The VeggieSmith Blog

Apologies to Monty Python.

This blog (this site, even) is called “Veggie Smith,” and really I’m meant to be telling you all about our edible adventures.  HOWEVER, the whole idea of planting stuff in our yard caught fire with us this year, so I thought I’d fill you in on some of it!  I guess I could have also called this post “planting outside the box,” but that’s just so passé.

I should also mention that one of our plantings is a peach tree (which we hope will qualify as an edible adventure in the years to come), about which you’ll hear more in the next few days.  After we’d planted it, Joan filled us in on what we’d done wrong, and I’ll share about that soon, I promise.   Here it is, for now:

Peach Tree with Gardens and Chestnut tree in the background.

Did you read the caption?  See how I slickly included a reference to our gardens?  And see how they’re covered up?  Yes, we had another frost warning last night.  You may be thinking that Mike likes some of our plants more than others (since some are covered and some are not) but you would be mistaken.  Sadly, Mike has yet to sort out a windproof method of coverage for our gardens.  I’ll let you know what he works out.

You may have also noticed I referred to a chestnut tree!  This is my pride and joy, I kid you not.  I bought this tree at a plant sale fund-raiser* Joany and I attended 2 weeks ago.  It is 9 years old and lovely.  Here is a better view:

Isn't she adorable? Don't you just want to give her a cuddle?

If you are a gardening guru, you no doubt already know what is around these trees.  If not: it is cedar mulch which is intended to cut down on weeds and to help retain moisture around the roots.  This site gives you even more fabulous reasons it is the great miracle worker of the mulch world.

At the aforementioned plant sale I also procured 4 Hostas which are lovely plants that grow well in shade.  We’ve planted 3 of them around our Maple Tree:

2 of 3 Hostas under our Maple Tree

And the 4th hosta has been given a home in “Bubbie’s Garden.”

Bubbie's Garden

Bubbie/Bubby (in case you’re wondering) is the Yiddish term for Grandmother. This little garden belongs to Mike’s mother (to help satiate her gardening desires now that his parents have moved into a condo).  Mike made these little stones.

Bubbie's Stones

Isn’t he creative?!  Oh, okay, I’ll admit that he used this kit. It’s really cool, though.

That plant sale was both entertaining and fruitful (even though I was terrified of it beforehand, for some reason: I had an image of throngs of plant crazed individuals trampling one another in their quest for the perfect accent to their already impeccable gardens…in reality it was a lovely, calm, and friendly affair with lots of delightful plants).  In addition to the Hostas (and tree and lots of other stuff) I also nabbed a rose bush, which I was extremely excited about.  I planted it in the wee front garden, which I had earlier relieved of its ivy blight (yes, I said BLIGHT - that stuff rips siding right.off.your.house).

After I had planted the tiny rose bush (and some Hens and Chicks beside it) I decided it looked lonely, so I went to the Superstore (please don’t hate me, nursery owner friends…) and installed a friend for it.

Superstore rose on the left, Plant Sale casualty on the right.

As you can see, the plant sale dude is not faring so well.  Joan tells me that roses are basically weeds, though, and have been known to survive mowing (cough *Dad* cough) and other crimes against rosedom.

You may also note that the backdrop for said roses is not entirely gorgeous.  This is the front of our house that has been ravaged by that dang IVY, and also by our neglect.  We’re also trying to remedy this situation with the installation of some Cedar trees and two “Mint Julep” Juniper bushes.  I was going to post a photo, but I think I’ve already gone a bit overboard with pictures today, and the photo was not exactly awe-inspiring featuring, as it does, more of the peeling paint of our foundation wall.  Which will be painted this summer.  Promise.

In all seriousness, though, there is something splendid about attaching ourselves to this piece of the earth.  I take great comfort in knowing that if we were to suddenly vanish, the trees just behind our property would take over our lawn within about 10-15 years.  And they would be accompanied (I hope) by a robust peach tree, and a lovely chestnut tree.

My next post will return to the regularly scheduled program of droning on about Square Foot Gardening ad nauseam.

*for the Kentville Curling Club: you just had to know, didn’t you?

I’m terribly sorry to report that our garden has seen its first casualties.  Mike was so consumed with fear for his over-large beans, it never occurred to us that the peppers would expire shortly after they made it out into the great wide world.  But perhaps I should start back at the planting.  And I should point out that the beans seem to be doing quite well.  We have FIVE beans!!! FIVE!!!

We have BEANAGE!

As you know, Mike started some seedlings very early on (the aforementioned beans), some at just the right time, and some plants got to begin their sprouting days in the actual outdoors.  The big day was last weekend, and Mike followed some careful dictates in terms of how he planted.

First of all: Square Foot Gardening is meant to maximize your gardening space so that you have no unused portions of garden.  Instead of spacing your plants according to the row they are in and the row they are next to (so: 2 directions) they are, rather, spaced according to their position within their square foot.  As you can see, the garden is actually divided (in our case, with twine) so that it is easy to visualize where, exactly, the squares are.

Divvied up into squares

If, for example, your plant should be spaced 6″ from its nearest neighbour, you may plant 2 of them within one 12″ sqare.  If they need only 3″, you may plant 4 of them.  And so on.  If you are so Canadian (or other metric country) that you MUST insist on having all measurements in metric…knock yourself out!  Did you know that if you type  convert 2in to cm (for example) into Google, it’ll convert it for you? Or convert 11c to f*?  Google is grand.

But back to the point at hand!  This method is so cool because there is no wasted space, and no need to have to teach your kids where to walk (and not to walk) in the garden…because NO ONE walks in the garden!  According to Mr. Bartholomew, 4′ is just the right size garden (4′ Square, that is) so that you need never enter the garden, you simply lean over it.

Alas, though, all the Mel’s Mix and careful planning aside, our Peppers have gone to the great Pepper plot in the sky (or something like that).  We don’t really know why, but we’ve been assured that Peppers are no great friend to our particularly capricious climate.  They are, apparently, notoriously difficult to grow here.  Perhaps next year, once Mike reads obsessively about Pepper particulars, we may try again.  Please take a moment to remember our lovely wee pepper plants.

Where they used to be: Mike wouldn't let me photograph the dead seedlings.

*5.08cm and 51.8f, if you’re wondering…and lazy.

So I’ve definitely blogged about compost before.  Oh, yes indeed.  Ad nauseum, some might even argue.  Today, whilst hosing down (and poking with a stick) my encrusted and fetid green bin, I was pondering the process by which food becomes compost.  And my single, solitary word on the matter was “gross.”  Yes, that matter is GROSS.

That said, of the 3 components one needs to stuff a box full of Mel’s Mix, compost is the only one entirely free of controversy.  Compost is a “feel-good” venture (that is, when one is not actively engaged in hosing its early stages down: that is more like a “feel-like-barfing” venture).  Vermiculite, as I mentioned in an earlier post, has had a brush with controversy, and it did not emerge entirely unscathed.  However, it must be stressed that in and of itself, Vermiculite is, essentially completely innocuous.

Peat Moss (also known as Sphagnum), on the other hand, is considered by some to be the shady character of this entire lot.  It’s a very simple debate, really, there are those who argue that it’s not a renewable resource, and those who argue that it most certainly is.

I know that some of you will follow these links, but for those who won’t, here are some quick comparisons:

The first site is a paper by Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D. (in Horticulture). She argues:

there is no economically realistic, environmentally friendly way to harvest peat moss. This is a natural resource that accumulates at the glacially slow rate of 0.5 – 1.0 mm per year, or about ¼ of an inch. Peat harvesting involves the removal of deep layers of peat that have literally taken centuries to accumulate. In fact, since harvesting implies sustainability, it is more accurate to describe commercial peat removal as mining.

Ouch. In fact, she classifies horticultural usage as “luxury,” since there are alternatives.  Of course, she does concede that its usage in horticulture is excellent, but some of the substitutes perform as well, or better.  The most damning argument (in my mind) is that peat mining releases massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and therefore it should be considered a significant contributing factor to climate change.  Double ouch.

Of course, if her take on things doesn’t sit so well with you, you can always check out the latter site by the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (who would, of course, not be biased toward hoping you’ll buy the stuff…).  According to their handy FAQ section:

Canadian sphagnum peat moss is a sustainable resource. Annually, peat moss accumulates at more than 70 times the rate it is harvested. Harvested bogs are returned to wetlands so the ecological balance of the area is maintained.

I don’t know about you, but I do kind of wish I’d done my reading before we bought tons of the stuff.  Even if you believe the latter site, there is an argument to be made for using other materials.  And please Google more.  I chose these sites because they seemed to be clear and concise, but there is a wealth of information out there.

One such material, Coir, is on sale at many places at this time of year.  The link I’ve provided (to Veseys) says that “parts of Europe are banning the use of peat by 2010.”  I guess if you want to use Peat Moss, you’d better act fast.

Yes, we bought it...we're sorry. We won't do it again. Promise.

* which means, if you’re curious, “worm eaten,” which we hope our veggies will not, in fact, be.

I want you to keep in mind that I’m not an expert, in any way, shape, or form!  I wanted to include this entry about Vermiculite since it has the curious tendency to raise eyebrows when one discusses using it in one’s garden.  Just to refresh your memory, here is a most fetching photo of our Vermiculite prior to mixing:

Vermiculite: the "Fluff"

Vermiculite has gotten a bad rap because it has a somewhat checkered past.  Apparently, back in the day  Vermiculite was going be the next big thing in insulation (yes, I said insulation, not horticulture).  It’s great because it’s basically nonflammable and puffy so it was a cinch to blow into gaps in walls and the like.  The Canadian Government even ran a program that encouraged its use: they gave rebates to the happy homeowners for using the stuff .  There was a rather large problem that emerged a few years down the road, however, and I’m going to go straight to the source on this one, and quote Health Canada:

Vermiculite ore produced from the Libby Mine in Montana, USA, from the 1920s to 1990, may contain asbestos. This mine supplied the majority of the world market in vermiculite insulation, mostly sold under the brand name Zonolite. Insulation material made from vermiculite ore produced by the Libby Mine was not widely used after the mid-1980’s and has not been sold on the market in Canada for more than 10 years. Not all vermiculite insulation produced before 1990 contains asbestos. However, it is prudent, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, to assume that vermiculite insulation material produced before 1990 may contain some asbestos.

I’ve added emphasis on the most relevant sections.

What’s important to keep in mind is that not all Vermiculite contained Asbestos, and the stuff that (famously) did contain it (Zonolite Attic Insulation) has been off the market (in Canada, at least) for more than 10 years.  This CBC site explains the entire issue extremely well and in a lot of depth.

It’s a fascinating story and one worth informing  yourself about, as your neighbours, friends, and even parents *cough Dad cough* may wonder why you’d want to grow your food in toxic sludge.  Personally, I found Mr. Bartholomew (of Square Foot Gardening fame) to be somewhat pat in his dismissal of the controversy surrounding this material.

In any case: for gardening, Vermiculite is wonderful.  It keeps your soil light and fluffy, and it absorbs water (like a sponge) so your plants have lots of access to a good drink on a hot day.

And back to my original point.  When I first heard the word “Vermiculite,” the logophile in me wondered whether it was VERMICulite because it performed one of the functions of earthworms (namely: fluffing up soil) or if it was shaped like worms.  I was rather disappointed to discover that it doesn’t look anything like worms to ME.  However, someone somewhere apparently decided that it did, indeed, look rather worm-like when it is heated.  Hence, the suffix vermi-.  Here is an extreme close-up so you can decide for yourself.  I thought my first instinct was much cooler…

These look like nasty worms, not earthworms. Ick

Although we’re still a little more than a week away from official frost-freedom, we’re in the midst of prepping the beds for their new residents.  I’m sure the seedlings are enthralled by our progress, as they can see the beds from their window.

Yesterday Mike procured Vermiculite and Peat Moss (Sphagnum) to mix with the compost.  I do, indeed, plan future blog posts about the virtues of the two aforementioned additions.  This mixture is based on the so-called “Mel’s Mix,” as described by the founder of Square Foot Gardening (Mel Bartholomew).  It is interesting, really, to compare what something seems like when one is reading about it, and what it is actually like when one sees it in real life. Here, for your viewing pleasure, are the 3 components of Mel’s Mix:

Vermiculite: the "Fluff"

Peat Moss: the "sponge"

Compost: the "food," + our assistant

Combining this mixture is a lot of hard work!  Compost and Peat Moss are heavy and mixing the 3 parts together takes time.  It’s a long process, and as of last night, Mike had one completed one box.

Mixing it Up

If you visit the Square Foot Gardening website, you will note that Mel advocates using not more than 6″ of this mixture in one’s box. To quote: “Forget what the experts have been telling us for years,  use only 6 inches of Mel’s Mix to fill your boxes.  You’ll be amazed at the results.” So why did Mike build our garden boxes 16″ deep and fill them to the brim?  Good question!  It’s certainly not to save money…  Perhaps Mike is going to try to compete with Howard Dill’s pumpkins, but in the tuber category?  Maybe he believes that bigger is always better?  I don’t have an answer to this question…but I would advise you to not follow our example!

I put this question to Mike and he agreed with some of what I said, but he also added three things:

1. He was interested in making the boxes a bit taller so as to make it even easier to lean over them.

2. When he was buying lumber he found that doubling up on the two 8″ Spruce boards would be cheaper than getting one 12″ Pine board (which was, apparently, what was available) so he thought he’d save some cash going that route.  Of course, it didn’t really occur to him (at the time) that what he saved on lumber would be more than made up for by the cost of the additional material.

3. It’s just really difficult, conceptually, to visualize planting in only 6″.  It just seems wrong somehow.  I’m sure it’d be fine, but it’d just feel so darn weird!

So how much does all this “fill” cost, and why aren’t we just using our own soil?

Well, the first part of this question is “it depends.”  In my post on Compost, I mentioned that VWRM is giving away bags of compost next weekend.  However, they DO usually charge a modest fee for the black gold.  The amount we got would cost $35. Bags of Peat Moss (the 3.8 cubic foot size) run between $9.50 and $6.  Mike found the best price was at our local Co-Op Atlantic. Vermiculite is, by far, the heavyweight of the lot, running between $30 and $24 per 4 cubic foot bag.  Mike found the best price at Scotian Gold.

The second question (why not just use our soil) is answered in depth on the SFG website, but to briefly enumerate its virtues: it’s lightweight and never needs tilling, turning, hoeing.  It’s free of weed seeds (at least at first).  It holds water like a sponge and will just allow extra water to seep off, so it’s never waterlogged. It is the perfect mix from “go,” so you never need to add fertilizer or any other extras to build up the nutrients in your existing soil (of course, as you harvest your garden, you fill in the holes with little bits of compost).  And for those who live in areas in which they may have concerns about contaminants or other soil issues - this is an easy way to just mix, fill, and grow without worries.

One Box Done

I’m trying something new today with adding a video.  It seems to me that the best way to really show how this mixture ends up is to insert a short video.  Enjoy.  I’m thinking of embarking on a television career.  Do you think I show promise? And I should mention that I did an ad-lib screw-up here: I should say it’ll hold its volume in water, not its weight.  Right?