I'm often impressed by the creativity and initiative of people who feel passionately about the experience of growing food. Although vegetable gardening is nothing new and innovation never really changes, the basic process of raising food from seed to harvest, the clever strategies people develop, can personalize their gardening.
This was my thought a few weeks ago when I received an e-mail from Stephen Helsel, responding to a column that included instructions for making manure tea to fertilize the garden. Unlike the other recipe, which called for using decomposed livestock manure and letting it steep, Stephen's formula uses finished compost and turbo-charges the process. Here is his brew:
Place an aquarium aeration pump (with hose and aeration attachment) in a 5-gallon bucket or larger container. Fill the container with water. Place a pound of finished compost in a fine mesh bag, such as a nylon bag used for straining paint, and hang the bag in the bucket. Plug in the aeration pump and let it do the work.
The end product will be strong enough that you'll need to water it down before using it on plants. Stephen writes, "I like to have it in full sun, run the pump for a week or so and dilute the wonderful 'tea' to 1 to 2 cups per gallon (of water). Excellent indoor and outdoor fertilizer with micronutrients and good bacteria. No odor. You will be amazed, and it can be used year-round."
My complaint last week about having too much zucchini elicited several offers to take the surplus off my hands. I also received this recipe for a zucchini skillet dish from Geraldine and Corina Payne. Geraldine says she likes this best served over garlic toast and that it tastes even better as leftovers.
Payne's Zucchini skillet Dinner
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium zucchini, seeded and cut into half-inch chunks
1 cup sliced mushrooms or 4-ounce can pieces and stems
1 pound lean sausage or hamburger
3 cups spaghetti sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet over low heat, brown the onion, garlic, zucchini and mushrooms (if fresh; otherwise add them later.) Remove from skillet and brown the meat. Drain the meat and add back in the browned vegetables. Add the spaghetti sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to simmer, reduce heat and let cook for 30 to 45 minutes.
Makes 4 to 5 servings
After I asked for information about using Epsom salts on tomato plants, several people said they were aware of this but weren't sure why gardeners did it. A bit of research on my part turned up the following: Epsom salts basically are magnesium sulfate. Blooming plants such as tomatoes and peppers need magnesium to set fruit. However - and this is a big however - you should treat your tomatoes and peppers with Epsom salts only if your soil has a magnesium deficiency. This means you should have your soil tested before you spray diluted Epsom salts on the leaves or sprinkle the salts in the planting hole next spring.
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