Monday, August 8, 2011

Grow Stylish and Colorful Coneflowers in Garden

Coneflowers (Echinacea) are promiscuous. With many different kinds and colors planted in close proximity, no telling who parented the next season’s colorful offspring. Besides various shades of purple, new arrivals include yellow, cherry, orange and pink. Some have double flowers, with extra petals. They’re only the latest entries in a long string of new coneflower introductions [...]

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Vegetable Gardening Introduction

home-vegetable-garden


There are numerous factors why individuals choose to pursue vegetable gardening as a hobby. Many people feel it is a relaxing approach to lower their anxiety levels. Many people just take pleasure in growing their own food.


Other people get satisfaction from realizing that they know where some of their food is coming from. No matter what your reasons for wanting to take up vegetable gardening, it’s a extremely rewarding hobby.


Some people even choose to attempt to make some money with their vegetable gardening. You’ll be able to make a little additional money by selling your vegetables at a nearby farmer’s marketplace or roadside stand, or you can attempt to sell your produce to a nearby wellness food store or restaurant.


When you are planning your vegetable garden, you’ll need to decide how huge you want your garden to be. You might be tempted to purchase dozens of distinct vegetables and all sorts of varieties, but this might be much more function than you’re truly ready for.


Initial, you ought to make a list of all of the various vegetables you’d like to plant. Write down anything that comes to mind. Don’t worry about regardless of whether or not you will have time to plant or take care of something, or whether you are able to afford it, just write down every little thing you are considering.


Once you ’ve completed your list, you will begin narrowing it down. The very first step to narrowing your list down is to eliminate anything that you can get locally at a reasonable cost. Potatoes and cabbage, as an example, are generally really affordable in most locations.


Then you need to get rid of anything which you can get locally that won’t see a considerable improvement in flavour over the store-bought version. Again, cabbage and potatoes possibly won’t taste considerably distinct should you grow them oneself.


What you need to have on your list may be the produce you can’t get locally, is generally too pricey to buy, or would taste substantially far better when grown inside your own garden. For example, you might choose to grow fresh herbs simply because they’re really pricey in shops.


You might need to grow tomatoes simply because it could be very challenging to locate tomatoes that taste excellent in stores. And you might wish to grow a variety of specialty lettuces which are tough to find locally, or are typically a bit costly.


A lot of people can’t deal with caring for a extremely large garden. It is difficult work. It can be very relaxing, however it can be back-breaking work in unbearable heat. You have to contend with dirt, bugs, heat, bending, lugging, pulling, hoeing, and weeding.


In could be miserable function if you create a garden that’s bigger than you’re ready to deal with. In the event you go overboard, your fascinating hobby can rapidly turn into a nightmare. So be sure to select only those varieties which you really think you will take pleasure in, and which you can’t effortlessly find locally.


If you only eat peas once per month, do not plant a entire row! In the event you detest tomatoes, do not plant them just because you think you should for some reason. Many people plant things they feel look pretty in the seed catalogue, although they know they won’t appreciate the produce!


Be careful not to get carried away. It’s tempting to plant 1 of each and every selection of tomato, or six different kinds of peppers. Those seed catalogues are gorgeous, but maintain it realistic!




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Organic Gardening – Inter cropping

There are a few different types of inter cropping in organic gardening. Mixed inter cropping is is basically a total mix of your crop in the available space you have for your organic gardening project. Row, or ally cropping are different crops placed in separate rows, and is a very common and neat way to do your organic gardening. It can also be called strip cropping, when you alternate one crow with one or multiple rows of another crop. Either of these methods are great for organic gardening, and I am sure there are more methods, but no need to name the all. Benefits of this for smaller organic gardening is not too have too many of the same produce or plant bunched in the same area, therefore not creating too large of a target for pests that like that certain crop or plant in your organic garden. This also allows for the use of more of the nutrients in your organic garden by two different crops that otherwise would not be utilized by other plants. Combinations of two plants that help each other in other ways are also another reason to inter crop your organic garden. For example, a plant that falls over easy in the wind and has weaker stems, could be held up by other plants in your organic garden mixed inter crop, which means you can allow them to grow and take a break from gardening to go to work or play FoxyBingo without worrying about strong winds being the end of your crops. Another even better reason is pest control, by increasing the diversity or amount of natural enemies to these pests, such as spiders, which are always great to have in your organic garden. Inter cropping in your organic garden can also limit the places where pests find optimal conditions for themselves.

Urban Farming and the Industrialization of our Food Supply



The Urban Conversion chats with Sundari Kraft about the history of urban farming, victory gardens and the industrialization of our food supply. We take a closer look at the movement back to whole foods from processed foods.


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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







Growing Healthy Garden Plants | Organic Gardening 101

Growing healthy garden plants is not magic. It is the practical application of gardening knowledge, years of experience, failure and success. We can help you build knowledge; you provide the effort.

Natural fertilizers for Summer Lawn Care

Natural fertilizers for Summer Lawn Care

Fertilizing grass in the spring with AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer, Liquid Bonemeal and Natural Kelp and Sulfate of Potash stimulates root growth and systemic acquired resistance to stress conditions. natural fertilizers

As the season progresses into summer conditions, additional AGGRAND applications keep the grass healthy and stress tolerant. Once hot and dry conditions prevail, it is normal for growth to slow as the grass goes into a temporary dormancy. natural fertilizers

During this period, irrigation is paramount to keep grass healthy, especially with less drought-tolerant species such as Kentucky bluegrass.natural fertilizers
When cooler weather conditions return in late summer or early fall, resume AGGRAND fertilization, dethatch, aerate and add topdress with compost. This is also the best time for overseeding.natural fertilizers

The most difficult lawn care condition is drought. The trick to keeping grass healthy is to water it two or three times a week to keep roots and leaf tissue from hardening. Grass that has been kept watered may be fertilized every three or four weeks with a light application of AGGRAND Natural Fertilizer (1qt/5,000-8,000 sq. ft.).natural fertilizers

When applying AGGRAND fertilizer in the summer,
follow these guidlines:
• Keep grass watered
• Never apply AGGRAND natural fertilizers to dry soil or during drought
• Use at least eight gallons of water for every quart of AGGRAND natural fertilizers
• Apply AGGRAND natural fertilizers before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. during hot weather
• If grass starts to go dormant, continue to water at least once a week. Discontinue AGGRAND natural fertilizers treatments until growth resumes.

In some areas of the Western U.S., water scarcity may place restrictions on lawn irrigation. Under these conditions, it is better to use low maintenance landscapes with drought-tolerant species that can withstand drought without any irrigation for extended periods.natural fertilizers Be sure to tend to plant health by applying AGGRAND products to drought-tolerant species when the soil is moist and plants are actively growing.

AGGRAND Natural Fertilizers helps lawns develop deep root systems with proportional top growth by supplying nitrogen as part of a balance of nutrients. Due to its balanced growth,the natural lawn resists disease,insects and drought much more successfully than lawns treated with chemical fertilizers.natural fertilizers

Naturally-managed lawns cycle nutrients efficiently,preventing thatch build-up. In act,recycling thatch actually gives the lawn an extra two pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet over the growing season – a nice little boost. Finally,natural lawns require less mowing than high-nitrogen lawns.

Natural fertilizers for Summer Lawn Care


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