Growing ginger

Growing Ginger

If you live in a sub-tropical area and can find a market for your produce, I highly recommend you grow ginger.

Ginger is a valuable crop. In 2010 we planted 8 rows of ginger in an area 75 metres square. During April and May we have sold 300 bunches of ginger for a total return of $1200. This is a good return considering the amount of land devoted to growing and the relatively small amount of labour needed. Of course costs for fertilizer, manure, mulch and water have to be taken into account. The total cost for these would not exceed $50. The biggest cost is for labour. Labour is required for preparing the land, keeping weeds under control, harvesting and preparing the ginger for sale.

The size, smell and taste of ginger depends to a large extent on the fertility of the soil in which it is grown and the amount of water that is available, so it pays to really build soil fertility and organic matter as a first step and water once a week if it doesn't rain.

Ginger is a very hungry plant so ensure the ground is well fertilized at least 2 - 3 months prior to sowing. Add lime, an all purpose fertilizer, compost and a generous amount of animal manure to the soil and leave it to break down before planting your crop. Cover with mulch to prevent weeds growing.

Plant ginger in spring using rhizomes from the previous year's crop. Store these in dry potting mix in a box somewhere dark. In spring they will start to shoot. Each root will have several growing points. Cut the root into pieces ensuring that each piece contains at least one growing point. Scrape the mulch away, place each root piece 5 cm deep and 15 cm apart. Cover with soil and mulch the planting area generously.

The ginger will emerge shortly after planting. Keep the growing area weed free and add more mulch as it is needed. Ginger is a hardy plant and will require little maintenance apart from occasional "housekeeping" to remove weeds. Water once a week and add liquid fertilizer twice during the growth period. Harvest when the leaves start to turn yellow. Use a fork to dig up the whole plant. Remove the roots and cut off the stems. Store in a cool, dry place.

Ginger is a valuable food because it contains potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, silicon, vitamins B3 and B6. It also choline, pantothenic acid, citral, inosital, camphene and gingerol. It enhances digestion, stimulates appetite, alleviates headaches, colds and flu and reduces pain and swelling caused by rheumatoid arthritis. It reduces all symptoms associated with motion sickness and morning sickness during pregnancy.

Studies suggest that gingerols may inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells and kill ovanian cancer cells by inducing programmed cell death and cell self-digestion. Studies have also demonstrated that gingerols suppress production of pro-inflammatory compounds produced by cells in the lining of joints and joint cartilege.

Gingerols are also thought to be the reason why ginger reduces the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and cause improvement of mobility for arthritis sufferers.

Ginger significantly inhibits the production of nitric oxide, a highly reactive nitrogen molecule that quickly forms a very damaging free radical called peroxynitrite. It also lessens the rate of depletion of glutathione, one of the body's most important internally produced anti-oxidants.

Apart from using ginger in cooking you can use it as a tea or to make lemonade. When making ginger tea place very finely slices in boiling water for 10 minutes. Add honey to sweeten. To make ginger lemonade combine grated ginger, lemon juice, honey and water.

Here's a recipe for a delicious ginger sauce.
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of minced ginger in lemon juice, 1 bunch of coriander, 2 kaffir lime leaves, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon of chilli powder, 40 ml of coconut milk, ½ teaspoon of turmeric and
3 tablespoons of fish sauce

Place onion, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, chilli powder and roots of coriander in a food processor and blend. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook blended ingredients for 5 minutes. Add coconut, turmeric, lime and fish sauce and simmer for a further five minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves and pour over chicken breasts.

Written by Bev Buckley For more information visit Growing Healthy

Five steps to maximize productivity of fruit & nut trees.

1. You need to plan & prepare the soil first if you want maximum productivity. Waiting till you plant is far too late! Ideally you need to prepare the land where you plan to plant fruit or nut trees at least one year before planting. This is because it takes a year to change the soil. You need to put the appropriate fertilizers in the right quantity on the soil a year before planting as it takes the soil life a year to break down into plant food. This means you need a soil test to determine what the mineral deficiencies or excesses are, what your pH is, what the level of organic matter is etc. Once you put the fertilisers on the soil you need to do two other things to complete the preparation: (i) add lots of mulch, preferably wood chips or wood mulch;(ii) add microbes and fungi spores to increase the soil’s wildlife.
2. Two to three months before planting, put in sprinklers in an irrigation system, probably two sprinklers per tree to ensure both sides of the tree will get the essential watering it needs when there is insufficient rain.
3. Once you have acquired the young tree(s) the day you plant there is one more step to do to ensure success. You need to soak the roots in a nutrient-rich solution to promote root growth. There are many suitable solutions available on the market but a good one contains NPK, fulvic acid and a kelp solution.
4. When you plant the tree, you need to dig a hole at least twice the diameter of the container the plant comes in. Do not use a posthole digger for this, as it would compact the soil and make it difficult for the young roots to grow and spread out. When you put the plant in the hole, you only need water and no fertilizer (as you should have all the fertilizer you need from step 1).In the area around the plant you need to put very friable quality soil or peat moss so that the roots can grow outwards easily.
5. The first seven weeks after planting are crucial; you need maximum root growth to achieve the eventual maximum above ground growth and productivity. These 7 weeks determine the eventual size and productivity of the tree. All that is needed in this period if you have prepared properly is water and loving care to ensure it is not harmed by the elements e.g if it is windy, stake the tree. After 7 weeks you can start a monthly program of adding liquid fertilizers. If you want great results, you should do a leaf test after 2 or 3 months and spray on the leaves what is indicated by the leaf test as needed. Once a year do a soil test to determine what granular fertilizers are needed to replace what has been leached out or removed by the trees.
Written by Geoff Buckley, partner in Growing Healthy. For more information go to http://www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com/. (511 words).

Weed Control

Weed Control.

Two organic weed control strategies are:
* the heavy use of mulch reduces weed growth significantly.
* remove weeds before they go to seed.
The key thing is that most of us realize is that herbicides are expensive and cause harm to people, plants,animals, birds, water & soil life. We used to think we had a real weed problem until we visited one of Australia's largest organic farms where we were told that their wages bill for people to weed was over $125,000 per year. They pull out weeds by hand with teams of "weeders". After learning that, our weed problems faded into insignificance.Weeding is a chore. There's absolutely no doubt about that. Weeds are probably the organic gardener's greatest enemy. They use up nutrients, and smother plants. If allowed to go to seed, they proliferate with amazing speed. But what you need to understand about weeds is that when they are a real problem it is a sign that vital nutrients are missing. The purpose of weeds is nutrient recycling. With long roots, they bring up nutrients from deep down in the soil. Pull them up and use them, as nutrient-rich mulch.Particular weeds definitely grow in response to the structure, texture and fertility of the soil. For example, where there is a calcium deficiency there are millions of dandelions and "farmers friends". Many weeds grow best in poor, infertile soil, since the basic cause of most weed problems is wrong soil conditions. So the best organic weed control system is to learn how to build healthy balanced soil and to maintain it. Part of this is developing the soil food web(bacteria,fungi,worms) to improve the soil structure and indirectly help fight weeds by helping crop plants grow better.
Some plants & trees have enough leaves to restrict weed growth. The best organic weed control strategy is to plant vegetables closely together so that they shade the ground. You can do this when you have very high levels of nutrients and organic matter in the soil.Some small-scale commercial farmers use plastic sheeting or old carpeting to control weeds but this is a problem in that they stop sunlight, water and fertilizer from penetrating and without these, the soil dies. Carpets have poisons that leach into the soil.One of our key organic weed control strategies is to use cardboard and newspapers covered in mulch between my rows of vegetables and fruit trees. Both these substances break down over time and add cellulose, a natural wood-based substance, to the soil so that mulching has a dual purpose: it stops weeds and it add organic matter to the soil.The good news is that as the mineral balance and organic matter levels in the soil improve, weeds become less of a problem and easier to pull out. Composting, mulching and worm trenching are the other main organic weed control strategies I use which, at the same time, build organic matter. To summarise the best strategies for organic weed control are:
Remove weeds before they go to seed
Build the soil organic matter
Build soil nutrient level and ensure all the elements are present and in the correct balance
Use cardboard, newspaper and mulch to shut out light
Pull out weeds when they are small and loosen soil around plants to disturb the roots of newly emerging weeds.
Make sure your compost is properly aerated, moistened and hot enough to kill all weed seeds and pathogens.
Don’t throw away weeds: use them as mulch; they contain the missing nutrients you need to improve your organic soil.
Learn to enjoy your weeds!! Weeding can actually be a very meditative and soothing process if you allow yourself to let go the judgement around weeds. In the Healthy Growing programme you will find some fascinating insights into the role of weeds in restoring soil fertility and balance. Weeds actually have a very important role in nature. For more information go to www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com

Secrets of fertilising

Secrets of Fertilising.

Your role is to maintain the level of organic matter; mainly by supplying mulch and compost. You also feed the soil-life natural elements (eg calcium, magnesium, potassium, silicon and boron) and they convert these into plant food.

There are three ways to fertilise:

1.Granules on the ground—this is the most important and essential method. Granules have the best longterm impact in that they can affect a change in the soil balance and pH. However it may take up to a year for that impact to take effect, as the granules have to first be converted into plant food by the wild life living in the organic matter in the soil.

2.Liquid fertiliser on the ground--- this has a much quicker impact on the plant but has less longterm impact. It can be done quickly and efficiently with a fertigation system built into the irrigation system.

3.Foliar spray onto the leaves---this is the quickest way to affect the plant and the fruit or vegetable. It is almost immediate in its impact and is therefore an excellent way to improve the size and quality of the current crop. You do a leaf analysis to identify any deficiencies and can correct them straightaway.

It is therefore recommended that:
(i) a spray unit for foliar spraying of nutrients be used, and
(ii) a fertigation system be added to the irrigation system for effective and efficient fertilising with liquid fertilisers (obtainable from Nutri-Tech).

N.B. It is highly desirable to use all three of the above methods. Whilst many people only do number one, this does not take into account the fact that different crops take different elements out of the soil in varying quantities and heavy rain can leach many minerals during the year. Vegetables have a much shorter cycle than fruit trees and to save a crop or to ensure that it is good quality, size and quantity you need to keep feeding plants frequently. Like humans they benefit from regular feeding in small amounts, not large amounts infrequently.

What do you fertilise with:
What your soil test identifies as necessary
What your leaf tests identify as necessary.
Compost
Microbes and fungi.
Basic equipment needed: watering can and maybe a backpack
Desirable equipment: sprinklers and a fertigation unit.
For more information go to www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com

What you need to know to make big money planting vegetables.
What if climate change, peak oil and escalating world population cause increasing food shortages and escalating food prices? Growing your own food reduces the risks for you and your family & friends. Planting vegetables now is increasingly important. Selling surplus food is a reliable way to make money. We provide a step by step plan to maximize your income from growing.

The key factors that affect profitability when planting vegetables, fruit, herbs, nuts and berries are:
1.Your choice of crops is fundamental to your financial success.
2.The market demand for the crops you select and your ability to reach that market.
3. Marketing crops is just as important as in any business and choosing the right marketing strategy is crucial.
4. You need to be able to grow the crops.
5. Your climate and growing season make a big difference.
6. Costs e.g. mulch, fertilizers, watering, composting, transport, electricity, packing….. In most countries however the biggest cost is labour. Here the less developed countries like India, China and Africa have a big cost advantage.

Actual examples of planting vegetables to make money.

Some crops are hugely more profitable than others e.g. most fruit trees have only one crop every 12 months—but not all of them! Planting vegetables can be amazingly rewarding e.g. we pick rhubarb from the one plant every 5 or 6 weeks giving us 8 crops a year from each plant! There are other vegetables we pick even more times a year. Temperature has a major impact on growth—too hot or too cold stops growth dead in its tracks for most plants. So if you are in an area that gets extreme hot temperatures (over 30 degrees C) you can improve production by planting vegetables in a shadehouse in the summer. Depending on the size of the area you grow in this can be a small homemade device with cloth draped over wood or plastic poles or a large walk in shadehouse with sprinklers. If you live in cold climates that get frosts or snow, then you can improve productivity and lengthen your growing season by planting vegetables in a greenhouse in the winter. Another recommendation is to choose crops with the shortest time from planting to maturity because time and cashflow are major factors in profitability. So how about these:

Radish 6 to 7 weeks from planting to maturity

Buttonsquash 7 weeks

Zucchini 7 to 8 weeks

Silver beet 8 weeks

Broccoli 9 to 10 weeks

Carrots 10 to 11 weeks
The exact time will vary slightly with different varieties and the weather. Clearly with a short growing period like these crops above, you can be planting vegetables several times a year. This demonstrates vividly why good information in planting vegetables makes a huge difference to the results you achieve. Planting vegetables to make money needs to be addressed as a business; as we have seen there are many factors affecting your success. We can show you the way based on years of practical experience.
For more information go to http://www.growinghealthyorganicfood.com/