Introduction to Organic Gardening

1. Introduction to Organic Gardening Week 1

2. “Organics”

3. Permaculture

4. Soil • Sand • Silt • Clay • Humus

5. Chemistry • Nitrogen • Encourages leafy growth • Phosphorous (Potash) • Encourages root growth • Potassium • Encourages fruit and seed setting, and woody growth

6. Mycellia • One single spore can produce an oganism • 40 acres in diameter • One species covers 1500 acres • Saprophytes secrete enzymes that break down these organic remains, then they absorb soluble breakdown products • Chemical communication and movement of nuclei between body parts.

7. Digging/Not digging?

8. Composts • Peat – destroying bog plant and rare animal habitat, difficult to keep wet and re-wet after drying • Composted bark/wood/fibre – can take Nitrogen from plants or lock up micro-nutrients which stunt plant growth • Loam (e.g. John innes) – better water/nutrient holding capacity Potting Compost #1 7 Loam 3 Peat 2 Sand 0.6kg ground limestone 1.2kg hoof and horn meal 1.2kg superphosphate 0.6kg potassium sulphate John Innes Seed compost 2 sterilised Loam 1 Peat 1 Sand 0.6kg ground limestone 1.2kg superphosphate Potting compost #3 (veg) 7 Loam 3 Peat 2 Sand 0.6kg ground limestone 3.6kg hoof and horn meal 3.6kg superphosphate 1.8kg potassium sulphate

9. Home Composts • Microbial relationships are much better for plant roots • Has to be made properly and mixed with loam and other materials in order to be used for bringing up plants • Best put on bottom of pots, dug into soil, or used as top dressing/mulch

10. Sowing Seeds • 1. Sterilize seedtray (1 drop thyme/teatree essential in 2l water or a few tablespoons of cider vinegar in 5l bucket) • 2. Allow seedtray to dry in the sun • 3. Fill with compost without pressing down • 4. Tap/Bang tray on flat surface to settle compost • 5. Fill with more compost • 6. Water with fine-rosed can, imitating rain, or soak from below • 6. Sow seeds a) in small holes up to twice the seed diameter deep, covering with dry compost b) On surface, before covering with thin layer of seived compost or vermiculite

11. Sowing Seeds • For big seeds like peas, sweetcorn, beans • Sow in large trays or pots

12. Keeping your seedlings healthy • Sowing compost has enough nutrients for about a month • Plants should then be potted on, however if they are too small, try feeding them with a bit of diluted seaweed concentrate • Signs of nutrient deficiency is yellowing of leaves • Try not to allow compost to ever dry out, water from below or use a spray bottle until seeds are germinated, then use a fine-rosed can

13. SolanumtuberosumPotato • Domesticated 7,000–10,000 years ago in southern Peru • Now over a thousand different types of potatoes • “Late blight” caused by the oomycetePhytophthorainfestans • “Spud” traces back to the 16th century used as a term for a short knife or dagger • High carbohydrate content – “resistant starch” comparable with fibre • Offers protection against colon cancer, improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity • Contains toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, e.g. Solanine, also found in deadly nightshade, henbane and tobacco - affects the nervous system, causing weakness and confusion

14. catriona huakaroro agria gladstone tutaekuri or urenika ladies finger te Maori jersey bennes red rascal ‘Shetland Black’ ‘Highland Burgundy Red’ Pink Fir Apple Edzell Blue

15. Categories of Maturity • Very early earlies: 75 days to mature • Earlies: 90 days • Sharpes express, Orla, Red Duke of York, Accent, Colleen, Homeguard • Second earlies: 110 days • Charlotte, British Queen, Nadine, Nicola, Kestrel • Early maincrop – late maincrop: 135 – 160 days • Rooster, Valour, Marris Piper, King Edward Categories of Taste Boiling, Baking, Roasting, Chips, Mashing, Salads. Inherant “dry matter” makes potatoes waxy (low dry matter – boiling/salads) or floury (high dry matter – chips, roasting, baking)

16. Boiling • Baking http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/potato/

17. Roasting Chipping

18. Mashing Salads

19. Step 1: Chitting seed potatoes • “Rose end up” in egg cartons • Cool, light room/shed • No frost, no direct sunlight • Shoots should go purple/hairy • Potatoes probably go green • Chit sprouts to an inch or more • White sprouts means light deficiency • Spray with seaweed every 10 days • Particularly important for earlies • Can speed up crop by ¾ weeks • May reduce overall yield • Increases blight resistance

20. Growing Potatoes • G • Usually grown in deep, fertile, well-drained medium loam • Soil should be 6°C for 3 consecutive days • Fertilized previous autumn – hungry crop • “Cleans” the soil by removing pests on exterior • “Earthing up”: soil is drawn up around the plants as they grow to increase yield and reduce solanine production (greening) • Usually set in holes or shallow trenches

21. Technique 1Conventional technique • Manure ground previous autumn • Dig a drill 6” wide and plant tubers 2” below soil level (earlies), 4” below soil level (maincrops) • Spacing: Earlies: 12–15” apart, rows 15-20” apart Maincrop 15” apart, rows 30” apart • Cover with 6” compost, rotted manure and/or straw • Protect from frost • Water heavily (~20l per m2) every 10-14 days during dry spells once plants begin flowering

22. Technique 2 – Lazy Beds (for new ground) • Cut grass down to ground level, removing docks or thistles • Mark out area using string to ensure straight lines • Place tubers on ground (earlies 30cm apart, mains 40cm apart) • Cover lightly with soil or compost • Pile on manure or compost at least 6” high, 2’ wide, • Leave 2’ path between rows • Cut sods 1’ wide from paths and fold over on top

23. Technique 3 – Intensive small-scale • Dig down 24” – beyond subsoil layer • Place chitted tubers at closer spacing (10”X10” earlies in polytunnel, 12”X12” outside, 13”X13” mains) • Cover with a little soil • Pile on 18” manure • Replace soil • Do not water until plants flower (unless your soil is very dry) • When plants flower, water heavily (25l per m2) until finished flowering • Harvest as needed •  1kg per stalk

24. Technique 3 Containers • Use compact varieties like “Foremost”, “Swift” and “Dunluce” or early salad crops like “Marris Peer” • Use home-compost, well rotted manure and multi-purpose compost in a good consistency filling up the container as the season continues 1. 4” layer of compost 2. Use four sprouted tubers to 2” diameter 3. Add another 4” compost 4. When plants are 6” high, add another 4” compost 5. Ensure compost is moist but don’t water too much until the plants flower 6. Apply weekly seaweed foliar feed 7. When they flower, dig down to check the size of the tubers. Harvest now or in another week or two (& increase watering)

26. Blight • Brownish black spots appear on stems and leaves which later spread to tubers • Worst in warm, moist weather – late summer on • Cure • Cut back plants to 2” • Leave tubers in for a couple more weeks • Remove leaves and stems and cover in the compost or burn them • Prevention: • Spraying with seaweed to strengthen immune system of plants • Spraying with copper (“Atempo Blight spray”) • Spraying with Horsetail tea (Equisetum) • Choosing blight resistant varieties • Growing earlies

27. Viruses • Aphid-borne diseases • Remove and burn diseased plants • Potato virus Y (PVY) • Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) • Prevention: • Increase biodiversity, particularly hoverflies which eat aphids • Spray with garlic or seaweed s[ray to kill aphids and boost immune system

28. Potato cyst nematode – eelworm/wireworm(Globoderarostochiensis & Globoderapallida) • Soil-based pest, causes “potato sickness” • Tiny brown, white or golden cysts arise to surface when put in water • Reduces yield Increase soil diversity Always rotate Grow resistant varieties Concentrate on earlies

29. Scab (Streptomyces scabies) • Mostly cosmetic • Often present in high lime sandy soils • Avoid planting in areas directly after grass • Ensure plenty of organic matter is added • Water lightly and continuously • Avoid alkaline organic fertilisers (such as ashes, poultry/fresh farmyard manure)

30. Harvesting & Storage • Flowers indicate tubers are reaching edible size • Wait until haulms die back, or cut back in Autumn • Allow to sit in the soil to toughen their skins • Harvest on a warm day and leave on the surface of the soil to dry • Store in double paper sacks or hessian bags (block light but allow air – no plastic) • Ideal storage 4-10° (frost-free shed)

31. Companions Alyssum Broadbeans Tagetes Also good to grow with Onions, Horseradish, Peas, Brassicas, Flax and Deadnettle

32. Tomatoes (Solanumlycopersicumesculentum) • roughly 400 acids, sugars and other volatile elements in constantly varying ratios • weaker malic acid and glucose (green colour) changes to the sharper citric acid and fructose (red colour) • Native to South America (Peru) • High in Vitamins A, C and B (including niacin and riboflavin) • Helps prevent a variety of cancers, including prostate, colorectal, breast, lung, endometrial, pancreatic, bladder, cervical and skin cancer • Very nutritious raw and cooked - magnesium, phosphorous and calcium, chromium, folate and fiber

33. Varieties • around 7500 tomato varieties Shape “Slicing" or "globe“ Beefsteak Marmande Oxheart Plum Pear Cherry Grape Campari Habit Indeterminate/Cordon Determinate/Bush Dwarf bush/tumbling Colour Red, orange, yellow, green, purple... blue?

34. Indeterminate/Cordon/Tall type • Main shoot grows high • Side shoots can be left to develop • Grown vertically and tied to supports • Side-shoots and growing point removed • Determinate/Bush type • Sprawls on ground over 3’ • Good for limited space and outdoors • Less intensive • Dwarf/Tumbling Types • Ideal for pots or hanging baskets • Small & compact (8” high)

35. Brown Envelope Seeds Locally saved heritage varieties www.brownenvelopeseeds.com Red CentiflorRed cherryRomaRose De BerneSan MarzanoSt. PierreStupiceTangellaTangidelTommy ToeTumblerYellow CentiflorYellow SubmarineZapotec pink ribbed AlicanteArarat FlameAuroraBlack CherryBlack CrimeaDe ColgarEvergreenForest FireGardeners delightHarbingerLatah MoneymakerMr. NovakPersimmonPurple Prince

36. Growing Tomatoes1. Indoors Planting • Tall/cordons are space efficient • More susceptible to disease – blight, eelworm, red spider mite • Sow seed on heated propagator (20°C) starting in February • Pot on plants at least once to 3” pots (still heated underneath) • Dig trench 12” deep, 12-18” wide, 3’ between rows • Line the base of trench with comfrey/nettles or rotted compost • Plant grown plants 18” apart mid-late spring (May) • Mulch well with comfrey, seaweed or rotted compost, keep ground covered • Water well when planting

37. Growing Tomatoes1. Indoors Maintenance • Train vertically until reaching maximum height • (7/8 trusses if healthy, 5/6 otherwise) • Nip out growing top and side-shoots • When fruits set, water heavily (10l per week) • Begin feeding weekly with potash (seaweed/comfrey) • At 4’ begin removing leaves at bottom, ensuring good ventilation • Tap plants to encourage pollination

38. 2. Outdoors • Sow outdoor varieties in propagator (20°C) 7-8 weeks before last frost • Once established, must be kept above 10°C (higher for beefsteaks) • Pot on to 3” pots, short, sturdy plants are better than leggy pale plants • Plant out 7-8” high when first flowers are coming – 15-18” apart • Mulch well • Protect against frosts • Plant dwarf types 1—12” apart, bush types 18-24” apart • Require less feeding than indoors, more susceptible to blight

39. 3. Containers • Layer comfrey/wood ash and nettles • Use nutrient rich home compost • Support and feed as before • Minimise growth to 4/5 trusses

40. Companions • Calendula officianalis & Tagetes species • Pot marigold and french marigolds