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Show I ,1 y t ! Burt Collins displays four of his organically grown puhnpkins, which have an average weight of about . t Local man reveals his method By BRANDON FORD Staff writer Bert Collins says organic gardening is the best method of growing a vegetable garden and hes got the pumpkins to prove it. Collins started using organic gardening methods three years ago, and this year he raised six pumpkins that averaged 100 pounds apiece with the largest one weighing in at 112 pounds. He estimates that because he uses organic methods his yields are two or three times what they would be if he used conventional gardening methods. For example, Collins harvested enough carrots row to can 82 quarts of carrots in from one addition to the ones he and his family ate and gave away. The advantages to using organic gardening methods, according to Collins, are yearly improvement of the soil and better use of water. Ive only been working my soil for three years and its richer than (the soil of) other people who have been working their land for years, he said as he crumbled a handfull of his rich, black, loamy 50-fo- soil. Another benefit is that leaves, lawn clippings and pulled weeds normally a headache to get rid of are put to good use. The key to success in organic gardening is to mulch heavily, Collins said. He uses lawn clippings, straw, leaves, pulled weeds and vegetable and tills it into tops almost anything organic the soil. Leaves makes some of the best mulch because the trace elements and nutrients from deep in the soil that are pulled up through a trees roots end up in the leaves, Collins said. Its a shame to see people burn leaves its a real waste, he said. They are about the best thing you can add to your garden. A d project for the organic gardener is maintaining a compost pile. If properly done, a compost pile will not stink and will be a good year-roun- source of nutrients and soil builders for the garden. Besides leaves, weeds and lawn clippings, Collins uses vegetable and banana pealings, coffee grounds and ashes from his wood stove in his compost pile. The wood ashes and the banana pealings are rich in potash, Collins said. If coal is burned in the fireplace or wood stove, however, it should not be used on the garden because coal ash contains sulfer. How much success an organic gardener achieves is dependent to a large degree on how much organic materal he tills into the soil. Collins estimates he puts between five and 10 tons of organic matter each year on his garden located on lot. a If a farmer has a load of straw or spoiled hay he wants to get rid of, I use it for mulch, he said. I use just about whatever I can get my hands on. There isnt a shortage of organic materal available to the gardener if he is willing to look for it. I see piles of lawn clippings and leaves in the dump just going to waste, Collins said. Collins also uses manure and liquified seaweed to enrich the soil. He never uses chemical fertilizers he says he has no need for them. With the organic gardening methods you are constantly building up and enriching the soil, he said. With conventional methods the soil gets depleted. Thats why conventional gardeners have to use chemical fertilizers all the time. Collins admits that he does use chemical poisons when the insect problem gets too bad. The ideal would be to attract enough birds, snakes and other insect eaters to the garden to control insect populations. Organic gardening can also pay dividends in the amount of water a gardener must use. Collins doesnt have water rights, so he must use culinary water to grow his garden. He estimates he uses less than one third of the water other conventional gardeners use. us 100 pounds. He attributes their size to his gardening methods. Despite the short growing season, generally poor soil conditions and hot summer weather in this area, Collins is convinced that Carbon County not a could and should be a vegetable exporter his at And looking anyone vegetable importer. to him. believe find would it easy garden I think commercial vegetable growing in Carbon County is an overlooked way of boosting the local economy, he said. But even if vegetable gardening remained confined to the home owner, it could have a beneficial effect on the economy if enough people did it. Anyone can grow a garden, Collins said. I dont believe there is such a thing as a green thumb. If more people grew gardens it would take the demand off the grocery stores, and I think we would see vegetable prices go down. SUMMERTIME SQUASH PICKLES Combine in large bowl or crock : 3 quarts cold water cup salt Add: 8 cups yellow summer squash, or zucchini, sliced Clinch thick Weight squash down to keep it submerged in brine by placing a dinner plate and a jar filled with water on top of squash. Let stand 3 hours ; drain well. Combine in large kettle and bring to boil over a gas flame, stirring until sugar is dissolved: 2Vz cups sugar 2 cups vinegar 2 teaspoons mustard seeds Stir in reserved squash and : 2 medium onions, sliced 2 green peppers, seeded and sliced 1 jar (4 oz.) pimento, drained and cut into pieces Remove from flame and allow to cool. Store in refrigerator in tightly covered con'Using mulch between the rows of vegetables, besides holding in the water and keeping the soil tainer. Will keep for several weeks. Yield: 3 moist, helps solve another problem faced by quarts. gardeners in this area weeds. The heavy mulch (Recipe courtesy of Mountain Fuel Supply. ) smothers the weeds growing between the rows. (Continued on Page 6B) ch Plant bulbs now for bright spring garden The approach of autumn means its time to plant the bulbs that will brighten your garden next spring tulips, hyacinths, muscari, crocus, iris and scilla. The snow will hardly be gone in some areas when these blooms will create their magnificent color. There are many types and varieties of bulbs to choose from, ranging from plants a few inches to 4 feet in height and blooming for an extended period of time. Before autumns first frost, select firm, plump, unblemished bulbs and plant them promptly. The best time is September or October in the North and a little later in the South. Loosen the soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches so that tender roots can penetrate soil easily. Good drainage is needed. Bulbs often rot in water-soake- d soil. Add peat moss, sand or to loosen the soil and mix in bonemeal or other fertilizer rich in calcium, phosphorus and magnesium before planting. Plant large bulbs such as tulips, ver-micul- ite inirises, hyacinths and daffodils ches deep, pointed end up, and 6 inches apart. Snowdrops, crocuses, muscari, scilla and other small bulbs should be planted 4 inches deep, 3 inches apart. In the South reduce the depths an inch or 6-- 8 so. It is a good idea to mulch planted areas with leaves, wood chips, salt hay shells to conserve moisture and discourage wide temperature fluctations. Water bulbs well when planting and or cocoa-bea- n water regularly all fall until the ground freezes. Once in the ground bulbs will send out roots, and the embryo flower inside the bulb will begin to grow into a d plant. In spring, when first fershoots appear, feed with tilizer to provide nitrogen and potassium. Remove leaf mulch in spring before shoots emerge. This will improve the gardens appearance. After bulbs have flowered, remove faded blooms, but let foliage grow until it turns yellow. When foliage is ripening it is helping the very important process of building and nourishing the next full-size- years bulbs. By planting fragrant Dutch hyacinth bulbs now you can have a red, white and blue flower display in spring, long before the Fourth of July. course, hyacinths, which must be planted iri the fall, also come in Easter shades of yellow, pink, violet, peach and orange. Varieties that will provide patriotic colors include brilliant red Amsterdam, white Carnegie, and Dutch porcelain Delftblue. Other handsome shades appear from Pink Pearl, canary yellow City of and Haarlem, Lady Derby. Hyacinths are easy to grow. Treat them as you do tulip and daffodil bulbs. Fertilization improves bulb performance and encourages flowering for several years without replacement. Among recent garden books are: The Country Journal Book of Hardy Trees and Shrubs, by Harrison L. Flint Of peaches-and-crea- m (Brattleboro, Vt. $10.) Designed to help you select the right tree or shrub for the climate, shade, color or screening. Cost and maintenance are explained. Herbs & Herbalism, edited by Malcolm Stuart, (Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. $12.95). Thoroughly illustrated, covering herbs A to Z. Includes herb organizations, descriptions and uses. right (Any queries about gardening problems must be accompanied by a stamped, envelope. For Farl Aronsons Associated Press Guide to House Plants, send $1 to House Plants, AP Newsfeatures, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY self-address-ed 10020.) |