I was asked by Calgary CBC’s investigative reporter Allison Dempster to contribute to a CBC interview this week and I suggested she think about a few tough questions before she completed her interview. I am passing those tough questions along to my readers so that if you need to buy compost this weekend you can be more informed.
Biochar is an ancient product… It was used in the Amazon to create fabulous food gardens and sustainable soil. Today’s gardeners use biochar to draw CO2 from the air; ensure a steady release of minerals to plants in soil, supply a home for microbes and amend soils physically. Biochar can also modify pH and hold water in dry periods. Use it to top-dress greenhouse, outdoor beds and houseplants.
Are You busy starting seeds indoors for planting up later? Well in the world of onions including leeks, later is now. It is time to separate out your little leeks, shallots, green onions or big sweet yellows into their small pots for growing on. Here is a primer video on how to do that. You can see me transplanting my leeks and maybe get a few tips along the way!
Donna really really wanted a wood chipper so she got an Eliet Maestro on loan from the Eliet company in Europe. She loves almost everything about the Maestro…. but she quickly realized she can’t keep it…. find out why.
After seeing a photo of Barry Furneaux in the Qualicum Beach newspaper I had to visit him. He had raised a 14 pound cabbage (one of many) and it was featured prominently in the news in late October. So of course I had to visit and find out the secret to Barry’s success. I found out secret #1 – Steve Solomon’s Book (The Intelligent Gardener, New Society Press) and secret #2, his homemade compost. After making a fatal mistake with his compost one year, Barry now makes compost in the fall in a very strategic way following advice from Steve Soloman.
What kind of nutrients do falling leaves really have? Are they just drained out empty shells of their former selves? Answers vary.
Some older studies show commercially collected fallen leaves in urban centers contained nasty elements such as lead and cadmium because the tree leaves were swept up by machine along with portions of lead-contaminated soil.
