Questions & Answers a growing selection of organic farming tips gleaned from our listserve and other sources Join the Listserve Any suggestions for controlling cutworms? How do I control horsetail? How do I get rid of quack grass? What is an effective way to kill thistles? How do I avoid my broccoli bolting? What is the best way to clean garlic? How do I get rid of a hill of red ants? What is the impact on foodstuffs of security scanning? How do I save pea seeds? How can I control algae in my pond? How do I get my chickens to lay in their nests? How can I get rid of wireworms? Is egg washing necessary? Are feedlot manures okay to use on organic farms? Should I be adding gypsum to my soil? What perennial forage crops do chickens like? How do I determine a fair rent/lease value for farmland?

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Q. Any suggestions for controlling cutworms?

1. Try leaving extra weeds out in the rows.
2. As they are night feeders if your area is not too large go out with a flashlight and check the plants. You often find them coming out of the soil. When we have infestations we go out early (5am) and dig up the cut off plant, and search in the soil around that plant. Time consuming but does get a considerable number. Often they are not far from the plant and close to the surface.
3. Our long term management is to rotate with a green manure crop. We find fields that have grown clover, seeded the previous May or June and cultivated into the soil a minimum of three weeks before planting has no cutworm damage.
4. Keep the periphery grass well mowed as that is where they like to overwinter.
5. Keep some chickens or muscovy ducks and let them do the eating.

Q. How do I get rid of quack grass?

1. Quack grass will take nutrients out of its root system till it gets to its third leaf stage, then it stores nutrients back in its root system. By cultivating the field before it reaches this stage, you will starve the roots. This will also bring the roots to the surface where they will dry out .Do not disk or rotovate the field. This chops the roots in little pieces, each of which could become a new plant
2. To get quack grass under control, we cultivate, then plant two heavy crops of buckwheat in succession - the buckwheat has an aliopathic effect on the grass. After cutting the second crop in the late summer we plant a crop of winter pea/fall rye. When this is cultivated the following spring, the field is 99% clear of the grass. Remove roots from the growing area. Composting them is an ongoing debate but I prefer not to.
3. If you want to plant this season, black plastic mulch will effectively smother the quack grass. Some people are experimenting with paper mulch, and it is hoped that this option will be commercially available soon.
4. If you can wait until next year to plant, I suggest mouldboard ploughing - you need a good plough and competent operator to plough old quack grass sod and get it completely turned over. It should be disced lightly, not deeply. Allow the sod to decompose for one to two months. Just as the quack grass is thinking about re-emerging you can cultivate it deeply to bring the dormant roots up to the surface where they can desiccate. Do this as often as you like (at least every three weeks) throughout the summer and the quack grass should be completely eliminated by the end of the season.
5. Place bails of straw tight together on thr area and leave it for a year. When you remove the bails you will find that the quack has moved its roots up into the bails and they are burned or otherwise disposed of. Maybe wood chips or other material would work as well.

Q. What is an effective way to kill thistles?

1. It takes a 20% solution to be effective on thistles and household vinegar is 5% [Editorial Note: Vinegar (acetic acid) as an herbicide has not been identified as an allowable input for BC certified organic production.]
   Evaluation of Acetic Acid as a Thistle Top-killer on Pastures
2. Cutting Canada thistle off at the lower end of the stem and pouring water in the hollow stem kills the plant by rotting the root system. If you cut before a heavy rain or use a sprinkler I have found this to be fairly effective.

Q. How do I avoid my broccoli bolting?

1. Plant out early to get size before it turns too hot. The plants size up beautifully in the ascending daylight hours and bolt fairly quickly once the dyas get really hot.
2. For variety, try the open pollinated Green Goliath, bought from William Dam Seeds or West Coast Seeds. The central head reaches a good size and the side shoots are tender and prolific.
3. Plant out seedlings no older than 4-6 weeks. If you have to go longer, use four-inch pots.
4. Keep on top of taking the smaller buds before they bolt. Prune quite heavily to get good, strong regrowth which gives very nice fall heads.
5. Build a portable structure, a frame with cardboard over it, and place the frame over the brocoli at about 7 pm and remove it at 7 am, forcing only 12 hours of sunlight. The same frame would retain heat overnight and may lenghten your season. Do this over a small area, leaving a control to see if it makes any difference.

Q. How can I control algae in my pond?

1. Put barley straw into the pond. When barley straw decomposes in the presence of oxygen it releases an algal inhibitor. It can also get rid of cyanobacteria, diatoms and unicellular green algae in drinking water and in other still waters such as canals. Algal blooms in an average garden pond would only need, say, a small vegetable net of loosely packed barley straw. To make sure the straw has enough oxygen, the net should be kept near the surface or near an inflow or fountain. The effect takes some time to develop - up to three months, depending on temperature - so the straw is best used early in the season to stop the algae growing in the first place. Barley straw based mats are available, preformed and ready to be inserted in pond filtering systems. It does not seem to have any adverse effects on invertebrates or fish.
2. The powered drumstick (Moringa olifera) seed / drumstick seed powder is a proven pond water floculator and purifier
   

1. If you have already planted the area, try creating "traps" of chunks of potato or carrot, or balls of moist oatmeal. Bury these several inches deep, and mark them with a flag. Renew your traps frequently to dispose of wireworms and to check on population changes.
2. If you have not yet planted, consider either very early or very late planting to avoid the warm spring when the wireworms rise to the surface of the soil.
3. If clearing a new area of sod, it would be wise to consider leaving it exposed to birds and the drying sun during the spring. Following this, planting repellent crops such as mustard or oil radish should be considered. These can be turned under as a green manure.
4. Don't forget that wireworms are a healthy snack for chickens and pigs, and newly broken sod could be used as a temporary "run" before planting.
5. If soil temperature and moisture can be monitored, consider purchasing nematodes (www.thebugfactory.ca)
6. Try planting cole crops, or squash, as they seem to be unpopular with wireworms.
7. Consider a "sacrifice" crop such as wheat or lettuce, which can be pulled up and disposed of when they become infested.
   MORE INFORMATION

Q. Should I be adding gypsum to my soil?

1. Gypsum does occur naturally in soil, and supplies calcium and sulphur. Where it shines as an amendment would be for those who were planting on hardpan, clay, or in boggy soils. Gypsum particles assist in loosening these soils by entering the tiny spaces in the clay or hardpan and allowing air and water to penetrate, eventually permitting a healthier environment for plant roots. It can be surface-applied at any time of year at 50 lbs per 1000 square feet and must be watered into the soil. To achieve a useful result, it must be applied annually for three years. Gypsum is not toxic and does not affect pH. You may have trouble finding gypsum at your local nursery, but it will be "special ordered" if you request it.
2. Wallboard material, which does in fact contain gypsum, is forbidden for use in organic farms and gardens as it contains heavy metals and fungicides.
3. Alternatives to curing a soggy or hard soil would be to work in manures, compost and/or soil mulches.

Q. What perennial forage crops do chickens like?

1. Those suitable for most of Canada include the Elaeagnus family (autumn and Russian olive), Berberis spp (barberry), Robinia pseudoacacia (Black Locust - ground up pods) and Caragana arborescens (Siberian Pea Shrub) and all edible nut-bearing species, although they require finding and cracking the nuts.
2. Release birds into orchards to eat all types of fallen fruit and also all berries, from the domesticated currant to the wild blackberry, and tree berries such as elderberry, hawthorn, and sumac.
3. Wild weedy type forages, like chickweed, chicory, clover, stinging nettle, pigweed and shepherds purse.
4. Short green manures of vetch, buckwheat or winter rye, before you dig them under.
5. Comfrey and even aromatic herbs like cicely, but remember that, in the latter case, egg flavour may be affected.
6. Poultry will enjoy scratching through amaranth, barley, millet, quinoa and wheat and will eat sunflowers seeds, once you bring the seed heads down to their level.

Q. How do I control horsetail?

1. Not so dreaded a problem if you improve your fertility generally and increase your c. I would certainly compost any you pull as they are an excellent source of silicon, which strengthens plant tissues.
2. Hoeing regularly will starve the horsetails gradually. Improving the drainage and sweetening the soil (lime) helps too. I don't know how long, how great drainage, or how much lime it would take to totally eliminate them. After nearly 20 years, I still get a few here and there, but not the thick bushy amounts that once ruled. They hoe easily and are not very aggressive, but they are persistent.

Q. What is the best way to clean garlic?

1. Spray wash right after pulling it. Then lay it one layer deep in an enclosed shed for three weeks. Then cut the tops with pruning shears.
2. When it is pretty fresh, very shortly after harvesting, cut the roots off somewhat short, being careful to leave a short bristle, not a scalped base, and peel a leaf or two off (leaving about five if possible. Hang them in bundles in a shed, in the shade and out of the rain, but with plenty of air movement. Then cure for as many weeks as possible, and before it gets too wet in the fall, cut off the bulbs, give the roots a brush to get rid of the dirt, and sort and bag them for short-term storage. They store considerably better with their tops on, but they take up a lot of room. Soft-top garlic store even better, and are easy to braid, too.
3. It depends on many factors such as soil type, cultivar, late or early harvesting etc. There really isn't one answer as some cultivars have thick skin and some not. Late harvesting gives thinner skins as it 'cures' somewhat in the ground. It is almost whatever works for your farm. Try a few other ways to see what works.One grower peels, removes tops and roots at harvest, then dries in a big forced air dryer and gets good results.

Q. How do I get rid of a hill of red ants?

1. Mix 1 cup icing sugar and 1 cup borax soap powder; stomp on the hill; pour the mixture; run like the wind; repeat, using the sugar to attract them, then stomp on the hill and pour straight borax; what is left of the colony will walk through and track the borax back home to kill the others. Repeat until they are gone. The borax will act as a soil sterility agent. If this is a concern I suggest using boiling water if the hill is not too big. If it is, you might consider using acetic acid instead.
2. To move red ants using a shovel: Divide hill into three smaller ones within two feet of each other. Three days later, put a shovel full of the first hill on the second, then a shovel of the second on the third, then a shovel of the third on the first. And then wait for the ensuing "ant war" to eradicate all the ants. I have used this technique before. It works very quickly.
3. Include the hill in a chicken run. They will completely and happily get rid of the whole nest.

Q. What is the impact on foodstuffs of security scanning?

1. None of our imported organic products are subjected to checks using Mobile Vacis (scanning) units. These units are not used at truck crossings since all of these loads are visually inspected (most of our imported products are shipped via trucks). Organic products that are shipped/flown in container loads are also not exposed to gamma radiation from Vacis instruments since these loads are opened, visually inspected and split up into smaller loads for redistribution to various destinations.

Q. How do I save pea seeds?

1. As long as it's open-pollinated, wait till the pods are dry, or if your frost comes sooner, and they're most of the way there, just pull off the plant and put in a paper bag to dry. Then put in a cool, dark, dry place until hard, shell and use for seed.

Q. How do I get my chickens to lay in their nests?

1. Place some eggs in the boxes which have a good layer of hay and/or dry wood shavings. Then keep the hens in the co-op for two or three days (of course with light, feed and water).
2. It also has something to do with the breed of bird.

Q. Is egg washing necessary?

1. There is no specific regulation that suggests a clean egg from a clean nest must be washed. Obviously, eggs free of manure and straw are the goal. This can be achieved by changing fouled nesting material often, gathering eggs several times a day, and by not packing your dirty eggs with the clean ones in your basket. Make sure your chickens have enough boxes that they are not encouraged to lay on the floor.
2. Inevitably, there will be eggs that require cleaning. First, see if a gentle rub with a clean plastic nail brush will bring success. If your stains remain and you need to wash your eggs, the water must be between 110 and 120F (almost intolerable to the touch). This hot water will expand the egg contents so that microbe contamination from the wash water will not pass into the egg. Wash the eggs quickly, one by one, in the hot water and detergent and do not permit them to soak. Rinse them in clean water as hot as your wash water, dip them into a COABC approved sanitizer (make sure also CFIA licensed), and then let them dry completely before refrigeration. The benefits of keeping the nests clean will soon become abundantly clear!

Q. Are feedlot manures okay on to use on organic farms?

1. There is an abundance of feedlot manure being disposed of and we are sometimes tempted by the low price to use it. However, we must take into account that today's commercial manures may (and probably do) contain invisible but counterproductive ingredients. EU regulations prohibit the use of manure originating from factory farms, such as battery chickens, even if composted. Although BC Organic Standards still permit fully composted manures from any source, the grower must consider whether residues of antibiotics, GMO's, hormones or pesticides may still reside in these products. Manures from an organic source are worth seeking out for the peace of mind they bring. They have the added advantage that they can be used raw on non-food crops (for example, before green manures are planted), which is prohibited in the case of non-organic source manures.
2. Growers should also remember that manures are not the be all and end all, and that complete success can be had with green manure crops, application of compost (from organic sources) and organic meals and minerals. As an example of nutrients available in local plants, please note that while cow manure averages at 11-3-9, Canada thistle measures in at 54-13-82.(from The Fertile Soil, by Robert Parnes).

Q. How do I determine a fair rent/lease value for farmland?

1. Normally rents and lease costs are set by "the market". Usually this means so that one or both can make as much profit as possible.
2. Another way is to see what each party feels is fair and resonable, and see if they can agree. Mostly it takes each party to look at the benefits they will gain and the costs that they will sustain in the deal.
3. Organic growing depends on feeding the soil, which always is a long-term project. A short lease doesn't greatly encourage this. Longer terms can, and lease or rental agreements can specify conditions to make it more likely.
4. The owner benefits in the long term (unless she is waiting for a shopping mall or condo development); the grower benefits in medium terms; nobody benefits in short terms. What other infrastructure will the renter have to provide? Fencing? Weed control? Irrigation system? Will these be useful to the renter or the landowner after the agreement ends?
5. Will the landowner gain a property tax benefit? Can the rent be paid in produce, rather than cash? What are the goals and needs of the owner? Of the renter? Can they be met to the benefit of both?
6. I would recommend a longer than one year agreement, with provision for both shortening and lengthening it. Some sort of rolling agreement might work, so that the renter has assurance that she can harvest the crops she plants.
7. Something like ten or twelve months notice of termination, with provision for compensation if less is given might work for growers of annual crops and the landowner. Ideally, any agreement should start out with all parties feeling good about it, and have provisions to make it likely and possible that this continues.
8. But the agreement should also have a divorce settlement clause, that sets out what will happen if everything goes wrong. This might include mediation or arbitration, or just a period of notice that both parties will abide by. Anything is cheaper than engaging lawyers and going to court.

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