Organic Gardening
When the HCG raised beds were established in 2013, the plots were filled with topsoil and compost donated by the Derry Township Recycling Center.
The health of your soil will determine in large part the success and health of your plants. Garden compost is one of the best ways to keep your soil healthy, fertile and productive.
Compost is created by worms and microbes that feast on the garden waste and scraps recycling them into organic fertilizer and soil structure building blocks.
Basically, anything that was alive will compost, but some things are better than others. Please refer to the following for guidance of what to place in our community compost pile. The materials placed in the composting area will be removed by Derry Township and taken to the Derry Township Recycling Center to complete the composting process.
Please do not bring any materials from outside of the HCG to the composting area. The area is to be used solely for organic, plant waste generated in the plots and common areas of the HCG.
Recommended Organic Fertilizers
- Compost
- Alfalfa meal (N)
- Soybean meal (N)
- Blood meal (N)
- Seaweed (N)
- Bonemeal (P)
- Rock phosphate (P)
- Greensand (K)
- Gypsum (Calcium)
- Ground limestone (to raise soil pH)
- Dolomitic limestone (to raise soil pH)
Do Not Compost
- Synthetic fertilizers of any kind
- Any formulations containing sewage sludge
- ammonium phosphates
- Chilean nitrate
- Superphosphate
- Muriate of potash
- Charcoal ashes
- Cigarette ashes
PESTICIDES
Healthy plants start with a healthy soil and maintaining a balance of beneficial insects or good bugs to control the so-called bad bugs. Crop rotation and the use of companion plants will create a naturally balanced environment. However, if pest problems do develop, the following pest controls can be utilized. Always follow the application instructions on the product label.
Recommended Pesticides
- Beneficial insects
- Hand-picking
- Traps
- Row covers
- Spraying with garlic, onion, or vegetable oil and/or pepper sprays
- Insecticidal soaps
- Bacillus thuringiensis
- Chitin
- Diatomaceous earth
- Bicarbonates
- Sulfur
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Hydrogen peroxide
Permitted with Caution
- Neem oil
- Pyrethrum
Do Not Compost
- Synthetic pesticides, insecticides or fungicides of any kind
- Diazinon, Insectagon, Kelthane, Lindane, Sevin, Malathion, etc
- Nicotine in any form
- Formulations containing copper
- Rotenone
- Pyrethroids
HERBICIDES
Please note that for the protection of all the garden plots, application of any/all herbicides (weed killers) is prohibited as per the Community Garden Agreement.