Farmer D Organics

It happened a full six weeks later than usual this year, but the basil, peppers, and potatoes finally bit the dust in the freezing temperatures two nights ago here in metro-Atlanta. These previously abundant plants (including on Thanksgiving Day) can now be described by two words: the first is “slimy.” The second is “compost” as they are now in the compost pile on their journey to nourishing my spring garden.

When you pull up your potatoes, you may find some small potatoes dangling from the roots.  These are delicious so bring them in your house, cook, and enjoy with some fresh backyard eggs (if you have chickens) or even just straight up with a sprinkle of sea salt while standing there at the kitchen window, basking in the striations of the late fall sunlight. I especially like them on a bed of slightly warmed and wilted turnip greens, along with roasted radishes and turnips and a sprinkling of feta cheese.

Oh, and don’t worry if you miss a few potatoes when you harvest–they may grow for you in early spring.

Okay, so the weather is weird.  My basil hasn’t turned black yet, and usually that happens by October 15.  I’m also still harvesting pattypan squashes, which has never happened before for me in November.  Plus, I have tomatoes and lettuces together for once,  and the tomatoes show no sign of stopping just yet.  Peppers as well are still flowering, as is my eggplant!  Advice is tough to offer regarding gardening in our grow zone, which was recently changed to 8A (south of about Lenox Road in Atlanta) from 7B.  So, let me do my best to give you some timely gardening advice:

1. Yes, you can still plant fall crops, as this local community gardener is doing.  Go with transplants, although the radish seeds children tossed last week are up already.  If you’re tossing cover crop seeds (and trust me, you’re going to be glad you did when they are blooming beautifully in the spring), I’d say you have about two more weeks, if you want winter cover.  I planted them a few years ago around December 5 and they didn’t grow until the spring, but then they took off. Then again, as we are seeing, every year is a bit different with the weather so there is really no telling, so feel free to experiment and see how far you can push the limits.

2. If you have leafy greens like lettuce, arugula, spinach, and tatsoi growing, you want to start thinking about covering them with row covers.  This lightweight gauzy fabric adds a few degrees of warmth, protects from wind, and lets air, water, and sunlight penetrate.  I have found that either single-covering or double-covering keeps me in harvests all winter.  This is especially enjoyable when there is snow and I get to go out and snip my salads!  Here is a little video on how to hoop and cover your bed.  Farmer D Organics has row cover fabric.  You may need two lengths clipped together to be wide enough to cover hoops.

3. Consider doing an herb bed on your kitchen counter and keep the healthy, green vibe going all winter within easy snipping distance.  I think Farmer D’s little herb boxes are just about the cutest things in the world.  I’ve tried growing in other boxes, like clementine crates, but they fall apart.  One stop at the store will have you in love with them (there are even some pre-planted with herbs already), or you can order online.

4. If you haven’t planted your garlic yet, now’s your last chance this year.  Here’s how.

5. Add crushed leaves as mulch around your plants, or even just on your bare beds (especially if you don’t get around to cover-cropping), for a little extra warmth and a boost of nutrients as the leaves break down.

Swing by the store or tap in online for gardening advice.  We’re happy to help you keep growing.  Do us a favor, if you would, and help us keep growing, too.  Share our Farmer D Organics Holiday Gift Guide with your friends, and consider our unique product offerings for your holiday gifts.

I went trotting out to my spinning composters on the patio (I have two so that I have one to empty each month), to toss in the massive amount of scraps after “processing” my CSA farm box last Wednesday (pictured below is what $30 bought me in local, organic goodness). I opened the lid and darn near made a run for it. The smell was, shall we say, not exactly nice. I’m guessing anyone who has (or had) a composter has had this “lovely” experience.  In fact, many schools get rid of their classroom composters for just this easily-remedied reason.

As a seasoned composter, I knew what the problem was and that the solution would be simple. My compost ingredients were out of balance. As I had been tossing kitchen scraps in there day after day, I had too many “greens” (nitrogen) and not enough “browns” (carbon). Since it’s fall, the remedy was as simple as scooping up an armful of fallen leaves, adding them to the composter, and turning it. Oh, sure, it took a few days, but the smell is gone now and things are back in balance. I used to keep hogwire bent into a big circle filled with leaves near my composters so I could toss a handful in every time I added scraps, but I had recently cleared out that area and hadn’t set up the hogwire “leaf supply system” again yet, so I got what I deserved, I suppose.  (Do remember to gather and save leaves at this time of year, because you’ll need them all year.)

Okay, let’s run through some other common composting problems, with some fast solutions:

1. Compost pile not heating up. In order to get the right temperature for speedy composting and to kill weed seeds and more, you really need at least a 3′ x 3′ pile, with the right ratio of browns (about 70%) to greens (about 30%), plus sufficient air (toss the pile once a month) and water (slightly damp, not soaked). If your pile is simply not producing at the rate you want, you may want to take a look at these components and see if you can adjust them a bit to get your desired results.

2. Compost pile just not breaking down. Let’s say you have all the right things going on (see above) for your compost pile, but forward movement is just not happening. You may have garden debris that’s just too big in there. It will decompose over time, but you can help it along by chopping up big stalks or branches and chopping leaves before adding them. Many people actually have a separate pile, such as a brush pile, for larger debris like tree branches.

3. Smells and rodents. I put these two together because, well, they go together. If you are putting kitchen scraps in an open compost pile and you’re not burying them, let’s face it, you just laid out the dinner plates and the rodents are connecting on Facebook right now to let each other know where to go. If you are burying scraps and still having a problem then you may want to consider a closed, rodent-proof composter for your veggie and fruit peels. Also, if you don’t already know or if you need a reminder, please do not add fats or meats to your compost pile. You’re seriously asking for trouble if you do! And, once again, proper balance between greens and browns will keep the smells down.

4. Worm bin gone bad. Let’s take a quick stop at the worm bin for a moment. You will see some recurring themes here from our other composting challenges. If your worm bin smells, it’s out of balance.  The way a worm bin gets balanced is by slowing down the rate of scraps you add to it. The little guys can only eat so much, and many people (including enthusiastic schoolchildren) overestimate this. I actually feed mine only every two weeks or so. I then cover the food with a good amount of shredded newspaper. Other worm bin problems include worms “making a run for it.” If worms are trying to get out, they may not have enough air (you do have air holes, don’t you?) or it may be too wet in there and they are pretty much drowning. Find out more tips about managing your worm bin here (you didn’t know you were a manager, did you?): Worm Composting for the Squeamish.

If all this is starting to sound complicated, I have news for you.  It’s not.  Compost happens, as a popular bumper sticker says.  And like everything else in gardening (and in life, I’m learning), there is only one word you need to keep in mind–balance.  (Well, kindness is nice, too.)

Need more composting advice?  See Farmer D’s article in U.S. News and World Report–From Waste to Wow: How and Why to Compost and on Williams Sonoma’s truly beautiful blog, The Blender: How to Use a Composter.