GIY Challenge
I put mint, rosemary and basil nearby the beds as they are natural pests deterrents.
Fungus and pest control and to add oxygen to soil n foliage.
Apply hydrogen peroxide in the night because sunlight breaks it down to water quickly.
I add hydrogen peroxide at night because plant used glucose produced during the day as well as oxygen to undergo a process called cellular respiration. At night the main by product is carbon dioxide and water.
Dilue 10ml 6% hydrogen peroxide and 2.5ml neem oil in 1.5 litres and wet soil.
Dilute 2.5ml hydrogen peroxide and 3 drops of neem oil to a 7500ml spray bottle to spray leaves.
2.5ml ammonia and 2.5ml neem oil once a week for pest control in spray bottle.
FERTILIZATION
Compost (ALL nutrients combined)
I created my compost using topsoil, manure, organic matter, leaves, decayed wood, untreated sawdust, recycled vegetable food scraps (provision skin, fruit skins, seasoning waste, etc...), worms and microorganisms.
Magnesium (Epsom Salt)
Application Methods
I alternate between spraying foliage one week and soaking the soil with Epsom salt another week to increase magnesium.
1. I dissolve 2 table spoon of Epsom salts in 2 litres water and I used an upcycled spray bottle to spray the foliage bi-weekly.
2. I disolve 6 table spoons of Epsom Salt in 5 litre bottle of water and soak the soil bi-weekly.
Calcium
I blended egg shells into a powder and placed about 1ml around each plant.
The Calcium, patasium and other nutrients will leach into the soil over a period and be absorbed by the plants.
Sulfur(compost) and Phosphorus(wheat bran)
(Compost, cow manure and organic matter) contain Sulfur which helps the plant absorb Phosphorous from the added Wheat bran.
NATURAL AND ORGANIC
I used untreated and natural colored woodchips because the colored ones has pesticides and toxic paints which will be absorbed by the plants as it absorbs whatever nutrients and toxins are in the soil.
WATER CONSERVATIONTIPS
1. I added clay soil, cocopeat and compost improves the water holding capacity of the soil in preparation for extremely hot days.
2. I planted the plants as deep as possible so they will have a deep root system so they will need less frequent watering.
3. I wet plants between 5am-7am on a morning and 4pm-6pm on evening when the sun is low and temperature of the soil is low to reduce evaporation.
4. I water at a slow flow for a longer period on (mist setting). This allows the water to slowly build up and allows the soil to absorb the water more readily. Because of this they don't require frequent watering.
5. I put woodchips to keep the moisture in the soil, reduce evaporation and reduce the presence of weeds which take nutrients and water from the soil.
6. I collect rainwater in buckets when rain falls.
7. I use recycled plastic bottle which are made from the least toxic plastic(PP, HDPE, LDPE) and bore pin holes and place in the beds as an irrigation system for hot days or when I know I will be away for more than 24 hours.
SANITATION
I use a garden gloves when mixing dirt and handling tools.
I like to touch the dirt with my bare hands at times and when I do I use baking soda to scrub and clean my hands when I'm finished.
I use a gardening shears to prune plants and I spray it with rubbing alcohol and wipe it clean to keep it free of microorganisms and rust-free.
I wash and scrub all tools after each daily use and dry them and store the small hand tools inside a bucket and put the larger ones in a storage area.
I keep all the nitrogen, amonia, neem oil etc covered after each use and wash the measuring cups and bottles.
UPCYCLED AND RECYCLED MATERIALS
Plastic bottles, steel barrels, buckets, vegetable waste and grass cuttings in compost, woodchips,
GARDEN DESIGN
I placed the garden in the open but I built trellis for the cucumbers to run on and also for the tomatoes to run on. I also let some passion fruit plants run above the garden for some shade during extremely sunny days.
I put flowering plants together and leafy plants together. I mixed the soil according to the needs of the plants.
The flowering plants require more Phosphorous for roots and Potassium as well as more magnesium and calcium while the leafy plants require more nitrogen.
I put some shorter plants in between taller plants so I will be able to fit more plants in each bed. I placed a cabbage between the tomatoes and also the melongene. I put lettuce between the celery and parsley.
Pick good seedlings
Stunted seedlings don't grow and require more attention.
Journal
8th May
I noticed the plants growing more than others. I belive some of the seedlings were stunted and require more time to grow.
10th May
1. As the plants grew taller i put woodchips in the barrel for the melongene and also the tomatoes.
2. I replaced one of the sweet pepper plants with a pimento plant.
3. I noticed the cucumber plants starting the flower as the vine grew.
12th May
1. The garden area is open one of the tomatoes snapped at the base most likely due to high winds I replaced it with a pimento plant.
2. I put a stake in the bucket with the largest growing tomato and tied it with a string to prevent it from snapping like the other one.
3. I gave the plants a mixture of (compost and manure mix). The flowering plants got more compost while the leafy vegetables got more manure. This was to boost the growth of their stems and roots as well as their leaves and allow them to better withstand the open winds.
16th
I didnt notice any damage after the wind alert for the 15th-16th.
18th May
1. Noticed a bush bug in the garden, I killed it by knocking it down with my slipper and crushing it.
2. I weed the grass growing whenever I water the plants and I noticed there is less weeds growing in the containers with the woodchips.
3. I pruned the melongene and tomatoes and the pimento.
19th May
1. I changed from wetting the plants two times a day at (6-9am) and (4-6pm) and I began wetting them at (6-9am) and at (2-4pm). I also let the water soak into the soil even more and allowed the containers to full.
2. I pruned the leaves of the sweet peppers and pinched off the flowers to allow the plant to focus on growing the root system instead of producing fruit.
3. I dug the holes for the bamboo and began to setup the trellis.
21st May
1. I pruned the cucumbers and pinched off some of the flowers and put the vines to run on the trellis.
2. I put more compost and manure/soil mix around the plants and made sure the stems were stable.
3. I put woodchips in all the remaining containers as the plants were now stable and could
