Blog: Dr Dirt

–by Karen Connolly, Licenced Property & Strata Manager, Kelowna. Mission Creek Towers' gardens were looking tired. The developer's landscapers had covered the soil in the raised gardens and other beds with a good 4-6 inches of bark mulch--in some areas, almost 8 inches. Over time, some of the bark mulch broke down, but much of it also blew away with the wind. To make matters worse, a heavy clay soil was used by developers for garden beds in the newest phase of the development. Apparently this seems to be standard practice these days. This soil was also topped with an extremely heavy layer...

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You can apply some common practices used in farming to your garden this fall for a spectacular garden next spring -- plant a cover crop! Often, green manure crops are grown for a specific period, and then plowed under before reaching full maturity in order to improve soil fertility and quality. These practices are beneficial to both large farmers and small family gardens. The most common cover crops are the legumes or peas - crops with pods which are typically high in nitrogen such as beans, lentils, lupins and alfalfa. To learn more of this go to (www.permaculture.org) Cover crops are also...

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Do you have a growing problem you solved with a unique remedy? Dirty secrets you would like to share? Perhaps you have a soil problem you haven't solved yet? Our web community loves to garden, and would love to read about your tips in our garden blog. And we welcome your business link! We work in the winter too. We're currently researching crops that can be harvested throughout the winter season in the Okanagan. Please let us know if you're growing some 'winter food ' and share the wealth of garden knowledge!

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Most people see the dry dead winter lawn in March/April and rush out to power rake and topdress in the spring. Ha! Given a few more weeks and a little ol' fashioned patience with mother nature your lawn will be looking as good as new with or without topdressing. Most experts (Dr Dirt included) actually recommend topdressing your lawn in the fall/September. That way the microbes have a chance to get started, the topdress is worked into the soil by the time of freeze, and the little bugs work through your soil all winter preparing a fertile environment for growth in the spring. Topdressing...

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The Okanagan Xeriscape Assoc is holding a contest for best garden, and Classic Compost will be "unloading" one of the prizes. You could win $500 just for entering! The Xeriscape Assoc aims to build awareness of xeriscape gardening principles for a healthier community. We'll all benefit from photos of your garden, publicizing the need to conserve our natural resources. The contest is open to all residential homeowners in the Central Okanagan (Lake Country to Peachland) with any water-wise or xeriscape landscaping on their property. Winners will be selected based on their understanding and demonstration...

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Manure used as a fertilizer on sprouts is suspected of being the source of the recent E. Coli outbreak in Europe. Manure was also found responsible for the Cryptosporidium outbreaks in the Kelowna water system several years ago. Experts are reminding us how important it is to know the origin of your manure, otherwise it could become the source of spreading foodborne pathogens such as E. coli. I'm a believer in composting manure before you add it to edibles or any area where kids and pets may be roaming around. A little manure does add the right nutrients for growing vegetables, and we use a little...

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The best soil that you could ever get your hands on would have to be soil you have made yourself for which ever purpose you had in mind, such as for flower, vegetable gardens, or shrubs and trees. We will be cutting down the alfalfa fields within the next month and will be offering the hay to be mixed in with home composters as a good source of nitrogen. As long as you mix in some carbon( chunky mulch like) in to the composter with the nitrogen it will begin to break down and produce rich nutritious soil.

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Top dressing is the process of applying compost, soil, or sand over the surface of your lawn. It has been performed on golf courses since the sport was invented in Scotland, but has only recently become popular on home lawns. Top dressing is a way of restoring balance and microbes to home lawns, building good soil structure and increasing soil flora. I like to use straight compost, especially if you have poor or sandy soil, or a blend with sand if you have clay soil. We have a little premium topdressing compost mix left for $60/yd which will cover 1000 sq ft. It's fine screened to 1/4" or less...

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From experience old farmers know how to derive as much fertility from the soil as possible. We know they're not on their hands and knees for hours pulling weeds! How do they keep control of their weeds? Don't prune them! You'll just leave a piece of the roots in the soil and you'll get more. It's best to hoe them into the soil, exposing the roots to the surface until they die and then become part of the organic cycle within the soil. Use a great weeding tool A pro gardener's favorite is the dutch hoe (shown in photo). Just mow the blade back and forth just under the top of the soil and this...

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Now is a good time to mulch your garden, when your veggies' soil has warmed up and you want to keep your plants from drying out. When the soil dries out, plants slow their growth or stop growing altogether. Swift, steady growth is important for the best-tasting fruits and vegetables. The best thing about mulches is they keep our dry Okanagan soil evenly moist. Mulches actually have MANY benefits: They protect against soil erosion by breaking the force of those heavy rains we've been having this spring. Mulches help prevent soil compaction. They discourage the growth of weeds and they...

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