Lakota Greens

07/25/2022

Another harvest day at the geo .

07/03/2022

Microgreens are just about ready . Monday or Tuesday they should be harvested , cooled and ready for delivery . Approximately 200 servings of 5 different varieties. Kale, red cabbage, pak choi, radish and basic salad mix . Pure health and nutrition at its finest coupled with great flavor.

06/23/2022

We are often asked why we promote growing our microgreens on potting mix instead of hydroponically. Well part of it is that it is our personal preference for lots of reasons but research also indicates it is a much safer solution in avoiding the risk of food borne illnesses. .

Except from the article :

We found out that Biostrate(TM)mats and h**p mats supported the growth of these two pathogens, while coco coir and peat potting mix did not. In fact, on Biostrate(TM) and h**p, Salmonella and Listeria levels increased after 24 hours and then maintained their original levels for 10 days. On peat and coco coir, Listeria began to die off after the third day and was undetectable on coco coir by the 10th day. Salmonella survived better on all the materials, but on the 10th day, there were 10 times fewer colonies on peat and coco coir compared to the two mats.

Both pathogens showed poorer survival on peat and coco coir compared to no media at all. That means there may be some feature of the peat and coco coir that suppresses the growth of these bacteria.

Read the full article below

Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes are two diarrhea-causing bacteria that can make you sick when eating contaminated produce. It turns out, soil-free growing mats used to produce…

06/06/2022

UPDATE:

Been having a great and abundant harvest of zucchini and beans in the geothermal. . Almost time to take them out and replant those areas.

Outside boxes are already producing lettuces and radishes.

The tomatoes that were planted first part of April have reached the top of the greenhouse (11ft) so we will begin to lower and lean them so they can continue to grow. Should be a good tomato crop .

Planting continues in the outside garden areas. Weather has slowed up the outside planting a little.

The haybale garden is being conditioned now for planting next week.

Construction has begun on a 100 foot pit greenhouse north of the powwow circle. That should be up and running in time to plant winter crops which will effectively double the amount of food that can be grown during the cold South Dakota winter months

03/30/2022

03/15/2022

With winter crops harvested it was time to get a head start on summer crops. Cucumbers,zucchini and a few beans are in. . Tomatoes and peppers are next on the agenda. Was 27 degrees outside last night but 50+ inside the geothermal without heat. With the warm spell we are experiencing this week we should be able to start planting outside cool weather crops in a month.
Garden season is underway. Technically it never stopped 😁😁
Also got the shade cloth put back on in preparation for the rising temps that will be here soon enough.

03/09/2022

This year to make it easier to produce natural pesticides we are going to grow a few of the crops used in the herbal solutions.That way we have them on hand and won't have to try and find them . Some of the main ones we plan on growing are Jerusalem artichoke,hot peppers,garlic,marigolds,curly dock and to***co. Most of these we usually grow anyway but this year they will be in a separate grow bed dedicated just to pesticide plants.

03/08/2022

It is best to use the microbial solution when at peak bubble stage , which means this batch is ready.

If there are no plants it can be applied full strength to the soil.

During the season when there are plants it needs to be diluted at a ratio of 20x - 100 x. I personally use 3 ounces per gallon ratio.( 1:43 ) for foliar spray. If it isn't used right away the microbes begin to die but it can still be used as a weak foliar fertilizer.

03/03/2022

One thing I would like to mention is that if you are on MniWiconi water that it is treated . The chlorine is in there for a reason, to kill microbes. So if you have no other source of water ,fill your container and let it sit for 24 to 48 hours . Most of the chlorine will gas off. That way the microbes are not killed off by the chlorine as they multiply.
If you have well water so much the better.😁 or collected rain water .

For 50 gallons use
1 # boiled potatoes
7-8 ounces sea salt
8 ounes or so of leaf mold
Culture in 50 gallons of water for 3 days at around 68 degrees.
This solution should only be made at the time you are planning on using it otherwise the microbes will begin to die off . If that does happen it can still be used as a weak form of fertilizer .
This is the first step to getting back to having a living soil for your garden.

At peak of growth there will be 1 billion microbes per ml.
For foliar use dilute at least 20-100 to 1 ratio. So this will make at least 1000 gallons of foliar spray

Updates on this will be posted in the comments .

03/03/2022

A few zucchini and cucumbers . They are almost ready to get put in the geothermal greenhouse. Should have a good 3 month jump on the normal growing season😄

03/03/2022

The winter crops are officially harvested and the geothermal is being prepared for the upcoming spring/ summer crops. We will be culturing and applying indigenous micro orgnisms next week as part of the preparation. This will insure a healthy living soil for the new crops. The outside garden area will also be expanded to include at least 2 new sections . Looking forward to a good season . Stay tuned for updates.

01/29/2022

This garden season Lakota Greens will be producing all of its own needed garden inputs .

This will include
1. Natural liquid fertilizers
2. Insecticidal soap, surfactant,wetting agent
3. Indigenous micro organisms
4 liquid sulphur solution for disease control if needed.
5. Herbal pest solutions

The wetting agent is a key component in all applications including pest control or foliar feeding.

We will have this available for other gardeners and garden programs or you can make your own using the following recipe .
For larger or smaller quantities just do the math.
This makes about 3 1/2 gallons which when diluted makes between 112 to 448 gallons .
We will post photos of finished product next week

Photos of the process

1. Measure out 400 grams of potassium hydroxide in a bowl and measure out 314 grams of distilled water or soft water .

2. Place the water in the heat-resistant-container. Then, pour the potassium hydroxide in and immediately cover with a lid, as this is a caustic chemical reaction taking place that can be dangerous and will produce temps up to 220 degrees. Swirl the container around to fully dissolve the potassium hydroxide.

3. Measure out 76 fl. oz. of canola oil in a bowl. Pour the canola oil into the heat-resistant container with the potassium hydroxide solution.

4. Using the blending tool, mix the solution until a thick mayonnaise consistency is formed.

5. Place the lid on the container and allow it to sit for 3 days or until it becomes hard like butter. If it does not harden up, re-mix the solution with the blending tool.

6. Add 84 fl. oz. of distilled water to the container and mix gently with the blending tool. Make sure all clumps are off the bottom and side of the container.

7. Add an additional 254 fl. oz. of distilled water to the container. Stir about once an hour throughout the day.

8. Place lid on the container and allow it to finish melting slowly for 24 hours and it will be complete.

9. Store in a tightly sealed container.

10. There is no expiration date.

11. Can also be used as liquid bath soap, dish soap ,laundry detergent or for washing dishes.

12. Completely safe and biodegrades within 5 days.

13. Must be foliar sprayed

14. Dilute by using 1 oz to 4 oz per gallon of water ( soft water )

15. Combine with herbal pesticide solution for even greater effectiveness

16. Can also be mixed with natural fertilizer for foliar feeding