I'm pretty new to this method, up until a couple of years ago I was under the delusion that synthetic nutrients were required for massive growth. I'm learning a lot and it's pretty exciting to see the results from all my hard work, so I'd like to share my methods and more importantly, pick up some new ones from the community.
I live in a suburb on about an acre of land and do my best with what I've got. Most of my supplies come from a well-stocked nursery/garden center, but I do make my own high-quality compost and mix my own soil from raw ingredients. I make my own compost and nutrient teas, and harvest seeds for next season. Far from a self-sufficient homestead, but it does help to put food on the table, and is a fun hobby as well.
Here is my small but productive 4x8 outdoor garden:
Naturally, my obsession with organics began with growing top-quality weed, so my soil mix is tailored for container gardening. However, I am planning a raised bed (same dimensions) for next year and my goal is to maintain a small no-till vegetable garden using only natural methods. I have plenty of redworms in rubbermaid bins, couple of compost piles outside, and enough seeds to start a small farm.
The potential of organic gardening is what's got my attention. Natural pest prevention is as effective, if not more so than chemical. That result by itself blew my mind. Some of my strawberry plants were being overrun by ants, I top-dressed with ground-up neem cake and next thing you know, not a single ant could be found on them. Like Peter Piper to a rat infestation, or St. Patrick to a snake den, I felt like a wizard who bends the natural world to his will. This is an addicting hobby.
For now all I have to share is my container mix, which has yet to reach it's full potential but still leaves me with jaw-dropping results coming out of my indoor garden.
1 part peat, 1 part compost (the more sources the better, I might use 4 different types of compost for biodiversity), and 1½ parts perlite. I use a 5 gal bucket for measuring, 15 gal = 2 cu ft.
Per cu ft I add:
1 cup powdered dolomite lime
4 cups glacial rock dust
4 cups Espoma tomato-tone
1 cup kelp meal
1 cup neem meal
½ cup alfalfa meal
I then dump a compost tea on it and let it sit in a rubbermaid for at least a month, turning it once per week.
For my compost teas I use a 5 gal bucket,
this hydrofarm airpump, and this custom pvc diffuser:
I let it brew at 70f for 40 hrs
For my nutrient teas, per gal:
1 tbsp kelp meal (for micronutrients)
1 tbsp alfalfa meal (for N and plant growth regulators)
1 tbsp guano (high in P & K, used during fruiting/production phase of growth)
I do not aerate my nutrient teas since they are not producing aerobic bacteria like a compost tea would, my goal here is to dissolve all of the water-soluble nutrients only, so I just let it sit for 24-48 hrs stirring occasionally. Before and after:
Healthy shit!!
I know that there are more than a few self-sufficient farmers here and I'd like to hear your tips and tricks for composting, no-till, raised beds, organics, vermicomposting, dynamic accumulators, etc. and I hope that something I've posted here is useful to somebody. Cheers!!
