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Meet Brad Pendergraft, Master Gardener Volunteer

Can you remember the moment you decided to become a gardener, or when you realized you had become one? 

When I was a young kid in the Texas panhandle my parents bought an extra strip of land beside the house we built for a garden. My Mom was the gardener and my dad did the rototilling; pretty traditional, but it was the 1950’s. Later we moved to Gunnison, Colorado where there had been a frost recorded on every day of the year, so as you can imagine gardening was difficult there, but my Mom did it. Seeing her perseverance over the years even in unpredictable conditions was motivating. I later decided I wanted to become a homesteader. 

What tool can’t you do without in the garden / what is a garden invention or plant variety you wish would be developed?  

When I first started gardening I bought tools from a company called “Smith and Hawkens”.  They imported forged tools from England. I love them. I fork my entire 40’ by 60’ garden using the four-tine digging fork and their long-handle shovel is my favorite shovel.

What plant do you wish you’d never planted in your garden?

Tomatillos are a mixed bag as much of life is a mix of good and bad. I love serrano tomatillo salsa, but if you compost the fruits of the tomatillos you end up with baby tomatillo plants everywhere, coming up like a carpet covering the garden beds. On the plus side, the plants add organic matter to the compost. 

I tie my tomatillos with bailing wire and stay vigilant about where the seeds end up.

Read more Meet Brad Pendergraft, Master Gardener Volunteer

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Upping your compost game

Few gardeners would say that they have all the compost they would like for their gardens. The good news is that you can increase the amount of compost you produce with a method developed by Helen and Scott Nearing that is described in their books, “Living the Good Life” and “Continuing the Good Life.” I’ve been composting for the last 44 years. What follows is a description of the Nearing methods that I have modified over time for the North Country.

Most home compost piles are approximately three feet by three feet which is small enough to allow oxygen in on all sides. In the metho I use, a “chimney” brings air to the center of the pile, allowing an increase in pile size and the production of far more compost.

The process starts with picking a location. It should be well drained and shaded. To contain the pile, use six foot long poles ranging from one to three inches in diameter. It’s good if they are straight, but they can be slightly crooked. I cut mine from my woods, but if you don’t have your own, you may have friends that will allow you to cut understory trees or trees on the margins of their woods. Don’t use pressure treated wood. 

Start the pile by placing two poles on the ground, parallel to each other, about six feet apart. Then add two more parallel to each other and perpendicular to the first two with the ends overlapping, making a square slightly less than six feet by six feet. Remove the sod and topsoil from within the square and set aside for later use in the pile. Use a fork to loosen the soil under the pile. Make a central chimney by bundling multiple poles approximately one inch in diameter and at least six feet long. They can be tied together with bailing twine and do not have to be perfectly straight. Make a hole in the center of the square with a digging bar and  or insert or pound the poles in to create a vertical bundle. These poles will create a chimney to supply oxygen into the center of the pile.

Shows the start of the compost frame with the chimney in the center
See how the poles are stacked with the chimney bundle in the center.

Read more Upping your compost game

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Finding a home for the North Country’s Food Waste

We caught up with Alex French Clarkson University’s  Sustainability Coordinator to ask about the recent food waste New York State mandate that went into effect on January 1st, 2022.

Alex French

Can you share the backstory about the recent activities in NYS with Food waste diversion. How are ‘large generators of food waste’ defined? 

Alex: The NYS Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law went into effect in January of 2022. It defines large generators of food waste as companies or institutions that generate 2 tons of food waste per week. These entities are now required to donate edible food rather than throwing it out. If there is a food recycling facility (composting or anaerobic digester) available within 25 miles then inedible food is required to be sent there.

Why tackle food waste on a community level? 

Alex: Tackling this environmental and social issue at the community level will give us the economies of scale to make food recycling viable. I like how NYS has structured this new law to have the larger generators get everything off the ground.

How did Clarkson become involved with this food waste diversion initiative? 

Alex: This project was originally discussed by the Potsdam Climate Smart Communities Task Force. After deciding that we wanted to look into community-scale food waste management the task force asked Clarkson to take the lead. This became a win-win scenario for us because we were able to engage many students in the process through internships. 

Compost piles at Blue Line Compost in Saranac Lake

How much food waste does Clarkson generate on a weekly basis? 

Alex: The DEC estimates that we generate 5 tons of food waste per week during the semester. We think this estimate is high. We are still trying to understand exactly how much food waste we generate. There are so many different sources of food waste on campus! We have good estimates of pre-consumer waste from kitchen prep work but we do not have a clear understanding of our post-consumer food waste from 2 of our 3 main dining areas nor for our residential areas. We hope to have a better understanding by the end of the semester. Read more Finding a home for the North Country’s Food Waste