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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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Urell

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

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.

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

Working the soil to get the best results from your garden.

Tilling the Soil

Working the soil

The best landscape plan in the world will turn into an empty dream if the plants grow poorly. So before you turn the first spadeful of earth, ponder this question: How has the weather been?

If the dirt is gummy wet, wait until it dries out enough to crumble when you try to squeeze it into a handful. If it's brick hard, water deeply and then wait until it dries to the moist but crumbly stage. If your spade slides in easily, read on.

Spade, Shovel and Moon Phase

The hard work of turning up the soil will seem a little easier if you use a spade. It should be square, sharp, and straight or nearly straight in its shank. When you push it into firm earth with your foot, you want all the force to go straight down the blade. And if you use a file to keep it sharpened, roots and clods of soil won't be major obstacles.

The best time for cultivating your garden is during the waning phases of the moon or when the moon is transitioning from full moon to new moon. To further refine the best time for tilling the moon should be in an Air or Water zodiac sign.

A scoop-shaped shovel, with its pointed blade, should be used for mixing or turning loose materials. You handle it as if it were a combination of a spade and scoop.

The point on the shovel helps you to slide it into the material and the concave blade keeps the material from sliding off as you lift and turn. A shovel blade is set at an angle to the shaft so it stays flat when you push it horizontally into a pile of material.

In spading up small areas of soil, many gardeners make the mistake of turning each spadeful of earth completely over. If you make the same mistake, any weeds, leaves, or other debris in the soil will form a one spade-deep barrier that cuts off air and water.

Instead, you should lay the dirt on its side (against the previous shovelful) so the original surface is vertical to the ground.

Machine Power

Using a spade to turn the earth is fine for small areas, but for really big jobs you may want to rent or buy a power tiller. Because a tiller is adjustable, it can either scratch the surface or dig down several inches.

If you want to add amendments to packed soil but find it hard to make the tiller dig deep enough, start tilling at a shallow depth. Go over the area a second time (or even a third) with the tiller at a deeper setting each time. (Generally, the more powerful the tiller and the higher its horsepower, the deeper it can dig into the soil.)

In adding amendment, you should mix in a quantity that is from a quarter to a half of the finished volume of soil. (For more information on soil amendments, see soil amendment chart) Don't pile up so much amendment that the tiller can't penetrate the soil.

To avoid this, start by adding the amendment in 2 or 3-inch layers, tilling in each layer. If the amendment you choose needs nitrogen, add part of the amount with each amendment layer. Finally, don't till in the same direction each time you add a layer of amendment. For the best mix the furrows should be at right angles to the furrows you made on your previous run.

Three Step Soil Amendment Guide

1) Spread a 2 to 4-inch layer of soil amendment over soil with a rake; add nitrogen fertilizer if needed. Don't till yet.

2) Scatter superphosphate or bone meal (following package directions) for good root growth. If amendment is sawdust, also add iron chelate.

3) Cultivate in one direction, then at right angles, tilling the top 8 or 9 inches of soil. Repeat several times to mix soil evenly with amendment.

Following these steps will increase your chances for having a wonderful year in the garden. Happy tilling!

moonGROW.com (http://www.moonGROW.com) is a website delving into Moon Phase and Zodiac Sign Organic gardening. By Gene DeFazzio, this site provides the basics of both astrological and organic growing for the home gardener.

Tilling the soil

Organic Solutions to Deter Garden Intruders

Organic Solutions to Deter Garden Intruders

ARA) – Warm weather has arrived and summer’s bounty of blooms and vegetables are finally in sight. And so are families of groundhogs, rabbits, squirrels, deer and other critters who just can’t wait to feast on the fruits of your labor.

No one wants to battle the bunnies and other bothersome wildlife. Trapping garden intruders won’t solve the problem and some commonly used repellants can negatively impact the environment. It is possible, however, to kindly encourage animals to look for their next meal somewhere other than your garden – and be kind to the environment at the same time.

First, you’ll need to recognize your opponent. James Messina, of Messina Wildlife Management, producers of a full line of organic animal repellents, offers the following tips on some of the critters you might find munching on your prized plants and landscapes this summer:

1. Groundhogs: It's the groundhog’s goal to eat as much as possible which puts him on a collision course with your garden.

Groundhogs damage your landscape in two ways. First, they eat vegetables in the garden, attacking both the root crops and above ground crops. Second, their relentless tunneling causes mass disruption of root systems, weakening and can even killing plant life.

2. Rabbits: Bunnies don’t just dine on clover and grass, although those greens make up 90 percent of their diets. They also damage woody plants in your landscape. Feeding at night or in the early morning, their damage is usually no higher than 2 1/2 feet above the ground.

3. Deer: A lovely sight almost anywhere other than in your own  back yard, deer can cause major damage to plants and vegetable gardens. To determine if your flowers and vegetables are disappearing due to deer damage, look closely at the half-eaten plants. If you see a jagged, rough edge you can be sure the damage was done by deer as they have no incisor teeth and tear at the food source, leaving tell-tale signs of their presence.

4. Squirrels and Chipmunks: These furry, funny, cute creatures can be quite destructive when it comes to your gardens and landscapes. Both ground squirrels and chipmunks are burrowing animals. Usually, they feed on green leafy material during the summer and switch to seeds and grains during the fall and winter. They also love wild bird feeders and have a reputation for driving away the very birds you put the feeder out to attract.

For most animals, scent and taste are the primary attractions to food sources. If you disrupt the animal’s sense of smell and taste you have won the battle against the constant parade of critters in your landscapes. As a rule of thumb, it is far better to prevent wildlife damage than to wait until it occurs and try to combat it.

Messina Wildlife Management’s OMRI certified (100 percent) line of organic animal repellents convinces critters to go elsewhere, while still protecting the environment. Easily applied in a ready to use spray-on bottle, the repellents dry clear, are all pleasant smelling, and work for 30 days before reapplication is needed, no matter the weather. The full product line can even be used on edibles, and none of the products cause harm or physical irritation to the animals they repel. The products work by smell and taste, repelling pesky critters from your back yard, and they’re all pleasant smelling and safe to humans.

Visit www.messinawildlifemanagement.com for more information on safe, effective pest repellents.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

The Organic Gardening Revolution

One of the key elements in sustainable farming is maintaining a fertile soil. When farmers grow crops, nutrients are removed from the soil, thus depleting its fertility.

Peas and beans (legumes) fix nitrogen from the air into the soil so plant them with nitrogen loving cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, or corn. The organic gardener can use this information to increase productivity in a small area and repel pests by interplanting onions and carrots together.

A cauliflower plant requires 25 grams of nitrogen while one kg of cattle dung has only five grams of nitrogen. Though it is not difficult to get five kgs of animal dung to ensure that the plant gets 25 grams of nitrogen, it causes extra costs in terms of labour time needed to prepare a pit big enough to hold five kgs of animal dung but planting in an area previously used for peas and beans should mean that there is enough nitrogen in the soil.

Organic matter improves soil while preventing soil compaction and crusting. Soils low in organic matter often crust or seal over after a heavy rain, which prevents water and oxygen infiltration to the root system of growing vegetables. If the soil dries out during their growth, radishes will become bitter and mealy. Keep radishes evenly moist throughout the growing season.

Sawdust and peat are useful to lower the pH if your soil is too alkaline. Wood ashes, oyster shell, bone meal and lime are good for raising the pH of acid soils. At the end of the growing season, rototill the paper and straw into the soil to decay. Pots tend to dry out really quickly especially in the summer, and with constant watering the nutrients are leached from the soil and will need to be replenished.

Richer taste also comes from growing vegetables in naturally enriched soils. Making more nutrients available to the plants yields vegetables with more nutrients. Root crops need well-drained, loose soil for good root development. Specific soil requirements are listed with each crop. It makes a long groove in the soil, drops the seeds into it, and the covers and firms the soil above the seed.

With your own organic vegetable garden you can finally take back control over what is going into your body and have fun doing it. Growing organic vegetables 'now' will place you way ahead of the coming organic garden revolution.

Organic Gardening

Organic gardening

Organic gardening is composed of numerous aspects that make up a whole interconnected system. This system relies upon insects, birds, shade, sun, and all other aspects of a living and working community. Organic gardening is the oldest method of cultivation, it's good for your family, and it's less expensive to do! You will find that organic vegetable gardening may become the most rewarding hobby, or lifestyle, you have ever undertaken.

Organic gardening is gardening without the use of man-made chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers. It is said by some of its supporters to be more in harmony with nature. Organic gardening is a less expensive way to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs in such a way that they are as close to nature as possible. It is an evolving science which is considered by its followers to be much more sustainable than gardening with chemicals. Organic gardening is great because you don't have to buy anything to do it. It's easy and everyone can do it.

Organic vegetable gardening is different from conventional gardening in two major ways. The fertility of the soil depends upon three components: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium [Nitrogen promotes leafy growth, phosphorus encourages fruiting and rooting, and potassium promotes fruiting and flowering. These are macronutrients essential to all plant life].

Organic vegetable gardening is the wave of the future and is an insurance policy for you and your family’s health. Organic vegetable gardening is a rewarding and healthy hobby. With the proper planning and supplies, your jaunt into the world of organic vegetable gardening can be all that you are dreaming it to be.

Soil that is hard or dense will be almost impossible to aerate and therefore the plants will not get enough oxygen through the root system in order to thrive and flourish. Likewise, if there is no way for the water to evenly percolate to the plants roots in your garden, some plants will make it while others will die without consistent moisture, and some will be oversaturated and get root rot. Soil is the life force of the garden. When enriched with organic matter, the soil becomes moist, fertile, and airy -- ideal for healthy plants.

Soil can be enriched by placing a layer of animal manure or compost before covering with bark chips. Soil conservation districts sprang up to advocate contour plowing and fallow areas, but the real underlying problem, one that continues to today is simply this: The chemical fertilizers are made from ammonia salts. Synthesized nitrogen is salt based, and anyone familiar with what salt build-up does to soil knows that isn't a good thing . Soil fertility is enriched by the addition green manures , minerals and humus . Minerals are obtained from a variety of sources, such as calcium from fossil or recently deceased shellfish, potassium from wood ash, nitrogen from the animal urea in manures or leguminous plants , and phosphorus from bone.

Soil moisture is maintained at optimum levels. Each species of crops can also be planted in different plots each year. Soil is the foundation for plants which is why so much of organic gardening focuses on improving soil. A sure-fire way to improve your soil is by adding lots of organic matter such as compost .

organic gardening

Organic Gardening Tips

Welcome to my organic gardening tips blog. Here you will learn about organic gardening and get tips on how to grow the best organic vegetables and herbs.