Time to Work Those Glutens

By Dennis on January 15, 2010

So, you’re looking out the window, snow on the ground– a little stir-crazy–waiting to start your spring projects out in the garden.  After you have spent as much time dreaming and planning and going through seed catalogs as you can bear, you just want to DO something.  I understand.

So, here is a project that you can do long before your soil is ready for planting and it will save you hours of weed-work later this season.  As an additional benefit, it will control weeds and serve as a fertilizer while maintaining a natural approach to gardening.

Corn Gluten Meal makes an excellent organic or all-natural weed and feed fertilizer but the trick is to get it

Corn Gluten Meal is an effective all-natural pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer. It is available in bulk (shown) and in bags or cannisters

Corn Gluten Meal is an effective all-natural pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer. It is available in bulk (shown) and in bags or cannisters

 out before the weed seeds begin to germinate. Corn Gluten Meal is a by-product of the wet-milling process of corn.  Ethanol plants make it, liquor distillers make it and for years it has been used as a high quality feed for cattle, especially dairy cattle.  In the 1990’s those some enterprising students from Iowa State University discovered its benefits as a pre-emergent herbicide.

You will want to apply approximately 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet between Feb 15th and March 15th, depending on your climate.  A second application can be made around June 1st for late flush weed crops, and again post-harvest for any winter weeds that may appear in your garden.  If you are using ‘green manure’ cover crops, wait until after these plants have germinated and started growing before applying Corn Gluten Meal.  The key is to get the product down before the seeds germinate.

Additionally, at 10 percent N content, Corn Gluten Meal also makes a good supplemental source of nitrogen and a nice organic fertilizer

Various sized packages of Corn Gluten Mealcan be purchased at your local independent garden retailer in either a natural powder form or, combined with binders, in a pelletized form.  the powder form is farm more effective and cheaper, but they will be very dusty and messy and a bit harder to work with in most situations. 

As many of you know, there is money to be made catering to the zealous nature of many green gardeners and enterprising business owners have capitalized on this by elevating costs of these products compared to their synthetic counterparts.  So, you can purchase the commercially available forms of Corn Gluten Meal, however, if you are willing to put in the back work and do the research, many of you can find it far cheaper in bulk.  Look for a feed store or feed mill in your county or an adjacent county, this is the place where local farmers will go to purchase raw feed-stuffs for their livestock.  Around Monty’s home office Burkmann Mills is a good source of Corn Gluten Meal.  In your area, just look for a location that will either custom-mix rations or ask a local farm store if they sell it.  Once you find your source they will either sell it in super-sized bags or may even be able to fill up your pick-up bed with lose bulk meal.  Also, if you live near a distillery or an ethanol plant, give them a call and ask if they sell the meal direct to the public.  Most do, but be warned, this is a great cattle feed and many of these locations have a waiting list for everything they spin-off from their distillers.  Finally, if you have a dairy farm in your area and you do not need much, you might talk to the farmer.  He may be willing to sell you what you need, and while you’re at it, you can ask him about picking up some free manure (trust me they have more then they know what to do with!)

That’s really all there is to it.  Just a few notes on using and storing it.

  • Make sure you lightly incorporate it into the soil as it will attract animals if it is just left on the surface
  • Do not let it get wet, and make sure you clean your wheelbarrow, spreader, (and back of your pick-up if buying in bulk) well.  If not, when Corn Gluten Meal gets wet the resultant fermentation leaves an odor reminiscent of REALLY strong stale beer. It is more than a bit overwhelming.
  • Do NOT apply within 2 weeks of planting from seed.  This stuff does not know a weed-seed from a beneficial and it will damage your vegetable/flower seeds.  This is a non-selective herbicide.
  • Do NOT use this in conjunction or simultaneously with traditional herbicides, the synthetic herbicides will cancel out the benefits of the Corn Gluten Meal.
  • Soil sample until you reach a comfort level with using this product but this should take care of most of your Nitrogen needs for the period in which application is made.

Now that you know what to do, how to do it, and where to get it.  You have an activity that can get you outside and get you started on your garden.  Just follow these simple guidelines and precautions and you will be one step closer to the all-natural, weed-free garden you always wanted.

For additional information on the original study and on corn gluten in general, check out this article.

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Making Dirt From Manure in Just 6 months, one Arkansas Gardener Shows You How

By Dennis on January 13, 2010

Brent Coffee lives in Northern Arkansas where he and his family are building a small subsistence farm.  he shares my passion for one day living ‘off-the-grid’ and raises almost all of what he and his family consumes throughout the year from fruits and vegetables to cattle, even the goat milk that they drink is provided by the herd he maintains.

As I was speaking with him, he showed me how he is recycling the manure that comes from his farm.  Each year when he cleans out his stalls in his barn (built almost exclusively from recycled barn wood from an old dilapidated barn he found), he piles the manure in one of his raised beds.  Then he begins treating the manure in the fall with Monty’s Liquid Carbon.(available here)  By the spring, what once was hard-packed cakes of manure and fodder is rich, loose, arable soil.

Learn more by watching this video.Brent Coffee Makes His Own Dirt for Raised-Bed Gardens

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Monty, Naturally Horton’s are Making News

By Dennis on October 20, 2009

A couple of weeks ago I covered an event that we at Monty’s and Monty Justice himself were proud to a part of: the Grand Opening of a new all-natural Lawn and Garden Store in Louisville.

Last night, our local TV station WHAS-11 ran the story, and guess who made the news. 

Monty, ya shoulda been in pictures!

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Monty’s Plant Food Brings Sweet Success to Gardener

By Dennis on October 16, 2009

For us at Monty’s harvest time is particularly enjoyable.  Not only are we busy packing, preserving, and canning our own gardens but we get to find out how our hints, tips, advice, and products have helped y’all throughout the past year.  It’s the time of year that we get to harvest stories and pictures.

Well, this fall is no different.  Darryl from Indiana sent us these pictures of his sweet potatoes. 

Sweet_PotatoSweet_potato2

He planted his potatoes on May 10th and harvested them on October 4th.  He is fortunate to have deep soil (about 14″ till it hits solid clay).  He planted these sweet potatoes in 6″ hills and then sprayed them three times with Monty’s 2-15-15. These particular sweet potatoes weighed in at 7 lbs., 14 oz.; now that’s a lot of sweet potato pie!  For Dennis’ complete directions on growing great root crops you can read more on the website.

If you have pictures of your results using Monty’s in your garden, flower beds, or on your landscape we woul love to hear your stories. Post your information in our comments section here on the blog or visit our website to contact us for our e-mail address.

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The “Stinking Rose” is actually a lot more like a tulip

By Dennis on October 15, 2009

Even though it is nick-named the “stinking rose,”  the garlic is actually more closely related togarlic the tulip than the rose.  Which means two very important things for you if you ever wanted to raise your own garlic. 1) It is a bulb 2) Right now, October, is the time to be planting it.

I am a garlic lover.  I am not, however, a garlic expert.  I did meet one though. Her name is Ellen Reynolds and she operates Beagle Ridge Herb Farm just outside of Wytheville, VA.  I will tell you more about her and the farm at a later date.

Remember last week I told you about our trip to Wytheville?  It was for our anniversary, and nothing says “Happy Anniversary” quite like going to a garlic festival.  But that is what we did.  Yep, we plant geeks have all the fun, I know.  Anyway, while there, at Beagle Ridge, I had a chance to tour the facilities, the gardens, the store and attend several classes on how to prepare garlic and how to raise it successfully at home.

I talked with Ellen after class and she said that she would post that information on her web site.  So, if you are interested in trying to raise your own garlic this season.  Now is the time to get it into the ground, but before you head to the pantry to go get a bulb for seed read up on all things related to the care and nurture of your garlic garden here.

If you want warm thoughts all winter just dreaming of your garlic garden, then check out Beagle Ridge’s recipe section.

I hope to have a few guest columns from Ellen in the near future.  Till then, wander around their site;  it will suffice until you have a chance to get there.  Again, like the rest of Wytheville…it’s worth the drive.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have some garlic to plant.

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To Leave or Not To Leave

By Dennis on October 13, 2009

Leaves across the country are beginning to fall along with fall3the temperatures. And the thought of falling leaves, leaves many of us with questions about what to do with them.  At the end of the day, you have four basic options:  Leave them alone, Mulch them (run over them with a mower or shredder), Compost them, or Rake and Remove.

Rake and Remove– This option is very labor intensive but provides the over-all cleanest results.  It is becoming harder to do because of landfill restrictions on yard waste and it is not the most environmentally friendly option.  It does have some benefits, though, as it removes all litter and debris and makes it harder for insects and bacteria to overwinter.

Mulching– This is the option preferred 2:1 by husbands who would rather spend their Saturday’s watching SEC football (okay, so I am biased) than doing yard work.  It is quick and easy.  Fire up the lawn mower, set the setting to high, and proceed.  In a relatively short amount of time, the lawn is cleared of visible leaves and you can get on with your plans.  A slightly more elaborate version involves actually using the bag attachment to catch the pulverized leaves then piling them around your perennials, trees, shrubs, or dumping them into your garden to be incorporated later. 

This option is okay if you pay attention to a few biological realities. 

  • It takes nitrogen to process this litter into a usable form, if you don’t provide it, the soil will rob it from the surrounding plants and from the soil. 
  • It takes microbes to break down all organic matter  If you don’t have them they could lay on top of your soil literally for years.
  • Anything that does not break down and get incorporated into your soil will serves as a barrier to sunlight, moisture and nutrient exchange and could actually end up choking out your lawn.
  • Some plants like oaks and pines are acidic by nature.  Castings from these trees are high enough in tanic and other acids that they actually affect the pH of your soil and unless you address these issues your lawn will suffer.

The good news is these situations can be remedied with a little time and expense.  Make sure you apply a good quality fertilizer like a 10-10-10 granular or, for added convenience, use Monty’s 4-15-12 and lightly spray the lawn/mulch mixture after mulching the leaves.

To boost the microbial population in the soil we recomend using Monty’s Calcium Plus or Monty’s Liquid Carbon (where available).  Simply spray the surface of your soil before soil temperatures fall below 45 degrees F (below that temperature, microbes are hibernating and no additive will increase the reproduction of sleeping organisms).

Leave them alone– Growing up reading “Walden,” this option appeals the most to me.  After all, no one is there to pick up after the trees in the wild.  These leaves just become part of the natural order of things.   However, we do not live in the wild and our neighbors tend to frown on this attitude.  Beyond that, there are some other considerations.  In the wild, trees are in the forest, grasses are in the meadows or grasslands.  The two environments rarely mix.  Because the dense shadows, wet heavy leaves, and acidic conditions brought on by the carpet of leaves is not very conducive to growing grasses.  However, if you are bent on leaving the leaves where they fall, or where they blow, take the actions listed above.  Provide enough nitrogen so that the soil will not cannibalize your plants and make sure you have the needed organic matter in the soil by soil testing for OM and enhance the microbial population when you can.  Bear in mind that even with the precautions you can still smother your grasses and leaves ideal locations for weeds next spring.

Compost– All the labor intensiveness of raking with the added fun of having to go out and turn the, how shall I say this politely…”earthy-smelling” pile of decaying leaves.  However, on the plus side of the ledger it will give you a good source of soil for your raised beds next season or fertilizer to mix in with your gardens, lawns and flower beds.  You still will have the problems noted previously about needing microbes to break down the debris and needing to add a bit of nitrogen to the mix for optimal results.  the easiest way to do this is to lightly spray the surface of the compost pile with Monty’s Liquid Carbon each time you go out to turn your compost bin.  Directions for building a compost bin can be found here, or you can purchase one of the newer fangled ones here.  Our friends at Naturally Horton’s can also be a good source of advice or materials.

So, as fall starts to fall, chose the method that is best for you and be prepared to address the needs that each method brings.  Till then, keep working in the yard and garden and keep sending us your pictures and feed back.

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Monty Helps Open New Store, Naturally

By Dennis on October 12, 2009

Larry Horton, owner of Naturally Horton's in Louisville, pauses during his grand opening for a picture with Monty. Monty's and Larry's passion is educating people about sustainable options for lawn & garden care.

Larry Horton, owner of Naturally Horton's in Louisville, pauses during his grand opening for a picture with Monty. Monty's and Larry's passion is educating people about sustainable options for lawn & garden care.

Monty meets with customers at the grand opening of Naturally Horton's over the weekend.

Monty meets with customers at the grand opening of Naturally Horton's over the weekend.

This past weekend, during the Belknap Fall Festival, Larry Horton opened up a brand new store, Naturally Horton’s.

On hand at the Louisville Highlands Community event was our own Monty Justice.  Horton invited Monty to the grand opening because, in his words, “We have carried his product for years in our hardware store and we believe in buying local whenever we can. Since Monty is local and we had access to him, we thought it would be a perfect fit to have him on site to help teach our customers about

natural fertilizer and soil conditioner options. He’s just a genuine guy trying to make a difference.”

Horton has been in business with a local hardware store for 15 years.  His new store will focus on

ecologically freindly home and garden products including rain barrels, compost bins, cleaners, fertilizers (MONTY’S), and pesticides among other things.

Monty helped Horton’s draw in over 100 people for their grand opening and they are excited about the future.

We at Monty’s Plant Food Company were glad that we could be a part.  We look forward to a long and successful partnership.  Naturally Horton’s, Welcome to Louisville!

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Short Note From Monty’s Wife

By Dennis on October 10, 2009

Monty continues to show roses and continues to do so at a high level.  He has just returned from a show, and his wife sent me a quick update that I thought I would share.

 

Mont's Winning Denali rose

Monty's Winning Denali rose

Hi Price,

 

 

    Please forgive me if I’m repeating myself. 

   The district rose show was in Louisville this year…Tenarky.  People came from Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky. In each hybrid class a blue ribbon winner is selected.  Then they (the winning roses) are all placed on a table to compete against each other.  The Queen is the best rose in the show and King is the 2nd best rose.  Monty won KING with the rose Denali!!!  It was a really big deal.  I’m so proud of him and everyone was so nice.

                                               Love,

      Beck

Thank you Becky For keeping us informed and thanks for the picture. Good luck to Monty as he continues this fall show season.

Also, if you would like to send your pictures I would love to post them here and/or on the website.  Go ahead and show us your garden &  tell us your “Monty’s” story.

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Social Networking, Blogging, and E-mails comes to Monty’s

By Dennis on October 8, 2009

You know that place in your backyard that you have wanted to get looking  just right for years; that project in the garden that you always wanted to do, but haven’t had the time? Well, that is the way this whole internet/social networking/blogging business has been for us.

As the friendly neighborhood communications guy here at Monty’s, these were things I wanted to do, things I knew needed to be done, just never got around to. Well, we’ve gone and done it.

A few things you might be interested in:


Of course there’s the blog (as the palmolive lady “Madge” used to say, “You’re soaking in it) so please let your friends know about the blog and the information that we are trying to get out about gardening in general and about our products. Feel free to use the facebook link or the RSS feeds to share the content with your friends.

We have a facebook page, and we would love to have you join our community there. We will be featuring “How-To” videos and other educational information there as well as posts from our friends as they tour us around their garden. Join us on facebook, then pick up your camera and send us your video!

We have completely revamped our website. Take a look. Syd, our master gardener of the web world has created a site that is user friendly and very clean and easy to navigate. He did a lot of weed pulling and rearranging to get it looking that nice, so go take a stroll through the new site. While your there be sure to visit our Forum section (this is an interactive community so joinin the conversation or start your own thread), as well as our Garden Tips and Product Info.

Finally, we are also sending out the occasional e-mail to anyone who may be interested. So If you would like the latest product news, or would like to be included in new product tests and marketing panels, you would like coupons, or just stay in touch. Fill in the information, and will get you added right away. Just to let you know, we just sent out our first e-mails offering a free 32-ounce bottle of Monty’s Liquid Carbon as a thank you. If you want to be included in our next offer, make sure you send us the info.

Well, that’s about it for now. Just wanted to share with you what’s new in the garden. I look forward to talking more in the future as we continue to grow and expand. We want to make our little garden spot a truly interactive and fun community so stop by anytime.

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What can I over-seed my lawn with?

By Dennis on October 8, 2009

A family member sent me a post on my facebook account this afternoon asking me this question.   I wrote him a response (he lives in TN, so my answer was geared to southern climates) and thought I  would share it here since many of you may be wondering the same thing.  He specifically wanted to know if he should over-seed with tall fescue, a staple of southern yards.

 Tall fescue is a cool season grass, so it does well in spring and fall, and holds up pretty well late in the winter. But come summer it will brown off quickly in our hot drought conditions.

Bermuda is another common grass in this area.  It does very well late spring to very early fall and is green all summer but it is nasty brown from Oct-about May.  Plus, if you like to go barefoot in the spring, forget about it.  The rhizomes this stuff uses to reproduce get hard when they brown off and hurt tender feet.  But, you will have a nice lawn for summer BBQ’s. It looks really nice, it will get good and thick and it leaves a nice edge if you like to edge your lawn.  It will also hold up to wear and tear from kids and pets.

Bermuda problems part two.  You can’t get rid of the stuff.  Since it reproduces with rhizomes (runners) and seed heads, it will eventually choke out everything else and it will get places you would rather it did not.  It will come up through weed barriers and it will invade gardens.

Here’s what I do.  I seed mainly fescue, then over-seed in the early spring with Bermuda.  It will eventually take over, but until that happens it gives me year round color and keeps weeds at bay.  Once it does take over, tear up the yard, rake as much of the bermuda out as you can, sow fescue in the fall then lightly sow bermuda the following spring and repeat the process in another five years. It’s a hassle but it works

BTW..one last note on bermuda, DO NOT Compost with it or Mulch with it.  The seeds are very hardy and they will germinate in your flower beds.

If you don’t like the downside of bermuda, and you don’t mind brown grass in the summer or high water bills.  Then go with a rye/fescue/bluegrass mix for the yard and Saint Augustine (thick bladed, shade loving grass) in heavily shaded areas or around trees. I hope this helps.

If you have other thoughts or recommendations, feel free to share them in the comment section. I would love to hear your suggestions on southern lawns.

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