DIY - Making Your Own Potting Soil for Herb Containers

If you want herbs to grow well in containers, then I can't stress it enough - making your own potting soil can't compare with store-bought bags.

The old adage: you are what you eat. It bears a lot of truth, especially when it comes to container planting. To have success, plants need to draw up water with nutrients and minerals. Most potting soils available on the market are soil-less mixtures. Peat mainly, with added vermiculite and or perlite. With soil-less mixtures, you will have to add synthetic or composted fertilizers to keep nutrients available to the roots, before several waterings will leach them out.  Ah, no thanks... I rather use more nutrient retaining soils.

In my experience, a mix of several elements is key. Herbs have significant properties we rely on and you want the plant to thrive and bear the flavours and medicinal goodness and flavours that we need. So why plant them in soil-less mixtures and expect good results? That just doesn't add up.

I compost. Not all kitchen scraps, but a LOT. Coffee grounds, veggie skins...egg shells, anything that will break down relatively quickly - for next year's batch. I also compost all my plant cuttings, autumn leaves and grass clippings. This makes a fabulous compost mixture that is fortified. But, I also balance other aspects too.

This is my potting soil recipe:

First: grab a wheel barrel or large vat (if you're lucky, you may even have a potting bench). Start by adding 1/3 compost, 1/4 sand, 2 cups perlite, 1/2 cup mycorrhizae for herbs and vegetables, and an 1/4 cup organic vegetable fertilizer. If you're like me, and plant herbs in a pot year to year, I reuse about 1/3 of the pot's original soil. Beneficial living organisms from the year before are still contained in there. You want to keep that cycle going by inviting them into the new mix.

Last year's old plant material. Removed all the roots, and dead bits, but kept half of the soil in the wheel barrel. NOTE: if you had diseases and problems with your planters last season, then DON'T reuse last year's soil. Begin with new soil.

This is how the various additives look:

Mix thoroughly together.

One key aspect of growing herbs, if you're going to plant several together, plant similar sun/hot to shade/moist selections together. I like planting "hot herbs" in terra cotta pots. Terra cotta pots heat up in the sun. You want a dry, Mediterranean conditions, and they will heat up if you keep the pots on hard landscaping surfaces.

Plastic pots work well to retain moisture and I use them for "cool herbs".

Here are some groupings that grow well together:

Hot/Dry:   Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Oregano, Marjoram - these all like drying conditions and less waterings.

Cool/Part Sun: Basil, Chives, Parsley, Coriander - these all like moist conditions and can tolerate a bit of dappled shade.

With the hot/dry loving plants, you may want to even add more sand, to promote drainage.  The amount of sand may vary, depending on your compost. The more organic material that hasn't broken down, the more sand you will need. These hot plants hate roots standing in water.

Place pots in a sunny position. Place water trays beneath to catch water from leaching out too much fertilizer when you water.

Every 3rd watering I add compost tea that I make  (here's the link to that post) for an added boost.

Pinch segments back for your culinary needs and try not to let the plants bolt - meaning, not let them go to seed.

If you have noticed, I have several other little plants that have hitch-hiked their way into my soil. This year I had morning glories, tomatoes and bidens germinate from seed. Hey, why not! They add some colour and joy to this little spot by the kitchen entrance.

Enjoy!

Duckweed is a great Mulch!

Duckweed is a floating aquatic plant that just showed up one day in this pond. The plant probably hitched a ride on some water fowl which frequented the pond in early spring. Since then, Duckweed - a species of Lemna, has been gift: a floating food source for our Koi. We're thankful and allow it to do it's other thing: shade the pond - to help control algae. And it is a great means of camouflage for our frog, Kermi - who patiently waits for his next meal.

It has many aquatic benefits, but when the summer heat of August peaked 35ºC for several days and the humidity stuck around, the duckweed numbers exploded.

Too much and the pond would be overly shaded and the water lilies would suffer from lack of light. Even the Koi couldn't keep their numbers down! Gathering enough weekly, so that 1/3 of the pond was open for sunlight, I would usually skim it off the pond into a bucket and off to the compost heap.

However, I lazily tossed several screens full around some perennials and let them sit there a few weeks ago.

Going away for a few days, we realized how beneficial the dried out Duckweed became. It acted as a mulch. Retaining moisture levels and kept that section of the perennial border hydrated.

BONUS!

Now, Heidi gladly places it under Hostas, Ligularia, Peonies, Clematis....well you get the idea.

An inch or so of Duckweed knits together like a blanket of sorts, when dry. It's been ideal.

Kermi - our frog enjoys the pond as much as we do! He comes for a dinner call every time. 

Enjoy!

Coffee Grounds In Compost

I've been composting coffee grounds for a long time.

It takes me about 3 weeks to accumulate this much:

I'm sure there will be research indicating it's not the best thing to add to our gardens. Yet, I have not experienced anything other than rewards using it.

I use a Bodum/French Press and enjoy not impacting the heaps of waste when it comes to the recent use of coffee toss away pods. In my dual batch rolling composter, I get great compost after 6 weeks in the summer. Having a sniff of the finished compost, there's no trace of the coffee aroma left. My plants seem not to mind at all!

What I can't understand is why I've only seen one program which uses coffee grounds from big coffee shop chains.

I happened upon Grounds To Gardens at Cloverdale Mall this past April. Stopping to see bags of compost mixed with coffee grounds available for sale. My first reaction: "It's about time!"  Oddly enough, I can't seem to find it available since.

Can't see why?  Know of any?

A Grateful Gardener

Even though the gardening season is coming to an end; in reflection of this Thanks Giving season, there are plenty of things a gardener should be grateful for this time of year.

1. Critters and beneficial insects that help break down litter and organic matter for great compost come spring.

2. Leafy matter, filled with nutrient rich materials - receiving it for FREE! With a little effort, we can reclaim it for beneficial use in the garden!

3. Late season flowering. Reminds me of abundant life - even in harsh conditions!

4. Fruit of Harvest: Many colours, textures, foods for us and wildlife - not to mention winter interest.

5. Colourful Fall Foliage. Just when you think the plant has given its all... A display of fall colour finishes up the growing season with a spectacular show.

Autumn Chrysanthemum Show at Centennial Greenhouse

What are you thankful for?  Wishing everyone a blessed Thanks Giving season! xo

Easy To Brew Compost Tea

One of the benefits to having this dual batch, rolling compost off the ground, is the ability to catch rain water that has flowed through the compost bin.

Here I have great compost tea, ready to use with no water coming from the garden hose.

Don't leave the vat with compost tea too long, especially during mosquito season. I transfer the tea into watering cans and cover the openings.

Having left my plastic bin/basin beneath the dual batch, rolling composter, it collected the water beneath. During a storm, I left the doors open and let the rain water simply seeped through the contents.

 Dark brewed look.

My evergreens and containers love it!

A vat filled with garden refuse will also give you compost tea results. But be aware that it gets quite smelly if left too long.

A great liquid feed for spring containers, or parched areas of the garden that didn't get adequate rain.

I also will use this tea to moisten the compost when it begins to dry out.

Great byproduct.

Red Wigglers - Compost Acceleration

Now that spring is here, it's time to turn over the compost heap out back. After this long, cold winter - all the kitchen waste and leafy matter has added up.

Patience is key with achieving great compost results. Yet some want to use ways to quicken the process. Compost acceleration methods have always made me think that we tamper too much with natures own, natural methods. One definite accelerator that is completely natural: worms. Red Wigglers (Eisenia fetida) to be precise. These self sustaining, perpetually reproducing, munching machines, break down compost like nothing else. Their worm castings create vermicompost; a richer, porous, mixture that will add more nutrients and microorganisms to your compost.

Here, kitchen waste takes only a few weeks to become fertile compost during the spring and summer months.

Red Wigglers can withstand freezing temperatures, but they do need a warm core to keep active to break down your refuse. A good pile of kitchen waste needs to be present over-winter, to keep these "munchers" going.

Once compost is ready to be used in the garden, don't fear taking some red wigglers with the compost. They will be happy in your garden as well. They reproduce rapidly during the warmer months, as long as they have more organic matter added, plenty of moisture and a good turn over every few weeks.

Don't forget to add a brown layer every once in a while, to help enhance the final product.

After mixing the compost, add about 1/3rd layer of brown organic matter (leaves, twigs..etc) to the top and firm down, especially in the cooler months of spring. This helps the worms to crawl back towards the centre (warmest part) of the compost pile. Continue to add your kitchen compostable waste and let the process continue.

 If you want to purchase Red Wigglers for your compost heap, you can order them from:
Worm Composting Canada

Another batch of Compost ready: 6 weeks

Left side, ready. Haven't added scraps in last 3 weeks.

I am brimming with satisfaction over my Dual Batch Rolling Composter. It's been another six weeks, and I can report another completed batch of compost is ready.  This heat wave has certainly accelerated decomposition.

Great stuff. I wish you could smell it. So fresh.

Some helpful hints I've learned along the way since my previous 2 composter posts:

• If you add lots of kitchen scraps, avoid adding too many (sugary) fruity bits. I added soft cherries and grapes, only to find I had a large quantity of ants invade one chamber.
• Adding kitchen scraps daily adds adequate moisture. No added water is necessary, unless you add a lot of dry brown debris.
• I found spinning the rolling bin should be done only once a week, if not less. Rolling it thoroughly, rather than one rotation or so is better than just once over.
• Cutting up thicker, leafier material aids the process.
• Do not fill the chambers to full. Fill about 2/3rds. This allows for air circulation and better tumbling of contents.
•  Filling the chamber nearly full with green waste will not give you a full chamber when done.
•  Keep the vents open.

Right side - scrap side

Since the ready chamber is not yet full, I will add compost from the kitchen scrap side to the other ready side, in order to bulk up for a full batch in September. I plan to top-dress my garden with the left chamber's contents, leaving the right chamber to carry me through the autumn months.

Right chamber: not ready...but getting there!

So pleased.

Pistachio Shells for Compost

I'm constantly thinking of ways to add bulk to my compost (outside of adding twigs/branches, etc). I enjoy eating pistachios and I only buy natural, unsalted pistachios. There's a ton of shells leftover after I've munched on them... I thought - I'm going to use them for the garden.

Only use them if they are UNSALTED, or the salt will kill off the natural bacterias and microorganisms in the compost.  Pistachio shells take ages to break down.

This shell was in my planter soil. Still hasn't broken down.

Two ways I use the shells:  First, I lined some of my pots with the shells, to lessen the need for more soil. Second, I added them to the compost. I have already seen their benefit in my planters which I filled two weeks ago with my 7 week ready compost.  (Follow up from my Starting Compost post and its update). Each one of my planters has my compost mix with shells half broken down.

Benefit: they help retain water and make the soil lighter!  I'm so impressed. Yay!

Try it!

Around Christmas time, I crack walnut, almond, hazelnut, chestnut, Brazilian-nut shells. Instead of tossing them out with uncompostable kitchen waste, I'll be composting them too.

Compost Tea - Organic Fertilizer

Just add enough water to cover;  mash it down with a stick

As I posted earlier in Organic Fertilizer, I decided to go "green" to feed my garden. Any information regarding compost tea I've read, suggests making compost tea with rain water (or chlorine free water). It's known that chlorinated water will kill off beneficial microbes that we want in the compost tea.

So far I've collected burdock and nettles and shredded their leaves with my hands (gloves) and cut up the roots. I placed all of it at the bottom of the pail and poured enough rain water over it until the burdock was covered. I mashed and bashed the leafy bits, as to bruise them. I stirred it around for a while and then placed a cover loosely over the top to keep the light out. Each day, I stir the compost tea with a stick, adding more water until the bucket is full.

Living in a condo-corp townhouse, I wish I could catch water with a rain barrel. It's a bummer that I can't, so I improvise. I have a corner of my backyard which gets quite a good soaking from heavier spring rains, plus my composter has a great empty space below and since the rain sheds off it, I decided to collect any drop I could.  I placed my garden tub underneath it and after one rainfall it was nearly full. Yet I know I can't rely on catching rain every time, this spring attests to that.

Alternately, if your only source of water is from the City, fill enough buckets or containers with water for all your needs and let them sit for a couple of days. Most of the chlorine that kills microbes will have evaporated away after 2 days. Just be sure to pour the water into another pail/container to get the air back into the water.

Prickly nettles added a day later...

Since my veggie containers have no sub-soil or worms below, I want the healthy bacteria from the tea to help kick start the growing season. Using it in my container planters will help suspend nutrients and microbes in the soil, allowing the plants to draw up necessary elements more readily before they leach through. Since it's non burning, it's great for establishing young plants. Plus it's organic and I don't have to worry about what gets on my veggies.

4 days into brewing

Nettles and Comfrey are starting to become sizable, and this week I will begin to pick some (with gloves for the nettles) and add it to this brewing batch.  I haven't added any compost or anything outside of the plant and already the tea is getting darker each day.

The brew takes a while longer in the spring with cooler temperatures. I aim to make a brew each week, so that in 2 weeks time, it will be ready. So far so good!

Next time I will show you how to strain and use.

Starting Compost...update

In March, I posted how I started compost with this Dual Batch Rolling Composter. It claimed on the directions that within 5-6 weeks, a batch would be ready. It's been a little over 6 weeks now and here are my results:

Given we had a rather warm March, it started out well. The cooler temperatures this April I think have hampered the progress. Yet, overall - I think in a another 2 weeks or so, I'll have workable compost.


The warmth that comes out of here is incredible. I stick my nose in the chamber hole just to smell any off or rotten fumes. I haven't yet smelled any of that, so I know the microbes are breaking it down!

This batch is a mix of kitchen scraps and pruning bits. Hopefully by June I'll have another batch.

Heidi = totally happy!

Starting Compost

I purchased this Dual Batch Tumbling Composter because of its rotational drum and two chambers. My only complaint: it took a bit of time to put together, as there's so many fiddly nuts and bolts and about 20 parts to fit together. Solid build though. Rotates smoothly and lots of air pockets for good aeration and water drainage. I'm happy with it.

The neat design to this composter is it's two chambers. That way, I have two batches to work with and hopefully can harvest my first batch in what the instructions say: 5-6 weeks. I can add less coarse bits to one side to start this spring and add regular compost to the other side. While one side newly composts the other side I can begin to use. That's the theory anyway...  It also has a great lid that is animal proof (hopefully) and it's off the ground. So critters if trying to get on it, will fall off because it rotates easily.

One of my hanging baskets

To start I added some soil from my winter containers. It's spent soil from last years annuals, and to initiate decomposition you need some soil. I also added just a skimming of soil from my garden (it has the microbes to help break down the refuse).

It's best to add materials in layers:

• a brown layer (leaves, soil)

• a wet (kitchen) layer 

• and a green layer in stages.

My brown layer was made up of leaves, some leftover fall annuals (cut up), some perennial die-back and clippings from my rose bush.

The wet layer was made up of coffee grounds, potato peelings...etc. (Never compost dairy, meat, bones and wood ashes).

My green layer was the clippings I cut last week for homemade mulch. 

I've yet to fill the entire left chamber. I added water to get all the soil and material inside slightly moist (not soggy).


I will fill it all up once my other containers have thawed out. They were still frozen. lol 

Now that temperatures are getting warmer and there's plenty of bright spring sunshine, warmth and moisture will begin the process.  Will keep you posted as to how long it will take to get workable compost!