Organic Gardening at Home

30 July 2010 by admin  
Categories: Organic Gardening

Organic gardening at home is not that different from what they do in the farm. This is because the same techniques are used to make your choice of plants and vegetables grow even if you have a smaller area to work with.

The first thing you have to do is select the location. It is important that it gets at least 6 hours of sunlight each day and it has access to water. You should also check if the spot has good drainage otherwise you will have to build a raised bed garden instead.

When the location has been found, it is time to prepare the land. This is the time you bring out your gardening tools and gloves so can get rid of weeds that are present. All debris must also be removed so do this for a few days to make sure the area is secure.

The moment of truth will come when you test the soil. For that, you will need some compost from the store and then mix it with the soil. If it is healthy to integrate and stabilize itself, then you can begin planting your crops in the next 2 to 4 weeks. During such time, you can already add fertilizers into the soil to make sure that the nutrients hold. 

The fun part is when you place in the seeds. Don’t forget to begin your own compost pile at the same time by using coffee grounds, dead leaves, grass clippings, manure and vegetable or food waste that become organic fertilizer for your crops. By doing so, you will no longer need to purchase these from the gardening store.

If you don’t already know, not all fruits or vegetables planted in one area are the same for another. This is because some might not survive due to the conditions of the region such as the weather, pests and other plant borne diseases.  You can check at the store, do some research or get advice from fellow organic gardeners.

It will also be a good intent to plant a variety of fruits and vegetables. Some protect the rest from pests while others can only be grown during a certain season. In short, you get to practice crop rotation so you do not use up all the nutrients in the soil. Aside from plants, the use of birds, insects and toads can also help protect your garden.

Although you already removed the weeds before you planted, you still have to check for them again because they do some back. You will have to inspect the area and then pull them out which is one of the responsibilities of owning a garden.

Since larger animals not only insects could do alteration to your organic garden, you should also protect it by putting up some fences. Some gardeners have also used animal hair, baby powder and deodorant soaps that act as deterrents.

Surely, you have noticed that organic vegetables being sold at the grocery are quite expensive. They cost a few dollars more than the regular kind so instead of putting this on your list, why not cross it out and simply get this from your backyard.

With some practice, you will realize that organic gardening at home can be challenging and at the same time fun. It is your way of going green and being environment friendly.

Free Organic Vegetable Gardening At Home: Learn how to begin up or enhance your own organic Vegetable garden at ho… http://bit.ly/dclYsW – by FlowerGalleries (Nick Adams)

How to Start an Organic Vegetable Garden

4 July 2010 by admin  
Categories: Gardening

The most basic and important thing to do before you begin an organic vegetable garden is to decide what you want to grow. There are so many vegetables to select from but keep in mind that certain vegetables can't be grown because of the climate so take that into consideration as well.

To ensure that you do not have a hard time taking care of it, select those that are well adapted to the soil, temperature, sun and shade exposure. If you live in an area where droughts are frequent, make sure you are planting drought resistant vegetables since it does not take up that much water and can withstand dry weather.

You should determine how much space you have. This will make it simple for you to plot on a sheet of paper the layout of how you want your vegetables to grow.

You should mulch your vegetables with organic material. This can be prefabricated from food waste, dead leaves or grass and manure. This helps conserve water, adds humus and nutrients as well as discourage weeds from growing.

The ideal part is that you don’t have to dig deep to place these in because 85% of the vegetable’s roots are found in the top 6 inches of soil.

Aside from compost, you can also use natural fertilizers and organic material to help the vegetables grow. They also encourage native earthworms that are nature’s tillers and soil conditioners.

The biggest threat that could destroy your vegetables are pests. To get rid of them, you should use other insects, birds, frogs. If your crops though have been infected, spray infected stems and leaves with dilute soapy water and then clear water that is very effective.

If you decide to purchase vegetables that are grown instead of using seedlings, most of these come in plastic containers. Be careful when you remove them so you refrain tearing the outside roots especially if these have grown solidly inside the container.

When planting vegetables, don’t stick with just one but plant many different kinds because this invites insects to take up resident in your yard.

Believe it or not, only 2 percent of the insects in the world are harmful. This means the rest are beneficial. Some examples of these include ladybugs, fireflies, green lacewings, praying mantis, spiders and wasps since they take insects that try to take your vegetables. Another thing they do is pollinate the plants and decompose organic matter.

Don’t forget to remove weeds that come out in your garden. You can pull these out by hand or spot spray it with a full strength of household vinegar. Ideal of all, it is innocuous for the environment.

Practice crop rotation. This will make sure that the soil is always fertile. When planting the new vegetable, refrain regular deep cultivation as this will alteration the roots, dry out the soil, interrupt healthy soil organisms and bring weeds to the surface that will soon germinate.

If you follow these tips, you will surely be healthy to have a successful organic vegetable garden. You can plant and harvest them all year round so you don’t have to purchase these goods anymore from the supermarket. That is assuming of course you have a large parcel of land to work with.