Gardening Season over for some, beginning for others

It's a little more than half way through August. Here in Tucson, Arizona we're able to continue gardening almost year-round. We've just got to worry about frosts in December and January. As some crops die off, its a good time to treat the soil, process up some quick compost (or a bokashi-like substance) and get the soil ready for the next round of crops.

In the northern part of the US, people will soon be finishing up their gardens. Tomatoes should be just about done, maybe corn and melons are about through as well. The season's flowers should be coming to an end soon as well. Phlox, sunflowers, coneflowers, and sedum are still blooming, but should be going to seed soon.

As you cut flowers and veggies, keep the cuttings and mound them up in piles. I'd venture to guess that you're a fanatical composter if you have lots of gardens. If you have a large vegetable garden, you probably cut veggies and either pull the cuttings off into a compost pile or let them rot in the garden area over the winter. This year would be a good time to try using some EM•1®.

When I lived in Massachusetts, I owned a 1/2 acre property. It was there that I developed a bit of the techniques with EM•1® that I teach today. I had great success spraying all my beds toward the end of the season. About this time of the year, I would get out the hose-end sprayer and spray about 1 gallon of Activated EM•1® per week on everything, leaves, dying plants, cut flower stems, food waste, the cat, etc.

On the compost pile, I would use another gallon of Activated EM•1® per cubic yard of material and mix it into the pile with a pitch fork. After I sprayed the pile, I would cover it with a large 20'x20' tarp and weight it down with some logs or rocks to keep it airtight. To this pile I would add plant materials, food scraps, manures, and other organic materials during the entire season.

After about 1 week I would pull off the tarp and turn the pile with the pitch fork. I repeat this for another three weeks. 1 turn per week lets the weed seeds sprout and keeps the pile just warm enough to feel about the same temperature as bath water. On the 4th week I would pull apart the pile and incorporate about 4-6 inches of material into the beds. It is still not completely broken down as compost would be, but it not producing heat or foul odors, which raw materials would, and does not have the weed seeds either. By sprouting the weeds in this pile and turning them in, I am increasing the available nitrogen and exhausting the weed supply.

I hope I can get a short video on this method some day. As long as I live in the desert, I don't see that happening.