Baking Soil

This is a post reprint for May 6-12 International Compost Awareness Week. This important educational program is sponsored by the US Composting Council, with the theme of Compost! …Replenish the Earth for Generations, and supported by the Compost Council of Canada, with the theme of Give Back to the Earth … COMPOST!

No, not mud pies. I'm trying to use the power of the sun to help me rid the potting soil from my potato barrel of pests, primarily slug eggs and some small wriggling worms which probably were potato tuberworms. I don't remember seeing any slugs on my potato plants, but there are definitely eggs visible in the soil. The worms are no longer visible, but I'm sure there are eggs still waiting to hatch.

Solarization is the process of using the power of the sun to sterilize soil. It's best done during hot summer months, but at least one website stated that it is somewhat effective during cooler months. It's worth a try. In most cases, soil in garden beds is covered with plastic tarps for 4-6 weeks during summer heat, longer in fall and winter.

I removed the potting mix from the potato barrel and divided it into four plastic garbage bags. To speed things up, I picked out as many slug eggs as I could find. First, I left the bags open to partially dry the soil. Then, I sealed them to start the "baking" process. The soil in each bag was about four inches deep. Also, in a closed environment the heating potential is increased. This will be particularly important now that fall has arrived.

Yes, I probably should have discarded the soil to make sure my potatoes next year have the best possible chance, but it seemed so wasteful. Has anyone successfully removed pests from potting soil? I would love to hear your experiences. -- Margy

Cooking Coffee Grounds

This is a post reprint for May 6-12 International Compost Awareness Week. This important educational program is sponsored by the US Composting Council, with the theme of Compost! …Replenish the Earth for Generations, and supported by the Compost Council of Canada, with the theme of Give Back to the Earth … COMPOST!

Every morning we make a pot of coffee, so we have lots of coffee grounds. In spring and summer, I put them directly into the garden. In winter, I "cook" them dry in a frying pan on the wood stove. That way they store in Ziploc bags without moulding.

In the garden, coffee grounds have many uses including mulching, composting and pest control.

Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and that makes them good for fast-growing vegetables like tomatoes. One article said they also help prevent blight.

What really interests me is deterring and killing slugs. While I don't think using grounds has solved my slug problem, I think it has helped reduce the damage to my strawberry plants.

So if you like a cuppa joe to start your day, and want to be ready for spring planting, try cooking your grounds dry and saving them. Your plants will thank you. -- Margy

Slug Patrol

This is a post reprint for May 6-12 International Compost Awareness Week. This important educational program is sponsored by the US Composting Council, with the theme of Compost! …Replenish the Earth for Generations, and supported by the Compost Council of Canada, with the theme of Give Back to the Earth … COMPOST!

Now that my garden's in, I want to keep it healthy. One of my major problems is slugs. They thrive in dark moist corners and come out to munch on my lettuce and juicy red strawberries. I have several organic gardening books, but the best is a pamphlet called The Basic Book of Organic Gardening (1988) by Rodale Press of Emmaus PA. I found it for $2.00 in a used book store, but it's value is much more! It includes a list of the "Terrible 26" pests with organic solutions for their control, tips on composting, and organic materials you can use to enrich garden soil. I'm always pulling it off my shelf to make gardening decisions.

One of their solutions for slugs and snails is crushed egg shells. It seems that their soft bodies can't take crawling over sharp objects like egg shells. Now that I've planted my new bareroot strawberries, I don't want to share their fruits with the hungry little buggers. Each time Wayne and I have eggs for breakfast, I wash the shells and put them in a plastic basket to dry. This makes them easier to crush with nice sharp edges.

After the shells are dry, I put them in a plastic bag, zip it shut, and apply pressure to crush them. I leave the pieces large enough to have lots of rough edges to discourage those soft little tummies from crossing over. And those persistent enough to try scrape their bellies and die from dehydration. Not a very pleasant thought, but it's a necessary evil.

I started with a section of berries that looked like they would be early producers. If I can discourage the slugs from taking up residence, maybe the developing berries will have a better chance. Plus, the garden gets the added benefit of calcium as the shells decompose. A win-win, except for the poor slugs I guess.

Hey Wayne, what do you want for breakfast? How about eggs? We've still got one and a half strawberry beds to go. Eat up!!

If you want to get a copy of this pamphlet, but can't find, it's available online through Amazon.com. Happy slug hunting! - Margy

Compost Success Story

This is a post reprint for May 6-12 International Compost Awareness Week. This important educational program is sponsored by the US Composting Council, with the theme of Compost! …Replenish the Earth for Generations, and supported by the Compost Council of Canada, with the theme of Give Back to the Earth … COMPOST!

Last fall I placed the clippings from my garden in a hole I dug in my hillside potato patch. For the first time, I used a compost accelerator called Rot-It to help the tougher stems (like strawberries) decompose by spring. After the first layer of trimmings, I sprinkled on some Rot-It and then gave it a good watering.

Then came another layer with the same treatment, and then a third layer with more Rot-It and water. The moisture helps accelerate the composting process. I covered the mound with the dirt from the hole and gave it all a final watering.

Once everything was nice and moist, I covered the mound with two large plastic trash bags opened flat to help hold the moisture in, and generate some heat to break things down. To keep the bags in place, I placed boards on top. And there it sat until last week.

When I uncovered the mound and dug through the pile, it was completely decomposed. Beautiful dark, rich soil just perfect for my potato patch. Wayne volunteered to help me dig in a bag of steer manure. Now I'll let it rest until next month before I plant my potatoes. I have a few Yukon Golds left over from my pots, and some sprouted Norland reds from last year's crop.

The best news is, this is exactly where I want the compost to be. And thanks to the Rot-It, I've got a nice big batch. I have to climb four flights of stairs to get to my upper potato garden. Making my own soil here is a whole lot easier than carrying bags up from lake level. Well, a whole lot easier on Wayne if I’m truly honest. -- Margy

Build a Simple Compost Pile

This is a post reprint for May 6-12 International Compost Awareness Week. This important educational program is sponsored by the US Composting Council, with the theme of Compost! …Replenish the Earth for Generations, and supported by the Compost Council of Canada, with the theme of Give Back to the Earth … COMPOST!

When I started composting my kitchen and garden waste, I knew I wanted a simple compost pile. Here is the one I made from galvanized wire mesh fencing. I sits in the corner of my garden. From spring through fall, I add both kitchen and garden waste to the pile. I cut the garden waste with tough stems into smaller pieces before it goes into the pile. During winter, I only add kitchen waste and occasionally ashes from my Kozi woodburning stove. I stir these in to make sure they decompose before spring planting time arrives.

In Coastal British Columbia, keeping the pile moist isn’t much of a problem. In warm summer months, I give it a watering at the same time I water my garden. Each year I am rewarded with rich soil to add to my garden. Because this garden is located on a rocky outcropping, this is a wonderful benefit. Otherwise, I would have to carry commercial topsoil up four flights of stairs. Now that’s what I call beneficial soil! Here are the directions if you would like to make one for your own garden.


I encourage you to try composting. Whether you are in the city or country, do it on a small scale like I do or a large one, every bit helps our environment and our quality of life. Compost … the possibilities ARE endless. -- Margy

Sunny Day Up the Lake

As I've mentioned, we've had one of the mildest winters on record. This spring has also been mild, but a bit on the wet side. This week we got a few partially sunny days up the lake, so we took as many rides in our tin boat as possible. We even tried a bit of fishing, but no nibbles yet.

The sun made the colours brilliant. And a few puffy white clouds against the clear blue sky was a beautiful change to the recent overcast.

Plus, it was great for our solar system. We had plenty of electricity in the cabin batteries, enough for a DVD after dinner. What a luxury. -- Margy

Reel Explorer

I'd like to introduce a friend and his boat the Reel Explorer. John originally introduced us. Now we see Bob quite often up the lake, out quad riding, and around town. That's one thing I love about living in a small city. You see friends just about everywhere.

South of the Shinglemill are several docks that are home to the working boats of Powell Lake. Here's where you'll find Reel Explorer.

Bob has a cabin "up the lake," but is probably best know for his skookum boat. Like many other Powell Riverites, he's very self reliant and able to build just about anything. He started with a sturdy welded aluminum hull and custom made the cabin to create his own classic work boat. He can drive it from the front or back, a handy feature to get a large boat into small spaces.

The Reel Explorer was designed to be a fishing boat, but in Powell Lake she can haul lots of logging equipment, workers, and tree planters. Even at a distance, you can always tell if it's Bob by the prominent red Zodiak perched on top.

To those of us who ride quads, we also picture Bob's mighty boat hauling bikes to the head of Powell Lake for a ride to remote spots few others get to see. Wayne and I were fortunate enough to meet up with Bob and some of his friends on one of those trips.

Bob is one of the great people who live in Powell River. Want to get to know our town and its people a little better? You can read the PEAK online. Go to YouTube and see some local videos. Or get one of the Coastal BC Stories books. I recommend Up the Lake. It's the first in the series and has the most stories about my favourite place in the whole world, Powell Lake. -- Margy