There she goes again... up on that soap box

Today I had lunch with a group of colleagues and I was so excited when I discovered one of them was thinking about purchasing a green house.  Yippee!  Someone to talk shop with.  While we gabbed on incessantly about different growing mediums and evaporative cooling, the others looked at us like we were literally from another planet.  I could not describe the look; it was either impressed or I wish these two would just shut up.  Couldn't tell.  Folks constantly look at my husband and I like weirdo's because we grow our own food and have the skills to preserve.

When did being self sufficient go out of style anyway?  A few weeks ago Kevin went to work to wash some carrots we harvested that morning.  This was a whooping 14 lb. in addition to the 8 lb. from a few weeks earlier.  He was asked numerous times by curious onlookers, "What are you supposed to do with 14 lb. of carrots? What's the point?" Well that is an easier answer, "I'm going to eat them."  A packet of seeds cost me $2 (same price as an organic 1 lb. bag of carrots at the supermarket) and will provide us with carrots for the next 3 months.  Jarred carrots, carrot cake, carrot bisque, carrot smoothie, roasted carrots, candied carrots you get the picture.  We are also infamous for just giving our bounty away to family and friends. Our neighbor pureed it up and put it in the freezer to feed her baby.  There is someone who gets what the point is.

Last year we went on a family vacation to the beach.  While sipping on a brew-ski, I was reading my most recent issue of Mother Earth News Magazine.  A family member, I will leave him unnamed, was sitting next to me and we got into the conversation about an article I was reading about GMO's.  Now before I finish, let me tell you this.  This family member has been though at least ten additional years of schooling after high school so he is a pretty smart cookie. When I was telling him about how Monsanto genetically modifies their Frankenstein corn to be Round Up Ready and resistant to anything-icide and the effects it has on the surrounding environment and communities I get this response, "I have a hard time believing any of this stuff you always talk about."

What?!  You don't believe me, but you will eat my carrots I see.  Not only was I mildly insulted, but super frustrated by the fact that someone with a PhD. does not know what is going on with the abnormal food in this country.  I want to educate my family first and foremost because darn it, that is our legacy.  Our grandkids are going to grow up saying, "Our grandparents used to feed us food that was flavored with artificially raspberry which is made from hormones secreted out of a beaver's butt."  I want to know which scientist had the time to make that correlation by the way.

The companies in this country are doing things to our food that let's face it is totally bizarre and unnatural.  Splicing the gene's of corn, soy, and now salmon.  Our food is being made in a laboratories instead of a kitchen.  Don't believe me, go to the supermarket and get a Twinkie, Little Debbie, frozen dinner, or whatever and try to replicate it with basic ingredients found in that same market.  I didn't see High Fructose Corn Syrup on the shelf, did you?  How about Red Dye #5?  Try then monosodium glutamate. Not there either?  Hmm...didn't think so.

Having went to school to specifically learn how to grow food, I somewhat have a one up on the rest of society.  I am not saying this to boast, it is just a fact.  The way food is grown and distributed in this country just fascinates me and I am eager to learn more and feel like it is my duty to inform the rest of you who don't either have the time or will to learn on your own.

When I was a kid everyone could bring a peanut butter and jelly to school, no one in my class was obese in the fifth grade or had type II diabetes.  Kid's who cannot eat gluten?  No one even knew what a gluten free diet was in 1988.   Our children are in an epidemic crisis right now in this country with astronomically high rates of disease.  It's got to stem from somewhere.

 Who knows?  Back in the 70's and 80's cooking became convenient with the convenience of the microwave and advent of frozen dinners.  Perhaps it is some weird chemical my generation consumed from the styrofoam that melted in the microwave into our frozen lasagna or salisbury steak.  Now we have mutanoid salisbury steak genes being passed down in utero to our children which is why none of them can eat peanut butter without having and Epi-pen nearby.  Or could it by the years and years of fertilizer built up in the fields in which we grow the peanuts?  Sounds pretty far fetched but is it really?

This brings me back to the conversation with my colleague about the reason why he started his family garden.  His mother in law died last year of Listeria.  Listeria is a food borne pathogen transmitted by human's during harvest and is unfortunately deadly.  This is why they tell pregnant women to stay away from certain foods during pregnancy.  He never wanted to be affected by this again so he took his own health into his own hands.  Kudos.

These food borne illness's can be reduced or eliminated if everyone just had neighborhood gardens and utilized their farmer down the street.  If everyone in a one mile radius farmed the same 1/4 acre lot in close proximity to their home, there would be no starving people in America.  Numerous studies have been done, the statistics are out there and they are real.  Why can't we put fruit tree's along highways instead of useless shrubs?  Have the inmates in prison tend to them, free labor why not?  There are so many simple solutions out there but government regulations constantly put the hammer down for this budding Slow Food Movement to arise.  

Although the idea of only procuring food locally sounds idealistic, federal food agencies such as the USDA and FDA has put in place layers upon layers of red tape, i's to dot and t's to cross that it is virtually impossible for local food growers, livestock farmers and chef's to produce and sell to market.  The government has set up a series of regulations that only big industrial agriculture can abide by because the laws are not realistic for anyone else to follow.

The regulatory laws with the USDA, DHEC, and FDA were originally constituted because big industrial agriculture had so many faux paux's with poisoning the public to begin with.  Let me give you a brief round about example which includes our dear friend the chicken.

A chef for a college in Virginia wants to purchase eggs directly from a farmer who allows them to be free range.  Free range chicken eggs have a proven higher omega ratio due to the fact they forage on such high protein snacks as grubs, beetles and other pasture treats. Whereas there industrial CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Organization) counterparts are fed a complex diet of antibiotics, corn, millet and dead chicken scraps. The school officials immediately shoots down the request because the eggs are not USDA certified and they are concerned the eggs will have Salmonella and E. coli.

Little do the school officials know is that a USDA grade does not mean the eggs have been tested for Salmonella and E. coli.  The only thing a USDA grade does is identify the weight of the egg and wether it is small, medium or large classification for packaging.  Another thing the school officials should know if that a free range chicken grazes its entire life outside and eats bugs, it would never have E. coli or Salmonella in the first place.

Put down your fork, here comes a shocker.  E. coli and Salmonella is transferred through, you got it fecal matter!  Industrial agriculture raised chickens never see the light of day until they are transported in their cages to the abattoir (slaughter house).  Have you ever seen the truck going down the highway full of chickens? Those little white guys live their entire life in that 2' x 3' cage with about 10 of its closest friends.  If one chicken decide's to get a bit feisty and peck at or cannibalize his roommates, that chicken is taught a lesson and will have his beak cut off.

Because chicken's live their entire life inside in one huge ammonia stinking warehouse the delicate mucous membranes in their noses become very thin and eventually tear.  These tears are open wounds with a direct path to the blood stream.  Fecal particulates travel into the bloodstream and are therefore transmitted to the eggs.  In order to prevent transmission of dangerous bacteria's, industrial ag. suppliers soak your eggs in bleach prior to packaging.

Have you ever thought about how thin the shell and membranes are in an egg?  Don't you think that some of the bleach is in the actual white's and yolk?  I will leave these questions for you to ponder a moment.  


Don't you want to learn about what you are putting in your body is coming from?  Or do you trust our government agencies to regulate what is being pumped into your bodies?  Before I get into this conversation I want to make a point of saying that I am neither a Republican or Democrat, because frankly I just don't give a rat's ass.  Neither party can get anything accomplished so I just consider it a moot point.

I want to dwell on the topic of our White House Garden for a moment.  Or as I like to call it, "A Clever Marketing Tool for Votes."  Michelle Obama has the right intention with getting the Victory Garden idea back into every yard but I really do not see any government progress on actually implementing the movement into our communities.  Monsanto, Bayer and other Big Ag business's still have their hands in the pocket's of all our government food agencies.  I am pretty sure there are high ranking chair's at Monsanto also working with the USDA.  Can you say Monopoly?

I do give Michelle a kudos as well for changing school lunch programs to be healthier.  But how healthy are they really?  Where is that hamburger patty and chicken nugget coming from?  Some cow standing in three feet of feces that was given the Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone to produce more milk?  No wonder why little girls are hitting puberty at the age of 10 instead of 14 and 15 like they are supposed to.

Speaking of hamburger patty, here is a brief biology of a cow before we move on.

When the cow ultimately underwent evolution and has become what we see today, it was developed as a species to eat grass.  Not corn or grain, but grass.  The cow is able to digest the grass due to their multiple stomach's called a rumen. A rumen gives the cow the ability to eat food then regurgitate it up between its stomach's. Gross to us but a cow delicacy.

Anyway, the rumen of a cow typically has a pH that is alkaline.  Unfortunately for the cow, grass takes along time to bulk them up so they become desired weight to head to the market.  Someone along the way discovered that by feeding cows corn, grain and other parts of dead cow they would bulk up faster.  The faster they bulk up, the faster turnaround for a new set of cattle in the yard.  Make sense?

As a side note: Mad Cow disease outbreaks occur from feeding dead cow tid bits to live cows.

Back to the pH.  Because the cow is now being fed a diet that it's stomach cannot ultimately digest, the pH changes from a alkaline to acidic and the cow's body cannot physically handle the change which is why antibiotics are introduced.  (For a reference point a human stomach is acidic which enables us to be omnivores and have the ability to eat almost everything under the sun.) The antibiotics are staving off an illness just long enough for it to fatten up for slaughter.  What, your cow not getting bigger?  Just give it some growth hormone.  That will make a great addition to the school lunches.

Sigh, Victory Garden's....just a marketing scheme.  We live in such a fake America that our media tricks us into believing such outlandish foodie things.  This one makes me giggle.

McDonalds's and Coke are proud sponsors of the Olympics.  Really?  Who's bright idea was that to have the two companies that have the highest contribution rate in America for diabetes, obesity, heart disease and sky high cholesterol be the spokesperson for athletes?  Their slogan is, "Olympic athlete's eat at McDonald's."  Who are they trying to kid. Are they trying to say if you eat our products you will look like and be an athlete? If athlete's ate at McDonald's frequently they wouldn't be an athletes anymore, they would be dead. Didn't they just find that the artificial agent in coke to give it the brown color is a carcinogen?  Way to be a role model fellas.

I recently ready if you put a McDonald's hamburger out on a table (minus pickles and onions) for three months, it will look exactly the same on day one as it does on day 90.  What is in that thing?!

That led me to ponder what do folks really think about this "Going Green" or "Eat Local" movement with all this media and government brainwashing.  It leads me to believe that most folks subscribe to the marketing hype but only superficially walk the walk.  Shopping at the over priced Saturday farmers market on Main St. does support your local growers but only barely scratches the surface of what an entire community can actually do when they unite to shop locally and press government officials to make changes to our local laws about food regulations.  Honestly, if the entire city of Greenville, SC wanted to purchase food only produced locally...people would starve and die.

Whoa.  Reality check!


Not enough people are self sufficient anymore to feed themselves or their family and there are not enough farmers left to feed everyone in the entire town.  All of this countries food is either being grown by a small hand full of Big Industrial Business's or you guessed it, in China.  Boy are they a crafty bunch.



If you would like more information about committing to your local food movement and enlightening yourself about where your food comes from I recommend a few books to start reading.  You don't even have to buy them, they are available at the library.

Joel Salatin- "Folk's, This Ain't Normal"
Michael Pollan-  "The Omnivores Dilemma"
Richard Louv- "Last Child in the Woods"

For some interesting videos: Food Inc. and King Corn
Also try to YouTube Paul McCartney's "Glass Wall's" video.



So folks I want to again take a moment to apologize if you think I am being a food snob or an elitist when I go on a tangent about where food comes from and the consequences of your supermarket selections.  The choices you make directly impacts your family, community and generations to come.  Nobody wants to be remembered for eating Beaver Bum Hormones, even if they do taste like raspberries.  

I've got gadgets and gizmo's a plenty...thing a ma jiggers...I got three

Being a gardener is only the first step in becoming self sufficient.  You must master some culinary skills in order to make the best of your post harvest inventory.  I just happened to get lucky and my wonderful husband is a Chef by trade and profession.  Our kitchen is full of doo dad's and gizmo's that I have no idea their function never mind how to properly put them together.

If you plan on having a huge harvest of carrots, apples, strawberries, etc., you better have a plan in place prior to harvest as to what you want their final product to be.  For example, if you harvest 20 pints of strawberries in one day you are most likely not going to eat those before they go to mush in your fridge.

Here is my advice on a few items to purchase to help you out. Yes, it is a little bit of an investment up front,  but these tools will help you save money until the end of time (or if you break them).

First off is a large enough stock pot or canning pot where at least six large Ball canning jars can fit in.  Do yourself a favor and buy all the accessories to go with.  It saves on the mess. If you have no idea how to can/preserve I strongly encourage you to learn from the ol' gal down the street or take a class and purchase a book.  You can seriously do yourself (and others) some damage if done improperly.
"Merry Christmas Auntie Betsy, I made you some jelly spiced with Botulism...mmmm."

Next off is a dehydrator.  You can put anything in this puppy. Love it!  Dry herbs, strawberries, tomatoes, apples, bananas and the list goes on an on.  We have shittake mushroom logs that fruit sporacticaly, but when they do it is always to many to manage.  Straight to the dehydrator with you fungus!  If you are a hunter this is also a good avenue for making jerky.

Spare no expense when picking out a good Cryovac machine.  This is a simple alternative to pressure cooking because you can just throw the packs in the freezer.  But, when you are picking one out I emphasize to you to spare no expense.  I have bought the cheapest one there is and got cheap results where it only lasted a month.   Pay the extra 50 bucks, you will be grateful later.

These are just very high level suggestions on what you need to get started.  I am sure there is plenty of literature out there for reference on the best products but your best bet is to ask around to other homesteaders to see what works best for them.

Happy Growing!

What happens when the mercury dips in SC

Sigh...

As many of you may know a cold front came in last week and shook the nation.  For us folks here in SC, we are most certainly not used to that type of frost and neither are our homes or plants.

Sadly, Kevin and I had a pipe bust in our attic and we came home to a flooded house.  Joy.  Thank heavens for tile floors so it could have been way worse.  Now we are just dealing with the incredibly annoying aftermath of insurance claims and contractors.

Before it got down to a mere 6 degree's we did take the time to tend to the ol' greenhouse and outside crops so they would not be effected by the frost.

We were able to harvest about 8 lbs. of carrots, a huge garbage bag of tot soi, quite a few pounds of micro greens, snow peas and radish.  The tot soi is now happily destined to wherever Broken Oak Organics deems it appropriate and we now have carrots for the next few months.

I must say we did leave about 1/3 of the carrot crop in the ground as an experiment to see what they taste like in the spring.  We want to see if the sugar content is higher in the spring because it has extra time to mature in the ground and adjust to the cold temperature.  We shall see!

Whatever else we decided to keep in the ground was covered with anything we had lying around the house. Tarps, plastic row covers, black fabric mulch, sheets you name it.  If it was long enough it went over the plants.

Our Fig tree was also not forgotten.  This tree is about five years old and the last survivor of a propagation experiment from Dr. Adlebergs class in Clemson.  It has finally started to put on fruit so there was no way we were going to let this baby go.  It looked like a mummy tree by the time we were done, but hey whatever gets the job done!!

PS...Did I mention all of our neighbors probably think we are crazy??

Keeping it Real...

Wow, has it been a while.

I am the worst blogger ever. Here we are the day after Christmas with the New Year looming ahead and I have not written anything since the summer.

My perfectionist and do not write anything unless it has been carefully planned out system obviously has not been working.  Blasted full time job and crazy three year old!

Welcome to the "New" Tina Blogger method.  Moving forward, I am just going to shoot from the hip about what has been happening on our little peice of heaven instead of my blog reading like a dry, old and crusty text book.

In my bloggy abscence, we have constructed a Greenhouse.  I say we, but it was really my hubby Kevin and his sidekick dad Joe.  The best part about our Greenhouse is I can now start jokes like this... "How many Polish guys does it take to put up a Greenhouse?"

aaahhh...Good times

We were able to acquire our hoop house off Craigs List for a mere pittance and bought other peices such as the door and wood from the Habitat for Humanity Restore.  Score!!

The only real investments were the plastic, fan and solar panel unit which runs the fan.
I picked up a work bench table at a yard sale for 5 bucks and Kevin fashioned a grow table for micro greens out of cement blocks and a used peice of screen material as the top.

I went to the Farmers Market on Rutherford Rd. the other day and they were selling a minute amount of micro greens out of Hendersonville for like 6 bucks a bag.  We are growing the same mix and the bag of seed costs less than that.  Our plants are growing in repurposed plastic bread racks from our baker neighbor.  The bottoms are lined with plastic and the depth is perfect to support the fast turn around from planting to harvest. 

Aside from the micro bench, we have three beds and are growing a nice assortment of cool season crops. Carrots, broccoli, greens, etc.   Did somebody say Tat Soi?!  We have 90 plants in the ground so if anyone has an idea on post harvest suggestions feel free to share.

Alas, I am now a Southern Gal and pine away for the warm weather to get back in the garden.  For now I will just have to spend more time in the Greenhouse (which we need to name) where it is always 20 degree's warmer.

Until next time folks...stay dirty

Your Garden Plan: Creating the Blueprint

This last week has been the definition of Carolina Blue Skies.  I love getting out in the cool morning to work besides the early birds song.

By this time I hope everyone has their seeds started and transplants ready to go in the ground. The threat of frost in Climate Zone 7B has passed.  Those in the North East, Zone 5, may still have to watch the weather closely at night.

Before planting, take some time to think about your space and what your overall goal of the garden should be.  Really think about it because this will help you decide what is the best planting plan that works for you.  

Is your garden strictly utilitarian relegated to a rectangle plot behind your house?
Is it integrated into your existing landscaped garden beds?
Are you going to create a beautiful potage garden that would rival Better Homes and Gardens Magazine?

Here are some points to consider while planning your garden:

The convenience of location is one of the most important objectives when determining where to place your garden.   How close is it to a water source, your home and your tool shed?  Is there a place to process your post harvest inventory?  Consider putting your compost pile in a relatively adjacent spot.  This will cut down on the steps you have to take while weeding. You may be less inclined to get out there and work your garden if it is at the opposite side of the yard, especially in the height of the summer heat.   

Make sure you have at least 6 hours of sunlight throughout the day.  Many fruiting plants, like the Nightshade family for example, need ample light to produce and ripen fruit.  Plants in shade will not stand up straight, be leggy and are unable to bear the weight of fruit without adequate exposure to the sun.  Make note of plants which grow tall like corn and tomato's on trellis's.  These will indiscreetly shade your lower growing species.

Do you have a good system in place to clearly outline each bed or planting area between different family* types for Crop Rotations?  Rotating your crops between each growing season is one of the key elements of creating a successful Organic Garden.  Some plants like corn and tomatoes, for example, are heavy feeders and deplete the soil of beneficial natural elements and minerals after harvest.   Other crops such as beans, peas and peanuts, which are legumes, are able to naturally replenish the soil with nutrients.  Another benefit of crop rotation is cutting down on soil borne pests such as nematodes and parasites.  By planting the same family of plants repeatedly in the same patch of soil allows these pests to persist and feed on the same materials which you are providing.  Do your research about which plants are in the same families.  You will be surprised that potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are all related in the Solanaceae family (Nightshade) and that corn is actually a grass (Poaceae).
*When I mention the word "family" it refers to the Taxonomic classification.

Staggering plantings will also allow you to extend your harvest.   For example, I planted sunflower seeds three weeks ago and they are starting to germinate now.  Last week, I planted another row of sunflower seeds which will come up in two weeks.  Doing this will guarantee me colorful blooms and sunflower seeds for weeks on end later on in the summer.  This trick also applies so you can harvest into late fall instead of mid-summer.

Installing a secure perimeter around your garden is imperative.  Nibbling bunnies and deer will demolish your lettuce in one night.   Check your fencing periodically because many herbivores are excellent diggers who burrow under fencing.  We have buried chicken wire fencing about a foot underground to discourage these pesky critters.  

I hope these tips help you create the garden of your dreams and happy planting.

Stay tuned for the next episode:
GMO, Hybrid, Species and Heirloom: What's the Big Difference!

Broccoli, Kale and Cabbage: Your kids best friends

When the mercury begins to dip, it is time to consider growing cool season crops. 

Not only are these plants packed with valuable essential vitamins and minerals but they also store well over the winter. The only down side of these crops, is if you have kids who are picky eaters. Come on, as a kid who actually ate their spinach, cabbage and kale? 

The way I differentiate between cool and warm season crops is by this rule of thumb:

If you are eating the fruit (berry) of a plant which is borne from a flower it is most likely warm season. If you are harvesting a root, stalk or leaf it can tolerate the cold.  This motto is true in most cases but there are always exceptions to the rule.

Here is a short list of many great cool season crops:

Carrots             Broccoli                       Kale                 Onion            Spinach

Turnips            Cauliflower                    Radish             Garlic             Lettuce

Parsnips           Cabbage                      Arugula           Shallots           Swiss Chard

When I mention the term “cool season” it means the plants are able to tolerate temperatures which dip into freezing and are not damaged by frost.  Typically, as the weather drops so does a plants transpiration rate.  As a result, they lose less water through the stomata’s and the need to water decreases.  You will also notice that many cool season crops have a waxier tougher leaf which can withstand the frost.  Because of these factors irrigation requirements decrease but you still need to monitor them.

On the flip side, if temperatures consistently stay above the 55 degree mark for extended periods of time, it will encourage your plants to bolt.  (Bolt: To grow at an accelerated pace then go to seed prematurely.)  Plants bolt as an ecological defense mechanism.  The elevated temperature tells the plants internal clock it is the end of the growing season so to hurry up and reproduce by creating seeds.  Unfortunately, when your plants bolt in most cases will influences the taste.  Many leafy greens become bitter and your yield will obviously decrease. 

One way to get started is by going to a garden center which sells transplants in cells.  The downfall to this is you are very limited to your selections.   For these crops I would consult a seed catalog.  (In my last blog I mentioned a few options.)  Many heirloom seed companies have exquisite varieties which actually have more intense flavors and essential vitamins. Another advantage of heirlooms is their ability to store along time after harvest.  Just think about it, 200 years ago no one had a refrigerator with a crisper drawer.  They stored vegetables in root cellars and boxes filled with saw dust or sand.  The prices in heirloom seed catalogs are also very reasonable and discounted if bought in bulk.  Buying from these catalogs you support the Non Genetically Modified Food movement.  

If you live in an area such as zone 6 or lower and receive a lot of snowfall each year, you may have to cover your crops to protect them from the elements.  There are many creative ways to keep them safe.  Kevin constructed a hoop house made from cut fencing left over in our yard from the previous owners.  We purchased a clear plastic which drapes over the length of the hoop house. During nice weather we take off the plastic then if we notice a frost advisory, we pull the plastic over the hoop.  I have seen pictures of people who have made hot houses out of old windows repurposed from a thrift store.  You can use Milk cartons or clear plastic bottle (depending on plant size) with the bottom cut out of it.  This is where you become half farmer and half mechanical engineer.

Do not feel restricted to plant only in your vegetable garden either.  This time of year your flower beds and containers normally are withered from frost damage.  Adding Swiss chard, Colorful Cabbages and Mixed Greens are a great way to infuse the landscape with a pop of color.  If you live in a community with a strict Homeowners Association about vegetable gardens, this is a nice loop hole.

Do not fret; it is not too late for you to enjoy these tasty goodies this year.  Start a bumper crop at the end of February and enjoy them through spring until the weather turns warm.  Here it is, a mere three days after New Year’s and we are starting to harvest carrots and been snacking on Napa Cabbage for a month.  I love living in Zone 7.

Next Episode

The Blueprint of your Garden: Formulating a Garden Plan

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Cover Cropping: All the Cool Kids are Doing It

Most folks think that when the weather gets bitter you turn in the tools for the winter but alas, there is more work to be done.  If you do not have an existing garden bed or want to nutrient up your current one, tis the season to get ready for spring by planting cover crops.

So what is cover cropping anyway?  Cover cropping is the process of planting beneficial plants which promotes soil health after you have finished harvesting for a season.  One of the most important aspects, if not most important, for having a healthy garden is having healthy soil.  If you cannot even grow crab grass and dandelions in your yard how to do expect to grow food for your family. 

Soil and all of its contents is what feeds your plants.  The organic matter from decomposing material, minerals, macro and micro- nutrients are all part of the complex soil web beneath the surface.  I am not going into detail about soil science but in order to have a healthy garden you must understand the basics of soil structure.  Here in the Southeast we primarily have dense hard compact red clay.  That compact, low pH brick like texture makes it difficult for most/many crops to thrive in. Do not even think about growing a root crop like carrots, onion or potato because nothing is going to happen because red clay is just so devoid of beneficial nutrients and air space between the soil particles.  In that air space is where important things like water, nutrients and organic matter are stored.  Long story short, if you don’t feed your soil your plants are not going to feed you.

That is where cover cropping takes over. Certain plants are deemed cover crops because of their natural gift to enhance soil health.  After a growing season your soil will naturally have less nutrients in it.  The plants that grow there will innately feed on whatever is available because they are stationary; plants eat what they can reach with roots.  For example cover crops such as Hairy Vetch, Austrian winter peas and other Leguminous varieties are able to take Nitrogen out of atmospheric air and fix it into the soil and change it into a form of nitrogen which is available for the roots of a plant to take up.  Red Clover is also a big nitrogen fixator. Nitrogen is a heavy hitter in the macronutrient department because it makes plants green thus able to photosynthesize and also promote cell division, which makes a plant grow.

Other cover crops such as alfalfa and winter rye are added to not only help with nitrogen fixation but also to increase organic matter in the soil.  Organic matter (OM) consists of decomposing plants, detritus, worms and insects, which are high in nutrients and beneficial to the soil. OM also decreases the bulk density of the soil.   Over time the continuous addition of OM will make your soil turn from red brick to a nice loose loamy brown your roots can thrive in. The soil will become porous where air and water roam freely through and be taken up by roots as needed. In addition to all the benefits listed above, cover crops provide a nice blanket over the soil to protect against soil erosion from natural elements such as rain and wind. 

To sum up…Red clay compact soil=bad.  Brown loamy organic matter filled=good.

Those are the term I understand best.  

Now how do you plant a cover crop?

Just for argumentation sake, say you have never had a garden before and you want to start one in the spring.  In the fall go out in your yard, take a look around and determine where the best location will be.  Find where there will be the most sun, best location to a convenient water source, where there will not be many roots from existing trees, not be a lot of rocks and where the soil was not tainted from any recent construction.  I say that last bit because my house was constructed in 2001.  Even to this day when we dig in a new location of our lot we continue to find the bricks from our house, beer bottles, buried packing peanuts and plenty of other construction paraphernalia.

After you determined where you want to plant, you are going to start the process of loosening up your clay.  If you have a tiller, great, if not you can rent one from Lowe’s or Home Depot for a nominal fee.  There are also plenty of used ones on Craig’s List if you want to buy a cheap one.  Just be careful and inspect it before you buy it because there are a lot of shady characters on Craig’s List.  Look for a rear tine tiller, which works best.  When all else fails and you cannot get a tiller go out there with a 3-tine pitchfork a pick ax and a shovel then start turning over your soil.  Make sure you eat your Wheaties in the morning for breakfast before you start that last method.  

When your soil has been turned locate a landscape supplier in your area who can give you a good deal on topsoil and compost (or mushroom compost).  If it is a small area you can go to a local garden center and purchase bags but if you have a big area it is in your best financial interest to get a truck and have them scoop loads into the back.  Do not get it delivered to your house because they may add delivery fees and short you on loads.  In Greenville at Landscapers Supply you can get one scoop of compost on a skid steer in your truck for $40.  Not to bad because it goes a long way.  Remember you are going to till, then add compost and topsoil and till again.  It may not be a bad idea to include fencing or raised beds while you are in construction mode.  Your fuzzy creatures may not eat your cover crop, but they sure will eat your broccoli leaves and watermelon.  Acquiring equipment, good soil, fencing and raised bed construction is where your largest investment is going to occur. 

One of the most gratifying investments for us is purchasing seeds, because it is the cheapest purchase in gardening.  There are so many great sources for buying seeds.  Do not feel limited to what is strictly for sale in your local garden centers. Box stores do not sell cover crops anyway.  If you want to purchase cover crops locally, I have seen them at Feed and Seeds but catalogs are your best bet for quality.   Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Johnny Seeds, Southern Seed Savers Exchange, Sustainable Seed Co., Territorial Seeds all have great heirloom varieties that are reliable and are supporting a great cause and not big agricultural federally mandated cockeyed business. 

When purchasing seed please make sure to read up on them first.   Most are to be planted in the fall. Some may germinate in the fall and you harvest them in early spring and others will lie dormant until spring then need to be cut down in late spring.  Also, check your climate zone to see what works best in your area.  For example the Upstate of South Carolina is zone 7b and New England ranges from zone 6 near the coast of Rhode Island down to 5 and 4 moving north to New Hampshire and Maine.  There is a huge difference when your seasons end and begin.  You can either call many companies or go online to request free catalogs sent to your home.  The companies are also a great tool to use if you have questions about climate, when and where to plant and how much your need per acre or foot.  So measure your area before calling.   

Here is a quick list of some great cover crops:

Red Clover                            

Austrian Winter Peas          

Alfalfa                                    

Winter Rye                            

Hairy Vetch                           

Soybeans

Peanuts                                 

Any Leguminous crop (Legume=in bean family Fabaceae)

When your cover crops have done their job over the winter/early spring, it is time to turn them over into the soil.  I do not recommend deep tillage every time you switch your crops.  This disrupts the important soil web below the surface.  Take your handy pitchfork and turn over the soil.  Completely turn the plants over upside down so you cannot see them.  The plants are then added to the soil web and begin decomposition.  If your garden is still new and soil still tough to manage, use your tiller.  Make sure not to do this after a heavy rain and your soil is saturated.  This will make your soil completely horrible to manage by turning clumpy with an impenetrable hardpan top.

Lastly, cover crops are not strictly for planting in the fall, it is mostly just convenient because of the weather.  Any time of year you want to switch a bed for example, spinach in the early spring to tomatoes in the late summer, you can pop a cover crop in the middle to spruce your soil health back up before planting those nutrient sucking tomatoes.

 Wow, we sure did cover a lot of ground here today.  Little bit of soil science 101, cover cropping, and some construction too. Remember, successful gardening is not as easy as just digging a hole and sticking a plant in it.  It is a science of trial and error, then figuring out what works best for you in your special space. 

Happy Tilling!

Stay Tuned for the Next Episode:

Broccoli, Kale and Cabbage: Making the Best of a Third Growing Season