Resources

Companion Planting

Composting

Composts are one of the most effective ways to build soil, but like all living things, they need proper care. Composts need a balanced carbon : nitrogen ratio (usually 30:1), as well as the right amounts of moisture and air in order to produce high quality organic matter. Locate your pile close to a water source, as a compost pile needs plenty of moisture to create an ideal environment for microbes. Composts also need to be turned once a week to provide oxygen to the hardworking bacteria and fungi. It is best to create a contained pile, such as one using wooden shipping pallets, to make sure you maximize the heat in the center of the pile.

Sheet Mulching

Wherever you want to build a new garden bed, this is the most effective way to do it. Start with a thick layer of cardboard and newspaper over the lawn or weeds. Next, use composted manure, seaweed, grass clippings, shredded newspaper, coffee grinds and layer these alternating between carbon (brown material) and nitrogen (green material). Keep the sheet mulch moist and you can even cover it with a tarp to speed up the decomposition since microbes like darkness. In a matter of a few months you will have rich soil your plants will LOVE!

Beneficial Insects

Bugs got you down? Try planting varieties that attract beneficial insects to keep pests at bay. The following is a list of insects that will help keep your garden happy and what to plant to make them feel welcome:

• Insect: Bees – Benefits: pollination – Favours: plants with a strong scent, colourful petals and/or good quality nectar
• Insect: Ladybugs; Benefits: larvae and adults eat Aphids, Mealy bugs, Mites and eggs of other insects; Favours: plants in the Carrot family (Apiacea) e.g. Carrot, Fennel, Dill, Queen Anne’s Lace; Yarrow; Deergrass and other clumping grasses
• Insect: Lacewings; Benefits: larvae eat softbodied insects, including Aphids, Mealy bugs and Mites (adults eat pollen and nectar); Favours: plants in the Carrot family (Apiacea) e.g. Carrot, Fennel, Dill, Queen Anne’s Lace; Yarrow; Buckwheat; Corn; Amaranth
• Insect: Spiders; Benefits: eat Aphids, Flea Beetles, Cucumber Beetles, Leafhoppers and others; Favours: straw mulch, undisturbed habitat strips (e.g. hedgerows)