New Findings: Organic vs. Non-Organic

I know, it's been awhile since I've written here, but we've been extremely busy actually starting everything off towards spring production! I keep on talking about February, March, and April, and my friends and relatives keep on telling me, "Whoa! What about the holidays, November and December?" Well, November's now but a sweet memory, and we're in the crux of holiday shopping, gatherings, and joy!

Anyway, in scanning my typical news sites, I was excited to see a relevant new article this morning on something broadstream (MSN.com), talking about the nutritional value of organic vs. non-organic foods. It seems for the past year or so, all I've seen in the news are articles debunking organics, and basically telling the public that there's no solid evidence to support the idea that organic foods are in fact healthier to ingest than conventional foods. It has seemed SO political to me, and I know how the lobbying thing works, and how money and power generally control the media today, so I've just quietly watched this, rolling my eyes and waiting breathlessly until something to the contrary became publicized -- it wasn't a matter of IF in my eyes; just a matter of when! OK, everyone, have we really forgotten LOGIC?

When discussing my organic status and in teaching herb gardening classes, I always tell people that of course we'd be organic; think about it! Herb leaves/flowers are used as is, no skin to peel or anything else for protection (which is still no excuse!). And if we put nasty pesticides and chemicals on the herbs, and then we ingested them, what would that do to us? Might as well spray a can of bug spray right into our mouths -- BLEGH!

Anyhow, this was an encouraging article on a large study being held in England comparing the nutrition of organic and non-organic food nutrition. Preliminary results definitely show quite the difference; read the article to get the info! http://green.msn.com/articles/article.aspx?aid=295&GT1=10725

Winter Creeping in... and Plant Worry!

Well, I guess it was coming. Farmers Market was over as of the last weekend of October, and Thanksgiving's just 2 weeks away (:::gasp:::).

I'm very bummed though, because tonight's the first real "frost" coming. That means that a majority of my day will be covering the outside beds, because I use them throughout the year for the restaurants. So, I create mini-greenhouses over each bed, which allows me to use them for most of the cold season -- and even when it's too cold for them to grow in those, it keeps them warm enough that at the first sign of spring -- usually March -- the plants grow right in, without hesitation.

In the scope of things, we do (usually) have pretty moderate winters -- take this from someone who grew up in the Northeast! So the weather isn't too much of a concern in overwintering plants -- except for those tropicals we plant, since we ARE on the border of some more tropical zones. But there are a number of things you can do, depending on the plant, that can enhance your plants' growth pattern, and keep them snug and cozy for the short cold season that we have.

Tropicals that need some winter cover overwinter in Raleigh, NC:

• Pineapple sage - I'll be covering the plants with Agribon for another three weeks or so (you could just as effectively use any thin material, such as a sheet), hoping to eek out at least enough life for use around Thanksgiving -- what a GREAT sage for stuffings! Plus, because of our very strange, dry summer, the flowers bloomed late, and I'm trying to keep them going for a little while longer, too.
• Lemon verbena - Though you don't need to completely cover these plants, it's preferable to have them planted someplace that's somewhat protected from brutal winter winds. I've had some lemon verbena plants going for more than 5 years now, and they come back every year, without any particular mulching (beyond the leaves that fall on the bed in the autumn).
• Neem tree - This tree is native to India - Zone 10 - where it grows year round. In my (now) 4-year experiment, I have found with a neem tree I planted outside that it becomes deciduous (it goes to sleep in the wintertime), but comes back every spring. As a precaution, though, it should be planted in a semi-protected area.
• Eucalyptus - Another tree native to a tropical zone (Australia). Silver dollar eucalyptus tends to be a hit or miss situation in this zone -- I've seen some beautiful silver dollar eucalyptus trees in this area that have lasted 10, 15, even 20 years, and gotten to be more than 25 feet tall! Then, one winter with an extended cold, icy period would just wipe them out. I've had one going for about 7 years now; it's about 6 feet tall, and I do absolutely nothing to protect it in the wintertime. There were a few years when I thought I'd lost it for sure, but in the spring, it just resumed growing again! As for the blue gum eucalyptus (the tree of the koala bear), I had one live for 3 years and get about 10 feet tall, but a cold spell just wiped it out. I might try it again, though -- I'm stubborn! ;)
• Bay laurel - This tree actually grows more like a large bush in our area. Again, I recommend a wind-protected placement, and then I would definitely cover it with a sheet, Agribon, or something similar in the wintertime. You can always keep it in a large pot on your deck, and move it inside for the winter!
• Lemongrass - Lemongrass is hit or miss on whether it will come back when it's permanently planted outside. Except for in the greenhouse, I always keep it in a pot outside (though I might try otherwise next year), and let the autumn leaves mulch over the plant in a protected area.
• Scented geraniums (if you dare!) - These are hard to keep going in the ground here, but I have done it, and kept the plants going for 4 years before I lost them! Again, protected from wind in the winter with a good mulch and/or material cover seems to work.

As for my outside mini-greenhouses, we do what some people would call a souped-up row cover on each of the beds! We use 3/4" flexi-PVC (bought by the roll at Lowe's or Home Depot), cut it to size, hoop them over the beds, then spread cheap greenhouse plastic over the hoops, then clip them with either row cover clamps or (more often) with good ol' laundry clips (bought in bulk from the neighborhood WalMart). Sometimes, I then cover the whole bed area with Agribon on top of it.

Regardless, I still worry about many things throughout the winter, not the least of which is fungus, rot, and bugs (who love to live in protected areas), but come March, I'm a much happier person, because everything is lush, lush, lush when many are just seeing buds breaking through the ground!

Planting in the Fall in NC

Since shortly after Labor Day, I've gotten this question weekly at the Farmer's Market: Is it worth my time to plant herbs now, or should I wait until the Spring?

And my answer is typically: It depends.

There are many, many herbs that benefit from planting in September/October in NC. In fact, I'm working on a new bed this week that will probably take most of the week to get filled and ready, and I probably won't be planting it until next weekend -- the end of October! However, this bed will be mostly rosemary and thyme, and I won't add the sages ( a GREAT companion plant to rosemary) until Spring, even though they'd probably do just fine if I planted them now, also. Both the rosemary and thyme are sort of evergreens here in our moderate region, and they don't need tons of water, so I'm not overly concerned. I'll probably plant them and will then need to cover them with Agribon in a couple of weeks, but no matter; by early Spring, they will look lovely, I'm sure of it!

In terms of watering, if you have a big garden area you'd like to turn up, just be cautionary about need for water use, since we're currently in such a dire state here in NC. BUT you can still plant! However, smaller areas, fill-ins, and potted plants are OK, provided you are cognizant of conserving water as best as you can.

Herbs that LOVE the Fall and early Spring weather:

• Chervil
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Fennel
• Mints
• Parsley

There are also some other herbs that -- if you plan on growing them from seed -- you must throw out the seed NOW for the seeds to germinate and sprout in the spring, since they need a cycle of cold weather. Most of them are non-culinary, but there are some commonly used:

• Blue vervain
• Hops
• Jewelweed
• Soapwort
• Valerian

Also, it's a good time to plant trees and bulbs!

Even now, you can plant most other perennial/biennial herbs, and you will probably get something out of them, since our weather (usually with some light covering at night once the evenings go below 40 degrees F) allows for many to grow through to December. Then, they will usually go to sleep and slow down/stop growing in January/February, but in March -- your garden will be green before you know it, and a lot earlier than if you start plants in the Spring!

On another note, another question I often get is if herbs can be grown year-round in pots. Yes, they can! Though there are a few more particular than others, most are easy to keep going throughout the year inside, with the following items to note:

• Mediterranean plants - such as rosemary, sage, and oregano - really don't like to have soggy roots, and people tend to overwater in pots, so I'd caution to LET IT DRY OUT before watering -- usually 3 or 4 days. Otherwise, rot will abound, and you will have trouble trying to keep the plants going.
• Basils also don't like to be soggy, or they will succumb to disease, such as fusarium (wilt). Again, this is a good plant to allow to dry out before watering.
• LIGHTING is very important -- sunny windows are nice, but keep in mind that a plant grows to the natural cycles of the year. Therefore, growth naturally slows down and/or stops when the days get shorter, even in the sunniest and warmest window! Supplemental lighting is a must, and the plant should get at least 10-12 hours of light a day. You can buy the expensive grow light bulbs, but actually, a plain flourescent light does the trick -- and you can get small ones to hang over it -- or even just put in a lamp over it with a flourescent bulb -- for a lot less money!
• In pots, don't forget to fertilize about once or twice a month with a good, organic fertilizer that has an NPK of 5-5-5 or less. More than that, and you'll be likely to burn the plant(s). A good fertilizer we've used that does well with potted plants is Metanaturals 3-3-3 (liquid), - it's OMRI listed for organic use, and you can get it or other similar organic-friendly fertilizers at GardenWorks on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh (http://www.gardenworks.com)
• A regular shot of 3.5% food grade hydrogen peroxide is a must for growing throughout the winter in pots. That way, the roots don't get stale and suffocated. You can spray the plant with it, and/or use it with your water at 8 oz/gallon of water.

The best advantage to growing herbs in pots is that this makes the plants easily mobile! You can move the plants inside for the winter, and then move them back outside once the nights stay above freezing. Or, you can just let the perennials/biennials go to sleep outside in the pots, and they will resprout in the Spring, as well!

Mushrooms in the Greenhouses!

A few weeks ago, during the CFSA Farm Tour, many visitors who toured our greenhouses took special interest in the bright yellow mushrooms that appeared in a handful of our beds throughout. I had seen these in plentitude before, but only a few throughout this summer. It seemed that the rain we'd gotten on the Friday right before the tour spurred on their growth, and it seemed they'd popped up everywhere! And ever since, they've been regular visitors in my raised beds.

Most people were entranced by these, and asked me repeatedly what they were, and if they were edible. Since they'd not ever seemed to do any damage to the plants, and their life span was fairly quick, I'd pretty much ignored them until my visitors took so much interest -- I HATED not having the answers for them!

So, here we go: I've identified the specimen as lepiota lutea, or leucocoprinus birnbaumii (see photos and more detailed descriptions at these two sites: http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/feb2002.html, http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Leucocoprinus_birnbaumii.html). They are very common in greenhouses, and show up frequently in potted plants. As for edibility -- I wouldn't eat them! Though not outright poisonous, they are known to cause intestinal upset.

And, as I had originally suspected, these mushrooms are not dangerous to the plants in their living space... so, since they are actually sort of cool looking, and add color to the landscape, I think I'll just leave them be, for now... I typically only see a few clumps here and there, and since they're most common in late summer and early fall, I'll let them live out their life cycle in peace!

Codling Moths in Your Herbs

I've found that the people who typically know about codling moths are those with fruit orchards (since the larvae are the stereotypical "apple worm"). This is after I've asked I don't know how many (vegetable) growers, who look at me as if I have two heads when I mention the pests! (For a photo and some information, you can look here: http://crawford.tardigrade.net/bugs/BugofMonth33.html)

This summer, I've had an unusually difficult time with them in the greenhouses. I didn't even realize what they were. All of a sudden, my thyme beds looked like they had clumps of mysterious webbing throughout, and (it seemed) within a few weeks, regardless of my efforts to eliminate the webs and the larvae (little worms), I'd lost a few beds. They progressed into quite a few other beds -- mostly the ones with tightly clumped leaves/plants, like mints, oregano, and rosemary. What a nightmare! Cutting back the plants didn't do much -- in fact, it sometimes seemed to make matters worse. The parent moths -- small, mottled, brown things -- were all over, and it took a bit of detective work to find out what they were, and that it was their larvae eating my plants!

So during my investigation, I first looked at biological controls. There are some insects that attack the larvae, and maybe long term, I will consider them, but I needed something fast, before they ate and killed everything! I found a broad-scale OMRI-approved (organic) insecticide -- Agroneem, with a base from the oil of the neem tree (http://www.agrologistic.com/content/agriculture/agriculture.pdf) -- that was supposed to control the buggers. And after several applications over a period of weeks, I noticed a marked improvement (though they're still not completely gone). However, I'm still not satisfied -- I hate having to apply anything like that regularly (even though it's natural and completely safe for humans) -- so I've been considering another method. Some fruit growers have had success using pheromones, which disrupt the mating cycle, and the process includes putting out bait traps in high concentrations to lure the males, confuse them, and prevent them from mating with the females. I've also read that nasturtium is a natural companion plant to deter the moth, and though putting them throughout the greenhouses would be a bit difficult, I might try it!

Anyway, I thought I'd share this with you, because I'd bet that many of you have had this problem in your garden, in one way or the other, and never understood why it was you lost some herbs from the mysterious webbing. I'll try to take some photos and post them, so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about...

I'd imagine this been particularly cumbersome in my situation because of the protected greenhouse environment, though I did see some of the problem (though not as bad) in my outside beds, too. I'm open to any other suggestions! Let me know your thoughts, and if you've had similar problems. Photos to come!

Giving Tours, and Thank You!

I'll have to admit, I was a mixture of being excited and a little apprehensive about being on the CFSA's Eastern Triangle Farm Tour this weekend. Having a marketing background and being a convicted extrovert, I looked forward to it -- I love being with people, discussing ideas, and answering questions! On the other hand, being a Type A personality, I was worried, worried, worried about everything being just right. I don't even know how many times I aplogized for everything not being quite as lush in the greenhouses as I would've liked, as I've just done a bunch of replanting in beds, and there are others that are still waiting for my attention. And I'm not quite sure how many times I said that the beds would look a hundred times better in about 4-5 weeks. But all turned out OK; a vast majority of those who came seemed to enjoy the tour, and I enjoyed the interchange and having th ability to answer everyone's questions. The only thing that would've made it any nicer would have been temperatures UNDER 90 degrees F! But there were still quite a few people who came out to brave it, anyway, so thank you! :-)

There were some things that made me cringe, particularly the gold mushrooms that seemed to pop up in the beds after Friday night's rain (I had many, many questions about them and whether they were edible!). They are very pretty, but I'm now on the crusade to identify them and why they're there. I've just started seeing them over the past several weeks, and I want to make sure we don't develop any plant problems because of them. I'll let you know what I find out, because I know everyone, as gardeners, has those buggers pop up during humid times here in NC! So, more to come in that department.

The other thing that made me cringe was the repeated questioning about whether or not we have any deer problems with the beds behind the greenhouses. Every time I answered no, I just HAD to knock on wood! So, though I don't consider myself superstitious, I'm hoping all that talk didn't jinx me, because we've been very lucky to date...

Beyond that, it was a really nice weekend. Though we didn't get to tour the other farms ourselves, I did hear a lot about other setups and interesting information. Since getting into the growing arena and speaking with other growers, I've realized more and more how creative growers are and have to be to get things to work sometimes. So, I mentally registered and filed away some ideas that seemed to be interesting to try out.

Anyway, thanks to all who came, and if you have any questions, feel free to send me an e-mail at info@herbanmeadows.com!

Growing Cilantro in NC

"I got a cilantro plant, replanted it, I got one good cutting from it, and then it started flowering, and I couldn't use it anymore. What did I do wrong?"

At the farmers market, I would say that this is by far one of the most common questions I get asked by booth visitors. Here's typically my answer, especially in July and August:

"You live in North Carolina." Period.

Yep. Contrary to what many believe, cilantro is not a plant that thrives in heat and humidity. It's definitely a cool weather plant -- which I've always thought is one of ironies of life, because I tend to use it more in the middle of summer, when it's growing poorly. It really doesn't dry well, either, so it's not like you can dry it and use it later (though you can ground up its seeds into a powder, whcih is coriander, but it's just not the same!).

A note here: Something many people don't know is that if you buy the plant and don't grow it from seed, remember that you MUST replant it when the plant is pretty small in the pot -- if it's even slightly overgrown, it will bolt almost immediately when you replant it and disturb its roots. This is something that many plant retailers won't tell you!

Unfortunately, chefs like to use it in the summer, too, and I have a really tough time trying to grow it for them. No matter what I've tried, I haven't been able to do it well in August. I'll put out rows of seed, the plants will come up more slowly, and then when they're just inches tall, BAM! Ferny leaves and flowers, no matter what I do -- whether in part shade, shade, or a breezy spot. So, unless I reseed every 2-3 weeks (which is a LOT of seed), I'm out of luck.

Right now is a GREAT time to grow some cilantro. I put down seed after the humidity passes -- usually in mid-August, though I didn't this year because of the brutal 3+ weeks of temperatures over 100 degrees. So I waited until September this year -- last week, to be specific! But in mid-October, I should have some really nice, lush cilantro. And with some minor pampering (such as covering it with Agribon -- or a thin sheet -- when night temperatures go below 40, which shouldn't be many), the plants will produce leaves nicely through December. Then I'll put out seeds again for early March (and grow the plants in the greenhouses for the winter).

Another option is to try culantro, or Mexican cilantro, which is better fitted for our hot, humid summers, as long as you plant it in part shade. The plant actually looks very different from cilantro (it's not quite as attractive), but they smell and taste the same, which is what matters! Also, culantro is a bienniel, so you'll at least get it back next year (vs. cilantro, which is an annual, though readily self-seeds). Just another option for consideration!

So, sorry. I don't have any brilliant answers, except don't be so hard on yourself! When it comes down to it, we sometimes forget plants are living things, and like all other living things, they only thrive where/when they have biologically developed to do so. So, try to work with the plants' natural cycles, and you should get optimal results.

More Info on H2O2

As I've had a lot of interest on the H2O2 (based on my article "H2O2 to Oxygenate Plants," in the Late Summer issue of Bl-Herbs, at http://www.herbanmeadows.com/newsletter.htm), I wanted to give you some more information on its use in the garden.

As a further explanation for how H2O2 is in rain (thus making the plants greener and much happier), see the chemistry explanation below, excerpted from http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/peroxide-garden.html - I couldn't have said it better myself!

H2O2 in Rain

As rain comes through earth’s ozone layer, some of the molecules of water (H2O) pick up an additional oxygen atom (O), becoming hydrogen peroxide. Oxygen is O2, while ozone is O3. Ozone is very unstable - that third oxygen atom moves on easily. So the water has no trouble picking up some single oxygen atoms.

Hydrogen peroxide is also very unstable - oxygen is readily freed up to oxidize various things that it encounters (such as bacteria, viruses, mold, pollution…) In the process of oxidation, the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is broken back down into water (H20) and oxygen (O).

Hydrogen peroxide will oxidize many kinds of pathogens and pollution, so it helps to clean the air, as the rain falls. I’ve read that there is currently less peroxide in rain water than was common in the past, since oxidizing air pollution now "uses up" much of the peroxide. (Hydrogen peroxide is always "used up" by the oxidation process.)

What Percentage Should I Use, and What Kind?
Though many purport using the H2O2 from the beauty supply store, I only use the food grade H2O2, as anything but food grade has stabilizers, additives, and impurities that are not suitable for ingestion (AND food grade is the only version approved by OMRI for organic use) - thus, I don't use it on my plants. When you buy food grade, it will usually be sold at 35%. I ALWAYS use rubber gloves when handling the straight 35%, as it is very corrosive and will burn your skin if you don't flush thoroughly with water RIGHT AWAY. As I said in the article, I dilute it down to 3.5% with the following formula:

1 ounce of the 35% H2O2: 11 ounces of DISTILLED water (NO spring water, as the H2O2 will react with the elements in the water and not your plants!)

Some articles talk about using it at 8%, which would be a little more than twice my formula (about 2.25 ozs 35% H2O2 with 11 ounces of water), but I've had plenty of success with the 3.5% - and it's more bang for your buck!

And again, the application rate I typically use is 4-8 ounces per gallon of water in the sprayer when I water the plants (using one of those sprayers you can get at Home Depot or Lowe's for applying fertilizer); the smaller the plant, the higher the percentage I use - it helps them grow, grow, grow! Also, if the bed is very thick, I'll use the higher rate, as well. For seeds, you can soak them in 1 ounce of 3.5% H2O2: 16 ounces of distilled water, or just apply at the 8 ounces rate above.

Locally, you can buy 35% food grade H2O2 at GardenWorks on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh (their Website is http://www.gardenwaves.com/), and I haven't found it anyplace else within driving distance (please comment in here and let me know if you know of someplace else!). I also order it from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply (http://www.groworganic.com/), but you really need to order it in bulk to be cost-effective in any way, as the shipping costs are HUGE due to it being consider a hazardous material.

Effects/Uses in the Garden
Many blogs and/or articles I've seen regarding people who've used it don't use anything but the H2O2 (including fertilizer). I use it as part of an integrated system of organic fertilizer, fungicide, and pest control - but I do have to say I use it the most, as it's the easiest to use, and it doesn't leave any smell behind (though I swear I can breathe better myself in the greenhouses when it's just been applied!). But it does do a great job as a general fungicide, and the plants grow in much, much faster (which is important if you're regularly cutting the herbs back for use!).

What amazes me the most is when using H2O2 on seeds. I've planted seeds that have low, low expected germination rates - like 30 or 35% - and gotten a germination rate higher than 90%! Also, the seeds typically germinate more quickly - I've had basil sprout in (and I'm not kidding) 3 days. Amazing!

Well, I think I've beat this one to death. Please feel free to post any comments or questions - I look forward to your feedback!

Welcome!

Hi, and welcome to Weekly Bl-Herbs, our weekly blog on herb and organic gardening observations and tips, answers to common questions, and any other relevant information that might be interesting to you, with an opportunity for comments and interchange!

The plan is to at least post once a week; however, I'm sure there will be weeks when I post several times, depending on if I have a lot of questions to answer or a hot topic that I think may be of interest to you. Either way, mark this page and check back regularly! Please take this forum as a great way to give you pretty immediate questions you may have about organic/herb gardening and use. E-mail me at acoulter@herbanmeadows.com with your questions/suggestions, and I will get back to you via this blog as soon as I can!

Hope you enjoy it!