Organic | Starting a Garden

How to Grow a Successful Organic Garden

February 3, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

On the face of it learning how to grow an organic garden is actually quite easy. The basic rule is to make sure you use 100% organic products. These are products that are chemical and pesticide free.

Most of us have tried growing a garden at one point or another and you’ve probably had mixed success. If it’s not working out you many want to first test the soil to determine how healthy it is and what it’s balance is. You should take a sample of the soil where you intend planting your organic garden. You’ll want to find the best soil possible to plant your organic garden.

Everyone has different reasons for growing a garden, especially an organic garden. Perhaps you want to supplement your family with food that you grow yourself because organic food from the store is quite expensive. Or, perhaps you live in a place that is remote and difficult to get access to good produce so it is easier for you to grow an organic garden. Or perhaps it’s just for fun of it! It can be really satisfying to grow and eat your own organic vegetables.

Whatever your reason might be, an organic garden is the best way for you to go. But, you might be wondering, how do you grow an organic garden and get the best out of it? Of course the type of garden you choose to plant is entirely up to you, but you should plan for your garden just the same.

Making Your Organic Garden a Success

There are actually many ways to grow an organic garden. The only thing that makes it an organic garden is that absolutely no chemicals can be used when it comes to growing the food. You have to use only natural products and this includes fertilizers and bug repellent as well. With the growing popularity of organic produce, it’s easy to find organic fertilizers and bug repellent at your local nursery or plant store.

One of the best things that you can before growing an organic garden is to make sure that you have done your research. First, you should determine the kind of environment that you live in and what things you are going to have to protect your garden against. Then, you will need to know what products you can use to grow an organic garden and the difference in the variety and availability of all-natural products. Finally you should find out what products grow best for your climate and especially in your soil. If you have poor soil, you can still grow good produce in planter boxes, where you have more control over the growing environment.

Time to Plant your Organic Garden

Once you have determined the things you need to be aware of and you’ve figured out what you can do to prevent your garden from having any problems, you are ready to begin. Simply choose the foods that you want to grow and be sure that you are planting them correctly. Follow all of the directions that came with the plant, including it’s sunlight exposure, how deep it should be planted and how much space it needs to grow.

You should choose a place to plant where you have never used chemicals, as chemicals stay in the soil for a long time. It might be necessary for you to bring in top soil to use, especially in poor soil or clay soil areas.

Caring For Your Organic Garden

Regular maintenance is necessary for the best results. Following the directions for your plants and finding out how to look after them are good things to do. Learning how to care for an organic garden is very important. There are many resources available on the internet as well as your local store to help you.
You should weed your garden whenever weeds appear. This will keep the weed down, reduce, (or eliminate), the need for weed killer and help the plants to grow at their best. Regular watering is also needed and regular organic fertilization will help your plants grow big and strong.

Also you should protect the organic garden from run offs and from other chemicals that might be used nearby. Once you have done this, you can feel secure in the fact that you are doing your part to help not only the environment, but your health as well.

Learning how to grow an organic garden is easy, with a few tips your garden will blossom in no time!

Steve Dolan loves to garden and is blessed with green fingers. Take a look at Organic Garden | Organic Vegetables to make the most of your garden. Also visit Home Improvement | Home DIY for home improvement ideas.

Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: Garden, Grow, Organic, Successful

Best-Ever Backyard Birding Tips: Hundreds of Easy Ways to Attract the Birds You Love to Watch (Rodale Organic Gardening Books)

January 4, 2012 By admin 3 Comments

Best-Ever Backyard Birding Tips: Hundreds of Easy Ways to Attract the Birds You Love to Watch (Rodale Organic Gardening Books)

Grab a front row seat for the sights and sounds of feeding, nesting, and bathing birds right in your backyard using these tips shared by experienced birders. Whether the aim is to attract tiny hummingbirds or large and raucous blue jays, or lay out the welcome mat for temporary visitors stopping in during their seasonal migration, Best-Ever Backyard Birding Tips explains how to play up various landscape features and how to appreciate what happens in the backyard “birdscape.”

The book targets all skill levels, offering new birders a few basics while intriguing longtime birders with new ideas. Here readers will learn:

-why moving water, even a single dripper, will make a difference in which birds visit the yard

-how to plan an entire bird garden that offers food, shelter, and water for bathing and drinking

-what seeds and foods appeal to birds at different times of the season

-how to attract new species of birds no matter which region of the country they live in

-what type of shelter keeps baby birds safe until they are ready to leave the nest

Birders will enjoy reading features such as “Everybody Wins” (birding practices that benefit nature and the environment) and “Budget-Wise Birding” (free or inexpensive ways to feed and attract birds). They’ll also find step-by-step illustrations for installing a water feature, building a simple tray feeder, and converting a craft-style birdhouse into a suitable residence.

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Organic gardening in hydroponics – Ideal growing medium mixture for organic hydroponics gardening

November 23, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

by uniteddiversity

Gardeners experience proves that the mixture of vermiculite, perlite, and organic potting soil (loose 100% organic soil mixture is also suitable) in equal proportions is the best for the successful organic hydroponics gardening. Such mixture offers the perfect upward capillary action of water and supply of CO2 and oxygen. Organic soil in the upper medium layer provokes microbial action.

Some growers practice mixing organic nutrients (e.g. worm castings) into the upper medium part. Others just distribute them on the surface of the grow medium and then spray them with water. Another way is to mix nutrients with half a cup of water and pour onto the top of the medium. Any of these methods ensure proper nutrients entrance into the soil mixture and good absorption by the plants primary roots.

The upper layer of the medium is also called “soil alternative”, as it is the place where the nutrients are supplied to. It is treated as a standard soil container. To improve the capillary action of the water delivered by the lava rock at the bottom, it is recommended to spray the soil alternative once or twice a day with water.

Creating your organic gardening using hydroponics system pay special attention to the level of the pumped water, this must not moisten the upper part of the medium. If this happens, the nutrients, delivered to this soil part of the growing medium, will be washed out into the water reservoir, becoming unavailable for the upper part of the plants root system.

The usual watering cycle takes about half an hour to make the whole upper part of the medium wet. If this time is not enough, you may set the timer to prolong the cycles. It is also possible to spray the upper half of the growing medium with water in addition to the regular pump-triggered watering. Remember that soil-based part should never be soaked in water – being moist is enough for growing organic plants.

My name is guy. I am the founder and owner of the urbangardenershop.com.au . I fell in love with hydroponics gardening. As time went by I gathered a vast knowledge base and 2 years ago I decided to find a way to make hydroponics gardening a hobby that anyone can peruse. I added a hydroponic gardening information center to our hydroponic supplies site that offers a large range of hydroponics articles. Thank you for your interest and feel free to ask questions on hydroponics gardening in our site

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Organic gardening in hydroponics – The root system

November 13, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by vmiramontes

Plants, growing in the containers, will develop two types of the roots: the upper one, which will uptake plant nutrients from the upper part of the medium; and the lower roots, which will reach the lava rock part of the growing medium.

The upper root system is primary; it includes web-like thin roots that look similar to those that develop in the plants grown in the standard soil. They absorb multiple nutrients, thus ensuring the flourishing of a plant and its normal growth. The lower roots that are secondary will grow in the lower part of the medium (which can be lava rock, sand, gravel, perlite or pumice). These look typically to the hydroponically grown plants: long, rope-like, and stringy. These roots mainly absorb water; in addition, they receive much oxygen between watering cycles, which leads to the improved nutrients metabolism and faster growth.

These days hydroponics gardening gains more and more popularity in different parts of the world. More and more people become fascinated with this way of plants growing. Due to the constantly increasing interest in hydroponics, new methods and techniques of this gardening type appear. They are all aimed at the easing of the process of plants growing, improving the fruits, vegetables, and greens quality and taste, as well as at the making the whole process as eco-friendly as possible. Indeed, the new techniques try to solve the problem of hard-to-dispose used materials (as rockwool) and chemically-laden water and other wastes. Moreover, the primary goal of today hydroponics is to use exclusively organic materials, which offer the benefits in the crops quality and work of a gardener.

Not so long time ago gardeners were amazed by such hydroponics methods as Nutrient Film/Flow Technique, Ebb and Flow, Aeroponics, and even Semi-Organic Hydroponics. These days the leader of this gardening is Totally Organic Hydroponics, which major benefit is the possibility to grow 100% pure organic garden plants.

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Organic Gardening – A Speech For Teachers

November 11, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Organic gardening has increasingly become an important part of the curriculum in schools around the world. Teachers at every grade level find themselves teaching it to students, and sometimes being called on to give a speech to a group of parents. As a career educator and principal, I know the difficulty of opening up time for speech preparation, and offer this organic gardening speech for your use. Feel free to edit it to fit your needs.

Organic Gardening Speech

How selfish are you? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, how selfish would you rate yourself? If you are the least bit selfish, you might be interested in organic gardening.

An organic gardening speech might seem more appropriate coming from a Home Economics teacher, but I am just selfish enough that I love organic gardening. I want to share that love with you and with your children.

Imagine

I want you to come with me, in imagination, to a time and place before the Industrial Revolution. The year is 1707. It is late summer. We find ourselves walking the streets of a small town. Houses are spaced well apart for privacy. Land stretches out behind each house. As we look, we notice that much of that land is taken up by gardens. Here and there, we see both adults and children actively engaged in gardening. The plants are beautiful.

You call to one of the adults and ask what they use to make the garden so lush. A broad smile breaks, and through the smile come the words, “Feed the soil, and the soil will feed the plants.”

You shake your head. Poor people. Too bad they don’t know about that miracle combination of chemicals you saw advertised on TV last week. That’s the easy way to grow spectacular plants!

Dinner

The organic gardener invites us to join them for the evening meal, and we accept. At dinner, we join in the prayer of thanks, and then watch in amazement as the children, one after another, begin eating fresh vegetables.

You yourself are not that fond of vegetables, but you politely take a small serving of each. You bite into a leaf of steamed cabbage, and your eyes open wide in amazement. It is sweet – twice as sweet as the cabbage you buy at your local market! You watch a small child fill his mouth with dark green kale, and shudder. There’s a small spoonful of the nasty vegetable on your own plate, and you pick at it, putting a single small leaf in your mouth. Amazing! It, too, is twice as sweet as any kale you ever ate. The same seems true of every vegetable on the table. You decide that if your supermarket vegetables were this good, you would eat a lot more of them.

Our imaginary trip ends at that dinner table, and we return to the present.

Organic Gardening’s Benefits

Organic gardening has many benefits. If you are completely selfish, you will want those benefits for yourself. If you are unselfish, you will want those benefits for your family. Let me give you just three of organic gardening’s benefits.

1. Taste: Organic gardening has been proven to produce tastier fruits and vegetables. A Hong Kong study measured Brix levels, the percentage of sugar in plant juices, using produce from organic gardening and from non-organic gardening. The results showed that organic gardening produced produce that was 2 to 4 times as sweet as that produced by non-organic gardening. Sweeter fruits and vegetables are tastier, and easier to eat, whether you are a young person or an adult. Organic gardening helps us eat better by providing tastier fruits and vegetables.

2. Nutrition: Organic gardening has also been found to provide nutritionally superior produce. Virginia Worthington, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, compared the composition of vegetables grown simultaneously under different farming conditions. Her work included 41 studies with 1,240 comparisons of 35 vitamins and minerals. Worthington found that organic gardening produced vegetables and fruits that were higher in most minerals and vitamins than those from non-organic gardening. Not only that, organic gardening produce was lower in potentially harmful nitrates, which result from nitrogen fertilizers. Dr. Worthington concluded that produce from organic gardening is nutritionally superior. You and your family will enjoy better health with fruits and vegetables from organic gardening. (Effect of Agricultural Methods on Nutritional Quality: A Comparison of Organic with Conventional Crops, Virginia Worthington MS, ScD, CNS, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 1998, Alternative Therapies, Volume 4, 1998, pages 58-69)

3. Exercise: Finally, organic gardening offers you and your children regular daily exercise in the outdoors. Organic gardening helps you build muscles, especially important core muscles. Organic gardening gets you into the sunlight where you can absorb essential vitamin D. Organic gardening is a great stress management tool. Organic gardening gives you an outlet for creativity. It provides satisfaction as you see your work produce useful fruits, herbs, and vegetables.

We could talk about the aesthetic pleasures of organic gardening – how beautiful that garden might become. We could talk about how you can save money with organic gardening – growing your produce instead of purchasing.

Finally, we could talk about how important it is for our children to learn about organic gardening, to embrace it as the way to better health, and to practice it with school, home, and community gardens.

An organic gardening speech could go on for hours, but I’m going to stop here, hoping that I have whetted your appetite enough that you will seek out more information on organic gardening.

Helpful Tip for Speech-givers

A few large bowls of beautiful organic produce can be set on the platform or around the room to help visual learners picture organic gardening.

© 2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic gardening at http://www.organicspringtime.com. Anna is posting new articles regularly on that site, each one dealing with some facet of organic gardening. If you would like to get organic gardening tips, you will want to read Anna’s article with tips for the novice.
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Organic gardening in hydroponics – Organic nutrients and growing mediums

November 2, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

by uniteddiversity

The use of organic plant nutrients instead of the man-made chemicals in the hydroponic garden eases the work of a gardener. The matter is that the absence of synthetic chemicals eliminates the problem of ppm amount and pH balance of the water. If there is no need to calibrate nutrients, to check pH level of the water, and calculate fertilizer’s amount, a beginner of the hydroponic gardening will definitely make no mistakes, which means many problems may never occur.

A dual root growing system is made by special composition of the medium in the container: the upper part of the medium is soil or soil substitute, and organic nutrients can be supplied directly to this upper part; the lower half of the medium is some porous material, which retains water, but to which no nutrients are supplied.

Creating an organic hydroponics system, a gardener may use a standard hydroponic grow container, though a coir fiber container will suit too. The preferred material to put at the bottom of the box is lava rock, which perfectly keeps water. Lava rock is then covered with a thin layer of loose rockwool or coir fiber to divide both medium layers and prevent them from mixing together. The upper half of the container should be filled with a mixture of 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 coarse grade horticulture perlite, and 1/3 large-sized horticulture vermiculite. Such arrangement ensures the upper capillary action of water and protects the bottom of the grow bed from the occasional mixing with any organic particles.

Using a standard plastic hydroponic grow container one should place a plastic screen lining inside the grow bed, fitting it well at the bottom and on the walls of the container up to their top, also with the aim to protect the water from the small particles in the medium mixture. It is also possible to use a hydroponic container with tiny holes.

One more good choice for the use of organic gardening methods in hydroponics system is coir fiber containers. The filling is the same as described above with the thin layer of loose or strand coir fiber between the two types of medium.

Such box is then set in the grow bed. Note that the level of the pumped water should be a bit lower than the soil mixture. The secondary root system will be submerged into the water along with lava rock and promote the capillary water flow up into the soil. The lower half of the medium may be watered on a regular hydroponic basis, while the upper one can be moistened just once a day.

This system allows a gardener to supply nutrients right to the upper part of the medium, where they are vitally important. At the same time, the whole medium structure will be perfectly moistened by the pumped water and the plants will also have constant supply of oxygen and CO2, drawn into their root systems. Finally, proper amount of CO2 will improve the absorption of nutrients by the upper parts of the roots.

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Constructing and Maintaining your Own Organic Vegetable Garden

October 29, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by gardener41

To grow your organic vegetable garden is not a difficult thing and in fact many people who enjoy gardening are now turning to organic gardening methods. This doesn’t mean that you need to grow only organic herbs and vegetables in your garden. Organic gardening can encompass all aspects of gardening, including a flower garden or an ornamental garden as well.

Just because you want to have an organic vegetable garden that doesn’t mean that you only need to stick with the organic vegetable garden. You can expand to include such things as herbs as well if you like, not mention flowering plants and others.

The one thing that you do want to look out for when you’re growing your organic vegetable garden alongside your flower garden, is that your flower garden is also grown organically. After all, it kind of defeats the purpose of growing an organic vegetable garden if right next to it you use all sorts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in your flower bed.

Other than that you should be fine when constructing and maintaining your own organic vegetable garden, but if you feel that you neighbor’s pesticide filled garden is too close to your own garden and that all your good efforts are going to waste you might want to look at either moving your own organic vegetable garden further away, or using pots, tubs and troughs to grow your vegetable garden.

The first thing that you need to decide when planting your organic vegetable garden is what types of vegetables you want to have. The next thing is to finding the right place to have your garden, along with how large you want, or can have, your garden. It is entirely possible to grown your organic vegetable garden in a small closed off patio on the 44th floor of your high rise apartment as long as you are willing to accept your limitations and work with them.

This means being aware that although you might want to plant an acre’s worth of organic vegetable crops, you will instead have to make do with a small 4×4 or even smaller sized enclosure in which to grow your organic vegetable garden.

Once all of these things have been factored in and you have a rough idea of what you want in your organic vegetable garden, and how big you want your garden to be, you can then move on to the serious subject of just where to get your organic vegetable seed or plant stock from.

Here, you might have to make a decision as to whether you want your organic vegetable garden to be planted from completely organic seed or plant stock, or whether, if you have difficulty in obtaining these, you want to resort to using plant stock from a nursery which is not organic, but which you will grow from scratch utilizing organic methods. Once all these are done, you can then get started on your organic vegetable garden.

Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Organic Foods for Years. For More Information on Organic Vegetable Garden, Visit His Site at ORGANIC VEGETABLE GARDEN
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Organic Container Gardening ? An Alternative For Gardens

July 30, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by Shira Golding

Do you wish to plant organic plants of vegetables and flowers but do not have the space for it? Are you marring your wishes just because you do not have a proper garden? Now, there is a solution for you. These days, people are opting for organic container gardening when they do not find a proper garden for themselves. Similarly, you can also plant organic vegetables and flowers using a suitable container. The best part of this container is that it is movable and go along with you in case you move.

For organic container gardening, first of all, you need a good size container. Now, this container could be any vessel able to hold soil in it. You can either use a natural container made of clay or opt for wooden container too. You can also use a plastic carton or an old wheelbarrow as a container for your new little organic garden. The only thing to look for in a container, for your organic container gardening, is that it should not get scattered when you water the plants in it. Moreover, your chosen container should be able to drain because some of your plants will not like being over-watered. However, you can easily make holes in any container to provide proper drainage.

Next thing that you need for an organic container gardening is living organic soil. In case of a real garden, you can begin with any soil and gradually add the organic soul but not with an organic container garden. Here, you will have to start with organic soil only. The organic soil that you choose should have the capacity to hold water without over-drenching the roots of the plants. Remember there is no subsoil in the container, so you have to be careful in choosing the organic soil when doing organic container gardening. You can add peat moss to the organic soil to help it hold water. Or you can even grow plants in the peat moss without adding soil.

Now, what to grow in your container garden depends upon the size of the container. Nevertheless, do not forget to choose just the organic seeds for your organic container gardening. This will ensure better and healthy crops. Additionally, you should only use the organic pesticides and fertilizers for your little garden. Using the organic gardening supplies will ensure that you only get organic products that taste so good.

Organic container gardening is fun, easy and satisfying if you cannot own a proper garden. It gives you all the benefits that you can have from your garden and it will indulge in proper gardening as well. The seven most essential elements required for a successful organic container garden are plants, sunlight, water, temperature, space, nutrients and patience.

Summary: An organic container garden is one of the best alternatives for a real garden. For all those who cannot indulge in real gardening, organic container gardening is a satisfying experience. All one needs is a good container and proper organic gardening supplies to grow and sustain the plants grown in the container.

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Written By: infoXS

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Organic Gardening for Kids (Gardening for Kid’s) (Robbie Readers)

July 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Organic Gardening for Kids (Gardening for Kid’s) (Robbie Readers)

ISBN13: 9781584158158
Condition: New
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Would you like to grow delicious vegetables, fragrant herbs, or colorful flowers without using chemicals that can harm the environment? If so, organic gardening is for you. In easy steps, this book will help you choose the right types of plants for the soil and sunlight you have in your garden, enrich your soil with natural products like compost, and prevent pests in ways that are not harmful to wildlife. It will even show you how to build your own worm composter. Organic Gardening for Kids guides you through the process of creating a special place that will not only provide you and your family with organic food and ornamental flowers, but also attract butterflies, birds, and other local wildlife.

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Organic Gardening Gifts Online

June 9, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Organic gardening gifts online are plentiful and, with a bit of imagination, can be found in highly unlikely places. You can, of course, give organically grown flowers – a bunch of roses or a wildflower bouquet. You can give an organic live plant, nicely displayed in a natural basket. You might even give a gift of organic tea.

Organic gardening gifts online don’t stop there, though. As the popularity of organic gardening grows, the number of gifts for the gardener also grows.

Organic Gardening Tools

Organic gardening calls for tools that chemical gardening does not. Anyone doing organic gardening will enjoy receiving unique tools. For example:

1. Compost Container: Small-scale organic gardening does not require a large compost pile. A compost container, made from recycled plastic, can recycle kitchen waste into organic compost without a compost pit or pile.

2. Worm Factory: This organic gardening gift is another efficient way to compost. Just put worms, their bedding, and some scraps of food in the worm factory’s bottom bin. Stack other bins on top, with more food scraps in each. As the worms finish their meal on the first floor, they move upward to get more food. Their castings in the bottom tray, an excellent organic fertilizer, can be harvested. A handy spigot on the bottom tray drains off compost tea.

3. Compost Crank: If your gardener does use a compost pile or pit, a compost crank makes a good organic gardening gift. He or she will simply have to crank the corkscrew tip into the pile and pull out to aerate the pile.

Earth-Friendly Organic Gardening Tools

Organic gardening gifts online also include some regular tools that are earth-friendly. Think of mowing the lawn with a push mower to reduce pollution. While pushing, wear lawn aerator shoes to keep the lawn aerated so that nutrition and water get down where the roots can use them. Someone who is “into” organic gardening will also appreciate a tree and shrub root irrigator kit. It saves water while being sure organic fruit trees and shrubs receive deep watering.

Ergonomic Organic Gardening Tools

Organic gardening requires more work than chemical gardening. Ergonomic tools will be appreciated by an organic gardener. Sets of ergonomic tools with a convenient canvas bag can be found at many online gardening supply stores.

We found a unique organic gardening gift online – an ergonomic gardening tool called a detachable ergonomic gardening tool set . One handle can be used with every tool in the set.

A wearable gardening stool lets your organic gardening friend rest feet and back while gardening. Even with hands full, the stool is always available.

Organic Gardening Seeds or Seedlings

Organic gardening gifts online include organic seeds or seedlings, too. A home window garden kit set we saw would be a great gift for an organic gardener. Each set has four window garden cans, with everything you need to grow organic seedlings on a window sill. You add water and sunlight, and transplant the plants when they are big enough.

Any organic seeds or seedlings would be a good organic gardening gift. Herbs are always nice – fragrant and useful.

Organic Gardening Books

A book or two on organic gardening is a good idea, especially for the beginner. Find a beautiful and informative book, and your organic gardener will spend happy hours reading.

Organic Vegetables Mail Order

An ongoing gift of organic vegetables by mail order is also good. Find one of the online organic sites that ship via next day in the U.S.

Just for Love

One organic gardening gift we found online would be fun to give, especially to someone you love. The “Amazing Message Plant ” comes in its own planter, ready to grow. The recipient pops the lid, waters the plant, and places it in a sunny location. As it grows, the plant reveals the message “I love you” on its leaves.

Can’t Decide What to Buy

It can be hard to choose just the right organic gardening gift. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes. If you can’t decide what to buy, check online gardening supply retailers for gift certificates. You can often get them in denominations of or . Order one or more, and place them in a nice organic gardener’s greeting card.

copy; 2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic gardening at http://www.organicspringtime.com. Anna is posting new articles regularly on that site, each article dealing with some facet of organic gardening. If you want information on locating organic vegetables by mail order, you won’t want to miss Anna’s article on the subject.

Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: Gardening, Gifts, Online, Organic

Organic Gardening – a Quick Introduction

June 5, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by davidsilver

There are many types of organic gardening, from organic vegetable gardening to organic flower gardening. Many people have no idea what organic gardening really is. Organic Gardening refers to growing plants, vegetables, etc. without using pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

Many people believe that organic gardening offers many health benefits and that organically grown food is much better for the human body than food grown with pesticides and chemicals. With such health concerns in place, it only makes sense to grow your fruits and vegetables organically in your very own organic home garden.

If you would like to learn how to have your own organic garden but are unsure of where to start, you are in luck. I have compiled a few easy organic gardening tips for you to follow to get you started off on the right foot.

Collect Your Own Rainwater

This seems like a weird thing to do, but it is actually one of the best tips for organic gardening. For this procedure you will need to purchase a couple barrels from your local hardware store. These barrels will be used to collect rainwater. By collecting rainwater you are conserving water resources instead of wasting it. Some organic gardening growers hook up elaborate system of piping and hose to their rain collection barrels and the system then waters the organic garden automatically. You can probably find a variety of instructions for these types of systems by searching Google. If you don want to get that elaborate you can easily use a small bucket to scoop the water from the barrels or better yet, get a barrel with a spout on it, to water your organic garden by hand.

All Natural Fertilizer

Fertilizer is the place where most organic gardening growers go wrong. You must choose your fertilizer carefully. Many brands of fertilizer produced today contain some type of chemical. Be sure to read the label for the list of ingredients. True organic gardening must use an all natural fertilizer. Even if it says All Natural on the bag, make sure you read the label for the ingredients.

Another source of great natural fertilizer for organic gardening can come from using compost. Compost will help improve the structure of your soil and at the same time help increase the soils water retaining abilities. The best part about using compost for organic gardening is that it is free if you have your own compost pile or box. If not, you can always start one by beginning to collect grass clipping, leaves, etc.
Mulch for Organic Gardening

A simple yet often overlooked tip for organic gardening is to use mulch. By using organic material to mulch around your flower beds and trees you will conserve water, add humus and nutrients, and discourage weeds. This is one of the easiest organic gardening tips there is. Just be certain to locate a suitable natural organic mulch to do the job. You should be able to find one at your local home store or at a large nursery.

There are really no downsides to organic gardening. It is simply a matter of you putting in the time and consideration to make the switch from regular gardening to organic gardening. Not only will you be producing more healthy and nutritious plants and food but you will also be doing your part for the environment by not using chemicals or pesticides that do damage to it. Everything is going Green these days, so you might as well jump on the band wagon and help save the environment and a simple way to start is through organic gardening.

I hope these tips have helped you understand a little more about organic gardening. If you are interested in learning more about organic gardening, gardening tools, gardening products or just gardening in general please visit us at http://www.gardening-reviews.com

Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: Gardening, Introduction, Organic, Quick

The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way (Rodale Organic Gardening Books) Reviews

May 24, 2011 By admin 3 Comments

The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way (Rodale Organic Gardening Books)

51RvKHWxQJL. SL160 The Organic Gardeners Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth Friendly Way (Rodale Organic Gardening Books) Reviews

With growing consumer awareness about the dangers of garden chemicals, turn to The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control as the most reliable and comprehensive guide on the garden shelf. Rodale has been the category leader in organic methods for decades, and this thoroughly updated edition features the latest science-based recommendations for battling garden problems. With all-new photos of common and recently introduced pests and plant diseases, you can quickly identify whether you’ve discovered garden friend or foe and what action, if any, you should take.No other reference includes a wider range of methods for growing and maintaining an organic garden.

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Organic Gardening Books – The 6 Best Gardening Books For New Organic Gardeners

May 2, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

by uniteddiversity

These organic gardening books are those that have had the most profound effect on me, and I have read a lot of gardening books. But these books are the best of the best, in my opinion.

Botany / Plants Book

The Secret Life of Plants. The authors of Secrets Of The Soil put out amazing organic gardening books and this classic is a look at the world of plants and their relationship to us. It goes into how plants can think, how they respond to music, and how they respond to being loved/being threatened, yet sprinkled throughout are many lessons we can actually use in the garden. Anyone who believes plants are sentient beings will love this book. A must read.

Microorganism Book

Teaming with Microbes. Healthy organic soil is teeming with life – not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. These guys make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from us organic gardening and farming addicts to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals. I highly recommend this as one of the organic gardening books for you.

Organic Soil Management Book

The Non-Toxic Farming Handbook. This book is not only for farmers! It is a successful integration of diverse techniques and technologies of classical organic farming, Albrecht-style soil fertility balancing, and Reams-method organic soil and plant testing and analysis, and it is great for organic home gardeners. It covers fertility inputs, in-the-field testing, foliar feeding, refractometers, tillage, livestock nutrition, moon cycles and subtle energies, and more.

Permaculture Book

Gaia’s Garden. This is one of my favorite organic gardening books for beginners. It describes an organic gardening system that combines the best features of wildlife habitat, edible landscapes, and conventional gardens into a self-renewing landscape that lets nature do most of the work. It has many good design principles, so it is partially a design book. This is my favorite introduction to permaculture because it is a fun read that really simplifies the topic. It’s not as comprehensive as Mollison’s works, but a great intro. I love this book.

Vegetable Gardening Book

The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food. This is one of those organic gardening books that shows you how to select, grow, harvest, and store more than 765 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts. Not all that much info on growing from seed and transplanting, but a pretty darn big encyclopedia of food plants and good information on vegetable garden layout.

General Organic Gardening Book

Working With Nature – Shifting Paradigms. This organic gardening book was the first written by one of my gardening mentors, Heide Hermary, founder of Gaia College. It describes ecologically sound organic soil and water management practices and introduces the concept of landscape health management. It summarizes some of the most important information from other books listed on this page, and more importantly, it makes connections between seemingly disparate topics.

If you are interested in organic gardening books and would like to see my full list of the 50 absolute best gardening books, check it out here: http://www.smilinggardener.com/lists/50-most-important-organic-gardening-books.

Phil Nauta is a SOUL Certified Organic Land Care Professional and holds a Certificate In Organic Landscape Management from Gaia College and a Certificate In Sustainable Building And Design From Yestermorrow in addition to a Permaculture Design Certificate. He has taught for Gaia College and been a director for The Society For Organic Urban Land Care. He had run both an organic landscaping business and an organic fertilizer business before starting Smiling Gardener to teach others what he has learned.

Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: Best, Books, Gardeners, Gardening, Organic

The Backyard Bird Feeder’s Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, And Treats (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

March 26, 2011 By admin 3 Comments

The Backyard Bird Feeder’s Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects, And Treats (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

Backyard Bird Feeders Bible
Great for your garden!
Perfect gift for outdoor lovers!

Become the best bird host in your neighborhood. Let The Backyard Bird Feeder’s Bible be your guide to the foods and feeders, plants and projects that will guarantee you a yard that’s absolutely brimming with birds!

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Organic Gardening Guide – 3 Basic Steps For Good and Successful Organic Gardening

January 24, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

With gardeners turning to organic cultivation of flowers and vegetables in large numbers, many of them find an organic gardening guide as a handy tool for equipping their flower and kitchen gardens with plants grown in a healthy manner. This helps them decide what is best for their gardens and their pockets and what they should avoid doing if they want their greens to be in the pink too.

Now for organic gardening to be successful one needs to follow three basic, but most important steps.

1. Preparing the soil – As soil plays an important role in sustaining and holding plants, it is necessary to prepare it for planting by treating it with organically prepared compost and fertilizers. This helps the soil acquire all the vital nutrients that it may be lacking, but which the plants require for good growth. This should be done whether one is planning to either grow flowers or vegetables as both require a good dose of nutrients.

2. Selection and care of seeds – It is mandatory for the grower to know what kind of plants would suit his garden. Hence, you should buy seeds accordingly. An organic gardening guide helps you decide what the right medium for sowing your seeds is and when to transplant them from the original containers to your garden.

Caring for seeds is extremely important as the success of your gardening depends on it. Make sure that the medium in which you are planning to plant your seeds is adequately moistened to suit the germinating needs of your plant. While some seeds need to be covered, there are others, which require exposure to sunlight.

The plants should be exposed to the prevailing weather conditions before shifting them from the containers to the garden. Keep them cozy and moist during the germinating stage. Always refer to your gardening guide for exact information about tending to your seeds before planting them.

3. Protection from insects and weeds – After you have planted your seeds and they begin to germinate, it becomes all the more important for you to protect them against insects, diseases and weeds. Using natural products to deal with pests is the wisest thing to do in case of organic gardening as this does not have any ill-effect on the plant. Besides this, allowing natural predators of pests into your precincts helps too.

One should also take timely steps to keep the garden free of weeds. Steps such as exposure to sunlight and applying mulch apart from physical methods as pulling out the weeds by hand, also helps check the growth of weeds.

Clint Sidney is a gardening enthusiast and recommends this excellent Organic Gardening Guide. You can learn more about gardening at GreatGardener.eHelpshome.com.
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Organic Gardening Supply

January 22, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by Bukowsky18

Where ever you look it seems that people are going green. They may try and drive using electric cars, or use natural methods of fertilizer or compost. There are even gardeners who use only organic products and tools in their garden. These organic gardeners will need gardening supplies that are a little different from that of your ordinary gardener. Basically they will need an organic gardening supply to continue with their gardening efforts.

As an organic gardener you will of course need a shovel, a spade and a spading fork to dig the soil in your garden and prepare it for planting. Then to take out the weeds and the rocks that are littering your new bed you need a hoe, a scuffle hoe with its forward pointing blade that you scuffle in front of you as you weed your garden, and cut the weeds at the surface. A pry bar is very good item even for organic gardeners to use in their organic gardening supply. With a pry bar you can dig up those rocks and boulders that sometimes seem to litter the surface of your garden.

Organic mulches are very similar in effect to pine needles and leaves that fall to the ground in forests. As organic mulches are of plant matter, they decompose over a period of time. This decomposed mulch helps to keep the soil moist and the plant roots cool, while keeping nutrients locked in.

There is always some pruning to be done in the garden. Rose bushes need to be cut back, especially if you want lots of big, beautiful flowers. A pair of good quality gardening shears or even a lopping shears can cut those large prickly rose stems cleanly without causing any disease causing breaks.

These however are the conventional gardening supplies that any gardener can use. For an organic gardener there are a few different items that need to be added to their organic gardening supply. Whereas the normal gardener has the choice of using chemical enhanced fertilizers the organic gardener can use bat guano or even worm castings.

With these organic fertilizers all that is needed is a couple of applications per month. Worm castings are the tunnels that are created as worms move through the soil. This movement not only breaks and loosens the soil, it also adds fertilizing nutrients to the soil. Organic fertilizers like these help to increase the growth and health of plants within your garden. Therefore they are an essential organic gardening supply item.

Gardening is said to be like painting. The gardener’s canvas is the ground and the paint brushes are the tools that gardeners use. Whether you are a conventional gardener or an organic gardener many of the tools that you will use are the same. However the organic gardener has special items in their organic gardening supply. These items change the looks, taste and smell of the plants that benefit from them.

Organic gardening is 100% all natural and great for the environment. Why don’t you switch to organic gardening and see the difference it makes to your life!

We live in Maui and grow our own fresh organic food.
Publisher of The Gardeners Handbook
http://www.ultimategardeningtipsrevealed.net

Links with Aloha Hawaii Ecards

http://www.alohaecards.com

Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: Gardening, Organic, Supply

1 Stop Organic Gardening – How To Start An Organic Garden

January 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by Alex Balan

If you are just a beginner when it comes to gardening, you’ll probably wonder how to start an organic garden. What type of seeds to grow? When to plant certain veggies or fruits? There’s so many factors to take into account but, it doesn’t have to be complicated, all it takes is careful planning and basic information about the veggies or fruits you want to grow. But for now, here are some pointers you can consider about starting up an organic vegetable garden.

Click Here For 1 Stop Organic Gardening Instant Access Now!

You have to figure out what vegetables you want to grow. Ideally, give priority to those vegetables that you like eating; it will be futile to plant crops that you don’t like, unless otherwise you are aiming to sell it afterwards. Make a list of the vegetables you want to grow according to family or category. This way you will have an easier time figuring out the planting rotations.

You must also take into consideration your garden site. A place where your plants can get the most sunlight for at least six hours is the best one to choose. Planning your garden carefully will enable you to keep away from having problems in the future. It is very important to make it a point that it is the needs of your plants that should be given priority and not the appearance.

Another factor to consider on how to start an organic garden is the soil type. You can improve the soil quality by adding organic matter, lime and nutrients. Select a site for your garden that is well drained and rich in organic matter.

Water is another important requirement for plants and it is especially important at transplanting time or when a plant is on the process of making fruit, so make sure that you place your garden near a water source.

Click Here For 1 Stop Organic Gardening Instant Access Now!

This author writes about Grow Your Own Organic Vegetables and 1 Stop Organic Gardening

Organic Gardening Fertilizer – Compost Danger in the Vegetable Garden

January 13, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

by davidsilver

The Pit Controversy

Hello my wonderful gardening chums, it’s Beatrix Potts your, “Organic Gardening Enthusiast.” First a word or two about our title. When you are given inaccurate and even false information about organic gardening fertilizer your organic vegetable garden may be in terrible danger. Bad information is just as dangerous as cutworms. We are here to set the record straight and give you the most reliable information available.

More Than Essential>

So, on with the show. Beatrix is here to tell you that organic fertilizer, a.k.a. organic gardening compost is the life’s blood of your organic vegetable garden. Organic gardening is incomplete without organic gardening compost. This is not just an essential element of organic vegetable gardening it is probably the singular most important element. And it is the element that you can produce and control. Understanding organic garden fertilizer will allow you to understand how important the plant’s life is and it will help the soil, insects, and everything that our wonderful vegetables need to grow and thrive.

OK, to Put in Your Compost

Many of my gardening aficionados have written to me and asked, “Beatrix, what can I put into my
compost?” My dear, the answer is quite simple:

1. twigs, hay and straw
2. leaves, grass clippings
3. eggshells, many kitchen scraps
4. formerly fresh fruit,
5. teabags, coffee grounds,
6. and you always want a good mix of “Greens and Browns.”

Greens and Browns in your Compost

Mr. Melvin Potts, our wonderful spouse and “Mr. Organic Gardening Compost Man,” has reminded yours truly to give a plug for the often neglected “Browns.” They are defined as plant matter that was formerly green and has dried and become desiccated and is now as its name implies, Brown. Dried leaves, plants, and dried grass clippings are excellent sources of brown material for your organic gardening compost.

Rule #1

Please remember our Rule #1, anything that comes out of the ground can go back into your compost and eventually back into the ground. And you know of course to never add meat, bones or items with oils, and never ever do we include dog or cat feces.

All of these things will be consumed by microorganisms, insects, nematodes and what Beatrix likes to refer to as the ‘most uncommon earthworm.’

These are the beasties that inhabit your organic compost and they will voraciously consume the vegetable matter and turn it into the nutrients that our plants need to grow.

We always refer to the worms in our garden as, ‘most uncommon.’ You see my dears the earthworms in our garden are the very essence of organic gardening compost machines, and for that reason we refer to them as being ‘most uncommon.’

NO PITS

Some would have you believe that compost requires a pit. Beatrix is here to tell you that a “pit” is not entirely necessary. All you need is a flat space of ground where you can put all of your compost materials, this space needs to be where you can provide water, turn the compost and provide a most essential ingredient, air. You will then eventually put your compost through a screen to get rid of any sticks or extraneous matter.

The Most Efficient Way

This is an absolute fallacy that you need to dig a deep hole for your organic compost. You don’t need some kind of a “pit” to begin the exciting adventure that is making organic gardening compost. What you need is simply a small flat piece of ground to put your compost material on top of. This is probably the singular and most efficient way to begin making the organic gardening compost that will make your vegetable garden thrive and be absolutely wonderful.

Well, your faithful servant and gardening buddy, Beatrix Potter the “Organic Gardening Enthusiast” has, unfortunately run out of space, much to your chagrin. In the next volume of, “Danger in the Vegetable Garden” we will be taking a look at, “Garden Tools-Dangerous Instruments that Maim or a Gardener’s Best Friend?”

Compost anymore . Get the FREE Report Beatrix Potts Organic Gardening Compost Secrets at The Beatrix Potts Blog and you will have, The Best Compost in the World. Beatrix Potts, Your Organic Gardening Enthusiast can help you learn how to make the most wonderful compost ever. It’s all in the FREE Report. Join your fellow organic gardeners and have the most wonderful vegetable garden.

If you want to read more about how Beatrix Potts, Your Organic Gardening Enthusiast can help you make the most wonderful compost, visit my blog, The Beatrix Potts Blog and download our FREE Report Compost Secrets.

Until next time I wish you, “Happy Gardening.” Your faithful servant and gardening buddy,

Beatrix Potts.

There’s no reason you should have any questions about Organic

Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: compost, Danger, Fertilizer, Garden, Gardening, Organic, Vegetable

Organic Gardening Guide – An Easy And Simple Procedure To Cultivate Your Garden

January 10, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by Bukowsky18

If you think that having your own organic garden is impossible, for you do not know anything about it, well, you are definitely wrong. Most of the best gardeners out there started with as little knowledge as you. Organic Gardening Guide is very simple; there are now so many gardening websites online that can help you grow organic vegetables at your garden.

To start your own organic garden, you will need organic gardening supply and organic gardening fertilizer. All the materials you will use are mostly organic to be able to grow organic vegetables. All of us know the danger that chemical fertilizers and pesticides brings not only to our plants but to humans and the environment as well. Aside from that, chemicals tend to make the vegetable and fruits in the garden flavorless. If you will only try to compare fruits and vegetables that come in organic garden and ones that grows in traditional garden, you will see the difference in the taste. Chemical fertilizer can harm the bacteria that the soil needs to make vegetables healthy. Pesticides can get rid off the pests that will harm your vegetables but they can also harm other insects that do good things to your plants too. This is why you must only use organic garden fertilizer in your fruits and vegetables.

By using only organic gardening supply and organic garden fertilizer to grow organic vegetables in fruits, you will not only help yourself but you can also help the environment free from the chemicals that can cause pollution.

Since you will only have to use natural materials in your organic gardening, you need to learn about making your own organic fertilizer too, it is very easy. You can also try some different ways of applying your own organic garden fertilizer to make your gardening more fun and easy.

The first thing that you need to learn is the status of your soil, if you already have a fertile soil, then you can just try adding some organic manure to make it ready. You also need to add nitrogen in your organic garden fertilizer. The phosphate content of your organic garden fertilizer should be twice the amount of the nitrogen. With this kind of ration you can be sure that the soil in your garden is healthy and perfect to grow organic vegetables with.

In order to understand the organic gardening guide, you need to have a complete set of organic gardening supply. You must acquire yourself with materials like shovel for scooping the soil, spading for to dig the soil, a pair of gloves to protect your hands, you should also have hoe or pry bar to get the tough stones in the ground.

To prepare the soil for planting you need to dig it and get rid of some of the weed and rocks and with the help of the hoe or pry bar you can get rid of the big stones in your soil. You should prepare the additional materials for your soil like compost and the organic garden fertilizer. You should prepare your organic fertilizer one month in advance to give it a chance to compost more.

You can buy all your organic gardening supply at any gardening store nearest in your area, it is so easy to take care of your organic garden, there are now so many resources where you can get instructions, you just need to be resourceful enough to get them.

Clint Sidney is a gardening enthusiast and recommends this excellent Organic Gardening Guide. You can learn more about gardening at GreatGardener.eHelpshome.com.

Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: Cultivate, Easy, Garden, Gardening, Guide, Organic, Procedure, Simple

Best Tips For Organic Tomato Gardening

January 9, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by phil.lees

Growing your own organic tomatoes is fairly easy. If you are tired of paying high prices for organic tomatoes at the store then next season, you should be prepared to experiment with organic tomato gardening. There are a few basic tips in organic tomato gardening:

Location with Plenty of Sun:

Tomatoes need plenty of sun, at least eight hours a day to be productive and to keep the soil and roots warm. Organic tomato gardening is based on the ideal garden location. Tomatoes thrive as much on heat as they do the sunlight. If you have to increase the level of light or heat, then sometimes a reflective back fence can help. It can be as simple as a white sheet staked between two fence poles to reflect more light onto the tomato plants.

Temperatures:

Plants do the best when the soil temperature is over 55 degrees and the night-time temperatures don’t get colder than that. On the other hand, tomatoes have a hard time withstanding a heat wave for very many days when it reaches over 90 degrees. If the temperatures at night are cooler than 55 degrees, you may need to cover your plants with buckets or sheets overnight. If it is getting extremely hot during the day, you need to provide shade, by hanging a sheet on one side of the garden to block the hottest sun of the day.

Staking and Pest Control:

In organic tomato gardening, staking plants by keeping them off the ground protects them from soil that is laden with harmful plant insects. Natural pest control in organic tomato gardening also means that you don’t re-plant tomato plants in the same place you may have experienced diseases or pests the year before. Organic tomatoes are to be grown in an area that has not been chemically treated in three growing seasons, so you may have to relocate plants.

Watering:

Uneven watering can be responsible for sporadic growth of fruit and can also cause problems with rot diseases. Two good waterings per week, with the ground soaked six to eight inches is usually sufficient for tomatoes. Of course, they love water, so if it gets extremely hot, you will have to water more often for them to stay productive.

Mulch for Weed Control and Preserving Moisture:

By using black plastic around your plants, you will discourage weed growth and keep warmth in the soil. This can help direct water to the plant’s root system when sloping towards the plant. You can keep weed growth down and moisture in by laying heavy layers of newspaper around the plants and keeping them damp.

Pruning:

By pruning the suckers at the joints of the stem and leaves, you will focus more of the plant’s energy on bearing fruit. If you don’t prune, you will get more tomatoes, they will be smaller in size, and be sure you have plenty of mulch to keep the vines and fruit from direct contact with the soil. If you decide not to stake plants, the suckers will root themselves into the ground. This can help provide more water. If they are not rooted, they will take more of the water the plant gets.

Fertilizer:

You can use natural fertilizers, such as manure or fish emulsion on the tomato plants. Using compost from your recycling pile is another way to add nutrients without chemicals, when you are organic tomato gardening.

Get the latest and unbiased Organic Gardening Tips and Gardening Secrets only at http://www.Gardening-Solution.com.

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How to Compost : Learn Organic Garden Composting Online : Choosing a Compost Bin

January 8, 2011 By admin 25 Comments

What features should you look for when buying or making a compost bin? Find out and get tips on how compost bin design can help to aerate compost for your garden, in this free organic gardening video. Expert: Gale Gassiot Bio: Gale Gassiot makes her own organic compost or “gardener’s black gold.”

Filed Under: Videos Tagged With: CHOOSING, compost, Composting, Garden, Learn, Online, Organic

How To Make An Organic Garden

January 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

by uniteddiversity

Every spring, whether northern or southern hemisphere, many people begin to think about gardening. Some have been gardening every year since they were old enough to help in the family garden back of the house. Others have begun gardening only recently. Most have questions, though.

How to make an organic garden is a question that arises more frequently these days, as people become more concerned about health issues. They want to know that the produce they are eating is good for their health and safe for their families to eat. They want to begin an organic garden.

Many books have been written about how to make an organic garden, and we cannot compete with them in one article, but we offer here 7 basic steps for beginners.

How to Make an Organic Garden – Step #1

Begin your organic garden by learning your plant hardiness zone. You will need to know your climate, and what organic produce will grow best there. If you live in the United States, you can access the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map on many gardening sites or seed websites. Planting directions on seed packets are based on the average last frost date. The last frost date for your area will be the last spring day when you might have a killing frost.

How to Make an Organic Garden – Step #2

After you have determined your local climate, it is time to choose a location on your property for your organic garden. The area most convenient to your back door may not be the best for an organic garden. Look for a location that never has standing water. Your plants need good soil drainage. Check to see if the plants will be protected from the wind. Will your organic garden be close to water so you can easily care for it?

How to Make an Organic Garden – Step #3

Next, you will need to test the soil for your organic garden. In the U.S., check online for your county or state Home/Agricultural Extension Service. They will guide you in taking soil samples from different areas of the location you chose for your organic garden. Be sure you label each sample of soil as to part of the garden, and send it to be analyzed. This analysis will help you know what to add to the soil for a great harvest. Remember, one of the basic things you will do in your organic garden is to feed the soil so the soil can feed the plants.

How to Make an Organic Garden – Step #4

Order seeds, using information about your climate and soil. Be sure you order certified organic seed so that you can have an authentic organic garden. A good online seed supply source is Main Street Seed and Supply. You can buy as little as a teaspoon of seed for a small organic garden, or pounds of organic seed for farming. While ordering seeds, be sure to include onions, garlic, and marigold flowers. These plants can be a first line of defense in an organic garden’s pest control program.

How to Make an Organic Garden – Step #5

While you wait for your seeds to arrive, you need to prepare the organic garden bed. If there is grass growing in the location, removed it first. Use a sharp, flat-edged spade to slice out the sod. Shake off as much soil as you can, and remove the grass from the area. Till the soil to a depth of about 12″, and work in organic fertilizer, checking your soil analysis to know what amendments are needed.

How to Make an Organic Garden – Step #6

If you have organic seedlings to plant, water them well the day before you intend to plant them in the organic garden. The best time to set them in the garden is a still, overcast day. If you must plant on a sunny day, take care not to stress the plants more than necessary. Use the seedlings’ pots to determine how deeply to plant them.

If you are planting seeds in your organic garden, follow instructions that come with each type of seed.

How to Make an Organic Garden – Step #7

Apply organic mulch soon after planting. Mulch conserves water, cools soil, and keeps weeds at bay. If you use compost, chipped bark, shredded bark, shredded, shredded leaves, or straw, your mulch will also improve soil quality in your organic garden. Apply 2 to 4 inches of mulch, being careful not to get it too close to the plant stems. Mulch can rot the stems. It can also become a hideout for nibbling little garden mice.

Organic Garden Tip:

Label your plant rows and keep a record of your garden’s progress. Save seed information for everything in your organic garden. A garden journal, with photos throughout the gardening season, will help you know what you want to repeat or change in next year’s organic garden.

© 2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic gardens at http://www.organicspringtime.com. Anna is posting new articles every week on that site, each one dealing with some facet of organic gardening. If you want to know how to make your own organic fertilizer, you will want to read Anna’s article on the subject.

Attracting Butterflies & Hummingbirds to Your Backyard: Watch Your Garden Come Alive With Beauty on the Wing (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

January 5, 2011 By admin 3 Comments

Attracting Butterflies & Hummingbirds to Your Backyard: Watch Your Garden Come Alive With Beauty on the Wing (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

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Indoor Organic Herb Garden

January 2, 2011 By admin 1 Comment

by CosmoPolitician

Growing an organic herb garden is a delightful project. The fragrant plants not only look and smell good; they are also good for flavoring foods.

Indoor organic herb gardens have the advantage of being year-round, giving a continuous supply of fresh herbs. An indoor organic herb garden can be as small as a few pots on a window sill or as large as a greenhouse filled with containers of aromatic organic herbs.

Herb Choices

There are many ways to decide which herbs to include in your organic herb garden. Here are some ideas.

1. Italian Herb Garden: Plant rosemary, oregano, basil, fennel, and chives. Terra cotta containers will make your indoor organic herb garden look authentically old world.

2. French Herb Garden: Begin with lemon basil, marjoram, and parsley, and add other herbs you like to use in French cooking.

3. Fragrant Herb Garden: Choose angelica, bergamot, catmint, chamomile, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, mint, and sage. This organic herb garden is a natural air freshener.

4. Tea Herb Garden: If you enjoy herbal teas, your organic herb garden might focus on appropriate herbs for your tea: catnip, chamomile, lavender, lemon grass, mint, and peppermint.

You may not want to theme your indoor organic herb garden, but simply grow a few herbs that appeal to you.

Containers

Many herbs are well-suited to container gardening, but you will want to choose containers according to the herbs you intend to grow.

1. Those tiny herb peat pots sold in discount stores give the wrong idea. Your indoor organic herb garden will not last long with such small thinking.

2. Begin with containers a bit larger than those in which the live nursery plants were purchased. This will give your plants room to start growing.

3. Once your herbs are stabilized and growing well, transplant them into larger containers.

4. Basil, mint, oregano, and sage are examples of herbs that can be grown in pots of about 8 to 10 inches.

5. If you want a large crop of herbs that is constantly being replenished in your organic herb garden, use 3 to 5 gallon containers. This will assure you of having plenty of rosemary, basil, etc. when you want it.

Container Soil

Indoor organic herb gardens call for building organic soil. Your soil should have a pH of about 7, since herbs prefer a more alkaline soil. If yours is too acid, add some calcified seaweed. Be sure you use only organic fertilizers to build your soil.

Indoor Lighting

An indoor organic herb garden will need lighting, especially if your room is not sunny. Lighting is especially important for year-round indoor gardens.

Different plants have different light requirements, some preferring bright sun and others preferring shade. Most herbs prefer full sun, but there are exceptions, so learn what each of your herbs needs.

Incandescent lights, even though called “grow lights”, are a poor choice for your indoor organic herb garden. Fluorescent lights are better, and have the advantage of being inexpensive, easily available, and easy to set up. The best choice for lighting your indoor organic herb garden is high intensity discharge lighting, often called HID lights. These are even more affordable and efficient.

Useful and Beautiful

An indoor organic herb garden can be both useful and beautiful. Herbs are generally eager to please, and require little maintenance. Simply give them the right food, water, and sunlight, and they will reward you abundantly.

© 2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic gardening at http://www.organicspringtime.com. Anna is posting new articles every week on that site, each one dealing with some facet of organic gardening. If you want information on locating live organic herb plants for your organic herb garden, you won’t want to miss Anna’s article on the subject.

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Filed Under: Herb Gardening Tagged With: Garden, Herb, Indoor, Organic

4 Steps to Organic Rose Garden- How Does Your Garden Grow

December 30, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

by Mastery of Maps

If you have ever wanted to grow roses, but though it was too difficult to grow roses, let me show you how to grow large colorful roses. Organic rose gardening is actually easy and the results are more than you would imagine. Roses have been grown throughout time and without the need for harsh chemicals so there is no reason chemicals would need to be used for today’s gardens. There are some basic steps you need to consider when selecting roses for your rose garden.

Step 1 – Know your Zone

Roses grow differently in different zones. When you buy your roses make sure you read the label to determine your hardiness zone. Roses that are listed as being grown on their “own-root” will always be harder than roses that are grafted. Conduct a little research on the internet to determine how roses will grow in your area. Places like California and Florida can grow roses with a very high hardiness rating.

Step 2 – Size of your Roses

Roses come in many different sizes from miniature roses to roses that will cover a wide area. Climbing roses can grow up to 12 inches or more. Make sure you have enough room for your roses to grow. Again, read the label of the roses you want to grow.

Step 3 – Color of your Roses

There are so many different colors of roses and if you want red and yellow roses make sure that is the type of roses you plant in your garden.

Step 4 – Stop to smell the roses

Some roses have an extremely fragrant smell and others barely smell at all. A rose fragrance is determined by time of day. You can smell the fragrance of a red rose better during the mid day and white and yellows roses are fleeting in the morning.
Like any other plant you will sometimes have to deal with a pest problem. Rose bushes are prone to being invaded by many different kinds of damaging insects like rose midge larva, rose cane borer, thrips, Japanese beetles, stem girders, aphids, rose slugs, mites, caterpillars, scale insects, and rose chafers. Nobody wants to have to deal with these pests but to sustain the life of the plant, it is necessary to correct the problem.

You have several options of how you are planning to deal with the pest problem after you have identified which type of bug you are dealing with. If you only see one or two bugs you can try picking them off the roses and killing them yourself. Make sure to remove the entire leaf you see them on because they could have laid eggs that are still hidden on the leaf. You always have the choice of using synthetic or natural chemicals to help you get rid of the pests.

Make sure to follow the directions on the package of how to use these types of chemicals. Even natural or organic chemicals can be harmful to people if they are used improperly. If you are adamant about not using any type of chemicals on your rose bushes, you can always try using the natural enemies of the pests. Not all bugs that you find in your garden are destructive to plants. Lady bugs and some types of wasps eat pests that can damage rose bushes. You can check your local garden center to see if this is an option for you with the type of pests that you have.

This was just a few steps to consider when deciding if you want to grow roses. You can learn more about organic rose garden and so much more at the site listed below.

Sean is a rose garden expert. For more information on organic rose garden, visit http://www.rosearered.com.
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Filed Under: Rose Gardening Tagged With: Garden, Grow, Organic, Rose, Steps

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