Organic Gardening

Fall 2015

I moved to a new house with just over half an acre lot. Nice new and big garden to make. The previous owner had not done a lot to the backyard. So I wanted to establish a good price for setting up a new garden as this would come in handy for estimating a garden setup for when the wife and I make the move to retirement.

I borrowed a rototiller... yes I am going to til the soil instead of putting down newspaper and garden beds. I wanted to mix some amendments into the soil since this would be the base for the new garden. I used some tent stakes and paracord that I had laying around to establish the boundries and squared it off the house foundation. I setup a 25' X 35' area and tilled it, added some rock dust and biochar. The soil has some organic matter and is sandy. Not a bad starting soil... at least its not clay.

Over the final weeks of fall I added leaves that I picked up with the leaf blower/mulcher. I also got leaves from a couple of neighbors that I added as well as some final grass clippings. I did not till the leaves or the grass clippings into the soil, if the were not fully decomposed they might lead to a temporary nitrogen deficiency.

I put up a fence around the garden which I am going to guess costed about $50. This was to keep the dog out of the garden as well as rabbits. I also staked the fence into the ground with landscaping spikes every 5 feet or so.

At this point I am not going to count the price of the fence, biochar, and rock dust used when I tilled.

I will not be saving seeds at this time. The garden is small and there is a high risk of cross breeding. I will also be trying new items that I am interested in growing, such as Moringa Oleifera and Egyptian Spinach.

I am going to add in the Worm Farm, since it was mainly purchased for the garden as well as composting some of the organic material coming from my kitchen. The tea and castings will be used in the garden and around the yard.

Winter 2015/2016

This section will mainly be costing out the price of setting up a new garden from scratch. Now you can do this on the cheap, but I don't really have time at this point to do that. There are not a lot of places in Colorado Springs to find some of the items I want... so it is going to cost...

Soil Amendments

Gaia Green Glacial Rock Dust (50 lb)     $29.99 + $39.97 shipping and handling
Wondersoil Organic Coco Coir Mix (10 lb)     $33.49 with shipping
Down To Earth 6-Pound Oyster Shell Flour     $13.73 (Amazon Prime)
Wiggle Worm Organic Earthworm Castings     $24.02 (Free Shipping)
 I won't have enough worm castings at the beginning of the season.

Seed Starting Equipment

Pack of 3 - 16 Oz Durable Empty Spray Bottles     $7.80 (Prime)
Thick 1020 Humidity Domes X10     $34.72 (Prime)
Cells - 1206 Pattern Seed Starting Inserts for 1020 Trays for 10 flats $19.94 & Free Shipping
White Seed Starting Trays - 1020 Trays Solid Bottom (No Holes) Durable Professional Grade     $22.23 & FREE Shipping
MT10006 9-by-19-1/2-Inch Seedling Heat Mat     $24.39 (Prime)

Seeds

All seeds are organic and/or heirloom unless noted.

Scarlet Runner Beans     Free because of purchases
Amish Paste Tomato     Free because of purchases
Moringa Oleifera Seeds     $5.59

Worm Farm

Worm Factory 360 Composting Bin + Moisture and pH Testing Meter     $139.95
Worm Factory Additional Composting Bin Trays Black (Pack of 2)     $22.50
Uncle Jim's Worm Farm 1,000 Count Red Wiggler Worms     $27.95 + $5.49 shipping