Microgreens, worm compost and cherry tomatoes
This week's tips are based on tips from `The Vertical Veg' by Mark Ridsdill Smith
“The Vertical Veg,” by Mark Ridsdill Smith, suggests choosing plants that can be harvested repeatedly for small garden spaces, like chard. wigglers. Keep the area moist and, within three months, “you’ll have a jillion worms,” East said.
Worms create the perfect soil amendment. Twice a year, East would dig 12large-size wheelbarrows of earthworm culture out of his worm farm. He used it both as a soil conditioner and as a top dressing for fruit trees, vegetables and flowers.
Stepping on the edge of a newly planted strawberry patch, my shoe sank several inches into the buttery soil. A bed of asparagus planted a few months earlier was already producing tender spears an inch thick — a result not ordinarily achieved until two years or more after planting. Two artichoke plants that produced 150 artichokes between them the previous year were sporting new growth.
“My plants are always healthy,” East enthused. “I give them nothing but earthworm culture; I never use chemicals and I never see any insect pests.”
I took a shovel to see how far I could dig in unimproved Saugus soil. I dug 3 to 4 inches before meeting an impenetrable layer of rock and sand. But when I dug into soil improved with worm compost, the shovel went down 8inches at least; the color was dark and the smell was sweet, just like finished compost.
Earthworm culture is not only of value in the edible garden. East used it as a medium for rooting hardwood cuttings of red flame grapes, as well as for rooting cuttings of indoor plants such as fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) and dragon tree (Dracaena marginata).
Tasty mouthful: The leaves of sorrel, when chewed, make a refreshing lemony pick-me-up. You can incorporate young sorrel leaves into your salad or just chew on them, enjoying the juice. Just don’t overdo it, since oxalate crystals in the leaves can cause kidney stones if too much foliage is consumed. Redvein dock (Rumex sanguineus) is an ornamental sorrel species.
Scat!: To keep cats from relieving themselves in your containers, make sure they are always full of plants, since bare soil attracts them. You could also put prickly cuttings, from bougainvillea or holly, for example, to deter our feline friends. A water scarecrow is also recommended since it shoots a stream of water when a cat steps into the path of its light sensor. This device will also deter other critters that may want to dine on your container crops, such as squirrels and raccoons.
Window sill tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are recommended for containers because of the ease of growing them in comparison to other tomato types. You can plant cherry tomatoes in a window box resting on an exterior window sill and then train them to grow up vertically with strong string or cord, taking care that it does not cut into the vining tomato stems. Screw small hooks into the wall above the window and tie strings between hooks and planter box, winding strings gently around tomato stems until they are secured below.