We'd like to extend a big MAHALO to agriculturist Mike Zelko for these tried and true tips to quick food production that help us to meet our mission of building community around food self-sufficiency. Mike taught us how to use animals, people, and plants as a natural system that produces a continual abundance of food and allows organic plants to grow fast and be harvested quickly.
Food Self-Sufficiency
The mission of Hali’imaile Community Garden is to build community around food self-sufficiency. While most of us identify with community building and know how to go about it, food self sufficiency is a bit more evasive. Being food self-sufficient means being able to supply food for your own and/or your families own needs without external assistance from grocery stores, farmers markets, and other food distributors and retailers. With careful planning, it is possible to reduce and/or eliminate your fruit and vegetable purchases while eating a wide abundance of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables that would escape possibility with even the most generous food budget. Learn how to grow for Food Self-Sufficiency here.
Soil Preparation
Soil preparation is often referred to as amending, or adding amendments, which includes compost, manure, and a source of calcium (lime) mixed into the soil before each planting. This feeds the soil so it can feed the plants. Here is a tried and true method to preparing the earth at Hali'imaile Community Garden. Planting may begin right away and food will be ready for harvesting in a few short weeks.
- Till the soil well.
- Add 2 inches of manure.
- Add a layer of calcium (lime). Oyster shell flour is both an inexpensive and effective agricultural lime – i.e. source of calcium. Dolomite is another organic option.
- Till again to mix amendments in thoroughly.
Starting Seeds as Starts
- Use brand new start trays or bleach old ones to kill bacteria.
- Fill with starter mix. We prefer to use Sunshine #5.
- Water down and drain.
- Use a leaf stem or small stick to poke a hole in the center of each cell in the start tray.
- Drop one seed in each cell (plants like space)
- Use fingers to pinch the soil back over over the top of the hole.
- Keep moist at all times; water 2-3 times a day.
- Spray with liquid kelp and liquid fish emulsion when they sprout and weekly thereafter.
- If starting indoors or in a shady greenhouse, move to direct sunlight as soon as they sprout.
- Plant when the roots begin to wrap around the cell and hold the soil firmly, approximately 3 weeks.
- When planting, apply more liquid kelp and fish emulsion to reduce shock.
Planting Procedure
When planting seeds:
When planting starts:
- Dig a 4”-8” groove in the row.
- Sprinkle all-purpose organic fertilizer in the groove.
- Cover the groove with soil.
- Dig a shallow groove to plant seeds over the fertilizer/soil
- Soil must remain moist at all times until the seeds sprout, so the seeds will need watering about 4x a day. Water can be reduced back to 1 or 2 times a day after the seeds sprout so that the soil has time to dry out in between.
When planting starts:
- Dig a 4”-8” groove in the row.
- Sprinkle all-purpose organic fertilizer in the groove.
- Cover the groove with soil.
- Dig a small hole above the fertilizer/soil to plant each start and cover with soil.
Choosing a Fertilizer
Fertilizers are food for plants during growing. They enhance plant growth via both animal and vegetable sources:
Fertilizers are rated numerically for N-P-K (nitrogen, potassium, phosphate)
Groganics 9-3-4 and Down to Earth 4-6-2 are both good as all purpose fertilizers.
- Animal fertilizers (feather meal, bone meal, blood meal, fish meal)
- Vegetable fertilizers (alfalfa meal, kelp meal)
Fertilizers are rated numerically for N-P-K (nitrogen, potassium, phosphate)
- Nitrogen – for green leafy growth
- Potassium – for roots and flowers
- Phosphate – for stem thickness
Groganics 9-3-4 and Down to Earth 4-6-2 are both good as all purpose fertilizers.
Foliar Feeding
Foliar feeding is a technique of feeding plants by applying liquid fertilizer directly to their leaves. Foliar feed helps to reduce transplant shock and is an excellent fertilizer to spray on starts each week until they are ready to plant.
For a good foliar feed, mix 1 oz per gallon of water of:
For a good foliar feed, mix 1 oz per gallon of water of:
- Liquid kelp meal (makes cell wall thicker and reduces mildew)
- Liquid fish emulsion - promotes growth.
Organic Garden Weeding Made Easy
Managing Common Plant Diseases
Yellow Leaves
Powdery Mildew
- Yellowing leaves generally mean that all the nutrients have been sucked out of the soil and the plant is not getting enough nutrition. This usually indicates a need to amend the soil and fertilize.
- If plants continue to do poorly despite proper amending and fertilizing, consider a soil test to see where the nutrient balance is off. Use our contact page to request copies of soil test forms and instructions.
- At Hali'imaiile Community Garden, our soil is magnesium rich and requires extra calcium (lime) for maximum plant growth.
Powdery Mildew
- Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda into a quart of water and spray on plants. A drop of vegetable oil will help it to stick. Be careful not to use too much vegetable oil as it can cause the leaves to burn by intensifying the sun.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of neem oil into a quart of water and spray on plants. Neem is a good all purpose broad spectrum fungicide and insecticide in the garden
- Mix 1 tsp yogurt and 1 tsp molasses into a gallon of water. Wait one hour and spray on the affected foliage.
Managing Common Pests
Aphids
An aphid is a minute bug that feeds by sucking sap from plants. They usually appear as tiny clusters of white or black dots on plant leaves. To control aphids:
Slugs
Slugs are a long, worm-like gastropods that are closely related to snails, but typically lacks a shell and secretes a film of mucus. They prefer warm, moist places and eat plants. To control slugs:
An aphid is a minute bug that feeds by sucking sap from plants. They usually appear as tiny clusters of white or black dots on plant leaves. To control aphids:
- Spray aphids off plants with a strong stream of water. The sprayed aphids won't return to the plant.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of neem oil into a quart of water and spray on infected plants. Neem is a good all purpose broad spectrum fungicide and insecticide in the garden
- Mix 2 teaspoons natural dish soap to 1 quart of water and spray on infected plants.
Slugs
Slugs are a long, worm-like gastropods that are closely related to snails, but typically lacks a shell and secretes a film of mucus. They prefer warm, moist places and eat plants. To control slugs:
- Place copper tubing around the plant.
- Remove wood, clutter, and other moist gathering spots from the garden area that slugs like to make home.
Nematodes
Nematodes are microscopic, worm-like creatures that feed on the outside surface of plants, though some burrow into plant tissue too. Nematodes inject saliva into a plant cell and suck out the cell contents. The plant responds with distorted tumor-like growths. Crops infested with nematodes can seriously damage plants. and leave behind deformed carrots and beets, and wilting greens with root knot.
Ideally, you want to keep your plot in production to grow food year round. However, there are also several options to control nematodes which take it out of production for a few months when you have sufficient space to grow elsewhere or are planning a vacation.
1. Add Organic Matter: The easiest way to control nematodes is to add organic matter such as manure to your soil and till it in before each planting. Organic matter improves soil structure and strengthens plants while producing gas releases that are toxic to nematodes and increasing the population of natural enemies of nematodes.
2. Till Between Crops: Tilling between each planting helps to destroy roots remaining in the soil that are host to nematode eggs before they hatch. Remove all the roots after harvesting a crop and till, preferably with fresh manure, before replanting.
3. Temperature: Nematodes decrease in the cooler months, so planting crops like beets and carrots over the winter months helps to reduce nematode damage.
4. Cover Crop: Cover crops are crops that you plant without harvesting. Just before they go to seed, you till them back into the soil. Select a crop that nematodes cannot feed on and they will decline over time. A list of suitable crops may be found at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ng005#TABLE_2. The disadvantage is that your plot will be out of production for two months. In most cases, this can be avoided by tilling and adding manure each planting.
5. Solarize the Soil: If you have a bad problem, till the soil and cover it with clear plastic for 6 – 8 weeks to let the heat from the sun “cook” it to kill off the nematode population. As a plus, this will also sterilize your weed seed population. The disadvantage is that your plot will be out of production for two months. In most cases, this can be avoided by tilling and adding manure each planting.
Ideally, you want to keep your plot in production to grow food year round. However, there are also several options to control nematodes which take it out of production for a few months when you have sufficient space to grow elsewhere or are planning a vacation.
1. Add Organic Matter: The easiest way to control nematodes is to add organic matter such as manure to your soil and till it in before each planting. Organic matter improves soil structure and strengthens plants while producing gas releases that are toxic to nematodes and increasing the population of natural enemies of nematodes.
2. Till Between Crops: Tilling between each planting helps to destroy roots remaining in the soil that are host to nematode eggs before they hatch. Remove all the roots after harvesting a crop and till, preferably with fresh manure, before replanting.
3. Temperature: Nematodes decrease in the cooler months, so planting crops like beets and carrots over the winter months helps to reduce nematode damage.
4. Cover Crop: Cover crops are crops that you plant without harvesting. Just before they go to seed, you till them back into the soil. Select a crop that nematodes cannot feed on and they will decline over time. A list of suitable crops may be found at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ng005#TABLE_2. The disadvantage is that your plot will be out of production for two months. In most cases, this can be avoided by tilling and adding manure each planting.
5. Solarize the Soil: If you have a bad problem, till the soil and cover it with clear plastic for 6 – 8 weeks to let the heat from the sun “cook” it to kill off the nematode population. As a plus, this will also sterilize your weed seed population. The disadvantage is that your plot will be out of production for two months. In most cases, this can be avoided by tilling and adding manure each planting.
Bean Leaf Beetles
Cerotoma trifurcata, also known as the bean leaf beetle, are pesky beetles that eat holes in the leaves of collards, soy beans, green bean vines, and other crops. Examination of the leaves shows no pests because these sneaky beetles fly in and feed at night.
Organic Methods of Controlling Bean Leaf Beetles
1. Blend 3 large onions, a small bulb of garlic, and 3 hot peppers with water and leave overnight. In the morning, strain through cheesecloth and pour into a gallon sprayer. Add water to fill the rest of the sprayer and mix well.
2. Soak 10-15 chopped garlic cloves in a pint of mineral oil for 24 hours. Strain and add to a quart sized spray bottle of water.
3. Use floating row covers over the affected crops to block beetle access. These are see through material that allows the sunlight through that can be clipped to a frame built over the crop.
4. Soak two cups of tomato leaves in two cups of water overnight. Strain the leaves out with cheesecloth and pour the tomato tea in a spray bottle. Add water to fill the bottle.
5. Mince 4 cloves of garlic and mix with 2 teaspoons of mineral oil. Allow to sit for 24 hours, then strain the garlic out with cheesecloth and mix the remaining mineral oil with two cups of water. Add a teaspoon of natural, unscented dish soap. Use 2 tablespoons of the mixture in each quart spray bottle of water.
As always, test on one leaf first to see how the plant responds. Mixtures can be further diluted as needed if they are too strong for the plant.
Organic Methods of Controlling Bean Leaf Beetles
1. Blend 3 large onions, a small bulb of garlic, and 3 hot peppers with water and leave overnight. In the morning, strain through cheesecloth and pour into a gallon sprayer. Add water to fill the rest of the sprayer and mix well.
2. Soak 10-15 chopped garlic cloves in a pint of mineral oil for 24 hours. Strain and add to a quart sized spray bottle of water.
3. Use floating row covers over the affected crops to block beetle access. These are see through material that allows the sunlight through that can be clipped to a frame built over the crop.
4. Soak two cups of tomato leaves in two cups of water overnight. Strain the leaves out with cheesecloth and pour the tomato tea in a spray bottle. Add water to fill the bottle.
5. Mince 4 cloves of garlic and mix with 2 teaspoons of mineral oil. Allow to sit for 24 hours, then strain the garlic out with cheesecloth and mix the remaining mineral oil with two cups of water. Add a teaspoon of natural, unscented dish soap. Use 2 tablespoons of the mixture in each quart spray bottle of water.
As always, test on one leaf first to see how the plant responds. Mixtures can be further diluted as needed if they are too strong for the plant.
Ants
The Formicidae family of those pesky ants infest the garden garden when there is dry weather because they are looking for water. They also tend to be found wherever there are aphids, so treating for aphids can be helpful. They like to lay eggs under wood borders and burrow through the soil around roots which damages veggies. Rest assured, there are several easy secrets which work well to control and eliminate ants and the damage they cause.
Wet Bait
9 tsp corn syrup 1 tsp sodium borate (borax) or boric acid
Mix well and place 1 spoonful in the middle of a small plastic container with a lid.
Poke holes around the bottom edge of the container for the ants to crawl in and put in a shady location near ants.
Dry Bait
1 tsp sugar 1 tsp sodium borate (borax) or boric acid
Mix well and put inside a container with holes for ant access.
Spice jars work nicely, especially the ones with large holes in the lid that come with things like crushed red pepper flakes.
If the ant nest is found, the gnomes have a few baiting and exterminating tips there too.
- Baking soda is poisonous to ants, sprinkle it around your plants to ensure ants will stay away.
- Coffee grounds sprinkled around plants repel ants. If the ants eat the coffee, it kills them.
- Spray affected plants with 1 part vinegar to 1 part water. It will kill the ants. Test first to be sure it won't damage the plant.
- Mix 3 parts borax, 2 parts sugar, 3 parts water and place in a cap or on a cotton ball in the areas near ant infestation. They will eat it and die.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in the area of ant infestation. It will cut the ants and cause them to die of dehydration.
- Corn meal or corn starch sprinkled around the nest. They eat it and die.
- Sprinkle chili powder in the nest and they will move out. This doesn't kill them though, so they may relocate nearby.
Wet Bait
9 tsp corn syrup 1 tsp sodium borate (borax) or boric acid
Mix well and place 1 spoonful in the middle of a small plastic container with a lid.
Poke holes around the bottom edge of the container for the ants to crawl in and put in a shady location near ants.
Dry Bait
1 tsp sugar 1 tsp sodium borate (borax) or boric acid
Mix well and put inside a container with holes for ant access.
Spice jars work nicely, especially the ones with large holes in the lid that come with things like crushed red pepper flakes.
If the ant nest is found, the gnomes have a few baiting and exterminating tips there too.
