Showing posts with label natural fertilizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label natural fertilizer. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Natural Fertilizers Tips For Growing Vegetables In A Small Area

A large amount of land isn’t necessary to – all you really need is soil, water, plenty of sunshine and possibly a fence (to fend off interested animal parties and/or grow vegetables vertically).natural fertilizers


You may not be able to subsist entirely on your little vegetable garden plot, but you will be able to coax plenty of succulent tomatoes from it.natural fertilizers


For your limited space, find out which plants will thrive in your region’s climate and consider how much sunlight the space receives each daynatural fertilizers.


A good garden center in your area should be able to provide you with this information (especially if you will be purchasing your seeds from them).natural fertilizers


Plant breeders have long been creating plants that will appreciate your tiny gardening space; these days you can find just about any vegetable in patio, pixie, baby, dwarf or tiny form.natural fertilizers


While the plants are bred to be small, the fruits they produce remain of the size you’ve come to expect.natural fertilizers


Consider vining crops such as pole beans or vining cucumbers and squash. Pole beans will grow upward on a fence, and vining cucumbers and squash actually take up less space than bush varieties when trained to grow upward.natural fertilizers


Companion Planting


Companion planting is an excellent option for those with limited space. In addition to conserving space, this method of growing will also cut down on pest infestations. In companion planting, plants which serve to benefit one another are grown together. For example, basil benefits from the partial shade of a neighboring tomato plant. Lettuce will grow throughout the summer in cooler climates if shaded by a taller plant and slow-growing crops like peppers or broccoli can be planted with early harvest crops of spinach and radishes.natural fertilizers


Succession Planting


Succession planting, or reseeding quick-growing crops every 2-3 weeks throughout the growing season, is another popular technique for the grower with limited space. (And it’s not too shabby of a technique for those with unlimited space, either.)natural fertilizers Crops like beans, lettuce and zucchini – which tend to exhaust themselves in the production capacity – are all highly eligible candidates. Succession planting means that you’ll be able to feed your family all summer, because your garden will continuously produce vegetables.natural fertilizers


Crop Rotation


Crop rotation, the act of moving different crops to different areas each season, is recommended for any and all gardens, and is an excellent way to keep your small soil bed free of disease and pests.natural fertilizers Obviously, you can’t rotate much within a confined space, so you may want to consider growing different crops each year instead. In any case, you’ll have to be vigilant about the problems of disease and insects – if your tomatoes come down with a serious case of septoria wilt, consider not planting them for a season or two. It may sound like a drawback, but growing the same disappointing crop each year is akin to not growing one at all.natural fertilizers


Having a small vegetable garden is often thought of as a drawback or simply not worth the time. This is a false assumption. It is no surprise you’ll have a smaller harvest than those growing on larger plots.natural fertilizers But, with the right techniques and tips, you can increase your yields substantially.


Horticulturist Tommy Smith shares his favorite vegetable gardening tips and strategies on his blog, VegetableGardeningToday.com.




We Are Loving Vegetable Gardening



Raised Bed Garden

Image by VeggieGardeningTips via Flickr



Many reasons exist as to why individuals decide to take on vegetable gardening as a hobby or interest. Some individuals find vegetable gardening relaxing and a great way to let go of the days’ stress, while others do it for the food.


Our family took on vegetable gardening because we know the effects some of the produce can have on people succeptible to sprays and poisons, myself included.


We see people at the farmer’s market who grow enough vegetables in their garden to sell to others. This is great because they produce organic vegetables that never see poisons.


This means we can get safe healthy vegetables that we aren’t growing in our home garden.


They make money grown vegetables where I make money writing about vegetable gardening among others things through my home gardening tips website.


Others I see when I am travelling around Moncton and New Brunswick are selling produce in road side stands.



If you are thinking about starting your own vegetable garden the main tip I would offer is to take it slow. Don’t take on more than you can handle and ruin a great experience.


We started growing tomatoes, peppers and potatoes but at that time we didn’t have a vegetable garden in the ground but instead we created a container vegetable garden using big pots.


Each year since we started vegetable gardening we have increased the size of our gardens.


This year I even took one of our raised beds and turned it into a strawberry/squash bed. The strawberries will be done by the time the squash gets too big.



Not sure what to grow? Well my wife and I joined Mike The Gardener’s Vegetable Garden Seed Club.


Mike sends me 4 packages of seeds each month. I looked forward to them each month, especially through our long cold winter months. It was fun planning what I would grow for this year.


Once I’ve made a list of the vegetables I want to grow I made a plan of how to plant them so that I would get the most produce.


That means I don’t let plants over shadow each other, like I did my first couple years. But knowing what you’re going to plant means you can check into what vegetable garden pests you may encounter based on what you’re going to plant and be prepared.


Loosen And Build Vegetable Garden Soil


Without a healthy root system your vegetable garden may not produce the best yeild so pay attention to the soil, even if you’re creating a container vegetable garden.


Give your vegetables a real good chance to grow strong by ammending your garden soil with healthy compost or topsoil.


If your soil is heavy clay like ours is then you might want to add some peatmoss along with your compost or topsoil. This will help airate your soil and allow your veggie roots to spread and grow.


Vegetable gardening does a few things for us.


1. We get fresh air and a bit of exercise.


It’s nice to have things to do in our yard other than lay in the sun and burning. Vegetable gardening has gotten me out of the house into the fresh air.


I also get a bit of exercise but when my back says enough I can still go to my raised bed gardens and sit down to work. Gotta love saving your back at the end of the day.


2. Saving money on the grocery bills.


Vegetables aren’t getting any cheaper these days so anything we can do to save a bit of money is great.


Remember I said I belong to Mike The Gardener’s Seed Club, well that saves me money because I don’t buy seeds and/or starter plants which saves even more money.


3. Learn how to preserve vegetables for winter


We grow enough tomatoes we couldn’t eat them all so we gave most of them away but now instead we preserve them for use in the winter.


We still have enough that we can give tomatoes to friends and family.


4. Grow an organic vegetable garden.


I grew up on a farm from the age of 8, which is the same year I started getting migraines. We never knew what was causing them.


Many years of suffering later I learned it was the poison being sprayed on our vegetable garden. Thanks a lot Dad.


Grow your vegetable garden organically by using natural remedies to take care of garden pests.



We have friends that have started vegetable gardening now and we talk to each other about what we will grow. This way we can try not to grow the exact same things our friends are growing.


This means we can exchange vegetables.


I can grow lots of tomatoes while another gardening friend may be great at growing peppers so we trade off with each other and have more produce than we would have.


I work from home making money doing a variety of things. About the only thing I don’t do is grow enough vegetables in my garden to sell them. However you may have the time and desire to work from home and make money like I do. Check out my work from home ideas blog and see what grabs your attention.



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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Growing fruit and Vegetables









www.HomeOrganicGarden.net Organic gardening How to grow an organic vegetable garden What does it mean to grow vegetables organically? Scott Meyer, editor of Organic Gardening magazine shows how to plant and nurture an organic vegetable garden. organic gardening organic garden organic…






Double Digging Our Vegetable Gardens



Dug

Image by Paul Stainthorp via Flickr



We only started our little vegetable garden a couple of years ago. We soon discovered we had concrete for backyard soil. Okay it’s not concrete but it’s heavy dense clay that’s almost concrete. We could barely grow grass in our yard.


It took some labour but I dug it up to about a foot deep, maybe just a bit deeper and then started amending the soil with fresh top soil, compost, manure and peatmoss.


Each year since I have dug it up deep and amended the soil again. We add more peatmoss and the compost we had created since we started. It’s great to have compost and it’s so much better than putting all our yard and kitchen waste at the road side to be put in the landfill.


How To Double Dig Your Garden


The idea is simple however be prepared to work a little.


I start at one end of my garden and start digging a trench that’s about a shovel or spade depth. I flip the shovel full to my left as I am right handed and move through my garden left to right.


Once I reach the opposite side of the garden I have a trench that’s about 10 or 12 inches deep. The content or dirt is piled along the one edge.


Next I start digging again, in the same trench, and dig another shovel depth and just turn it right in the trench.


Once I reach the opposite, which is back where I started, I start a new trench to the right of the first one and take that dirt and put it right into the trench to my left.


This is a great way of turning your soil and aerating it at the same time. Over time, as I do this for the first couple of years and then I will continue doing this every 2 or 3 years.


Our garden soil is getting so rich now I don’t even need to use my foot to get the shovel in the dirt. You wouldn’t know it’s the same area that not so long ago seemed like concrete.



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Monday, August 8, 2011

Organic Vegetable Gardening Skips The Chemicals






Organic Vegetable Gardening Skips The Chemicals


Millions of people are turning away from vegetables grown with herbicides and pesticides, chemicals which can remain in the soil for years or even decades depending on how long they have been used. Organic vegetable gardening is the sustainable solution for todays food problems, and while it would be impossible to sustain the world’s population on organic food (because of the extra work involved), there is absolutely no reason why you can’t enjoy this healthy, delicious food yourself. It’s the oldest form of farming, and you can draw from thousands of years of experience to grow some of the best tasting vegetables around at a fraction of the price of store-bought food.


Natural Pesticides and Herbicides


Organic vegetable gardening revolves around not using chemicals to improve the vitality of your plants. While most chemicals don’t pose serious health risks to humans (at least over the short term as long term effects won’t be fully understood for years), they do add pollution to the soil. Instead, organic vegetable gardening uses organisms instead of chemicals to get rid of the nasty critters which can ruin crops. Through bacteria and insects, you can clean your garden of any pests and improve the overall vitality of all of your crops, all without the use of harmful chemicals.


If you’re looking to make the transition from chemical pesticides and herbicides, vegetable gardening information will give you the necessary tools for making your garden chemical-free. Move away from fertilizers, and start improving the nutrition of your soil naturally through compost.







You can actually have healthier soil on the simple basis of not using chemicals, so there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t make the switch today. In fact, the only benefit of non-organic vegetable gardening is to be able to produce a much greater amount of food, necessary to keep the world from starving, and the only downside to organic vegetable gardening is that it generally takes more love and care.


Besides the health benefits, ask an average person the street if organic vegetable gardening produce tastes better than store-bought food, and provided they’ve tried out organic produce, their answer will be a resounding yes! Without the use of chemicals, organic foods taste better and fuller, and you can rest more easily at night knowing that you haven’t consumed harmful chemicals.


Growing your own produce can be a rewarding experience, as you have to cultivate your garden over a period of months. You won’t be getting any instant gratification, and organic vegetable gardening has a lot of up-front labor involved, but it does become much easier after you plant the seeds. At harvest time, you’ll be highly appreciative of your efforts with organic vegetable gardening.



If you love this article, you will also love another article written by this article’s author on ultrasonic pest control and cooks pest control.







Sunday, August 7, 2011

Organic Gardening – Weed Control






Organic Gardening – Weed Control


Weeds compete with other crops and convert many productive land into unusable scrub. Weed is also often poisonous, distasteful and interfere with the use and management of desirable plants by contaminating your harvests.



Many weed control strategies have hence been developed in order to contain the growth and spread of weeds. One of the basic methods is ploughing which works by cutting the roots of annual weeds. Another commonly used technique is by using chemical weed killers known as herbicides. However, these cannot be used in an organic garden. So what can you do?



First and foremost, you will need to identify the kind of weeds that is found in your garden. You can then use the appropriate method to get rid of them. We will now look at a few of the most commonly found weeds and how to get rid of them.



You should always pull them up with a hoe before they flower. And you can spread corn gluten over the areas you wish to remain free from dandelions in the early spring. This will help keep a lot of the seedlings from growing.



Crabgrass is a major pest in many yards and gardens. It is very tough to pull up, and especially difficult to get rid of. You must pull up the entire plant, including all of its roots. To suppress further growth, you can spread corn gluten in the early spring. You can also mulch to prevent the seeds from germinating.



Poison ivy is one horrible plant that causes severe rashes even with a very mild exposure. You should always wear gloves when handling poison ivy and do not ever let in come in contact with any part of your skin.



To get rid of poison ivy, you must cut the plant at the base and then let it dry out completely. Bury the vines or throw them away in the trash. You must never ever burn them because even the smoke can be fatal! Do not compost poison ivy either.








Lamba Quarters is an edible wild green. There are some who grow these for food but most people think of them as common weeds. Removing them can be quite a task. You can hoe or pull up the plants when you seen them and then mulch heavily to suppress the seedlings.



Ragweed is one weed which many would want to extricate. It is a very common allergen, and its pollen is a major cause of hay fever. There are several ways to get rid of them. You can try to hoe up the seedlings, and use a mower to mow down the full-sized plants. You can also mulch to cover the areas where it grows. Thirdly, you can also compost ragweed if it has not yet gone to seed.



Purslane is an edible plant which can be removed by hoeing them individually. If you pull the plants, do not leave them lying on top of the soil because they can re-root themselves. Do not compost them either as the seeds of this plant can mature after the plant has been pulled. You can mulch to prevent them from growing.



Prickly lettuce is an annoying little plant which causes itching and burning if it comes in contact with skin. Always put on your gloves when you handle it. You can pull or hoe plants, or cut the taproot below the soil. You also might wish to leave it alone, as it can attract beneficial insects. However, be sure to keep it away from your lettuce patches as it can carry lettuce diseases.



Cocklebur is poisonous to livestock, so you should be sure to keep it away from your animals. You can hoe or pull plants beneath the soil line. You can compost it if it has not yet gone to seed.



Another method of weed control includes covering the ground area with several layers of wet recycled paper for several weeks. In the case of using the wet recycled paper, the multiple layers prevent light from reaching all plants beneath, which kills them. Saturating the recycled paper with water daily speeds the decomposition of the dead plants. Any weed seeds that start to sprout because of the water will also be deprived of sunlight. It will be killed and decomposed.



After several weeks, all the germinating weed seeds present in the ground will be dead. Then the recycled paper can be removed and the ground can be planted. The decomposed plants will help fertilise the plants or seeds planted later.



Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at EarlyPlanet.com







How to Choose Organic Seeds & Plants








To plant your organic garden, you can use young plants, hybrid seeds, native seeds or seeds that you’ve harvested by yourself. Learn tips for choosing and planting seeds and young plants in your organic garden in this free gardening video lesson. Expert: Gale Gassiot Bio: Gale Gassiot makes her own organic compost or “gardener’s black gold.”
Video Rating: 4 / 5






Saturday, August 6, 2011

Natural Pest Control








www.HomeOrganicGarden.net Organic gardening How to grow an organic vegetable garden What does it mean to grow vegetables organically? Scott Meyer, editor of Organic Gardening magazine shows how to plant and nurture an organic vegetable garden. organic gardening organic garden organic…