organic food gardening tips

Sunday 28 November 2010

Organic Vegetable Gardening

Organic Vegetable Gardening

By Nicole Roberts

Organic vegetable gardening is becoming a popular hobby for people to do at their own home. With the tough economy, people are doing all they can to save money and cut corners. Growing your own food is one way to do this. It also provides other benefits, such as giving you lots of different foods to eat. Additionally, you will have much more healthy foods than what you would be able to purchase in a store.

Home Gardening Saves you Money

Organic vegetable gardening done in your own yard will definitely save you money. Fresh fruits and vegetables sold in the produce section are typically not cheap, especially if you need more than just one pound or one item. The costs of plowing up a section of your lawn, having the tools for home gardening, and buying the seeds for the foods you want to plant will usually be much more cost effective. This option will also provide you with more food for your money.
Grow Lots of Yummy Foods

There are a number of foods that you can grow during the different seasons of the year. There may be some restrictions based on where you live. However, there are alternatives to classic home gardening that will at least let you grow 2 or 3 different fruits or vegetables. Growing your own foods will provide you with some delicious foods for you and your family to eat. Cooking with foods you grew in your own backyard is something that should give you a sense of pride. Most people are not that self reliable.

Healthier Foods are Available with Gardening

Home Organic Vegetable Gardening provides you with foods that are a great deal healthier to most that you can get elsewhere. Eating out adds several hundred calories to your daily intake, most of which will be converted to fat if you do not burn them off by exercising. Though it is convenient, it is not very good for our bodies. Even if you do not eat out and just purchase your food at the supermarket, it is still likely to not be as good for you as organic vegetable gardening. A lot of the produce available in grocery stores has been sprayed with pesticides as well as chemicals to enhance the color and look of the fruits and vegetables.

As you can see, home gardening is a great way that people are saving money nowadays. Not only are you getting more food for your buck, the produce you are growing is healthier for you and your family. You can take pride in knowing you are giving your family better options for nourishment with growing your own foods. Planting a number of different fruits and vegetables throughout the year will allow you to have a great deal of foods to live on.

Nicole Roberts
Organic Vegetable Gardening provides you with foods that are a great deal healthier to most that you can get elsewhere.


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organic gardening tips

Wednesday 12 November 2008

True Organic Fertilizer: Manure and Muck

By Bill Urell

I visited a store last week, out in the country, where people might be expected to know better, and discovered that one of their products was 'organic fertilizer.' That's right; they were bagging cow dung and selling it, at six dollars a pound, no less. And this in a remote farming area surrounded by cow pastures!

"Organic fertilizer" sounds lovely, but truth be told, for a little work, you can get it free from any nearby farmer. Or you can usually pay someone to deliver it for you. It doesn't come in plastic bags, but I guarantee, it will be less than six dollars a pound.

What kinds of manure work best as organic fertilizer? Well, the store had one thing right; cow dung is best. Because cows digest so little of their food, cow manure won't burn plants the way nitrogen-rich chicken manure will. Nor does it need to be composted before putting it on the garden. (Actually, elephant dung is slightly better than cow dung. But this article assumes that you'll have a slightly easier time finding cow dung than elephant dung.)

Horse manure is another good one. It's not quite as nutrient-rich as cow dung, but again, it won't burn plants and it can be applied directly to the soil.

Chicken manure is the best as far as sheer nutrients go. It's rich in nitrogen; an application of chicken manure will grow some of the best corn you can imagine. However, chicken manure is what's know as a 'hot' manure; it will burn plants, and cannot be applied directly to the soil. In order to use it, let it compost for at least three months (six months to a year is better) in an out-of-the-way corner of the garden, then apply it sparingly to your unplanted beds and wait at least two weeks and one good rain before planting in it. Or, mix it with dry matter, such as leaf mold or sawdust, to cut down on the heat. (Unfortunately, this also dilutes the nutrients. But chicken manure diluted this way makes an excellent organic fertilizer because it can be applied directly to the beds, left two weeks and one good rain, and then planted.)

Ultimately, organic fertilizer should be free or--at the very least--cheap as...well...dirt. Because that's exactly what it is.

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Sunday 2 November 2008

Making Sure You Have All Your Organic Garden Supplies.

Organic farming is the trend these days because it is low-priced and it is environmentally friendly but before you get started, you need to get some organic vegetable horticulture supplies from your local store.

Of all the supplies needed, Dirt is possibly the most crucial since horticulture starts from here.

The condition of the land has to be checked before any preparation or seed implantation takes place.

Because the pH level is not possible to gauge, some amount of compost should be put in the Soil, so that it not only neutralizes it for excess pH, but also keeps the Soil enriched with nutrients for future cultivation.

Lots of gardeners do not purchase|purchase] compost since they are adept in making it.

Compost can be made using weeds, dead leaves, rotten vegetables or meat waste products and manure.

This is not only biodegradable but reduces the measure of debris dumped.

Before you throw the seeds on the prepared land, check that the environment is prepared too for their survival.

To get the best out of your efforts do some online research or even discus the matter with your local store clerk, before you set out to buy them.

If not sees, you could also buy vegetables that have started to grow.

Insects and pests cause big headaches for farmers and gardeners and quick help in this regard is available from other insects, birds, ladybugs, praying mantis and the toad.

Another is the use of horticultural oils that break down quickly and pose little toxicity to humans or pets.

Weeds are another problem: For this, you will have to put on your gardening gloves, get on your knees and start pulling them from the ground.

Effective help can also be obtained if you spray the farming area with horticultural vinegar or corn meal gluten granules, which inhibit weed growth and keeps the soil enriched with nitrogen.

Keep in mind that this should be applied during early spring or fall when most weeds come out.

During selection check the condition of the leaves and omit those, which are already looking worn out and discolored.

There is another non-toxic chemical you can use to fight weeds are fish or seaweed based liquid based plant foods.

They are also known to enrich your soil with nitrogen, phosphate and potash, which benefits your crops.

In case you are not ready with adequate backyard space, use pots made with clay, plastic or wood for doing organic farming.

Just remember to water them often, as their need for water is more indoors than outdoors.

Having all the organic farming provisions prepared will make it easy for you to plant your seeds and harvest them so you are prepared to rotate this with another variant.

If you have multiple horticulture depots where you live, the best option for you is to check and compare their costs before actually making the purchases.

In case you run short of some provisions, look up online depots where you not only get the goods but get good advice also.

Organic farming is not only a low-cost way to grow vegetables, it also ensures that you eat the purest and cleanest foods grown without any harsh chemicals or pesticides – so wait no longer, start with it today.

organic gardening

Sunday 12 October 2008

Gardening's Most Valuable Advice

Gardening's Most Valuable Advice

Many people may not be aware that gardening can actually harm the environment. A large amount of carbon dioxide can be released through tilling the soil. This contributes to global warming. When you cultivating and compacting the soil, destroys good fungi. Fertilizers like nitrogen and manure often leach out of the soil and pollute the water you drink.

Global warming

Did you know that the earth's soil gives out carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 10 times more than all human activity? This comes from the pill bugs, microbes, fungi and worms when they breathe, digest food and then die. Although in the past plants have been capable of absorbing carbon dioxide caused by small-scale tillages, this isn't the case nowadays.
The increase of the globe's average temperature is because of the carbon dioxide the soil emits when tilled. The good news is that tilling can be minimized by mulching or sheet composting.

Good Fungi

In untilled soil, there is beneficial fungi known as the vesicular-arbuscular-mycorrhizae or VAM for short. VAM actually forms a symbiotic relationship with plants. Their filaments increase root hairs and provide nutrients to the plant. They give out zinc, copper, potassium and phosphorus. Plants provide carbohydrates for the fungi in return. It is possible to grow a garden without tilling the soil at all by mulching heavily until the soil is soft and friable.

Surplus Nitrogen

Many gardeners waste nitrogen and manures; farmers do otherwise. Farmers only need a quarter to a third of nitrogen to mix with an inch of compost, horse, or cow manure. Kate Burroughs of Sebastopol California, uses the same rule for her home-grown lettuce and sweet corns. When it comes to broccoli and pear trees, farmers only need a small amount. Notice that gardeners apply larger amounts of compost and manure than farmers. Obviously, they are not only wasting their fertilizer but also their money.

The best gardening advice that can be given to those concerned is to do all things with moderation. Keep in mind that too little and too much of something is not healthy. This is the most valuable advice one can have in gardening.

Sunday 5 October 2008

Beginners Guide To Organic Gardening

Organic horticulture could be an excellent pursuit, more so for people who enjoy gardening as an idea. This is a hobby, which some people take up, so you are one of those lucky ones, who can make things grow! Organic horticulture has various facets to it, which you need to be well-known with, for instance, what type of soil you have, what you want to produce on them, and how you would tend for the plants.


All this may seem confusing to a beginner but if you are an experienced hand, then these aspects are already well-known to you and you could comfortably start the organic way to produce things. This method of gardening is tougher than regular horticulture as much more drive and labor is necessary to do it this way.


The basic rule of organic gardening is that you will only use synthetic products where it is absolutely necessary. This involves using important tools like pesticides and fertilizer. Secure all that you need for your horticulture from the earth and then use them for your efforts. These elements will help you to produce something new: flowers, vegetables or whatever greens you may want to grow. Hopefully you are getting what we are trying to say, and that is this is one way to work in conjunction with nature.


Organic fertilizers


If you are curious if this is at all feasible, it is, and you are there to make it. You can make your very own compost from the materials found in your garden. You could conveniently use, fallen leaves and dead branches and animal manure but a lot would be based on the type used and other factors.


Organic Pesticides


Organic horticulture requires least use of chemical substance pesticides. Usually handpicking of several insects is not possible so go to the local store and ask for organic pesticide, which are easily available. The traditional way is to keep a watch on your garden and as soon as some worms and other insects are located, kill them. You should only turn to the organic pesticides when it gets too much and difficult - and you can no longer handle it. Another way is to let in animals, which love to eat these garden pests. This way, you'll have some help in cleaning those pests up and this also helps the other animals satisfy their hunger.


As a pursuit, this might be time consuming so if you cannot devote enough time into it, might as well find a collaborator or drop the idea until you have found the right time to carry on with the tasks. Organic horticulture involves a lot of labor and effort, so you must be ready to go through the grind. To ease your tiredness when you are already into it too deep, just think that what you are doing is serving nature. This is your way of paying back what nature has bestowed on you since the day you were born.


Beginners Guide To Organic Gardening