On Monday, April 17, members and guests of the Kingsville Horticultural Society were treated to a talk on Biochar and the Natural Home Garden given by Kevin Roath. Kevin is a certified Master Gardener who has recently published a book called The Natural Home Garden.
Kevin, and his wife Christine presented a slide show comprising much of the information in his book.
Of primary importance when preparing a garden is the soil quality. Whether you choose to use raised beds or ground beds, a sandy loam type of soil with good drainage is best. Since much of our area has clay soil, it will have to be amended to maintain or improve soil fertility.
Good soil makes it easy to plant, weed and harvest. Sheet mulching will help restore a good PH balance to your soil. Put cardboard on your lawn? Yes. This is the base for your sheet mulching pile.
You can start a new garden right over existing grass. No need to dig out the grass or weeds! After several layers of mushroom compost, seaweed, veggie scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, straw etc., and a period of time, you will have a new garden bed.
I am not a fan of worms, but I did buy a bag of worm castings. The KHS was selling bags of worm castings for a mere $2.00. You may be able to find them at some of our local nurseries where soil is sold.
Worm castings will add nitrogen to your soil. They are a slow release and will not burn seeds or plants like some fertilizers might. They also help retain moisture – a water saver!
Biochar is another soil amendment that is gaining in popularity. After hearing about Kevin’s process to make it himself, I would suggest you buy your Biochar! You only put biochar in your garden once as it does not break down.
Along with the benefits of improving soil and crop yields, biochar captures carbon and renders it inert, thus helping the environment. Pretty amazing stuff! For more information on biochar let your fingers do the surfing.
Love flowers? Come to the KHS General meeting on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 to watch our expert Marg Laman demonstrate and discuss The Elements of Floral Design. See you at the Unico Centre on Main Street, Kingsville.