Answers for your Questions

(I have at least 100 of these.)
Q. About organic seeds

I get most of my seeds from www.groworganic.com.
More and more retailers are carrying organic seeds, but be sure you see the "Certified Organic" emblem on the package. Man has not genetically modified any that are “certified organic”.
Such certification even precludes hybrid seeds, of which I do use some. They may be organically grown, but as they're a hybrid, they can't be certified as "organic."
One of my favorite things is yellow zucchini. I don't like green, but love the yellow--which is a hybrid.
I also get some seeds from www.totallytomatoes.com, but many of theirs are also hybrids. They do carry a variety of certified organic seeds as well.
I think both companies are extremely ethical.

Q. About legumes
* Alfalfa hay will serve just as well as legumes. I'd use about 1 lb. per sq. ft. of bed surface area. It's hard to dig in, but don't worry about it all being covered. You'll have some stems and strands of it here and there on the surface-no worries. If you can dig in 2 lbs. per sq. ft., so much the better. If you thoroughly shake it up as you spread it over the surface it will be easier to dig into the soil. After digging it in, thoroughly saturate the bed, and if you can cover it with 6 ml clear plastic for a week or two, sealing the edges as well as you can so that the heat build up doesn't escape, it will really speed up the composting of the alfalfa. You can get the 6 ml clear plastic in the paint section - under drop cloths. Be sure you get the 6 ml. The box contains a sheet 10' X 25,' in a roll. I re-use it and it generally holds up for 2-3 seasons before it starts to break down. Clear plastic allows the suns rays to radiate deeply into the soil, while the black plastic only heats the surface.
* I'd mix any kind of compost-the cheapest is about as good as the most expensive, and even though the label says "Organic," it isn't--about half and half with bags of topsoil. Again with top soil, I wouldn't fall for the promo. Nobody regulates compost or topsoil to certify that it's organic. I'd try to buy any that comes from a reputable source. You'll be okay with that. Then mix in your alfalfa, the meals as below and you'll be fine.
* Mr. Bartholomew may not be aware that the roots of most vegetables are within 12" of the surface. If you have 2' of topsoil, you'll be much better off. Realize that if you put the mixture he calls for to a depth of 6", by the end of the season that 6" will have settled to 3". That also means that 2 ft. of mix described above will settle to about 15-18" by the end of the season. Vermiculite and all the "lites" have no nutrient value to the soil. Alfalfa hay will accomplish the same purpose of creating air space and moisture retention.
* This year I'm using "Super Guano" for nitrogen, and "fish bone meal" for phosphorous and calcium. The kelp meal is very important for the loads of trace minerals-mostly long absent from our soils generally. I get all of those from www.groworganic.com I buy it in quantities that last for 2-3 yrs, for the economy of it, but you may not have storage space to do that.
* If you use plenty of alfalfa, no worries about the worms. They love the stuff, and believe me, they'll find it. I've never worried about the worms, never added any, etc.
* I've tried the various brands of drip equipment, but the only one I'd recommend is Rain Drip. OSH carries it, but I don't think Ho. Depot does. Just be careful to get all the right size fittings. If you get the 1/2" feeder line, be sure to get 1/2" parts. They often mix the 1/2" parts with the 5/8" parts--and it creates nightmares when you try to put it together.
* No, I'd never use a timer. Some veg's take more, some take less, and some parts of my yard get more sun than others, so the evaporation rate varies. I almost always use a "moisture meter," but also check by digging down a bit, just so I know that the meter means what I think it means.
It depends on the heat and humidity-and which veg's need more or less water, as to how often I water. Sometimes I won't need to water my tomatoes for 10 days or so, at other times I may need to water them every 2-3 days. Generally I leave the water on for no more than 30-40 minutes, whether I water every 2-3 days, or once a week. It really just depends on the bed itself, and what's growing there.
Nothing elementary about your questions, Christy! Good ones, all. Don't get intimidated by the complexities and don't fall for the gimmicks--it's really very simple. I've seen some TV shows, and read parts of some books on gardening that truly amaze me, some that were absolutely hysterical; all done with a straight face.
Keep it simple and you'll have fine results. Let me know any questions or problems? Always glad to help.
Best Regards,


Q. About fertilizers
Yes, exactly the same fertilizers on everything. I only add some dry milk--a handful in a 3 gal. bucket, and feed the tomatoes about 2 gal. ea., once after they've been in the ground a week or two, and another feeding of that when they're starting to produce. It's not really necessary, probably, but it's an old habit I picked up in the beginning, before my soil was at all prepared right and I thought I could grow something in clay. It's a cure for blossom end rot-- that I've not had in 25 years.
I add my fertilizers early in the spring, when I first turn over my beds getting ready for spring planting--a week or two before I plant, and I do the same again, in the fall, after the summer plants are over, preparing the beds for fall crops and legumes.
That's Black Seeded Simpson lettuce. I've found that it handles the heat and the cold better than any other leaf lettuce--and it's our very favorite, too! I buy it by the 1/4 lb. from www.groworganic.com, for about $10. If you buy the little packages, you pay about $2. for a few seeds-I'd need 4-5 packages to plant a bed the size of the one in the photo. A 1/4 lb. will plant 20 beds that size, so it's a huge savings. (Always keep your seeds in the fridge.)


Q. About white flies
White flies are tough. They can be controlled with rubbing alcohol-about 1/2 cup to a one qt. spray bottle of water, and add about a teaspoon of liquid detergent. You'll need to spray them every day. If they're on your vegetables, don't spray during the heat of the day, as you might burn the plants. Evening would be the best time. You could also just use a fairly strong spray of water and wash them off. Whichever way you go, they'll need to be sprayed every day for a while. (If you use the alcohol and detergent, just try a small area of the plants to see if it's going to burn them before spraying everything.)
Horn worms--and all the green caterpillars, are much more easily handled. "Bacillus Thurengiensis, Kurstaki strain," is the active ingredient you're looking for. "Safer" is the brand I see just about everywhere organic products are sold. It says, "Caterpillar Killer" on the label, comes in a concentrate in a small, dark green plastic bottle. Use about a tablespoon in a 1 qt. spray bottle, and it'll do the job. It's a bacteria, and apparently it pretty much lasts forever. I think this is the 3rd year I'm using one little bottle, and it's still working just fine. I use it on my lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., and just don't have a problem with any of the green devils.
It's harmless to any other pests or beneficials, completely non-toxic, etc., but you won't have any caterpillar problems. I spray anything susceptible to caterpillars about once a week early in the year. As summer progresses, I find I just don't need to use it at all.
Let me know how you do with that?