1. Organic Gardening

2.  Rodale’s  The organic gardener’s bible  http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/ http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/

3. National Organic Program Developed national organic standards and established an organic certification program http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop

4. National Organic Program Organic crops are raised without most conventional pesticides petroleum-based fertilizers sewage sludge-based fertilizers

5. National Organic Program Prohibits GMOs As a general rule, natural substances are allowed Synthetic substances prohibited

6. Does Natural Mean Organic? Natural and organic are not interchangeable Free-range, hormone-free, and natural don't mean “organic”

7. Certification Accredited by USDA-accredited certifying agents The information an applicant must submit organic system plan substances used record keeping

8. Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) National nonprofit organization that determines which products are allowed for use in organic production OMRI products http://www.omri.org/

9. Crop Scheduling  Burpee  http://www.burpee.com/gygg/growingCal endarWithZipCode.jsp?catid=1000&_reques tid=647487 http://www.burpee.com/gygg/growingCal endarWithZipCode.jsp?catid=1000&_reques tid=647487  Southeastern States  http://www.thegrower.com/south-east- vegetable-guide/pdf/ http://www.thegrower.com/south-east- vegetable-guide/pdf/  Clemson  http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pl ants/vegetables/gardening/hgic1256.html http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pl ants/vegetables/gardening/hgic1256.html

10. Log Gardening  Hugelkultur  Bury logs in a mound  Retain moisture  Decomposition provides  Nutrients  Aeration  Boosts microorganisms

11. Heirloom Plants  Open-pollinated  Grown in an “earlier era”  Before 1951, before hybridization became popular  Better flavor

12. Cover Crop  http://www.clemson.edu/sustainableag/I P024_covercrop.pdf http://www.clemson.edu/sustainableag/I P024_covercrop.pdf

13. Cover Crop Catch Crop  Reduce nutrient leaching

14. Cover Crop Improve soil  Increases organic matter in soil  Improves soil structure  Increases microbial activity

15. Cover Crop Nature’s fertilizers  Nitrogen production from legumes  Clover, beans, peas, vetch

16. Cover Crop Rooting can aerate soil  Blue lupine a biological plow in compacted soils

17. Cover Crop Weed suppression  Smother weeds  Allelopathic effects  Inhibit or slow growth of weeds by releasing natural toxins, or allelochemicals  Small grains (rye), sorghum, sudangrass

18. Companion Planting Certain combinations have synergistic effects  Improve growth  Prevent pests  Attract beneficials

19. Companion Planting  Rose and garlic  Tomatoes and cabbage  Corn and beans

20. Crop Rotation  Don’t grow the same crop in the same soil year after year

21. Crop Rotation  The longer the rotation, the better the results  4-year rotation: Corn, soybeans, oats, alfalfa  Break up insect and disease life cycles  Reduce weeds  Improve soil nutrition

22. Crop Rotation  Iowa State University  Marsden Farm rotation experiment started in 2003  The longer rotations produced better yields  Reduced fertilizer/herbicides up to 88%  http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/201 2/10/19/a-simple-fix-for- food/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=tru e&_type=blogs&_r=1 http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/201 2/10/19/a-simple-fix-for- food/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=tru e&_type=blogs&_r=1

23. Organic v. Conventional  Standford study suggests no health benefit  However, do recognize reduced exposure to synthetic pesticides, growth hormones and GMO  http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/septe mber/organic.html http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2012/septe mber/organic.html

24.  http://gothamgreens.com/our-farm/

25.  http://brightfarms.com/s/#!/retail_partner s

26. Vegetable Gardening  Minimum of six hours of sunlight  Best with eight to ten hours  Leafy crops, like lettuce, are more tolerant of shade

27. Three Sister’s Garden  Sweet corn planted first  Green beans planted a week later  Climb the corn stalks  Beans are legumes  Fix nitrogen

28. Three Sister’s Garden  Squash planted a week later between the corn and beans to shade out weeds

29. Square Foot Gardening  Grid pattern to conserve space  Often raised beds  http://timssquarefootgarden.com http://timssquarefootgarden.com

36. Organic Gardening Compost  Yard and food wastes make up approximately 30% of the waste stream in the United States

37. Compost  Transforming organic matter into soil-like material  Invertebrates (insects and earthworms) and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi)

38. Compost Improves  Aeration  Water retention  Increase microbes

39. Compost  Fast or active composting done in 2 to 6 weeks

40. Carbon-to-Nitrogen(C:N)  Bacteria and fungi digest carbon as an energy source and ingest nitrogen for protein synthesis  Carbon, the "food"  Nitrogen, the digestive enzymes

41. Carbon-to-Nitrogen(C:N)  Brown  Carbon  Green  Nitrogen

42. Carbon-to-Nitrogen(C:N)  30:1 (carbon to nitrogen) (Clemson)  30 pounds of carbon for every 1 pound of nitrogen  Another source reports 4 parts brown to 1 part green

43. Carbon-to-Nitrogen(C:N)  Too much carbon, turns cold  Too much nitrogen, stinks (ammonia gas)

44. Carbon-to-Nitrogen(C:N)  Carbon are “browns”  Leaves  Dried grass clippings  Straw  Sawdust (moderation)  Nitrogen are “greens”  Fresh grass clippings  Fresh manure  Kitchen scraps (fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags)

45. Materials to NOT Compost  Meat  Attract scavengers  Ashes from grill  Dog and cat feces  Disease risk  And it stinks

46. Surface Area  Decomposition takes place when particle surfaces are in contact with air  Chopping, shredding, mowing, or breaking up the material  Increased surface area increases decomposition  And heat

47. Aeration  Decomposition consumes oxygen  Aerobic decomposition  Anaerobic decomposition occurs with low oxygen  Stinks  Turn pile frequently  Pitchfork

48. Moisture  Moisture content of 40-60 percent  Below 40%, microbial activity slows  Above 60%, anaerobic decomposition

49. Temperature  Microorganisms generate heat as they decompose organic material  90F to 140F is ideal  Activity slows down if too low or too high

50. Vermicomposting  Worm composting  Redworms  50F to 70F

51. Vermicomposting  Worms transform food wastes into nutrient- rich "castings“  http://www.unclejimswormfarm.com http://www.unclejimswormfarm.com

52. Vermicomposting  Box or bin along with "bedding" of shredded cardboard and/or paper moistened to about 75% water content

53. Vermicomposting  Consume four to six pounds of food scraps per week  About four to six months, the worms will have converted all of the bedding into "castings"

54. Compost Tea  Soaking bag of compost in a bucket of water for an hour  Water soluble nutrients and beneficial microorganisms leach out  Boost microorganisms in soil

60.  http://europeangarden.com/aerobin400. aspx http://europeangarden.com/aerobin400. aspx

74. http://grist.org/locavore/for-new-yorkers-a- farmers-market-on-your-phone/

122.  http://afristarfoundation.org/educational- resources/ http://afristarfoundation.org/educational- resources/

123.  http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la -sci-gmo-food-safety-studies- 20121025,0,2357100.story http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la -sci-gmo-food-safety-studies- 20121025,0,2357100.story