Here is the typical scenario of a low performance garden. You go out in the spring and rototill up some area of the backyard or till the old garden spot, then add some fertilizer. You are very excited and bought a lot of seeds and plants. You put in your seeds extra thick and planted your plants, and then you watered. Some of the seeds come up and some of the plants that you planted lived. You knew that some of the plants would die and the seeds would not germinate so you put in extra, lots extra. You made a really big garden. In about 2 weeks you notice that the weeds are coming up and you go out and hoe the weeds. Then next week you notice that there are more weeds. You are bound and determined to win this year so you spend all day in the garden hoeing the weeds. Your back hurts and you have blisters on your hands but you have won so you feel a sense of satisfaction.

The next week comes and you go way for the weekend and the weeds come up again. The next weekend you have another activity and you miss hoeing. Now the weeds are starting to take over the vegetables. You like the tomatoes and carrots the most so you weed them a little every night but you can’t keep up. So you abandon half of the garden and decide to keep part of it going. Next thing you notice is that the bugs have moved in. The part that you have been weeding is covered in bugs and the plants are looking sick. So you go to the store and buy some bug spray to kill the bugs. Now you have a toxic film covering the vegetables that you want to eat. Things are going just as bad this year as last year. You finally throw up your hands and walk away, letting the weeds and bugs take over the garden for the rest of the season. I hear versions of this story every year from frustrated gardeners.

Correct me if I am wrong but this is the way that most people are approaching their gardens. The results they are getting are dismal and back breaking. It is no wonder that people quit their gardens every year. How about a different scenario? Let’s take a look at a high performance garden scenario.

All high performance gardens start at the kitchen table. The first thing you do is ask yourself what you want to grow. Next figure out how many of each plant you want. Because you are in a high performance garden you will know what the approximate yield will be for your plants so you will know how many to plant. You look up your planting date and know exactly when to start. You can even start early because you know how to protect your plants from the cold and you don’t have to wait to rototill the garden. You have a special prepared soil that your plants love and this soil never needs to be tilled. Your paths go around your grow bed and are created in such a way that you can walk in the garden even after a rain and never get muddy. You feed the soil, plant the garden and give it some mulch. The plants love the soil and all of them do well. You didn’t over plant because you had a good plan. The special soil and the mulch take care of the majority of the weeds so you spend about 5 minutes weeding the garden. You have saved money by not owning a rototiller or a hoe. The first few weeks go by and you water and then weed for 5 minutes if you can find enough weeds. The next week you go away for the weekend and come home to a garden that is still perfectly weeded. The plants are starting to really grow. The next weekend you have other activities and are away from the garden. Monday evening you weed for 5 minutes and the garden looks great. You notice that the plants are growing faster and bigger in the special soil and there are still very few weeds. The mulch is getting thin so you reapply another layer.

Now the plants are producing food and you spend 10 minutes twice a week harvesting the food. You also spend 15 minutes on the weekend putting in some trellises because the plants are getting so big. The garden looks amazing but you are not doing that much. Mostly you are harvesting. The next week you notice that the harvest is getting really big and you are having trouble keeping up with that much food so you start to give food away to the neighbors. The neighbors come over to your house and look at your garden and are amazed at what you have created. The garden produces food all the way until it freezes down in the fall. You clean out the old vines, feed the soil, cover it with mulch and you are ready to start again in the spring. You scratch your head and say “So that is what a high performance garden can do. Wow that was fun! I want to do that again but next year I am going to make it bigger!”

This is the typical story that I hear from people that I have taught to grow in a high performance garden. They always want to make the garden bigger and they are so excited to grow again next year. Is your garden giving you these feelings? If not we can help change that. Gardening is supposed to be fun and productive.

So How Do You Change From A Low Performance Garden To A High Performance Garden?

The difference between the two is an education and a few new skills. The high performance gardener has a different set of skills then the low performance gardener. The high performance gardener has a much easier time and way more fun in the garden because of the new skills. And will spend way less time in the garden and get way more food because they know how to get the performance out of the plants.

So What Criteria Does A High Performance Garden Need To Meet?

Here is the list of criteria that I hold all my gardens too.

7. High performance gardens are well planned. Planning your garden before you ever start planting insures it will perform at its highest level. A well planned garden will be fun, easy and will yield higher amounts of food.

10. High performance gardens utilize all the space available. If you are growing in a high performance garden then you will use tight spacing and will grow vertically to save space and reduce weeds.

Just think of what gardening would be like if your garden met all these criteria! Organic, nutrient dense, weed free, little time, little expense, few tools, well planned, space efficient, longer season, huge yields, incredibly beautiful and enjoyable. Wow, what a great garden! How awesome would that feel?

I started out in a low performance garden taught to me by my parents and to them by their parents. I struggled with this for 8 years and realized that this was not going to work for me and I needed a better way. I realized that if I kept doing the same thing I would keep getting the same results. This low performance type gardening system passed down by my family was making me old before my time. I knew that I wanted to feed my family the very best food possible and I knew that it would come from my own hands in my back yard. There had to be a better way to produce incredible homegrown produce. So I began studying, testing and trying new garden methods. Each method had its perks but was always lacking in a criteria that would make my garden system hum along like a high performance car. I then started combining different methods and created some methods of my own. Over the next 20 years I would make gardening more productive and much easier. I began a serious regenerative vegetable operation and continued to develop my system. I now grow in 20,000 sq. ft. of vegetable production with 9,000 sq. ft. of that in greenhouses where we grow year round in the mountains of Colorado. Little did I know that I was creating the High Performance system that you are learning about today. I was just looking for a way to make my farm better and more efficient.

Once I began growing my vegetables in a High Performance garden system my garden became easy. My sister noticed the results I was achieving and started asking for advice on her garden. After I started helping her I realized that I was growing food in a unique way. She suggested that I make a video course to share my successful methods with other people who are struggling in their low performance gardens or for people who have never started. I liked the idea of helping others to grow easy abundant gardens. This is a way for me to give back to society and the earth.

I named my high performance garden system, the Abundance Garden. I felt that the abundance of joy, amazing food and ease was worthy of the name. This is a unique comprehensive garden system that will take anyone from total beginner to garden proficient in their first season. Once the new skills are learned and the garden is built you will be off and running!

If you are ready to have a super easy productive organic garden then you are ready to upgrade your gardening. We have all upgraded our computers, cars and phones now it is time to upgrade our garden systems. The great news is anyone can do this. No prior gardening skills are required. Actually beginner gardeners will learn this system quicker because they don’t have to unlearn old gardening skills first.

Now you know how those people with the awesome gardens are getting the amazing results out of their gardens, they are not using low performance gardening systems they have upgraded to a high performance garden system.

Once you get your skill set down you can expect amazing results. Here are the results we got in our Abundance Garden demonstration garden the first season. We grew a high performance garden that was only 128 sq. ft. It grew 743 pounds of food that was worth $2560 in food savings with only 15 minute per day commitment.

Imagine a savings of $2500 per year off of your grocery bill? What could you do with an extra $2500 per year? In a ten year period that would be $25,000 you could save. And then you could teach your children so they could do the same thing! I love this! If you learn to grow a high performance garden then teach others how to do it then everyone could create a nice savings and increase their health. Just think of what this world would look like if everyone was growing their own food in a high performance garden system. 

My dream is to see everyone growing in a high performance garden and getting great food and having a great time. I want to help everyone to learn to grow their garden in a high performance garden. I feel it is the best way we can heal ourselves and this world. You can upgrade to the high performance system I have been learning for the past 28 years. I want you to have the same joy, satisfaction and amazing food that my family experiences.

Just imagine what your garden is going to be like now. Now that you know the secrets to having an easy, fun and productive garden, there is no stopping you. All you need is some education and a few new gardening skills. I don’t want a single soul to miss out on this incredible gardening journey. Gardening can be so much fun and so rewarding once you know how to get your plants to perform!

Are you ready to step up to a high performance garden system? Or are you going to spend another season in a low performance garden? The choice is yours. If you are ready to begin your High Performance Garden, let’s get started!

Compost is a great way to keep organic matter out of the landfills. Besides, why throw away perfectly good nutrients and then have to go buy some. With just a little knowledge and a few tools, you can make all the nutrient rich compost that your garden will need. I was watching Joel Salatin on YouTube the other day, and he said that if all the farm land in the world would add 1% organic matter to the soil, we could sequester all the carbon in the atmosphere that has been put there since the Industrial Revolution. Wow, think about this. If we make compost and put the organic matter in the soil, we are helping to reduce the global warming situation. This is even better than changing out our lightbulbs to reduce global warming.

Compost Container

There are zillions of gadgets on the market for holding compost. For some people it will be easier to buy a ready made container than to make one. Compost tumblers are the easiest way to make compost fast. The tumblers range in price from $100 to $400. You can start small and work your way up to a bigger tumbler if you need. It is possible to make compost in a pile on the ground but it takes a lot more work, it is usually smelly and animals tend to dig in the ground piles unless you cage the pile. But, it is a free way to make compost.

Easy Composting

If you do a search in the Internet about how to make compost, you are going to get a million different answers. Compost is hard to mess up – if you follow the rules, you can’t go wrong. Many different ingredients will work. There are very technical ways to make compost and there are simple ways. We will start with a simple recipe and if you want to perfect compost making, then go online and start reading. Here is the simple way. To make great compost the pile need 5 basic ingredients.

1. It needs a source of carbon. This is called the brown stuff which includes dried grass, hay, shredded newspaper, dried leaves and sawdust. Leaves will add trace minerals (aka “flavor”) from deep in the ground. Do not add the leaves of black walnut, magnolia, hemlock, eucalyptus, juniper, pine, oleander. The carbon material is food for the good fungi.
2. Compost needs a source of nitrogen: this includes kitchen scraps, fresh grass clippings, fresh plant scraps and manures. The nitrogen or “green” ingredients are food for the good bacteria. The manure of cats and dogs can be harmful to humans if composted, so leave them out. Egg shells are great, they add calcium. Coffee grounds are fine too.
3. Compost needs adequate moisture. Not too wet and not to dry. The way to test if your compost is to wet or dry is to squeeze a hand full and if you can only get a drop of water to come out it is just right. If you can squeeze lots of water out it is too wet.  If you get no water and your hand is dry then it needs water.
4. Compost needs oxygen for the good microbes to breathe.
5. You will need compost starter, which has microbes in it to inoculate your new pile. You can buy commercially made starter, which might be a good idea for the first batch. After that, you can use some already finished compost to activate your new pile.

Lack of water and oxygen are the main reasons why people fail to make compost. Be sure you have proper moisture and stir the pile twice a week. The smaller you chop the ingredients the faster it will compost. Try to get a balance of carbon, nitrogen and kitchen scraps.  Then, add water and stir to get enough air. Put the carbon, nitrogen and kitchen waste in layers. Always cover the kitchen scraps to help keep the critters out.

Do the Ingredients Need to be Organic?

Everything that I put in my compost pile is organic. If you have pesticide or herbicides residues on the scraps that you put in the compost then you run the risk of harming the microbes and potentially harming the vegetables or yourself. I heard this story where the cows were eating feed that had herbicides in it. When the cows pooped, the poop killed the pasture grass. I do not want to put anything in my compost pile that could be dangerous. I will only use manure from animals that have been fed organically and had no GMO feeds. Also, I will not use any grass clippings that have been treated with chemical fertilizers or herbicides. One year our town was giving away truck loads of leaves that they vacuum up from the streets. I thought that would be a great way of getting some extra compost material. Not such a great deal. I got leaves but they came with beer cans, glass, and a dead cat. I decided not to put that mix in my compost pile. So be selective about what you are willing to put in your compost.

Composting Process

Here is basically what is happening in your composting process. The carbon and nitrogen materials are being converted into earth through the microbes. The good bacteria and fungi are breaking down the materials. The microbes need an environment that is conducive to their work and growth. The good bacteria and fungi need oxygen and moisture to do the conversion. The bacteria create the heat in the compost process. The heat is good because it can kill weed seeds and bad pathogens. The heat also helps the microbes to increase their population. If your compost is lacking in oxygen, then bad, anaerobic bacteria can grow and create a stink.

A good compost pile needs a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 25:1. You can get into some very complex equations to get this ratio right. We just need to get in to the ball park. For your “brown” stuff use leaves, dry grass or hay, sawdust or shredded black and white newspaper with soy ink.

For your “green” stuff use grass clippings, kitchen scraps (no meat or grease) or fresh plant material. A good ratio to get the carbon to nitrogen in the ball park is 1/2 brown stuff, 1/4 green stuff and 1/4 kitchen scraps, by volume. If you don’t have enough kitchen scraps, then use 1/4 more green stuff. Try not to make this too hard on yourself. If you get the recipe close, the microbes will do the work. You are looking for a pile at least 24-36 inches tall and wide.

Put all the ingredients in your tumbler or in a pile. If it is moist enough, it should start to heat up within 24 hours. If it is not doing anything, then add a little water. The outside air temperature can have an effect on the start if it is below 40 degrees. If it is cold, give it a few more days. For your tumbler give it 5 turns every other day. For your pile turn it every other day and rotate the outside stuff to the inside. The compost should be done in 2-3 weeks.

One way to test if your compost is done is by the smell. If it is ammonia smelling, then the bacteria have not finished their job and the compost needs to “cook” some more. Once the bacteria get finished, then the fungi really get going. Once the fungi are done, the compost will smell earthy. Then you know it is done. Another way to tell that it is done is when you can’t recognize the ingredients that went in to the pile. This compost is teeming with microbes that are perfect for your garden or lawn. This compost is also what you can use to make compost tea.

If you need to make compost now, get 3 bags of leaves or a bale of straw and a 50# bag of alfalfa meal or 3 bags of fresh grass clippings and start a pile. This should make compost in 2-3 weeks. It may take you several tries to get really good compost. If you get a funny pile, just start over. It is important to learn how to make good compost, and it is really easy once you figure it out.

I don’t know if you noticed but we are working with the same soil food web in the compost pile as we are in the garden. Mother Nature’s way of feeding her plants. This is a beautiful and simple system that can take care of your garden as long as you don’t harm the microbes with any chemicals.

An easy and cheap compost container is to get seven shipping pallets and wire them together. I like to use two compost bins at a time. One bin will hold the compost and the second bin will be used when the compost needs turning. You just take down one side from the full compost container and shovel the compost into the empty container. This aerates the pile and helps it to break down faster. No matter what you use for a container be sure that you can stir the pile.

How Much Compost Should I Put On The Garden?

Everyone wants to know how much compost or fertilizer to put on the garden. The fertilizer companies have their fancy ads on the TV telling you to buy this and that to make your garden great.

Let’s take a step back in time to see how fertilizing was done in the good old days, before fertilizer companies and TV. You find the richest, most fertile soils in the forests, why is that? Every year the forest floor gets a new layer of leaves and organic matter. The worms and microrganisms come along and digest the leaves, turning them into rich compost for the trees to feed upon. In the garden we should try to mimic nature, by making our own compost we are creating our own rich soil.

In my garden, I add about 1-2 inches of compost to each cinder block unit in the beginning of each growing season. The great thing about compost is you cannot burn the plants with it. If you get too much, the nutrients will just sit and wait until the plants need it. With a good compost heap you can sustain your garden forever. It reminds me of having a sourdough starter.

Compost for the Lawn

Compost is the perfect fertilizer for your lawn. Make an extra batch or two to feed the lawn and keep the chemicals out of your yard.

Here is a reference chart of how much carbon to nitrogen there are in some of the more common compost materials. Just use it as a reference; I would not spend the time to calculate out all the ingredients. Remember, if we get it close, then the microbes will be happy.

Now is your time to get your compost pile going. Go get some brown stuff, some green stuff and give it a whirl. If it doesn’t work out the first time try, try again until you get it. Each batch you will learn something new. Before you know it, you will be a compost superstar! It is well worth the time to learn this skill.

Download the article (pdf format).

Parent Selection

Plants, just like animals, will carry the genetic blue prints of their parents. When selecting a plant to save seeds from, you will want to keep the best plant with the strongest traits. If you select a weak, spindly plant, the seeds produced will grow more weak and spindly offspring. The best way to select a plant for seed saving is to keep your best plant out of the whole group for seeds. You will need about 6 tomatoes
to get all the seeds that your want. You will want to mark these tomatoes with bright ribbon to keep the fruit from being harvested. It is mighty hard to leave a huge juicy ripe red tomato on the vine until it almost falls off from being over ripe!!

Year after year, as you select the best plant to save seeds off of, you will be developing a new strain of your own plant. It will start to take on characteristics of its own. It will adapt itself to your soil and growing conditions. These new characteristics will make your plant stronger in your garden than any seed you would buy.

Collecting the Seeds

Seeds need to be mature before they are removed from the parent plant. Vegetable seeds usually fall into three categories:

• seeds with flesh surrounding them,
• seed crops and
• seeds that scatter quickly upon maturity.

Seeds with fleshy covers need to stay on the plant until the vegetable is “over ripe” and ready to drop to the ground. Plants such as tomatoes, eggplant and peppers belong in this category.

How to save the seeds

Plant your tomatoes as if you were going to eat the tomato. Save the best six tomatoes for seed. Leave them on the vine until they are dead ripe.

Once the scum forms on the water surface, dump the seeds through a screen strainer to wash out the pulp.

Once the seeds are dry, store them in a glass canning jar or an air tight bag. Be sure to label the seeds with the name, variety and the date.

Testing seeds

Before you plant your seeds it is best to test the seeds to see if they are going to sprout. This is a super easy job.

Take ten seeds and place between two sheets of paper towels. Keep the towels damp and in a warm place for three to ten days, checking the seeds every day. When you see roots and shoots coming out of the seeds they are good.

Count the number of seeds that germinated. If you have seven seeds out of ten than you have a 70% germination rate. As the seeds get older the germination rate will drop, this is normal. Let’s say you tested some carrot seeds and got a rate of 50%. Half of the seeds are still good.

If you have a low germination batch of seeds, sow the seeds a little bit thicker. It is wise to know how good the seeds will germinate so you can compensate for the germination rate when you plant your seeds.

As long as the seed will germinate it should be strong enough to grow a plant.

Seed Life Span

Different seeds have different life spans. There are reports of seeds that are hundreds of years old and they still germinate. How seeds are stored determines their longevity. Some seeds, no matter how they are stored, just don’t live long at all. If a seed is stored too hot (above 90° F) or too moist, it can be destroyed just days or weeks after harvest. I have had tomato seeds last 10 years when kept cold and dry.

Saving your own seeds can be a fun and rewarding hobby to add to your gardening. Plan on trying to save a few seeds next season.

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There is a screen placed on the end of the tube to keep the birds and wasps out.

The growing media is placed on top of the plastic sheet for growing the plants.

Because of the night temperatures, we had to add heavier frost blankets to keep the tops of the plants above freezing. The plants would survive a frost with the light weight covers but it made the product unsalable.

Production vs Costs

Here is the breakdown of the production and heat costs results per year.

2004/05

Total greens produced in a 22 week time from October 2004 thru March 2005 was 409 pounds x $7.50 per pound = $3,067.50. The estimated propane usage was 4200 gallons. The propane costs average this winter was $1.78 per gallon. 4200 gallons x $1.78 = $7476. If we heated the greenhouse with propane we would have a profit loss of $-4408.50 not counting other business costs. The solar heating had a nominal cost of electricity to run the blowers of $154. The profit (not taking into account other business expenses) on the solar is $ 3,067.50- $154 = $2,913.50.

2005/06

Total greens produced in a 22 week time from October 2005 thru March 2006 was 409 pounds x $8.25 per pound = $3374.25. The estimated propane usage was 4200 gallons. The propane costs average this winter was $2.59 per gallon. 4200 gallons x $2.59 = $10878.00. If we heated the greenhouse with propane we would have a profit loss of $-7503.75 not counting other business costs. The solar heating had a nominal cost of electricity to run the blowers of $154. The profit (not taking into account other business expenses) on the solar is $ 3374.25- 154 = $3220.25. The difference between using propane and solar heating was a net gain of $10724.00.

2006/07

Total greens produced in a 22 week time from October 2006 thru March 2007 was 398 pounds x $8.25 per pound = $3283.50. The estimated propane usage was 4200 gallons. The propane costs average this winter was $2.94 per gallon. 4200 gallons x $2.94 = $12,348.00. If we heated the greenhouse with propane we would have a profit loss of $-9,064.50 not counting other business costs. The solar heating had a nominal cost of electricity to run the blowers of $164. The profit (not taking into account other business expenses) on the solar is $ 3283.50- $164 = $3119.00. The difference between using propane and solar heating was a net gain of $12,184. Since the start of this project the average cost of propane has risen from $1.78 per gallon to $2.94 per gallon.

I was very shocked to find out that we would lose so much income if we heated the greenhouse in order to have a crop. It took about 30 minutes per day to cover and uncover the crops but it was well worth the effort to save thousands of dollars. The labor costs to cover and uncover would run around $610 per season.

We also tracked the temperatures around the building, in the soil, in the building and under the covers. These tests helped us to determine if the temperatures were adequate to grow a crop in the winter. I was very pleased with the results of the temperature test.

Temperature

We recorded the temperature of the soil 4 inches down in the bed, under the cold frame covers, in the greenhouse and outside the greenhouse.

The soil temperature averaged over the three years 56.5 ° Fahrenheit. The air temperature under the cold frame cover over three years averaged 53.7° F. The outside air temperature averaged 35.1 deg. F. The air temperature inside the building averaged 48.1°F. The soil temperature over the three years averaged 21.4 ° F above the outside air temperature. This is significant enough that a crop of greens can be grown in the winter.

There were also other factors that went into growing a winter crop. Plants grow slowly under short days even if the soil is above 50 degrees. We averaged one pound of greens per bed per week in the winter and in the warmer summer months we average 3 pounds per bed per week. I think some of this is due to the fact that in the “summer” there is a longer day length and in the “winter” the nights are longer. This curve of production would hold true whether we used propane to heat or the solar heat.

The crops that survived and produced all winter were: Red Giant Mustard, Kyona Mustard, Kale, Collards, Hong Vit, Joi Choi, Leaf Lettuce, Summer Fest, Spinach, Yukina, and Swiss Chard.

The cold nights over the 2006/07 season really tested the system. We recorded 8 nights below zero and we had record low temperatures of -11.5 °F twice. The previous two years the lowest temperature we had was -6°F. One stretch was 5 nights in a row below zero, this test really showed that the plants could survive and keep producing. I feel that this system has proven itself to protect the plants from freezing down to -11.5 ° F.

The week of January 15, 2007, was the week we recorded 5 nights below zero, the coldest night being -11.5 °F. The soil temperature held between 39-52 degrees. The week was sunny so the solar collection was increasing the soil temperature an average of 13 degrees between the morning temperatures and the evening temperatures. The coldest building temperature that week was 23.5 °F. All the plants were covered with 6 ounce heavy duty frost blanket and the plants survived with minimum leaf damage due to frost. I felt that this was a true test of the system and that the system held up to a pretty harsh test. I feel confident that I can grow greens any winter here in Paonia, CO. and the plants will survive and produce income. One great thing about the snow was that it sealed all the flaps shut in the winter so no cold air could blow under the edge of the building or through the vent flaps on the sides.

Conclusion and Discussion

The heat system

Visit our Greenhouses page to see our other structures on the farm.

To eliminate the cabbage worms there are several methods:

• Yellow Jackets will eat the worms. This is nature at her best. I bet you didn’t know that Yellow Jackets were good for anything.
• Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT): This is a bacterial pathogen that is used for biological control over larvae. It is widely used by organic growers. I have used it with great success. It is safe for plants, other beneficial insects, animals and humans. I apply BT once a week starting as soon as I see the white moths flying around the garden. We continue to spray every week until we see no more moths. If you water the plants over head, it will be washed off and will need to be reapplied. We apply in the afternoon on Thursdays. Then on Friday morning we run the sprinklers and most of the BT gets washed off but we do have very good control and do not reapply until the following Thursday. If you are getting a lot of damage then apply twice a week. BT is available at local nurseries; we use a brand named Dipel.
• Repellant drench: In a blender puree spearmint, green onion, garlic, horseradish, hot peppers, peppercorns and water. Add one tablespoon of liquid soap per quart of puree, spray onto plants.
• Flour Powder: Mix 1⁄2 cup of table salt and 1 cup of flour. Sprinkle onto plants while still moist from the morning dew. This mix will bloat and kill the worms.
• Netting: Netting is available for covering the plants in the cabbage family. If you can keep the moths from laying eggs you will get no damaging worms. The plant can grow the entire season under the netting without any loss of crops.
• Diatomaceous earth: Diatomaceous earth is ground up fossilized sea shells. Diatomaceous earth will puncture soft bodied insects and they will dehydrate and die. Local nurseries should carry diatomaceous earth.
• Garlic oil spray: Mince one bulb of garlic and soak in two teaspoons of mineral oil for 24 hours. Next, mix 2 cups of water with one tablespoon liquid soap then add garlic mix to water and soap, mix thoroughly. Strain out garlic and place into a jar for storage, this will be your concentrate. Use one to two tablespoons of garlic oil concentrate to two cups water, then spray plants covering all leaf surfaces. Use for control over aphids, cabbage loopers, earwigs, June bugs, leaf hoppers, squash bugs, and whiteflies.
• Caterpillar deterrent citrus spray: Caterpillars don’t like the taste of citrus; its bitter chemicals run the caterpillars off. To make a citrus spray, grind up the rinds and seeds of any citrus fruit (oranges, lemons, limes or grapefruit). Soak overnight in two cups of water. Strain out the pulp; add two teaspoons liquid soap to mix.

Spray on plants. If you are observant and watch the skies for the moths and then check your plants for the worms, it is easy to see the cycle of the moths taking place. Then you can disrupt the cycle with a spray or manually removing the worms by hand. Observation, identification and a little knowledge will make your organic garden a success. By the way, if you cook your broccoli with the worms on it, they usually float the top of the pot where you can skim them out of the boiling water. I am sure that I have eaten a few without knowing it and I am still alive (more protein for me!)

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What to do with your seeds that germinate

The seeds that you used for your germination test can still be planted in the garden. Place the seeds gently in a hole that is the proper depth for the seed (see the back of the seed package or a rule of thumb is no deeper that 3 times the width of the seed). Be sure not to knock off the root or the sprout. Gently put the proper amount of soil over the top and water in thoroughly. From there it should grow like a normal plant. If it is too soon to plant the seeds out you can add your germinated seeds to the compost or use them as a center piece on the table and see how long you can grow the seeds in a paper towel.

Seed Life Span

Different seeds have different life spans. Onion seeds, for example, rarely live over two years, where as alfalfa seeds can be viable for 20 years. There are even reports of seeds that are hundreds of years old and the seeds will still germinate.

How the seeds are stored affects the lifespan of the seeds. Some seeds, no matter how they are stored, just don’t live long at all. The chart below shows the average life spans of seeds that are stored properly. If a seed is stored too hot (above 90° F) or too moist of an environment, it can be destroyed just days or weeks after the seed is harvested.

Proper Seed Storage

One of the best ways to store seeds is in a glass canning jar. Pack your seeds in an envelope or plastic bag. Pack as many seed packages into a quart canning jar as possible. Screw the lid on tightly and store in a place as close to 40° F as possible. Check the jar for moisture after three days of storage. If you detect any moisture at all, dry the seeds some more.

The refrigerator is the best place for seed storage. If you have no cool places you can bury the jar in the ground. Beware that the metal ring will rust out in a few years if exposed to too much moisture. The jar creates a partial vacuum which protects the seeds from insect damage and seed loss due to seed respiration.

This is also a must do test if you are saving your own seeds from your garden. You will want to know the germination rate of your home grown seeds so you know if you have preserved your seeds properly.

It gives me peace of mind to know that my seeds are good or not before I plant. I like to test the seeds far enough in advance that I can replace the seeds if they are bad. It is better to test your seeds than to wonder if the seeds were bad or a bug or something ate your seeds and you didn’t get any plants to come up in your garden. This gives you one more tool in your arsenal to use to have a successful garden.

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