Cold Times — How to Prepare for the Mini Ice Age Read online

  Application times of fertilizers/composts vary, but in general natural amendments can be worked into the soil before planting, then “side dressed,” that is, put next to plants but not directly on them, before they flower and then again as the fruit matures. Don’t fertilize after mid to late summer, because it can trigger the plants to grow when they should be getting ready to go dormant for winter.

  When fertilizer components are scarce, the old timey method of using what is in the outhouse, humanure, can fill the ticket. Humanure must be well aged and composted and shouldn’t have much more odor than a barn does. You probably shouldn’t use it on leafy vegetables like lettuce, simply because it will be touching your food directly and that’s a way to pass disease. Better on fruit trees. This is also a wonderful additive when you make compost.

  Another way to fertilize plants is to make “manure tea,” which is exactly what it sounds like. Livestock manure is placed into a bucket, and then the bucket is filled with water. Leave it for several days until the water is smelly. Pour this on the ground around the base of plants, avoiding the leaves. It’s very quick acting, and you can practically see the plants perk up. The odor can be quite strong and rather unpleasant, so don’t be surprised.

  One of the very best animal manures is rabbit poo pellets. They are low odor, can be put directly around plants. It won’t “burn” the plant, and is high in nitrogen. Use sparingly or not at all on your potatoes, or you’ll grow large tops and no tubers.

  Right now is the time to acquire several 25 pound bags of commercial fertilizer at a farm/feed store. It comes in at different strengths of NPK: 6-6-6, 10-10-10, and 13-13-13. The numbers show the relative amount of each nutrient in the fertilizer. Generally, the 10-10-10 fertilizer is adequate for normal garden soil.

  The price of bags of fertilizer at feed stores is much lower than compared to buying comparable amounts in smaller boxes at box stores, and it will keep in dry storage well into the coming Zen and Hang-on periods. This is an important backup food-security item.

  Keep in mind that commercial chemical fertilizers do not improve soil. They only give the short term nutrition plants need to grow for a season. The way to improve garden soil long term is by routine application of compost, turning under all the garden leftovers, and growing “cover crops” such as clovers or beans that are also turned under into the soil before planting. You can use commercial fertilizers along with composts, teas, comfrey, and cover cropping, phasing out the commercial fertilizer as your soil improves over several years.

  Dealing With Insects

  The many possible types of garden pests that are significant to agriculture are, literally, encyclopedic. The vast majority of these pests cause “cosmetic” damage – that is, holes or tunnels in fruit or on leaves – that would make the produce unsellable in current commercial markets BUT that don’t necessarily make the food inedible. Yes, finding a green caterpillar in a salad is pretty icky, but the salad is still safe to eat. So is the caterpillar, for that matter.

  I’m saying this, in part, to assure you that good food doesn’t have to be completely without blemish or even moderate insect damage. Prior to the 20th century, undamaged fruit was the rarity. There’s a reason that old folks used their pocket knives to cut apples and peaches before eating them, and it didn’t have to do with their false teeth. After you’ve chomped into an apple and found half a worm, that pocket knife becomes an important part of meal preparation.

  There are some garden pests, though, that can decimate your crops. Japanese beetles, for instance, are notorious for buzzing in like an invading army just when fruit is ripening and consuming everything in sight. Squash bugs infest young zucchini and pumpkins, and bring diseases that kill the plant before fruit have a chance to get going. Hordes of blister beetles can strip tomato plants leafless in a day. Locust eat everything. There’s lots of others.

  The modern approach is to blast the bugs with poisonous pesticides. Of course, these have side effects – killing all bugs including valuable and important honeybees rather than just the ones you want to kill, runoff going into rivers and killing fish, fumes making the farmer sick – and they are all commercially manufactured. Nothing “organic” to see here, either.

  Now, I am largely an “organic” grower. Keeping soil healthy, according to organic philosophy, grows healthy plants that are less attractive to bugs. We use compost and manure to fertilize the garden and tend to prefer to grow hardy plants that are, themselves, not terribly attractive to insects. Even so, if the garden is under attack, from insects or larger critters, the problem must be removed. I’ve used both organic and commercial means.

  A grower may be willing to accept the risks and side effects of herbicides and pesticides in exchange for getting a nice crop, but once we have been Zen-slapped, the ability to get those chemicals may decline. Especially for the small backyard grower. I would guess that in the event of shortages or prices hikes, preference will be given to large commercial farms first anyway.

  Because extensive insect damage can cost your entire harvest, I would encourage you to store a significant supply of common pesticides, such as Sevin (carbaryl), a broad-spectrum killer. Acquire both powdered and liquid forms, so you can dust affected crops or just spot-spray if needed.

  Also get a few hand-pumped sprayers, and set them back for use later. They don’t have to be large; 1-gallon is plenty good sized when you’re carrying it around; even a used household sprayer like the kind used for window cleaners will work too. Mark each sprayer with what you’ve used in it. Use a different sprayer for each pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer and label them – residues left over from one herbicide spraying can still damage your plants.

  Another useful commercial killer is Bacillus Thuringensis (BT), generally sold as Dipel powder in 1-pound cardboard canisters – this is actually a bacteria that causes chewing worms like tomato horn worms and cabbage worms, for example, to stop eating and die. They have to actually consume some of this powder in order for it to affect them, and the worms can still eat for a while after getting a fatal dose. Most worms can be picked off by hand, too, so BT is merely a stopgap measure if your garden is really overwhelmed.

  Rotenone powder, made from a tropical plant, can be useful as well, and has broad-spectrum bug killing properties. It is very toxic and will kill lake fish, but has a short life and sunlight destroys its effects.

  Thinking ahead, when the weather becomes markedly colder, there will probably be seasons when insects are reduced. The cold will kill overwintering eggs and reduce other plants the insects need in order to function. You may have some years when the garden is almost free of bug problems. On the other hand, when temperatures rise during warm spells, the insects may be out in force, overwhelming areas in which they might have previously just been a casual resident. Once you’ve used up your supply of Sevin and whatever other chemicals you have stored, what then?

  Once again, we turn back to how things were done before commercial products entered our food chain. Tobacco, for example, is a potent insecticide. As few as 3 tablespoons of dried tobacco, the equivalent of four or five cigarettes, soaked in a gallon of water until it makes a light brown “backy tea”, is a deadly insect spray that kills every bug it touches. The key ingredient is the nicotine. If you get this spray on your skin, wash it off with soap and water immediately. This is a spot spray product. Don’t cover your entire garden with it, just the areas of high infestation.

  Soap sprays have been used for at least two centuries to control some insects. Researchers believe these work by disrupting insects’ cellular metabolism. Some of the most unpleasant pests, such as Japanese Beetles, are very susceptible to soaps; bees are less susceptible. The insects have to be thoroughly wet for the spray to be effective. The spray doesn’t have a residual effect, so you have to treat repeatedly to catch the bugs you missed. Ideally, any plant that gets hit by the spray would be washed off within a couple hours, because soaps can damage some plants. Tomatoes can’t tol
erate soap sprays at all. Consider treating early or late in the day when plants have a little dew on them, as well, to help protect the plants themselves, and never use during the hot sunny parts of the day.

  Commercially-manufactured soap sprays are still available right now, but you can make your own. For one gallon of spray, use about 5 tablespoons of grated hand soap flakes. Castile soap or Ivory brand, or perhaps a plain unscented homemade soap can be used. Mix and mash the flakes with a little water to make a paste. Dilute that paste with a gallon of water. That should give you about a 2% soap solution. Spray on a discrete area of plants that will be treated, and check for damage in 24-36 hours. If the plant handles it, go ahead and get your bugs.

  Insects that are most easily disposed of with soap spray are soft bodied types such as aphids, scales, whiteflies, psyllids, and mealybugs; plus the aforementioned Japanese beetles and boxelder bugs. It’s not so useful on larger critters such as caterpillars and beetle larva – but it’s pretty harmless to beneficials including bees, lady bugs and green lacewings, too.

  Don’t use liquid hand soaps or dish detergents. They are too harsh on plants. In fact, if you want to kill plants in an area, go ahead and use some diluted household detergent spray on them; not all plants are susceptible, but some will dry up as if you used herbicides.

  Another option is “bacterial warfare,” something like using BT. Basically, when your garden is under insect attack, you merely collect a couple cups of the bugs – squash bugs, caterpillars, whatever is bothering your plants. Smash, or blend if you have a blender you can dedicate to this task, all the bugs in some water. Then, add about a gallon of water to the mix. Leave this sitting out for several days, until it smells awful. Strain out the bug bits, and spray the “bug tea” on the offenders. The theory is that any bacteria the original insects carried gets magnified and intensified, so that the brew becomes a source of disease to the insects involved. Do not try this with insects that potentially carry human-affecting diseases, such as flies or cockroaches – it could make you sick. Don’t try this with insects that excrete toxins, either, such as blister beetles – you just spread that toxin around where it can affect you more readily.

  A tried-and-true method for ridding your plantings of nasty bugs is to “hand pick,” just what it sounds like. Take a large can, #10 size, and put about an inch of water in the bottom. Add a tablespoon or two of used oil, motor oil or cooking oil is fine, and a dash of alcohol. Don’t use your good drinking stuff – cheap Ever Clear or rubbing alcohol is good enough. Carry this with you in the garden. Wear gardening gloves. Put the can beneath an infested plant, and tap on the plant so the bugs fall into the can. Or pick bugs and drop them in the can. The oil/alcohol mix stuns and suffocates the insects, and they end up in the bottom of the can. You may need a partial cover, such as foil or a cut plastic lid, if the bugs are fliers. Shake the can to get your liquids on insects as they move in the can. When you’ve filled the can or cleared the garden, dump the can where runoff won’t end up on your plants. If you have a burn pit to dispose of unwanted trash, dump the contents there and light a fire. This is better if you have several people working on it – plenty of opportunity for light conversation while the unpleasant job is done.

  The old recommendation, which I still see in places, of introducing chickens or guineas or geese to the garden to “eat bugs” is simply wrong-headed. Each of these will also eat your ripe strawberries, tomatoes, melons, and anything else that might be tasty, along with the insects. Turning chickens into the garden areas in the fall to scratch and cleanup bug eggs and whatever remains is probably a good idea (some people will turn in pigs for the same reason) but don’t do it if you still have edibles growing.

  A Word About Weeds

  A weed, according to the philosopher, is any plant in a place you don’t want it. In other words, it might still be something you can eat. Many common weedy plants – dandelion, lamb’s quarters, wild mustard – are all perfectly edible and highly nutritious and if picked when young and tender are quite tasty.

  Pick a quart or so of yellow dandelion flowers, rinse to remove “thrip” insects, pat dry, dip in pancake or tempura batter and deep fry to a golden brown – the flavor is a little like asparagus – absolutely delicious, filled with nutrients, organic, and low cost. The young leaves make a fine spring salad addition, and the roots can be roasted, dried, and powdered to add to coffee to stretch your supply.

  Lamb’s quarters are a relative of amaranth, high in protein, with a delicate almost nutty flavor. Young leaves make an outstanding salad ingredient, and older leaves can be chopped and added to soups or stews. Dry extras to add to winter meals. Make a “spinach” lasagna with lamb’s quarters leaves instead – no one will be the wiser. Or fry young leaves with a little bacon for a tasty greens side dish.

  Wild mustard is mild flavored with a gentle cabbage or mustard undercurrent. Once again, a delicious addition to a big salad; can be pan fried or used in soups or stews, and the pretty yellow flower heads make tasty garnishes.

  Of course, there’s lots of other weeds you don’t want growing up among your garden plants – they take up space that could be used by something edible, and make the garden messy and harder to work in.

  At this time, tilling with a small rotary machine is one way to keep the weeds down between the rows. You’ll have to do this every couple of weeks to keep ahead of the weeds.

  “Weed reducing” fibers, which come in 25’ or longer rolls, can be laid out to suppress some weeds, especially when covered with gravel or mulch chips. These last about a season and are only moderately effective; grasses get through this. The fibers will interfere with tilling when you clean up the garden in the fall, and will have to be pulled up unless you have permanent paths in your garden.

  Mulching heavily with cardboard, newspaper, wood chips, also works very well, plus, these will break down over time and help nourish earthworms. Mulch unfortunately also makes a comfortable residence for mice and insect pests, so keep that in mind.

  And then there is hoeing weeds. This is the time-tested traditional method that works super-effectively since it kills everything it touches, and even helps suppress some insect pests. The downside is that it’s not fast or fun, and it has to be done almost every time you are in the garden.

  That said, get a good, lightweight hoe. An “onion hoe” like this one is my favorite for lightness, speed, and agility. Then use it to gently chop the weed stem right at the soil line. Don’t slam it or bang away, just a gentle rhythmic motion around and between your growing plants. Ten minutes of hoeing a day will keep most of the weeds under control, give you a mild workout, and help you keep track of the condition of your plants.

  Warning: if you don’t get ahead of the weeds in the spring, they will get ahead of you and your garden will turn into a jungle by mid-summer.

  Small Orchards

  Tree fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots, lemons, oranges, and quinces are familiar, tasty, and wonderful sources of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C. Many varieties of apples can be stored in a cool cellar and will be available for “fresh” eating throughout the winter. Other fruits can be preserved as jams, jellies, pie fillings, wines, and various kinds of sweet condiments.

  Fruit trees generally are low-care, requiring a little trimming during the winter, fertilizer in the spring and summer, some attention to insect and disease prevention – and then you can harvest a hundred pounds or more from a mature tree. Over the course of a season, each tree probably will require less than an hour of individual attention. So, for the amount of effort, production can be outstanding.

  At this time, that is.

  I honestly cannot say how modern fruit trees will fare during extended cold and uneven weather. Virtually all commercial varieties have been developed during the past several generations of unusually mild, warm and stable weather. Nearly all of them are dependent on repeated seasonal spraying for insects and diseases, with a few exceptions.


  At this time, heavy ice storms snap off branches; late frosts kill flower buds and destroy entire harvests overnight; hail storms in mid-summer knocks fruit down or bruises it so that it rots; early frost damages fruit just as it is ready to harvest. We must expect that these “normal” events are likely to become more severe in the next few years, with some unexpected strangeness thrown in – such as high ultra violet rays from the sun burning leaves and fruit. Just as when raising garden plants, having the ability to be agile in your adaptation to conditions may mean the difference for you and yours. It’s just sensible to have a Plan B, C, D, E, and F for your Plan A.

  If you already have growing fruit trees, make sure they are well pruned so that branch structure is strong and will resist breaking in high winds or when burdened by ice or snow. Consider adding some potted mini and citrus trees to keep in a greenhouse or indoors during very poor weather years.