The Comploo: A Gardener's Dream Come True

Gardeners adore compost. It's a cure-all for whatever ails in the garden. The bucket on the counter turns into all that plants need to grow well to feed a household. Vegetable and fruit castoffs return to the bucket to return to the bin and then to the garden again. Tea bags, yard waste, garden leavings, and kitchen scraps all go in and come out as plant-scrumptious hummus. (The kind eaten indirectly rather than the other garlic-laden delight, of course.)

Bakoko's little creation - the Comploo - is something near to a dream come true. Taking advantage of the heat produced during the composting process, the Comploo is a sweet little building that it's easy to imagine tucked somewhere near the garden as a perfect spot to take a bit of a break between chores. Or a cozy place on a rainy afternoon for viewing the garden, plotting new plantings, or just basking in the glow of all those adorable vegetables. Heated by food, garden and yard scraps merrily composting away in bins that round the edges, when the plotting and planning is done just open a bin to scoop some of that wonderful stuff out.

Designed with public spaces like community gardens or parks (or even a cafe growing the majority of its food just out the back door) the Comploo creates a space for gathering that takes advantage of plant materials in place. Talk about a great way to warm people up to the idea of their own composting after touring the vegetable patch to see what's in season!

All images courtesy of Bakoko.

Oldies but Goodies - Growing Heirloom Tomatoes and Peppers

Join Royer Held and Tom Scheper for Heirloom Tomatoes and Peppers this Saturday, April 17th! These two heirloom vegetable and gardening enthusiasts will be at the ready to impart some of their tried and true methods for growing organic tomatoes and peppers. Experienced trowels at the ready, Royer and Tom will share their favorite cultivars as well as tips for a beautiful and bountiful harvest. Don't miss it!

Heirloom Tomatoes and Peppers

Saturday, April 17th

10 - 11:30am

Leslie House,

Leslie Science and Nature Center

Registration required.

Can't make this one? Check out these upcoming classes and get them on the calendar!

Introduction to Composting

Saturday, April 24

10am - 12pm

Leslie House at Leslie Science and Nature Center

Join Geoffrey Kroepel to learn composting methods that suit the needs of every gardener. Basic composting principles will be discussed as well as different methods for making it.

Bees Up Close and Personal!

Saturday, May 1

1pm - 3pm

Dawn Farms

6633 Stoney Creek Drive

Ypsilanti, MI 48197

$7.50/per person

Lora Kadwell will lead a hands-on introductory class and honey extraction. Meet the bees, see the equipment, and give this sweetest of endeavours a try.

*Participants should plan to wear jeans, long-sleeve shirts, and shoes.

** Class size is limited to 15 members, so don't wait to register.

(Photo courtesy of Dharmuti via the Project Grow Photo Pool.)

Fowl Play: Enjoying Backyard Chickens

It goes without saying that a garden - large or small, potted or free-range - with a few favorite vegetables, herbs, and flowers is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get fresh food. Backyard chickens are another. Fresh eggs from birds that are surprisingly funny, affectionate, and a fantastic source of fertilizer for the garden make them an instant delight!

Getting Started

While the idea of having chickens is appealing, knowing where to begin can feel a bit intimidating. A good overview on chicken basics is helpful as is learning about different chicken breeds that are well-suited to the backyard are great first steps.

Coop designs range from the traditional coop (stationary chicken house) or chicken tractor (a mobile coop that allows for contained free-ranging in safety). Your final choice will depend on the chicken ordinance you live under as well as the available space in your yard.

Chickens don't require a great deal of specialized care (no need to take them for a walk every night, etc.), but they do have a few minimal requirements. A safe enclosed coop that keeps them sheltered from the cold of winter and the heat of summer, fresh water, a little extra food to augment bugs and grass, and at least an annual cleaning of the coop to keep things tidy.

Classes, Books and Blogs

Our upcoming class on chickens led by Peter Thomason of Thomason Family Farm is full, but here are some other good resources to check out in the meantime.

A good basic primer on chicken-rearing is Christine Heinrich's How to Raise Chickens: Everything You Need to Know (2007) while Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, Third Edition (2010) is perhaps the definitive reference for your shelf. (Check out Christine Heinrich's blog, too!) There's also Martin Gurdon's Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance (2005) to inspire the chicken farmer in all of us.

This One's on the Garden

There's another benefit to the empty pot of coffee on the counter other than that little jolt of energy to get the day started. A good source of nitrogen, the grounds also help create that hummousy soil plants (and gardeners) so dearly love. Mixing them right in with potting soil or just adding a spoonful or two judiciously to already settled pots encourages blooms and good growth.

Grounds can be often be found in bulk from local coffee shops (check near the entrance of Sweetwaters on the corner of Washington and Ashley, for sure) or from the office coffee-maker making it a simple and easy to get staple for the garden. Some creative uses (along with their subsequent benefits) of grounds, beans, and roasting leftovers include mulching paths and repelling pests. Add some eggshells and you've got a great garden breakfast!

Certifiably Dirty - Organic Gardening Courses

Registration is now open for the Organic Gardening Certificate Program! Novices and experienced gardeners alike will find plenty of great information to dig through each week in courses ranging from Organic Gardening: An Introduction to Organic Fruit Growing,Landscaping with Native Plants, and Organic Lawn Care.

Instructors - Erica Kempter and Mike Levine of Nature and Nurture and Greg Vaclavek ofThe Native Plant Nursery - bring their knowledge and tricks of the trade from years of experience to each class to make for a fun and informative atmosphere.

Classes start Tuesday, February 23rd and can be taken individually, but we feel sure you'll quickly find one just isn't enough. Top off the classes with 20 hours of volunteer service sharing what you've learned (and getting good and dirty in the process!) and the certificate is yours!

And don't forget to check out our list of other great classes and events to see how else to get a gardening fix in these winter months!

A garden reading list

A great joy of northern gardening is the off-season. While the cold winds blow and the last of the leftover turkey simmers in the soup on the stove it's a great time to do a little reading. The following list of a few good new, old, and revised gardening classics should be a great start.

Growing Great Garlic: The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers by Ron L. Engeland.

Filaree Productions, 1995.

Considered a classic and must-have for anyone growing garlic, Engeland offers detailed information on more than 200 varieties of garlic along with instructions on how to go about growing a terrific harvest.

The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds by Amy Goldman.

Artisan, 2004.

The second of Goldman's three books on gardening and heirloom varieties, The Compleat Squash is a must-read for anyone wanting to meet other members of the Cucurbita family. Recipes, growing information, and other fascinating tidbits about these New World vegetables abound in this beautiful and informative book.

The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (Revised Edition) by Eliot Coleman.

Chelsea Green, 1995.

Another definitive work from the author who brought us the Four Season Harvest and The Winter Harvest Handbook, Coleman in this revised edition of offers even more detailed instruction and advice for those growing organically in smaller spaces.

The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals edited by Barbara Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley.

Rodale Press, 1996.

Pests and disease can visit any garden and wreak a bit of havoc. This book, edited by two extremely experienced, knowledgeable, and engaging gardeners and garden writers, offers time-tested solutions for maintaining an organic garden while identifying and managing a few troublemakers.

Part Two on Pests

As mentioned earlier, pests are inevitable in any garden. For organic gardeners, there are a few good tricks of the trade.

Get to know the bugs in the garden, too. While some bugs see the garden as a buffet created for their enjoyment and nutrition others are helpful and considerably less destructive. (Check out this nifty page of photos from a UK gardener. Some are different, some the same, but it's well done.)

Other simple ideas to ward off pests or just stop them are listed below, and this list of recipesalso looked handy.

Cutoworm Collars

This absolutely classic remedy for cutworm is perhaps the simplest one yet. Simply fold newspaper or a sturdy piece of thin cardboard (from a cereal box, etc.) into a strip about four inches wide and perhaps six inches long. Fashion it into a circle or collar around the stem of the seedling, and push it into the ground about an inch. The cutworm operates below the surface of the soil usually, and this will simply detour it around your plants. This page offers some good additional information on cutworms, too.

Slug Beer and Boards

Another classic solution to pesky slugs that snack on cabbage plants is a shallow pan of beer in the garden. Just set it out the night before and in the morning the slugs are swimming. Chickens love this now marinated appetizer when they first run out of the coop, too! A board placed in the garden near the affected plants can also do the trick. Set it out at night, and turn it over in the morning to pluck off the little guys. Check out this list for even more ideas!

Plotting for Pests

Pests, like weeds, are one of the things every gardener knows is lurking somewhere out there. Organic gardeners tend to think of the soil first, which means plants are that much more resilient and healthy in the face of assorted troubles. For those pests and critters that do attempt to make a move on the garden, this article from Fine Gardening offers a wide variety of home remedies for many of the most common troubles.

Recipes, photos, (she is NOT blending up the Japanese beetles, by the way, but rather a REMEDY for them), step by step instructions and helpful commentary make this one worth hanging onto for future seasons.

From the Front Yard to the Farm

Edible landscaping is all over the news (and this blog), and this article about Will Allen and Milwaukee's Growing Power Farm should offer even more motivation. Allen and Growing PowerFarm have won awards and garnered national attention for growing good food locally and intensively, and making it - the food along with the knowledge of how to grow it - available to local people.

Want to see what kind of farming is happening locally? You're in luck! Come along to the Big Community Harvest Tour and see what good stuff is growing here in Ann Arbor, including Project Grow's work with Avalon Housing at Edible Avalon. Download the map and take these self-guided tours, and we also recommend bringing a notebook to plot your own little farm once you get back home!

Big Community Harvest Garden Tour

Wednesday, July 22nd, 6pm - 9pm

Saturday, August 1st, 10am - 1pm

More Ideas for Bringing in the Beneficials

National Gardening Association ran this nice article on attracting beneficials in a recent e-newsletter, and it is well worth sharing. The only thing to keep in mind while perusing the list is that some ornamental grasses, flowers, and herbs can be quite invasive. (Think of the mint or Bishop's Mantle marching undaunted through garden beds and yards and stopping only short of the living room door, and you'll get the idea.) 

One thought for those that could be invasive - either because of seeds literally being thrown to the wind or burrowing rhizomes or both - is to perhaps look for a native species that is similar or put that mint in a pot. Things like garlic mustard wreak havoc everywhere, and there are some good local efforts to eradicate it. If perennial plants are not an option, a good annual can do quite a bit to help out. (Alyssum is mentioned in the article, and it is well worth it as an attractor, a dense ground cover or living mulch, and a darn pretty plant, too.)

(And you're right if you seem to recall that we've mentioned this before. Like a good pile of compost, attracting and supporting beneficials - like bees - is pivotal to the success of any garden and especially to an organic one.)

Affordable Organic Eats

The organic food movement is sweeping the nation, but sometimes it feels like it might be sweeping out wallets, too. Some good advice on how to eat organic and inexpensively came from Seattle chef Maria Hines, this year's winner of the James Beard Award. 

"I would definitely say cook food from scratch, using whole, organic foods; that will be cheaper than going out and purchasing it. And grow an organic garden," said Hines in an interview with Grist. 

Couldn't have said it better ourselves! We've got some great ideas about starting an organic garden, and you can find some of our seeds over at People's Food Coop, too. (It's not too late to start seeds of some of your favorites. Check out these seed starting tips and start the adventure.) We still have a few garden spaces available this year, so we'd be glad to hear from you and help as we can!

Weeds are on the Way

Not the most uplifting title for a post, but with the dawning of spring in the garden come both the plants we love and those we feel, well, less positive about - weeds. Of course, one gardener's weed is another's favorite flower, but that's another story. Despite this relative status, weeds need to be dealt with sooner rather than later. 

This little video from Fine Gardening offers some good commonsense tips that will help control weeds in the garden. Two of the five main points - mulching and spacing plants close together - also help with water conservation!

Need plants to fill in those gaps that a weed could grow in? Don't forget our second plant sale date!

Saturday, May 16th

People's Food Coop

8am - 2pm

Spend time perusing the seedlings, talking with some of our experienced gardeners and growers, and start making your way to a garden full of things you love!

Think Outside the Box

Gardening isn't just for squares...or rectanagles or any other specific shape, for that matter. The shape the garden takes is really limited only by the space available and the gardener's imagination. As you plan for where to put all those lovely seeds and seedlings this spring, try thinking beyond the usual rows and rectangles. Incorporate perennials as well as annuals - edible and flowering both - to attract pollinators and encourage visitors to stay for a moment. A beautiful nasturtium blossom in the cool of the evening while snacking on a just-picked cherry raspberry sounds like a perfect dessert!

Looking for some plants to put in that new bed? Don't forget about the upcoming Project Grow plant sales!

Friday, May 8th through Sunday, May 10th

Mattheai Botanical Gardens

Join us for three days of fun, learning, and great plants!

Saturday, May 16th

People's Food Cooop

Grab a cup of coffee, talk to us about your garden, and see what great heirlooms we have to tempt you!

Raised Bed Materials Raise Questions

Building a raised bed or rebuilding a raised bed? This little post from Umbra over at Grist offers insight into which materials to consider.

Natural materials are the best bet, although they might be a little more expensive and perhaps a little harder to find. Reusing has obvious benefits as well, but is not without some cons. Be sure you know which materials are safe and what the reused materials are made from. Pressure treated lumber for vegetables may be a bit controversial.

A good basic plan for building the raised bed can also make all the difference, too. This video offers some interesting ideas and techniques, plus his dogs are pretty entertaining. Garden Girl offers a good video on building a raised bed and a ton of information on urban sustainable living. Inspiring stuff!

Food Through the Roof

Uncommon Ground, an innovative restaurant in Chicago, took their innovation with food to a new level - the roof. The nation's first organically certified rooftop farm it offers vegetables, beehives, and solar panels. Throw in an educational outreach component to a local school and the community at large, and you want to climb up on your own roof to see what the possibilities might be.

For more information on how they did it - from materials to contractors - check out the Uncommon Ground Green Fact Sheet. You can also follow the progress of things at the farm at their blog - Eat This, Grow That - and get loads of other tips and ideas for your own urban farm or garden.

Rooftop gardens, whether for growing vegetables or simply having a green roof, offer numerous benefits. Lower temperatures, better air quality, and sometimes the roof is the best place to grow those sun-loving varieties that otherwise might not be an option. It is also a great place to create green space when surrounded by city.

Kitchen Garden Tips

Starting a garden can feel like quite a daunting task - where to put it, how to build it, what to grow, and how much work it might be - that even the thought of all those great vegetables can pale in comparison. To help alleviate some of that concern, we've put together a list of helpful tools and resources that will get you through the process and on the way to those great fresh vegetables and herbs for your summer table.

• Start with this nice little article from Regional Gardening News about planning a kitchen garden. The piece helps define kitchen gardens, and offers some good tips to organize your thoughts about the garden - everything from locating it to what to grow - in preparation for the upcoming season.

• Give some serious thought to lasagne gardening. Lasagne gardening uses layers of organic materials that let you take advantage of the soil structure already in your yard. It's also an excellent way to build raised beds without having to do lots of digging. It is ideal to install your lasagne garden in the fall so the materials break down over the course of the winter to some of the most beautiful soil ever come Spring; however, you can plant seedlings directly if you decide to go for it now.

• Make a list of things you like to eat - tomatoes, greens, radishes, beets, sweet peppers, hot peppers, basil, cilantro, potatoes, sweet corn, popcorn, peas, beans - and see what of that is feasible to grow in your space. You can use some handy electronic garden mapping tools to see how the garden might shape up and be organized, or you also consider succession planting. This allows you to put something else in the space recently vacated by the radishes you just pulled, washed, and ate for lunch. Or for the peas that died back once the weather got too warm.

• Remember the garden can (and probably should) contain some flowers. Flowers, like cosmos and zinnias, make not only terrific bouquets all summer long, but also attract pollinators and house predators that will help control unwanted critters. And flowers like violas (a.k.a. Johnny-Jump-Ups), nasturtiums, and calendula are edible, too. Toss them in with your assortment of homegrown lettuces and arugula, and you've got one of the prettiest dishes going.

• Companion planting can be part of your kitchen garden, too. Many flowers and herbs, as mentioned above, attract pollinators as well as house predators, but they also can repel some bad guys. Marigolds help defer some unwanted vistors by their strong smell, as do onions and garlic. A great book to help you start thinking about this concept is Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember as you begin thinking about your garden is to enjoy it. Grow things you like to eat in a space you feel is manageable for a first time and for your schedule. Then, at the end of the season, you can join the legions of gardeners plotting ever larger and larger spaces with a greater variety of plants for the next season! You'll love it.

Organic Fruit Growing Made Easy

A recent Slow Food gathering in Wisconsin focused on antique apple breeds and how to bring the variety back to America's tables and, perhaps most importantly, our pie plates. This gathering of apple enthusiasts was,

" the Forgotten Fruits Summit organized by the Renewing America’s Food Traditions alliance became the first full gathering of America’s most accomplished back-country fruit explorers, veteran orchard-keepers, horticultural historians, pomological propagators, natural-born nurserymen and hard cider-makers concerned with the destiny of Malus X domestica, the single fruit most imbedded in the American identity.  Their task was to determine the best means of restoring apple diversity to our farms, roadhouses, backyards and kitchens, and to revive “apple culture” in all its dimensions on this continent."

For a summary of the event, check out this SlowFood  USA blog post. And then come check out the class on Organic Fruit Growing where instructor Mike Levine will help you find ways to fill your own pie plate with tasty treats for years to come.

Organic Fruit Growing Made Easy

Monday, March 30th

6:30pm - 8:30pm

Washtenaw Community College

(An elective in the Organic Certification Course.)

Seed Starting for a Head Start

Organic Gardening published this great little seed starting chart that should help you figure out how to get a head start on this year's garden. They also have some useful tips on seed starting basics, and lots of information to help you get through the season.

For real life versus virtual help and advice, don't forget about these great Project Grow classes and events, too!

2009 Heirloom Seed Swap

Saturday, March 21st

10am - 12pm

Leslie Science Center

Enjoying and Preserving Heirloom Vegetable Varieties in Your Garden

Saturday, March 7th

10am

Leslie Science Center

Potato Seeds and Sweet Potato Slips

Saturday, March 21st

10am - 11am

Leslie Science Center

Tomatoes and Pepper from Seed to Shinging Seed

Saturday, April 4th

10am - 11am

Leslie Science Center

A Few Seeds and a Little Good Dirt

A recent editorial by Verlyn Klinkenborg in the NewYork Times asks readers to consider that we might be on the verge of a new gardening movement. Like the Victory Gardens that filled available space during World War II, Klinkenborg suggests that while this new garden movement may not solve every problem they could offer a much needed salve. 

The empowerment one can find in growing the food that later graces your table and is given to friends and family is priceless. The satisfaction of preserving it for the winter months could perhaps be calculated, but only in part. 

And perhaps best of all, is the community that gardening can create. The shared produce and the shared experience - new gardeners seeking out the wisdom of the experienced as they green their thumbs or simply bumble their way to bushels of zuchini -  could, as Klinkenborg posits, alleviate the alienation that plagues so many.

Just a few seeds, a little good dirt, sprinkled regularly with good advice throughout the season yields more than a good potluck dish. A feeling of accomplishment and connectedness come with the frozen pesto stored up for chilly evening pasta. Come on out, and we'll help get you started.

Upcoming classes to get you started:

Introduction to Organic Gardening

Saturday, February 21 

10am 

Leslie Science Center

Enjoying and Preserving Heirloom Vegetable Varieties in Your Garden

Saturday, March 7th

10am

Leslie Science Center

Edible Flowers

Flowers should be an integral part of any garden. They attract pollinators and pest predators and can also be a feast for the tummy as well as the eye. Edible flowers can add color and flavor to summer salads.

Nasturtiums are easy to grow and the entire plant - leaves, stems, and blossoms - is edible. They offer a nice hint of spice, and are a favorite of bees and hummingbirds, alike.

Calendula is another bright face in the garden that is easy to grow. Just pick the flowers, pluck off the petals, and sprinkle them about the salad.

Violas, a.k.a.Johnny-Jump-Ups are another favorite. These tiny flower "faces" offer a welcome dash of cool purple to a salad and make an utterly charming cake decoration, too. A self-seeding bienniel, this flower "jumps up" the next season where you least expect it.
Annual and perennial edible flowers abound and can be grown in containers as well as right amongst your vegetables. For hints on growing them, check out the following classes at Project Grow as well as the Organic Gardening Certification courses.

Introduction to Organic Gardening
Saturday, February 21st
10am, Leslie Science Center

Container Gardening and Raised Beds - From Vegetables to Flowers
Saturday, February 28th
11am, Leslie Science Center