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The Rural Voice, 1979-10, Page 48Gardening Compost: conditioner and fertilizer "Compost" is a mixture of rotting organic matter, both plant and animal, prepared to be added to the soil as a conditioner and fertilizer. It is made of materials available in the home and garden and is economical and effective. Compost is beneficial to all parts of the garden. When worked well into the soil, compost has an amazing capacity for holding water and dissolved nutrients. One important function is providing aeration down in the area of the growing roots. Materials for the compost are placed in a heap as they become available. Scraps from the kitchen - peelings of fruit and vegetables, egg shells and other wastes (except fat ).Garden cuttings may be lawn clippings, old potted soil, leaves, prunings from herbaceous plants, sawdust, peat) barnyard and chicken manure, old sods and all plant and animal wastes. Make sure there are no fats of any kind, diseased plants, those with ripe seeds, pine needles, woody branches, or troublesome weeds such as quackgrass and chickweed used. There is no special recipe for making a compost; the size of the heap may vary and depends upon the debris available and the size of the garden. It can be made by merely piling the material and keeping it moist. A good program for composting is to choose a location, partly shaded and away from view of the ornamental grounds. Remove about one foot of soil from a plot roughly 4 feet wide and 6 feet long. Erect sides of boards, poultry netting or metal to form a retaining bin, about 4 feet high. Fill the pit to ground level with pieces of sod, marsh hay and other coarse stuff. The second layer about 6 inches deep should be made of weeds, garbage, prunings and clippings. Next spread a cupful either of ammonium sulphate or ammonium phosphate over the top. To make layer 3 shovel in about 3 inches of soil, sand or peat, so that the surface slopes slightly down toward the center. Add water to moisten but do not soak to sogginess. Layer 4 is of barnyard manure, leaf mold, peat moss and trash to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Tramp down moderately and add more water. Continue adding layers as before until the bin is filled. Cover with 3 inches of sandy • soil or peat moss. (Do not use bog peat as it is without fiber and is inert.) After three months of summer, the compost heap will have shrunk to half its size as the bacteria and enzymes act on the organic ingredients. Sometimes it is desir- able to fork over the pile after about 6 weeks to assure uniform ripening and to hasten the rotting of fibres. A year for complete decomposition is recommended. Slugs spoil flowers and vegetables The lowly slug can cause serious harm in home gardens, especially during wet fall weather. Bites out of leaves and tender shoots indicate the slug's trail. Slugs feed on many vegetables and flowers. Tomatoes, cabbage, beans, corn, petunias, zinnia, and salvia sometimes fall to their appetities. Because slugs move at night, many gardeners do not suspect them as the cause of plant injury. During prolonged wet weather or where gardens are watered frequently, it may be necessary to use slug baits on susceptible plants. Professor H . W .Goble, advisor to the Pest Diagnositic and Advisory Clinic, University of Guelph, says metaldehyde is an effective slug control. The poison is available as a prepared bait, pellet, dust or spray. Follow the label directions carefully. "For best results, apply the poison on a warm, moist night, when the slugs are most active," says Prof. Goble. "Repeat the treatment five days later to catch remaining slugs." More applications may be needed if slugs are plentiful and continue their damage. Place the bait as close as possible to the plants, but do not spray or dust edible parts. To discourage slugs from making their home in your back garden, discard PG. 46 THE RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1979 decaying plant material, boxes, sacks, and other materials that offer protection. These are favorite breeding places. Trim rank grass and weeds along fences and ditches beside the garden. In a small area, traps or barriers can be used to protect special plants. Boards larger than 15 cm (6 i.n..) square are effective traps when laid flat on the ground in or adjacent to the area to be protected. Slugs should be removed from underneath the board each morning and destroyed. For extra control, sprinkle slug bait on the ground, and place the board on top of the bait. Fly screening about 10 cm (4 in.) wide provides the best barrier when pushed 5 cm - 2 in.) into the soil around the plant. These methods provide partial control for this recurring pest. Interested in indoor gardening ? Would you like to turn your "brown thumb" into a "green thumb? Would you like to learn more about decorating with plants (e.g. making dish gardens, terrariumsl)? Would you like to learn how to make attractive macrame plant hangers? If so, the Indoor Gardening program sponsored by the Home Economics Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture & Food is for you. Knowing the basics of plant culture will give you a better understanding of how to raise plants and how to feel comfortable growing them. So, if your group (whether an organized one or just an informal group consisting of a few interested friends) wishes to partic- ipate, send one or preferably two leaders to a two-day leaders' workshop where he/she will obtain the members' pamphlets and learn all the necessary information and skills needed to teach their respective groups. The date for the workshops are as follows: Clinton - Mon. & Tues., October 15th & 16th, 1979 - 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Wingham - Mon. & Tues., October 22nd & 23rd, 1979 - 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Exeter - Wed. & Thurs., October 24th & 25th, 1979 - 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Although there is no cost for the program, interested groups should register by October 4th, 1979 by contacting Miss Brenda Kisyk, Acting Home Economist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture & Food, Box 159, Clinton, Ontario, NOM 1L0 (or telephone 482-3428 or Zenith 7-2800). Further information will be given at time of registration.