Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Great Way To A Healthier Family - The Organic Gardening Way
There are many different reasons for adopting organic gardening methods. For example, some people prefer to use organic gardening to cultivate edibles for the dinner table. But, you need to put in a lot of effort to grow your garden effectively. Knowing where to start when planning an organic garden can be a little confusing.
While organic gardening takes a little extra work, it is healthier and more gratifying than regular gardening. While chemical-based gardening products make bold claims, it is hard to dispute that organic gardening consistently produces superior results.
Use ample mulch to help your plants to retain enough water. Covering the ground with mulch cuts back on the need for watering your plants. You can use store-bought mulch, composted lawn trimmings, or chipped wood from fallen or trimmed limbs. It doesn't matter as long as you have enough.
Water containing some aspirin helps your plants fight illness. One and a half aspirin, dissolved in two gallons of water, can be a great addition to your plants. The simple practice of spraying them with the mix will help them fight off diseases. Apply this solution to your plants every few weeks.
A cheap, easy way to build your compost pile is to add fruit peels and scraps from your kitchen. Each of these ingredients makes for rich, organic compost that nourishes your flowers and vegetables and costs next to nothing.
You may be able to find botanical insecticides locally, which are often very helpful for preventing pest infestations. These natural insecticides can often be more effective than synthetically engineered pesticides. But, because they are made of natural materials, these types of insecticides frequently fade much faster.
In order to start a garden, you are going to need to know how to make beds. Begin by slicing beneath the turf using a spade. Once this is accomplished, flip it over and cover the affected area with wood chips a few inches in depth. Wait for a few weeks to pass, then cut into it for planting.
One way to profitably sell products from your organic garden is to be a credible organic gardener. Get organically certified. This will increase your sales, and it will prove to your customers that they have quality products.
When preparing a home-cooked meal, save your excess vegetable trimmings and mix them in with the soil in your garden. The vegetables will quickly decay adding valuable nutrients back into your soil. Some may be used for compost, but using a bit of it immediately can really help.
Using a good amount of mulch is a wonderful method to conserve water in your garden at home. Mulch can decrease your need to water plants because it provides and conserves the moisture available to your plants. The mulch could be store-bought, made from decayed plant material or comprised of tree bark. It is important to use a large amount of whatever mulch you have.
Remember to plan for adequate spacing when you first lay out an organic garden. Amateur gardeners often make the mistake of failing to leave enough space for fully matured plants. Plants don't just need enough space for their physical size; they also need enough space for the air in your garden to circulate properly. Plan accordingly and put an appropriate amount of distance between seeds.
Mulch your garden to keep the soil nourished. Mulch can give your soil some additional protection and nourishment. This protective effect is especially important during the summer, as it protects the roots from the effects of the heat. The soil will also stay moist longer because it reduces evaporation. Mulch is also great for controlling weed growth.
Gardening is within everybody's reach, but you will only make the most of your gardening experience with knowledge. Try using these organic tips.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Monday, 10 September 2012
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Essential Tips To Increase Your Knowledge Of Organic Gardening
Having an organic garden does make it easier to eat healthy fruits and vegetables, but planning a garden and choosing the correct equipment can be a complex process. You can choose from many different seeds. Whether you are growing your first garden or looking for a few new tips, the following tips give some easy-to-implement organic gardening device.
You can add richness to your compost heap by mixing in the dead leaves that you have raked in your yard. When you put leaves into your garden, the soil can take advantage of nutrients as the leaves decompose. This is a free way to boost the health of your garden's soil.
Do you want to kill weeds without using commercial chemicals? A good thick layer of newspaper can be laid down to control weeds. Weeds require sunlight for growing. By placing newspaper over them, they will not get light and suffocate. Newspaper decompose quickly and integrate into the compost. You can then add a mulch layer right on top so that it looks more attractive.
The best option available to water an organic garden are soaker hoses. You can direct the water to the roots, and let it seep slowly. Instead of hand watering the plants, which can be tiresome, go with a soaker hose that uses less water.
When they are in healthy soil, plants can withstand diseases and handle insect damage much better. Even though insects will be present, you will be able to avoid the damage they cause.
If you are looking at creating an endurable organic garden, you should think about keeping some of your property vacant so that wildlife may flourish there. Most likely, you will find your organic garden producing better once your property is home to the insects, birds, and other wildlife that plants rely on for pollination and the production and dispersal of seeds.
Have plastic bags on hand so that you may cover your muddy gardening shoes. This way, you can get in and out quickly, and get back to work in the garden.
To get a good start, look below the surface! For example, you want to avoid tomato seedlings that have several green starts and a weak root system. These starts will stick to the seedlings for quite some time, which prevents the seedlings from growing until the starts are gone.
Gardening is a good way to connect with nature, but organic gardening remains the best way to observe natural cycles. Organic gardening techniques allow you to be involved in the entire planting and growing process, while using only the safest and most sustainable resources.
Use fresh water to clean your vegetables, and then save this water for your garden. You can reuse the nutrients and dirt washed from fresh vegetables and it can add nourishment that tap and rain water do not offer. However, be aware that any type of cleaners can be harmful to your soil. Therefore, use only water when cleaning your vegetables.
If slugs are problematic in your garden, you can use an all-natural beer trap to do away with them. Bury a canning jar so that the open mouth and the soil top are level. Pour beer into the jar until it's almost full. Leave an inch of space between the beer and the jar top. Slugs will be attracted by the beer and fall into the jar.
Organize the chores for your organic garden so they do not pile up. You may not have a lot of time to exclusively devote to your gardening hobby, but you can make the most of the time you do have. For example, if you are playing in the yard with your child, take a few moments to pull some weeds as well.
In conclusion, creating and maintaining an organic garden requires hard work, effort and research. Persistence is also a necessary ingredient for success. Remembering the above tips, you can successfully grow an organic garden.
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Get Started With Organic Gardening By Using These Suggestions
Organic gardening can either be a major headache, or a very relaxing hobby. Here are some suggestions to get you on the right path to successful organic gardening.
Your children will enjoy the experience of working with you in the organic garden. You can provide a good learning experience that your children can appreciate the more they learn on how to grow healthy produce.
You have to decide what you want to grow in your organic garden. Different varieties of a particular flower or vegetable require different types of environments. Each type of rose may need different types of environments, for example. Make sure that you find varieties that fit into your gardening situation.
Look up local botanical insecticides; they can be very useful in keeping the pest population at bay. Sometimes the natural insecticides can be even more powerful than the engineered synthetic pesticides on the market. One downside of botanical insecticides is that they decay quickly.
Plant your organic garden in the shade. These types of gardens are incredibly low maintenance, which many people will be relieved to hear. Your plants will need less watering, saving you time and money. The only downside is a slower growth, but this also means less weeds.
Dig small ditches between the plant rows in your organic garden. This helps water reach plants more effectively, which means it won't be necessary to water them as frequently as you would otherwise. You will conserve water and save money at the same time.
When organic gardening, know when and how much to water your plants. Use a special hose designed to soak plants with water. These hoses will direct water to the plant's base, and this will help reduce the amount of moisture lost due to evaporation. The ideal time to water your garden is in the morning.
When making your own compost, a very cost-effective technique is to utilize fruit peelings and other leftover pieces of fruit. Fruit peels and other organic waste creates spectacular compost. These all-natural items will give your garden a very healthy, vibrant look, and the cost is very low when compared to store-bought compost.
Try planting your organic garden in the shade. These types of gardens are incredibly low maintenance, which many people will be relieved to hear. They don't require as much watering, and that can save you a lot of time and effort. While the plants in shade gardens grow slower, so do the weeds.
When you water your organic garden, choose a soaker hose for the best results. You can direct the water to the roots, and let it seep slowly. They don't waste water like sprinklers and get the job done much faster than hand-watering does.
While you may have heard a few things here and there about composting, how much do you really know about it? It is a mixture or combination of leaves, grass clippings, wood-chips, produce scraps, straw, and some small twigs that had the chance to break down into a "pseudo-soil." Make some compost, and start using that rather than costly commercial fertilizers.
Plant ever-bearing strawberries for your children in the organic garden. Children find it fun to pick strawberries and love to assist with the harvest if they get some yummy treats as they work.
Now that you have read this article, you know why organic gardening is such a fun activity. There is so much fun and relaxation to be had as one tries to make their garden grow properly. Remember these tips to grow the perfect organic garden.
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Monday, 13 August 2012
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Monday, 6 August 2012
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Top Organic Gardening Advice From The Experts
Gardening can seem complicated at first, if you do not know what you are doing. If you plan on gardening the natural way, you might have to understand certain complexities like the soil's PH balance and bug fighting concoctions. Growing an organic garden can be hard for someone inexperienced. You won't be a beginner for long if you put the tips you are about to learn to use.
Keep your plants in a warm, moist environment, if possible. Young plants need a temperature within that specific range to grow. If you don't like keeping your home that temperature in the winter, you may wish to consider getting a heat lamp, instead, to keep your organic plants the correct temperature.
Using a soaker hose to water an organic garden is the very best choice. The water oozes out of the hoses, and it goes directly to the roots of the plants without watering everything around them, including the leaves. They use less water than sprinklers and are much less tedious than hand watering your plants.
When they are in healthy soil, plants can withstand diseases and handle insect damage much better. When the insects are present, you're not having to deal with their damage, so you're all happy.
Procrastination leads to problems in a variety of areas, including organic gardening. Even if you can't tend to your garden daily, you can do little things to help so that there is not a huge amount of work to be done when you are ready to get back to it. If you're outside with your pet, try to remove weeds when your pet is doing his business.
Coffee grounds are a great addition to soil. Coffee grounds have a lot of nutrients that plants can use. Many times, nitrogen is a limiting nutrient in soils. Adding coffee grounds or compost can add nitrogen to your soils will help your plants grow tall and healthy.
When it is time to gather your produce, you should use an older laundry basket. This laundry basket can be used as a type of strainer for all your produce. Doing this allows you to both rinse and drain your fresh produce.
Spacing is one of the primary considerations when planning an organic garden. You will most likely underestimate how much space plants will need as they grow. The plants need space due to sheer size and also for air circulation. If necessary, use a ruler to measure the distance between each plant.
Use six parts water with one part milk to spray the leaves of your garden plants regularly. This can prevent the powdery mildew that ruins plants. This solution will keep for up to 21 days when stored in a refrigerator. The solution is safe for daily use until you get the mildew under control.
Mix used coffee grounds into your soil. Coffee beans are loaded with nitrogen, which offers nourishment for plants. Generally, nitrogen is the limiting nutrient with any plant and having a good nitrogen source either by coffee grounds, compost, or even diluted urea, will make your plants bloom faster and grow taller.
Open your imagination as to what type of plants you would like to plant into your organic garden. Most acid-loving plants enjoy mulch. Pine needles are an excellent choice for mulch material for these plants. As the needles start to decompose, they will start depositing their natural acid into the soil.
A good tip to help your plants stay healthy and fight diseases is to use aspirin water. Crush and dissolve one and one-half 325mg tablets in two full gallons of plain water. You can simply spray them with the mixture to help aid them in fighting off diseases. Spraying should be one time every three weeks.
As mentioned earlier, it will take time and effort to achieve the goals you have for your organic garden. Patience will be required. The above tips will help you make a wonderful garden. The tips in this article will lead to great success no matter which varieties you choose to grow.
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Become An Organic Gardening Master By Using These Hints
More and more people are finding out how great it is to have an organic garden. Read this article to find out what you need to do to get started. Save yourself a lot of time and efforts by learning more the many different resources available.
Just because winter is coming doesn't necessarily mean that it's time to give up your garden. Instead, create an outdoor tent to protect the area. Make use of old bean poles as you stick them to the edge of your beds. Place a sheet over the poles and keep them down with bricks or rocks. This inexpensive tent can protect cabbage and kale, carrots, beets and potatoes to be harvested during the winter.
When mulching your flowerbed or garden, most people recommend adding about three inches of mulch. This will retain moisture in the soil as well as provide nourishment. It also inhibits weed growth, resulting in a tidier presentation of your organic garden.
You may find an old plastic laundry basket ideal for gathering vegetables from your garden. An old basket will act like a strainer does. When you put your produce in a basket, you can then rinse it off and let it strain any excess water through the laundry basket holes.
When choosing plants for your organic garden, make sure you have a plan about what you want to grow. There are certain types of vegetables and flowers that may not do well in a particular environment, whereas others will flourish. For instance, there are many kinds of roses and some will work in your garden, while others won't. So you want to make sure you find ones that are suited for your organic environment.
You can plant your organic garden in a shady area. You might be interested to know that these gardens are very low maintenance. This type of garden requires only a small amount of water, which makes it especially easy to maintain. They do grow slower, but you have less weeds to get rid of.
If slugs are an issue in your garden, a beer trap can make them go away. Bury a canning jar so that the open mouth and the soil top are level. Pour beer into the jar until it is an inch from the top. The slugs will be attracted to the beer, and will then become trapped within the jar.
Mulch your flowers and trees with three inches of organic materials. Using this much mulch prevents plants from drying out too quickly, which in turn lowers your water bill, while also preventing overuse of our municipal water supplies. It can also look great.
Pine is a surprisingly good source of mulch. Some garden plants are high in acidity, and do better with acidic soil. If that's the case, the easiest thing to do is use pine needles for beds. Spread a few inches of pine needles on your organic beds so that it will put the acid into your soil.
Turn your fallen leaves into an organic compost that you can add to your soil. As the leaves decompose they add organic compounds to the soil which is beneficial to plants. You will discover that this is a wonderful, no-cost solution of having organic compounds to help with your garden.
Consider planting strawberries, especially ones that are everbearing, for your garden if you have small children. Small kids enjoy picking fruit themselves out of a garden. Because of this, they'll be more likely to provide you with some assistance in your garden if they feel like they're receiving something out of this.
It is important to keep the temperature set between 65 and 75 degrees, if you wish to raise plants in the home. In order to encourage proper growth, they will need that warmth. Another option is the use heat lamps that will protect your organic plants.
As mentioned earlier, it will take time and effort to achieve the goals you have for your organic garden. Patience will be required. The above tips will help you make a wonderful garden. The tips in this article will lead to great success no matter which varieties you choose to grow.
Ideas To Help You Start Organic Gardening
If you use these principles of organic gardening, you will produce notably positive effects for your plants and your planet. It will show how much you care about the plants you grow, and your desire to ensure they are as healthy as possible. That is very admirable. Just like everything else in life, there's always room for improvement. Here are some suggestions that can help.
Spend your time working efficiently in your organic garden. Do not waste your time looking for tools. Have all of tools you will need for the day before you head out your garden. When you are finished, put them away neatly for the next time. If you need to use a tool belt, try using some pants with pockets in them.
Adding too much water could be harmful to the plants, because excess water will hinder the roots ability to get the nutrients they need from the soil. Check the weather forecast before watering plants to see if there is rain in the near future. Depending on what the weather is going to be like, you might not want to water your plants for the day.
It's best to plant tomatoes in an organic garden on a three-week cycle. This staggers your harvest over time. If there's an issue with one of your harvests, you'll still have a batch of tomatoes that are safe.
If you're really serious about environmentally-friendly gardening practices, refrain from developing some of your land and use it as an animal habitat. This can be a good area for the types of insects that pollinate plants. It can also be a sanctuary for birds, which will help some plants thrive. This can greatly improve the production of your organic garden.
You can make organic gardening much easier. Use native grass, plants and bushes. If you choose groups of plants that all mesh with each other in terms of optimal soil conditions, weather requirements and plant interaction, you won't need to do as much work to get the plants to coexist peacefully. Native plants will thrive if you encourage growth with organically made compost.
Grow garlic. Plant individual garlic cloves early in the spring or fall. They should be planted in well-drained moist soil. Plant your garlic cloves around 1-2 inches into the ground, making sure the end is pointed up and they are four inches from each other. You can cut the shoots of green garlic as they are growing and use them as an alternative to scallions and chives. The garlic will be matured when the green tops start drying out and turning brown. Dry the bulbs in the sun in order to harden their skin. Garlic can be tied in bunches or left loose, and stored where it will be cool and dry.
Know what you'd specifically like to grow within your organic garden. Various types of a certain veggie or flower need different kinds of environments. One example of this are roses; some may and some may not thrive in the type of garden you grow and create. Therefore, you need to be sure that the varieties you chose to plant, are most suited to the growing environment present in your garden.
It is economically smart to focus your gardening efforts on crops that would cost you more to buy at the supermarket. The values of individual types of plants do vary by person, though. By choosing plants that tend to be more expensive, growing your own versions will save you a great deal of money over time. So, plant what you love and save money at the same time.
If sustainability and organic gardening are appealing to you, leave a portion of the property you own undeveloped to give wildlife a place to thrive. Your cultivated garden spaces will benefit from the various insects and wildlife that will inhabit and pollinate the undeveloped space.
Make certain to learn what to look for when purchasing the plants you wish to include in the organic garden you will cultivate. When you purchase perennials or annuals, then this should be taken into consideration much more. YOu'll want to be certain to get the ones that have budded but not bloomed. This enables them to grow a much stronger root system within your garden.
It is important to keep the temperature set between 65 and 75 degrees, if you wish to raise plants in the home. In order to encourage proper growth, they will need that warmth. Another option is the use heat lamps that will protect your organic plants.
Successful organic gardening incorporates quite a few elements, such as patience, knowledge and nature. This is a great hobby that uses your land to grow food. To transform yourself into a successful organic gardener, simply follow our tips and put in a bit of effort!
Saturday, 28 July 2012
Top Organic Gardening Advice From The Experts
Natural, environmentally-friendly living is catching hold among legions of individuals, as is a preference for organic produce. People who are part of this lifestyle will often need to grow their own herbs for the best health benefits, and these plants should be grown organically. Read on to glean some new organic ideas in the following article.
Pine needles make a great organic mulch. Some plants have a naturally high acidic level, and therefore like acidic soil. If you have acid loving plants, use pine needles as a mulch. Go ahead and cover the beds you have with needles a couple of inches and while they decompose, they actually disperse some acid into the soil.
If you want to continue your organic gardening throughout the winter, you can create a tent with materials laying around your home. First, a pole of some sort should be driven into the ground at each corner of your garden. You then want to throw sheets over them, and keep the edges down with some bricks. This is an inexpensive way to build a tent that will protect your crops during winter.
When they are in healthy soil, plants can withstand diseases and handle insect damage much better. When the insects are present, you're not having to deal with their damage, so you're all happy.
Add mulch to keep your soil healthy. Mulch can help protect your soil. This protective effect is especially important during the summer, as it protects the roots from the effects of the heat. Evaporation will be reduced and the soil will remain moist for longer when you water. It will also serve as a method of controlling unwanted weeds.
Do you want to get rid of weeds in a natural way? A layer of newspaper, several pages thick, placed over the ground will do the trick. Weeds need sun for growth, just like any other plant. When you pile up layers of newspapers right on top of the weeds, they will suffocate and die. It's easy for newspapers to break down over an extended period of time, making them great for compost. Cover the newspaper with a thick layer of mulch for a more attractive look.
When it is time to gather your produce, you should use an older laundry basket. This laundry basket can be used as a type of strainer for all your produce. Doing this allows you to both rinse and drain your fresh produce.
When you eat fresh vegetables, take the excess and chop them finely, then add them into your garden. These veggies will begin to decay quickly and leech important nutrients right back into the new plants you are growing. If you do not wish to add the vegetables directly to your soil, add them to your compost pile.
When gardening, you should know all the different things that you can utilize. There are many organic fertilizers and pesticides available which are much better options than chemicals. The best example of this is to use compost. By using organic substances as fertilizers, you avoid contributing to the toxic levels of contamination in soil and water that inorganic fertilizers have been blamed for causing.
When you prepare fresh vegetables for your meals, take a couple minutes after you're done with dinner and cut up the extra pieces finely, then add them to the garden. Your garden can get nutrients out of these discarded vegetables. Some may be used for compost, but using a bit of it immediately can really help.
Allow your children to actively participate in planting your organic garden. Toiling together in the garden brings your family closer together and offers many different opportunities to learn new things and instill green values.
A good tip to help your plants stay healthy and fight diseases is to use aspirin water. Crush and dissolve one and one-half 325mg tablets in two full gallons of plain water. You can simply spray them with the mixture to help aid them in fighting off diseases. Spraying should be one time every three weeks.
As you now know, organic gardening isn't as simple as you may have thought. Organic gardens require much patience and hard work, but you can have a wonderfully beautiful organic garden. When you follow the organic gardening advice in the article above, you will have a successful and delicious bounty of fresh foods.
Friday, 27 July 2012
Make The Most Of Your Organic Garden with these suggestions
You are finally ready to try organic gardening. This is great timing! The tips below can help you begin your organic garden.
You can cover your muddied gardening footware easily by keeping plastic bags around. This way, you can maintain your momentum and head right back to your garden so that you can finish what you were doing.
Work properly in your garden. Don't waste time searching for lost tools. Before you start work in the garden, make sure you have the necessary tools, and always remember to put them away when you are finished. You can keep your garden tools in a tool belt, or in your pockets. Another good idea is to keep them all in a bucket that you carry around with you.
Maneuver the trees you plant around your home so that they are in a location that is optimal for shade over the home. Your home will benefit from natural shade and so will your utility bill.
Spacing is an important factor to consider when planting your garden. You must think of how much room the plants will take up as they grow, and it easy to underestimate this. Failure to provide adequate room will restrict growth because it forces plants to compete for valuable nutrients and oxygen. Plot out all of these considerations before putting that first seed in the ground.
Many people have heard the word compost, but do not know how it is made. It's a mix of grass clippings, leaves, produce scraps, straw, small twigs and wood chips that break down and turn into a "fake" soil. Make some compost, and start using that rather than costly commercial fertilizers.
When you plant your garden, do so by creating biodiversity. Wildlife will be attracted by different varieties of plants, so make sure you have a wide choice for them. If you are interested in creating an untamed, natural look for your garden, you should include many varieties of plants. Your garden will become a haven for you to enjoy, as well as a help to the environment.
Adding mulch to your garden can make your soil healthier. Mulch can give your soil some additional protection and nourishment. It protects roots because it helps the soil stay cooler when it's hot outside. The soil will also stay moist longer because it reduces evaporation. It also is helpful in keeping weeds under control.
Wash your vegetables outdoors, and use the runoff in your garden. What you wash off of your fruit and veggies can be used again in the garden to enhance the nourishment of your plants. Avoid using cleansers and utensils when you clean the vegetables.
Your seeds, once they begin sprouting, don't need the same amount of warmth as they did before. You can begin to move them further from the heat source as they become seedlings. Make sure you remember to remove any plastic films that were on the plant containers to repel humidity and warmth. You should know when the right time is if you are keeping an eye on the seeds.
Open your imagination as to what type of plants you would like to plant into your organic garden. Most acid-loving plants enjoy mulch. Pine needles are an excellent choice for mulch material for these plants. As the needles start to decompose, they will start depositing their natural acid into the soil.
A good tip to help your plants stay healthy and fight diseases is to use aspirin water. Crush and dissolve one and one-half 325mg tablets in two full gallons of plain water. You can simply spray them with the mixture to help aid them in fighting off diseases. Spraying should be one time every three weeks.
As you can see from the information provided in this article, organic gardening requires time and perseverance. Start implementing the hints and tips you've been given to find out what an incredible garden you can grow. You will find that organic gardening is an ideal approach for growing vegetables, flowers and grasses.