patio bricks and lumber. (Watch your neighbours to see who's putting in a patio or re-doing their roof. They might be willing to give you the palettes their materials arrived on.) These we attached at the edges to make three sides. The front panel was attached at one side with hinges, so we could open and close the door, and latched at the other side with a common hook and latch. For the top, we bought a piece of thick plywood and cut it to size. We attached it at the back with hinges, so it could be easily lifted to add materials.

Old Fencing

Replacing your old wood fence? Don't throw the slats away. If possible, take down the fence in sections. These sections can be used to make a great compost bin, ready-made with small space between the slats so your compost can breathe.

Dresser Drawers

No, really. Take an old dresser / bureau. Knock out the bottom of each drawer. With a few 2x4's you can attach the drawers together to make a small compost bin. Detach the top of the dresser and attach to the top of your bin with hinges at the back for easy accessibility.

What Does it Mean to be an Organic Gardener?

• An organic gardener will use natural mineral and organic fertilizers to build up the soil. Instead of chemicals, you will learn how to use natural fertilizers like composted manure (don’t worry, it’s not stinky!), bone meal, fish meal, gypsum, eggshells, and of course, the best of all (and free!), your own compost.
• There are a lot of natural and even home-made alternatives to chemical pesticides and herbicides. Chemicals are often broad-spectrum, meaning they will kill good and bad insects. As an organic gardener, you will know how to treat specific pests and diseases without harming your plants, butterflies and birds.
• You will be thinking long-term. Instead of dumping flowers into a flower garden every spring, you will be aware of soil conditioning, what plants work best together, and how you will help regenerate your garden next year. You will be thinking of your garden as a whole, not as individual beds.
• For your lawn, weaning the grass off chemicals and replacing it with natural fertilizers and mulch will take a few seasons. You will know about optimal soil acidity and how to cultivate good fungi in the soil. In the long run you will be caring for it less, because your lawn will be thicker and stronger, due to the healthy soil underneath. This will mean weeds will have a harder time taking root, and brown patches will disappear (because you will know why brown patches exist and how to combat them.)
• Weed control without herbicides means knowing how to prevent them from growing in the first place ands discouraging their growth.
• Organic gardeners have a certain philosophy. Instead of taking from the soil, you will be conscious of giving and restoring it, as part of nature’s life cycle.

How Do You Control Pests and Diseases without Chemicals?

Organic gardening doesn't mean you have to share your apples with the worms, but you will probably have less than pristine looking plants and produce. Since you are trying to garden in cooperation with nature, sometimes you have to accept the occasional pest in the garden. Your first line of defense should be vigilance. Inspect your plants regularly for signs of a problem and take action quickly. Keep in mind that not every insect is a foe and that action doesn't necessarily mean pesticide.

• There are many organic pesticides available, but first make certain that there is a problem and that you know what it is. You can live with a little damage. Some insects, like the 4-lined plant bug, do their damage and then move on for the season.
• Consider if you are having a pest problem because your plants are stressed and don't have the resources to defend themselves.
• Interplanting and diversity will protect you from losing an entire crop to an infestation. Large swaths of a single plant are pretty, but are also a landing strip for interested insects.
• Many insects and larger animals are considered beneficial, preying on the insect pests. Reaching for the spray can every time you see a pest, you will be killing of the beneficials too. Lady bugs and parasitic wasps enjoy an aphid banquet. Birds will munch on grubs. Frogs, lizards and even snakes all contribute to the balance in your garden and prevent a pest population from becoming a problem.
• Barriers prevent problems. Floating row covers prevent moths from landing and laying eggs. Yellow sticky traps can easily catch dozens of flying pests. Foil collars around the base of plants will foil cut worms and many borers.
• There will probably come a time when you will need to apply a pesticide or lose your plants. Organic or natural pesticides can be very effective and are usually less toxic to wildlife, pets and humans than synthetic pesticides. Many organic controls can target specific problems, such as using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a type of bacteria, that kills caterpillars, but not much else. Just be sure that you know what the problem is before you treat it and that you always follow the label instructions.