Natural Fertilizers in Sheet Mulching

Sheet mulching is an organic gardening method where you plant on top of the ground already there, it is a form of no-dig gardening. natural fertilizers


This method is great for areas that are hard to dig, because of excessive rocks or just bad soil, whatever the case may be in your organic gardening endeavor. natural fertilizers


This method also reduces some labor, and maintenance for your organic garden. Some more benefits are increased water storage, improves soil, prevents erosion, as said before makes it possible to create an organic garden where you probably could not have before. natural fertilizers


So as you see there are many reasons to use this organic gardening method, you can also do it if you’re just lazy and do not feel like preparing the ground, as I said before, less labor, and hey, less labor is not so bad, there is always next year, right? natural fertilizers

So, let us get started, there is no need to remove any of the sod or rock, or do any excessive work, just leave your organic garden area as is, weeds and all.


natural fertilizers Mark the area for your organic garden using a water hose, this will aid us in the next step, if you already have your area boxed in, or however you have it setup, just spray the area, no need to fully saturate it, we just want to get it moist for now. natural fertilizers

Natural fertilizers work great in sheet mulching

We have talked before about using newspaper as an organic weed control, this is our next step, you want to cover the area in wet newspaper, cardboard, or another organic paper-based product. What a way to self recycle that newspaper! Remember to overlap the edges with multiple sheets. Now you want a one to two inch layer of peat moss, or some type of substitute, or another type of organic moisture holding materials. Alternate layers of compost and your peat moss material, and compost or other organic materials, whichever your organic gardening methods call for. natural fertilizers


You should regularly increase soil levels by adding large amounts of compost and other organic materials to your garden. Now that you’re done with that, water it evenly, to the consistency of a damp sponge, and you are good to go. natural fertilizers

Natural Pest Control For Your Vegetable Garden

besthealthever.com BUGS, BUGS, BUGS. They’ve been eating a lot of my lettuce, kale & spinach lately. So I thought it was time to do some research on natural pest control & here’s what I found out. You don’t need to use any chemicals, not that I would any way. You’ve probably already got the ingredients at home. And also there’s plenty of different ways to go about it, you just need to try them out & see if they work. Ingredients for Natural Pest Control 1/3 cup of olive oil 1/3 cup of filtered or distilled water 20 Drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil (Mix together in a spray bottle)

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Tips For Growing Vegetables In A Small Area

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A large amount of land isn’t necessary to grow a vegetable garden – 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).

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.

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

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).

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.

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

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.

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.

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.) 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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Watching Our Clematis Growing Yearly

I am loving the clematis we have growing in our raised bed flower bed. I can sit right here in my office and watch it growing.

Most places we rented didn’t have any space to grow things. The places we did rent which had space we didn’t have permission from the owners so you can imagine how happy we have been since buying our home.

Now we have tons of room to grow flowers, trees, shrubs, even a vegetable garden.

I planted a clematis right in the middle of one of our raised bed gardens, where I would be able to see it from my home office.

Jenny planted petunias all around it and made it look lovely. Petunias just happen to be Jenny’s favourite flower and she puts them everywhere she can still see them from the kitchen windows.

The first year our first clematis didn’t get very big but produced some gorgeous flowers.

We were looking forward to the follow year but weren’t sure it would survive the winter in a raised bed.

The following spring I was pretty sure it was dead as it looked like a pile of dead twigs but after a little while I saw life coming out of that pile of twigs.

It didn’t take much time once I saw the first chutes coming alive before the entire mess was covered with little green leaves. And not long after that before I was seeing buds produced, which are now beautiful flowers about 8 inches across.

Our Clematis, Second Year

The second year we started really getting a lot of blossoms or flowers. That convinced me that I should get a couple more so I picked up two more.

One I put in the raised bed, the other I put on the south side of the garage. And the following year we bought another to put on the other side of the first clematis in our raised bed.

Now we have one big clematis, our first and two that are trying to catch up.

Our raised bed is going to look pretty spectacular in another couple of years.

This year I planted nasturtiums across the front of the raised bed. The are just coming up now so they will take a bit before we have blossoms there but I am sure it will look great.

Here is a picture of our raised bed right now. I have put a net on the back of the trellis so that the clematis can grow up and eventually cover the entire trellis.

You can barely see the nasturtiums in the front of the raised bed. They only poked their little heads out of the dirt less than a week ago. We’ve had a very late season this year but things are looking great now.

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Aug 12, Your Garden Tool Shed

Visit my garden tool shed for the essential cutting edge garden tools. You'll find efficient, ergonomic and easy to handle gardening equipment recommended and used by a practical organic gardener. There's also tips on how to get the most from garden tools and how to use them properly and with less effort.

Growing Lemon Trees as Patio Plants

Indoors or out, there is nothing better than an ornamental tree that is fragrant, bright, and provides a bounty of healthy and refreshing fruit for months. Maybe you’ve already considered the idea of growing a lemon tree, but are concerned that the climate where you live isn’t conducive to citrus. Fortunately, there are options for those that live in a frosty non-tropical region. It doesn’t mean you can’t grow dazzling lemon trees… you just have to know the secret.

Think portability. The Meyer Lemon Tree is a hybrid dwarf and is perfectly suited to container life on a patio, coming indoors only during the colder winter months. Don’t be fooled by the Meyer’s diminutive size, as this beauty can produce as much fruit as other lemon varieties twice as large. Meyer Lemon trees are naturally disease and pest resistant so you won’t need to use any harmful sprays or pesticides, either. Additionally, the Meyer Lemon is considered the best tasting sweet lemon on the market.

Here’s how to successfully grow a tropical lemon tree in a container.

• It’s important to choose the right size container for your tree. For a 2-3 year-old tree, we recommend at least a 5 gallon pot to start with. Make sure the pot has a drain hole in the bottom, and begin with a bottom layer of stones and rocks to ensure proper drainage. Add a good quality peat-moss based growing mix that is sandy and slightly acidic, which is preferred by citrus. Put in just enough soil so the root ball is barely covered and make sure the trunk remains above the soil line to avoid rotting.


• Select an area on your patio that receives full sun; these trees need plenty of light, so a southern exposure is best. If possible, the area should be somewhat protected from fierce winds as well.


• Consistent watering is fundamental to the success of a container-grown lemon tree. Citrus trees require soil that is moist but never soggy. When the surface of the soil becomes dry it’s time to water, but never allow your lemon tree to sit in standing drainage water.


• Feed your tree at regular intervals with a water-soluble fertilizer, specifically suited to container-grown tropical citrus trees.


• Occasional pruning may become necessary to maintain desired size and shape. Well-pruned trees have stronger branches and will produce a more generous crop of lemons.

The Meyer Lemon tree is a self-pollinator, so even if it’s inside the house this tree can still bear fruit (even during those cold winter months). You’ll certainly appreciate the lush and lightly perfumed foliage and flowers this citrus treasure provides whether it’s inside our out.

Meyer is compact enough for city balconies and smaller garden spaces, since dwarf lemon trees can be successfully container-grown in any region of the country. For best results, keep your lemon trees outdoors during the warmer seasons, but when the temperatures drop below 40 degrees at night, it’s time to bring your lemon tree indoors for its winter vacation.

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Global Crisis Explained – Part 1 – YOU MUST SEE THIS

If you think these videos merit consideration, please share them with your friends. In this three part collection of videos the coming global crisis is explained. It focuses on the inevitable peak of oil production and the likely effects this will have on industrialised society. Most people are aware of climate change and the dangerous threat that it poses, however they are not aware that we have created an unsustainable empire at the fundamental level of energy supply. Part 1 – Peak Oil and Food Part 2 – Economy and Reality Part 3 – Nature and Permaculture Clips are taken from: Collapse (2009): www.collapsemovie.com 2013: Oil No More (2005) Whatawaytogo (2010): www.whatawaytogomovie.com Introduction to Permaculture – Geoff Lawton www.permaculture.org Establishing a Food Forest the Permaculture Way (2008): www.permaculture.org

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