Grow A “Compact Organic” Garden!!

This is so amazing!!

Walt is a former East Orange, NJ police officer, who my husband worked with…

To see his photos, go to:

http://www.nj.com/cranford/index.ssf/2013/08/kenilworth_compact_organic_gar.html#incart_river

By Cranford Chronicle
on August 19, 2013 at 5:36 PM, updated August 19, 2013 at 5:37 PM

Homeowners who think their yard is just too small for a garden that produces the high yields they desire may have to think again.

Walter Sosnosky has about 500 individual plants on property only 50 feet wide and 100 feet long at his home in Kenilworth.

He grows everything from arugula to sweet banana peppers, as well as herbs and flowers.

His plant inventory is even more impressive when taking into account that there is, of course, a house on the lot;

as well as a 20-foot-long driveway; a 30-by-16-foot pool; a patio; a deck; and two sheds.

He does it all using a method called Compact and Organic Gardening.

“What I have done is thrown out the book on conventional gardening,”

Sosnosky said.

“In modern terms, I have gone rough.”

He gives an example:

The golden rule on tomatoes, he said, is that they are not to be grown within about 2 to 3 feet of one another.

“Mine are approximately one foot apart and I intermingle them with eggplants, bell peppers and garlic,”

Sosnosky said.

“So as they grow, the plants support each other in the growing process.”

To ensure everything is organic, he follows a strict protocol. Here are some of rules he adheres to:

1. To ward off ants, he sprinkles instant grits across the problem area.
2. To keep away squirrels and other creatures in the rodent family, he grows peppermint among other plants.
3. To keep the yard bug-free, he recommends spraying a mixture of antiseptic mouth wash and lemon-scented dish-washing soap.
4. To keep a good PH balance in the soil, use coffee grounds and ground egg shells. This also helps discourage slugs, and keeps the neighborhood cat and dog from next door from roaming around, he said.

“In the fertilizer department, I use fish emulsion, beer and sugared colas,”

Sosnosky said.

“These all add to robust and healthy plant life.”

“Make the effort and the rewards are yours,”

he said,

explaining that those practicing compact organic gardening will be repaid with a bounty of vegetables, herbs and fruits,

like “lush Jersey tomatoes,” married with the “fresh scents of basil, rosemary and lavender, to name a few.”

Here’s an inventory of all the types of plants, with numbers of each type, growing on Sosnosky’s less than 1/8 of an acre:

Alyssum 12; Eggplant 22; Rutgers Tomatoes 6; Lemon Boy Tomatoes 6; Marigolds 24; Cucumbers 6; Beef Master Tomatoes 5; Blueberry Bush 1; Impatiens 140; Lobelia 32; Dianthus 12; Verbena 12; Snap Peas 21; Garlic Plants 25; Basil 6; Habanera Peppers 5; Snap Dragons 11; Gazania 9; Salmon Geranium 10; Petunias 59; Raspberry Plants 4; Bell Peppers 2; Jalapeño Peppers 4; Cayenne 3; Sweet Banana Peppers 4; Pop Pop Peppers 2; Better Boy Tomatoes 3; Parsley 4; Arugula 4; Super Sonic Tomatoes 9; Rosemary 1; Greek Oregano 1; Lavender 1; Horseradish 1; Butterfly Bush 1; Assorted Wild Flowers 50.