Plant Gardens 101

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Planting Your Organic Vegetable Garden

February 10, 2012 By: Juliet Spalding Category: Gardens - Vegetable

Once you have all of your supplies and have decided what to grow it is time to actually plant your garden. Before you grab a shovel and charge into your yard to start digging you might want to take some time to plan out how you want to set up your garden. You should have a good idea of what you want to plant and exactly where you want to plant it before you start digging up random holes in your garden.

The best way to organize your garden is to get a piece of paper and sketch a plan for your garden. Decide where you want your garden to be and make sure it is an area that will receive sun for the majority of the day. Start observing your yard a few weeks before you start planting, about the same time you start your compost pits. Make notes regarding which areas of your yard receive sunlight during the majority of the day and which areas of your hard are often in the shade.

There are other factors that you should take into consideration when choosing where to plant your garden. Avoid areas that have recently undergone repairs or that are near metal fences. Chemicals, metal, and other debris might be contaminating the area which could lead to your plants being contaminated. Also be on the look out for areas that retain water after rain. The last thing you want to do is plant your garden in a place that will become a stagnant pool of water after every rain or when you water it. When you have picked out a suitable area make sure you stop using any chemicals on or around it immediately. (more…)

Organic Garden Pesticides

February 08, 2012 By: Ann Krupp Category: Pest Control

Using Organic Garden Pesticides makes our vegetables safer and also protects our environment. By using only Organic Garden Pesticides you are not putting dangerous toxic chemicals into your plants and are not putting these toxic chemical into your garden.

You can easily make natural garden pesticides in your home without adding any of the injurious chemical in it. They are inexpensive and simple to prepare and are eco friendly as well.I hope I can give you some tips and tricks to make your garden, insect free and healthy.

When I first started my garden, my neighbor’s cat loved it too, as a litter box. Not a great thing! I used a mixture of cayenne pepper, pepper, garlic anything smelly in my home with water and sprayed my garden. The cat didn’t like it. My first experience with home made organic garden pesticides worked.

Here are a few more tips for getting rid of pests in your garden.

1. Eggshells and salt natural garden pesticide, I learned this one from my mom. Crush the eggshells and add to the soil. It prevents the plants from snails and slugs. The eggshells act like the broken pieces of glass for these insects. You can add a little salt and that will work if the eggshells don’t.

2. Alliums natural garden pesticide – the alliums is a bulbous plant, bulbous plants are onion, garlic, the smelly ones. Mix equal parts of crushed garlic cloves as gallons of water. You can also use vegetable oil or tea for better results. Spray on the plants, this would help in killing the soft body insects and can even paralyze the flying insects.

3. Dishwashing soaps natural garden pesticides – mix a few drops of dishwashing liquid soap into the water and mix it well by shaking well and then you need to apply on the effected plants. By applying this solution on the plants it will paralyze the insects attacking them.

4. Natural garden pesticides made of Neem – Neem is the one of the main ingredient that is used for making several natural pesticides. The extract of azadirachtin from the neem tree is very low toxic insecticide. They are used for destroying the soft body insects and in addition they help in increasing the capability of reproduction of the plants. By using organic and natural garden pesticides you are not only saving your children and pets from diseases but also helping our environment by not putting toxic chemicals in our soil.

Yes, Ladybugs. Every time I see a ladybug, I have to make a wish and count the dots on their backs! Ladybugs are most common of all beneficial insects, these voracious predators feed on aphids, chinch bugs, asparagus beetle larvae, thrips, alfalfa weevils, bean thrips, grape root worms, Colorado potato beetle larvae, whitefly, and mites, as well as many other soft-bodied insects and eggs. Extremely cost effective, too!
Don’t miss more tips and techniques on organic gardening…go Here!

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How To Use Organic Fertilizers In Tulip Garden

December 03, 2011 By: John Smi Category: Advice General

Why should you use organic fertilizers in your plot? Simply because they are good for your plants and good for the environment.

Nearly 70 percent of water pollution comes from agricultural areas that use substance fertilizers, according to the EPA. These chemicals trickle into the water and instigate soil erosion. While large-magnitude rural operations are a chief mine of compound fertilizers in water, home gardeners are also guilty of such pollution. However, many growers are attempting to mark their mistakes by with organic emergent methods.

Organic fertilizers are those that use organic soil amendments to rear the nutrient gratify and increase the soil characteristics of a patch. The addition of decomposing organic equipment in an organic backyard provides a true fertilizer, supplying plants with the nutrients they poverty for best lump. These fertilizers also enrich the character of your patch soil, not theme what brand you have.

If your plot has soil, organic fertilizers preserve its tilth, which prevents it from clumping together. Organic fertilizers are also a brilliant means of property water in the soil. This is a help if you have grimy soil in your backyard. Fertilizers made of organic supplies have properties that make micro-nutrients like iron and zinc free to your plot plants. (more…)

Organic Gardening Pest Control

November 19, 2011 By: Ann Krupp Category: Pest Control

You’ve taken the time and put in the right additives to create your organic garden, now it’s time for some organic gardening pest control.

We want to keep our organic garden free from harmful pests that can damage our plants such as cutworms and beetles and more. There are many natural ingredients that we can use to keep our plants free from pests without using harmful toxic ingredients that not only seep into our vegetables and plants but harm the environment as well.

Organic Gardening Pest Control can be utilized by bringing good bugs to your garden. Good bugs are beneficial to your garden and can help control infestation of bad bugs, which can destroy your garden and hard work. (more…)

Organic Garden Insecticides

September 25, 2011 By: Ann Krupp Category: Pest Control

I am an avid organic vegetable gardener. I take pride in my garden and all the vegetables that it produces for my family. Organic Gardening has saved me money and my family is eating healthier. My one problem is the bugs that eat my veggies. Finding natural, organic gardening insecticides to rid your garden of these pesky buggers is simple and easy.

Growing your own organic garden is rewarding, money saving and healthier for our families and our environment. Protecting your garden from plant eating pests with organic gardening insecticides is just as important.There are many ways that we can eliminate these pests with household items without causing damage to your family, pets and your environment.

There are many items that you have on hand that will deter pests in your garden and you can use as organic insecticides…. (more…)

Gardening: Gardening In Organic

September 10, 2011 By: Nicholas Tan Category: Gardens - All Season, Gardens - Butterfly, Gardens - Container, Gardens - Cottage, Gardens - Flower, Gardens - Herb, Gardens - Hydroponics, Gardens - Indoors, Gardens - Japanese, Gardens - Other, Gardens - Rain, Gardens - Summer, Gardens - Urban, Gardens - Vegetable, Gardens - Water

Organic gardening is the exact same as regular gardening except that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used. This can make certain aspects difficult, such as controlling disease, insects, and weeds. Organic gardening also requires more attention to the soil and the many needs of plants. Organic gardening starts with the soil. Gardeners must add organic matter to the soil regularly in order to keep the soil productive. In fact, compost is essential to the healthiness and well being of plants grown organically. Compost can be made from leaves, dead flowers, vegetable scraps, fruit rinds, grass clippings, manure, and many other things. The ideal soil has a dark color, sweet smell, and is full of earthworms. Some soil may need more natural additives than regular compost can give, such as bonemeal, rock phosphates, or greensand. A simple soil test will tell you the pH balance and which nutrients you will need to use.

One thing that makes even gardeners that are very serious about organic gardening reach for pesticides is insects on their plants. The best way to defend plants against insects is to take preventative measures. One thing that can be done is to make sure plants are healthy and not too wet or dry because insects usually attack unhealthy plants and if healthy, they can often outgrow minor insect damage. A variety of plant types is a good idea to keep pests of a particular plant type from taking out the entire garden. (more…)

Growing Organic Worms To Help Your Garden

July 21, 2011 By: Joey Singer Category: Advice General, How To Grow...

The main work worms do in your garden is tilling and aerating the soil. They burrow very deep, leaving channels through the soil that break up clods and allow air to enter and water to penetrate and drain away. In the process of eating at the surface and eliminating lower down, they introduce organic matter to the deeper levels and steadily increase the depth of topsoil. Their main role is to digest decomposing organic matter, converting it quickly into a form plants can use as nutrients. It is important to maintain good soil structure when gardening organically. Unlike mechanical tillers, earthworms do not damage the soil by inverting it, creating hardpans or breaking up the crumb structure. They never have mechanical breakdowns, they do not create noise or pollution, and they use garbage for fuel – an excellent way to dispose of your kitchen scraps, especially if you live in an apartment. (more…)

Starting Your Organic Planting Indoors

July 05, 2011 By: Jaden Santon Category: Create & Plan...

Starting your seeds indoors will lessen the amount of time you have to wait to see results in your garden, and many people prefer to grow their plants indoors first to ready them for the growing season. It can be motivational and satisfying.

If space is available near a sunny window, start seeds four to eight weeks before the plant-out date in your area (average date of last killing frost). Starting too early usually results in spindly plants due to crowding and lack of sufficient light.

Almost any container with drainage holes in the bottom will work for planting. Paper milk cartons cut in half, Styrofoam cups, tin cans, plastic trays and pots are common containers used. For convenience, however, you may wish to start plants in the plastic trays and pots available at garden supply centers.

Use a rich, well-drained soil. Potting soils made for African violets and other house plants usually are suitable and do not have weed seeds. They are, however, more expensive than soil mixes you can make at home. If you use soil from the yard, it should be top soil that is well drained and not high in clay. (more…)

Things You Need to Know About Organic Vegetable Gardening

June 16, 2011 By: Jonathan Gonzales Category: Gardens - Vegetable

Organic vegetable gardening is the way of growing vegetables and fruits with the use of things only found in nature.

Why would one want to indulge in organic gardening?

1.One can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste. Though this is a bit more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers, vegetable gardens certainly help to put garbage to good use and so saves the environment. (more…)

What is Organic Composting?

March 05, 2011 By: Lec Watkins Category: Compost Needs

Organic is now a word with so many ‘green’ and ‘Environmentally Friendly’ connotations. More people are growing their own food and creating their own garden compost. But It is often confusing as to what organic composting actually is and how we should be making it.

First of all, lets start with the basics. Garden composting is merely encouraging what nature is all to happy to do anyway. That is, decomposing any organic matter into its basic constituents. Hummus and minerals easily utilised by living plants. (more…)

Organic Pest Control

February 10, 2011 By: Max Bellamy Category: Pest Control

A beautiful and healthy garden is attractive not only to green thumbs but also to little creatures with a taste for the greens – pests. The most popular of pest control devices have been chemical in nature. However, modern research has found that chemical control of pests, unless strictly monitored, may pose health hazards to human beings and also to the environment. This has led many to look at the option of controlling garden pests using methods that are non-toxic.

Maintaining the health of the plants in your garden means that they can get their own defense systems to work when attacked by pests. Resistance, though, may not always work and so other devices such as introducing variety, physical traps, and natural predators have been necessary. Another interesting area is that of organic pest control. This includes soft soap in a solution that is natural in its content and can be used to counter small insects. Organic pest control needs to be applied with care as well, and one needs to read the labels and other documentation carefully. (more…)

Organic Vegetable Gardening For Delicious and Healthy Meals All Year Long

January 04, 2011 By: Gregg Osbourn Category: Gardens - Vegetable

Once you have gotten everything together that you will need to create and maintain your organic vegetable garden you need something to plant in it. For many choosing what vegetables to grow is the fun part of organic vegetable gardening since you get to imagine what sort of vegetables you will see shooting up from your new garden. There are many organic vegetable seeds available for sale from retailers both online and offline. In fact, there are so many seeds to choose from that some people find themselves completely overwhelmed by their options.

If you are someone that has never grown vegetables before then it is important that you stick to vegetables that are easy to grow. Even though they might be vegetables that you have not usually eaten before or never thought about growing you might be surprised by the results. A good organic gardening book is helpful. Many organic gardeners have found that vegetables they usually hated when purchased canned or frozen, taste delicious when harvested from their own backyard. The following are a few vegetables that are easy to go organically and often a delicious treat. (more…)

Creating An Organic Garden

November 29, 2010 By: Jasper Sayer Category: Create & Plan...

Organic gardening is the exact same as regular gardening except that no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used. This can make certain aspects difficult, such as controlling disease, insects, and weeds. Organic gardening also requires more attention to the soil and the many needs of plants. Organic gardening starts with the soil. Gardeners must add organic matter to the soil regularly in order to keep the soil productive. In fact, compost is essential to the healthiness and well being of plants grown organically. Compost can be made from leaves, dead flowers, vegetable scraps, fruit rinds, grass clippings, manure, and many other things. The ideal soil has a dark color, sweet smell, and is full of earthworms. Some soil may need more natural additives than regular compost can give, such as bonemeal, rock phosphates, or greensand. A simple soil test will tell you the pH balance and which nutrients you will need to use.

One thing that makes even gardeners that are very serious about organic gardening reach for pesticides is insects on their plants. The best way to defend plants against insects is to take preventative measures. One thing that can be done is to make sure plants are healthy and not too wet or dry because insects usually attack unhealthy plants and if healthy, they can often outgrow minor insect damage. A variety of plant types is a good idea to keep pests of a particular plant type from taking out the entire garden. (more…)

How To Care For Your Organic Garden

November 25, 2010 By: Joseph Silva Category: Gardens - Other, Gardens - Vegetable

To grow your organic vegetable backyard is not an obstinate thing and in truth many people who have farming are now spinning to organic farming methods. This doesn’t mean that you neediness to grow only organic herbs and vegetables in your patch. Organic farming can cover all aspects of gardening, plus a flower backyard or an ornamental plot as well.

Just because you want to have an organic vegetable patch that doesn’t mean that you only want to spear with the organic vegetable backyard. You can develop to enter such gear as herbs as well if you like, not remark zenith plants and others.

The one thing that you do want to look out for when you’re mounting your organic vegetable plot alongside your flower patch, is that your flower patch is also mature organically. After all, it kind of defeats the intention of rising an organic vegetable backyard if right next to it you use all sorts of compound pesticides and fertilizers in your flower bed. (more…)

7 Steps to Organic Certification

November 02, 2010 By: Brandi Eissinger Category: Tips Tricks & Steps

You’ve done your homework on the requirements of labeling product organic and have decided on a certification agency. Now what?

Each certification agency handles the certification process a little differently then the next, however, the basic steps are similar between allUS certifiers.

1) The Application: Most certification agencies require an application and application fee to begin with. For some certifiers, this application is the complete set of paperwork. For many, it is a simple application to get you into their system so they can begin providing you with any assistance you need.

2) Organic System Plan (OSP): This may have a different name depending on the certifier, but generally consists of the same information. And it is most likely to be a lot of paperwork, especially in the first year. (more…)

Build Your Own Organic Gardens Step by Step

October 30, 2010 By: Cheyenne Leslie Category: Gardens - Other, Tips Tricks & Steps

The first thing in organic garden is the selection of a best location. Without a choice, it means simply doing the best one can with conditions. With space limited it resolves itself into no garden, or a box garden. Surely a box organic vegetable garden is better than nothing at all.

But we will now suppose that it is possible to really pick just the right site for the organic vegetable garden. What shall be picked? The biggest determining factor is the sun. No one would have a north corner, unless it were absolutely forced upon him; because, while north corners do for ferns, certain wild flowers, and begonias, they are of little use as spots for a general organic vegetable garden.

If possible, choose the ideal spot a southern exposure. Here the sun lies warm all day long. When the organic vegetable garden is thus located the rows of vegetables and flowers should run north and south. Thus placed, the plants receive the sun’s rays all the morning on the eastern side, and all the afternoon on the western side. One ought not to have any lopsided plants with such an arrangement. (more…)

Organic Lawn Fertilizer: Beautify Your Lawns

October 20, 2010 By: George Kilbride Category: Soil Needs

Organic care is the best that you can give to your beautiful lawns. It is natural and that is why it cannot harm the lawns. Organic lawn fertilizer has come as a new option for those people who care not only about nurturing their lawns but also about the environment. Organic fertilizers can be used by as an alternative to the chemical products. One should remember that originally there were only these organic products, and we gave place to the chemical ones, thereby spoiling our environment. Now, we should go back to the old times again to save it.

There are several benefits of using lawn fertilizers that are organic in nature, and they are highly effective. You do not have to doubt their capabilities as they are much more beneficial than their chemical counterparts. First of all, these organic fertilizers are biodegradable products. On the other hand, the chemical fertilizers react with our environment in unnatural ways. However these natural fertilizers can break down and return to their original value. Consequently they do not harm anybody as they are easily dissipated. They are toxin free unlike the man made fertilizers. (more…)

Starting an Organic Garden in Planter Boxes

October 10, 2010 By: Rachel Dawson Category: Gardens - Container, Gardens - Other

You can start an organic vegetable garden in planter boxes. Tired of waiting for the price of commercially produced organic vegetables to drop to more reasonable levels? You don’t need a large garden plot to grow your own vegetables. A few planters outside your window or door can provide all the space you need to plant some varieties of the vegetables you consume most often. You can choose from roots, leafy vegetables, and fleshy vegetables as you plan the layout of your organic garden. Selecting a nutritious mix of soil and watering your plants often should boost the health of your vegetables.

Carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes are all root vegetables. Roots also include potatoes, rutabagas, and sweet potatoes. Some of these edible roots can grow well in planter boxes. Carrots or radishes would make a good start for your organic garden. Do not select shallow planters for these vegetables, however. (more…)

Using Organic Plant Nutrients in Your Garden

September 28, 2010 By: Michael Straumietis Category: Gardens - Hydroponics

When shopping around for nutrients for your hydroponic system, you have probably noticed that there are two general options: organic and non organic. Assuming that these nutrient blends are well balanced and come from a reputable hydroponics supply company, they can provide your plants with what they need to grow and thrive well. So why do so many opt for the organic solutions over the synthetic solutions? And why does it seem that organic growing increases in popularity with each passing year? There are several reasons really why people go organic.

Higher Nutrient Levels – Some evidence exists that organic plants grown organically are healthier for you than those grown through more modern conventional methods. Using only organic plant nutrients makes each piece of food denser in dry matter, meaning that there is more food and less water. When you do not use chemical pesticides, it also forces the plant to rely more on its own natural defenses. This means that they naturally produce more of the antioxidants that make fruits and vegetables so healthy for people. (more…)

Organic Plant Food: Natures Magic Ingredient

September 27, 2010 By: Paul Courtney Category: Soil Needs

With the ever increasing demand for organic food production it is quite natural that we look for organic plant food to replace the chemical fertilizers that are commonly used in commercial production of fruit and vegetables.

What is organic plant food?
The first thing that springs to mind is animal manure, and still today this is the number one most common source of organic plant food. Animal manure provides active nutrients, fungi and the bacteria necessary for the development of fertile soils. Today, manures are available in several forms and grades. Although horse and cow dung is well known for its use as organic plant food, other animals such as hogs and sheep manure is also available. Chicken manure requires processing before it is applied to the garden.. (more…)