Hank Gordon


A lot of people seem to think that an organic garden is just for hippies and vegetarians. They think it is a difficult and hard way to grow vegetables and flowers while in fact they could not have been further from the truth. Having an organic garden is not difficult at all and it certainly is not just for hippies and vegetarians. When you know that most organic fertilizers are made from animal products you will understand that vegetarians need to be very careful with organic gardening.

Owning a organic garden is not hard at all the only thing where you should be aware of is that you do not use synthesized products. You can use normal seeds and plants they do not need to be organic at all. The only seeds you can not use are genetically modified seeds.

The same people who think that having an organic garden makes you a hippie also often think that your organic garden needs to be animal friendly. Well most gardeners also those who have an organic garden are not always the greatest friends of the local wildlife. And be honest would you be, when your carefully grown crops are being eaten by some rabbits?

There are all kind of gardeners and those that have a organic garden will never use chemicals or pesticides but some are known to shoot a rabbit occasionally, to scare it away or to eat it. A more natural meal is hard to find.

Is an organic garden the same as a natural garden?

A natural garden does not exist, every garden is in fact artificial when you are the one that decides what to grow and at what place in contrary to nature where nothing is planned. a organic garden is not a natural garden if we have land where we let nature do its thing we usually do not call it a garden we call it wasteland. In our gardens we like to decide what are considered weeds and what we consider to be plants or flowers and a organic garden is no different. If our organic garden is suffering from drought you would be crazy not to water those carefully planted flowers and vegetables. As you can see an organic garden also takes some unnatural growing methods.

Vegetarians who own a organic garden should be aware that many of the

fertilizers and other organic garden products contain animal products like fish oil, leather and bone. They need to read all the ingredients on these products.

Although it is not necessary to call your garden an organic garden a very good and “natural” way to control bugs and pest is to mix specific plants together, if you do some research you learn that by placing for example onions and carrots together you will reduce pests and insects. Sometimes you can even use certain weeds to repel bugs and pests. You can also use insects like ladybugs to reduce louse, the ladybugs eat the louse and your organicly grown roses will be more beautiful then ever.

OrganicGardeningMag

Scott Meyer, Editor of Organic Gardening Magazine, gives you step-by-step instructions for growing your own potatoes. For more information visit www.organicgardening.com …

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Organic Gardener


Ten basic rules for gardening 

Rule #1 - Buy plants from a very reputable source–I prefer nurseries over discount stores and warehouse stores. 

Rule #2 - Select plants that will grow in your climate–consider your high and low temperatures. 

Rule #3 - Plant your plants in the right place in your yard–sun-loving plants in the sun, shade-loving plants in the shade. 

Rule #4 - Provide your plants with complete nutrition. Most fertilizers and plant foods don’t. Spray-N-Grow and Bill’s Perfect Fertilizer provide major and minor elements identified by botanists as necessary for plant growth and production. 

Rule #5 - Water your plants properly. 

Rule #6 - Keep your plants bug free. Look for bugs on your plants as often as possible. Apply an organic and environmentally friendly bug killer if necessary. 

Rule #7 - Watch for plant disease. Spray your plants with Physan 20 or Serenade if you see any wilting, black spots, etc. 

Rule #8 - Weed around your plants or use All Down Organic Weed and Grass Kill or Burnout Weed and Grass Killer. 

Rule #9 - Deer, rabbits, squirrels and other animals may try to feast on your plants. If you see evidence of munching, use a humane animal repellants. It may take a little detective work to figure out what type of hungry animal is invading your garden. 

Rule #10 - Gardening is a physical activity–take care of yourself. Wear a hat and gloves. Use sunscreen and watch for stinging insects. Use safe products–many common gardening products are not organic or all natural. To buy garden products mentioned in this article, visit Spray-N-Grow’s website ( http://www.spray-n-growgardening.com ). Their garden products are safe for people, plants and pets.

Abhishek Agarwal


Planning to go “organic”? That is very good, but do you know how exactly to go about creating an organic garden? If yes, just go ahead! But if the answer is a “no”, it is advisable to take the help of organic gardening centers.

Organic gardening centers are many, and the reasons why they are considered the best places to seek counsel are sketched below–

(1) When the weather is warm enough, organic gardening centers prefer to function out-of-doors. So you can see the staff putting up stalls outside shops, or even in parking lots with plenty of available space. Of course, they can be found within stores as well!

(2) Cannot find a single one in your neighborhood? First, find someone who is involved with organic gardening and then ask that person to direct you to a center nearby.

(3) The local farmers’ market that usually put out organic, as well as non-organic gardening products, may be accommodating organic gardening centers too.

(4) If you are a beginner, you will feel grateful to get helpful advice from people experienced in this type of gardening! Just consider what these centers can do for you–Whatever you need is all in one place and easily available. If among all the products you have selected, there is someone to counsel you on what you have left out. Experience really does not matter! What is important that you get all the materials that you need.

(5) You describe yourself as a seasoned veteran? Well then, organic gardening centers can do something for you too! They have everything ready for you, all in one place. You just have to pick your products and make your way home. It is not even necessary to search for your products among many others, since the store caters only to organic gardens. Thus, you can return to your gardening work in peace!

(6) The Internet refuses to be left out of anything! So you have web sites functioning as organic gardening centers. Unlike the novice who prefers to visit a store the first time just to ensure that he is getting the right products, you can simply sit in front of your computer and shop online. More so, if you do not have a center nearby or cannot find one.

(7) It should not be long before we get to see organic gardening centers everywhere, just as commonplace as hardware stores. This is because organic gardening is catching up in popularity. Web sites are also in competition with one another, each one trying to display organic products different from the other. The visitor will have to indulge in more browsing on the Internet! Thus, the future belongs to “organic”, and farmers better follow suit if they want to stay in business!

Kolawole Olambiwonnu


The stress brought by modernization has made people realize that there is a need to cultivate healthy foods. Thinking that these will ensure the health of the future generations, more and more of people became interested with the basics of organic gardening.

As defined, organic gardening refers to the act of planting and growing crops without relying on the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other synthetic products. This is to ensure that the crop is 100 percent all natural and free from harmful chemicals and elements that can lead illnesses to people.

Pointers for organic gardening

In organic gardening, the basic consideration is the soil where the crop will be placed. Veterans say that the perfect soil for organic gardening should be filled with nitrogen, which will contribute much to the health of the crop being planted. The soil should also be placed in an area where sunlight and air reaches it.

Experts also advise that clay soil is the most ideal type to be used in organic gardening because it is relatively high in nutrients compared to other types of soil. Aside from containing higher amount of nutrients good for the plants, it is best in holding the water for replenishing the plants. Although some types can also be used such as sand and garden soil, they cannot produce better crops just like the clay soil can. What you can do is to add some organic matter to make it more suitable for the plants.

Aside from the soil preparation and the area where it should be placed, here are some of the basics of organic gardening to help you get by:

1. Preparation of organic matter. Since this will be the one where the plants will get their nutrients, preparation of organic matter should be paid attention very carefully. As defined, organic matter can be a plant that is decaying or an animal waste that is mixed together with the soil. Aside from decaying plants and wastes of animals, organic matter can also be a clipping of grass, leaves that are dried, scraps from the kitchen such as vegetable stalks and peels of fruits as well as heads of fresh or cooked fish. Organic matter is very important in organic gardening because it serves as a conditioner for the soil to support the growing crops in it. Organic matter should always be regularly replenished. It can be put on top of the soil or can be mixed with it so the nutrients and other minerals can be absorbed very well.

2. Controlling pests and other plant-related diseases without the use of synthetic chemicals. Since the basic premise of organic gardening is using all-natural products, it is best if you familiarize yourself with the natural means of controlling pests in your crops. These natural means of controlling pests include worms and other insects that can defend your plants against other harmful elements. You can also prevent your plant from diseases if you inspect them regularly for any sign of damage. Once you suspect that there is a threat for plant illness, it is best if you remove the plant affected quickly to avoid the spread of the disease to nearby plants.

3. Selecting the ideal plants for your organic gardening. One of the basics of organic gardening that all people should know is how to select plants that will fit your natural condition. It is very important to understand that not all plants are suitable for all climates. To ensure that you will grow healthy plants, make sure that you check your site conditions and decide which are the plants that can withstand the environment available.

Dtm


Tomatoes are in my opinion the best fruit vegetable there is. Cherry tomatoes with their sweet and tangy taste can be eaten whole. As they are small in size you can just pop them in your mouth. Tomatoes give salads a dash of red color. Pasta and pizza are made even tastier with fresh tomato sauce poured over them. And these are just some of the benefits you will get from tomato gardening.

While tomatoes come in many different shapes, sizes and colors there are actually only two varieties of tomatoes. One is the Determinates and the other is the Indeterminates. Determinate tomatoes grow on vines that stop growing at a certain point. These tomato plants are small and compact vines that produce fruits early in the growing season. Determinates tomatoes plants can be grown in containers or even in small spaces.

The best way to grow Determinates is to space them out about 1 to 2 feet apart. The tomato rows need to have a distance of 4 feet between them. With determinate tomato gardening if you wish to plant any other vegetables near the tomatoes, then you will need to keep some additional space around those tomato rows.

Indeterminates tomatoes on the other hand continue growing. They need support in the form of cages or trellises. The distance that you should keep between the cages is about 3 feet. Once the Indeterminate tomatoes have caught on to the trellis or their cage, you will need to train them to climb the supporting frame. Sometimes it will be necessary to tie the vines to the frame stakes so that the whole tomato plant does not fall over due to its own weight.

You can start your tomato gardening with seeds or starter plants brought from nurseries. The best new tomato plants are those without any yellow speckling on their leaves. The other thing to check is to make sure that your plant roots are not coming out of the containers bottom. The root’s growth can tell if your plant will grow successfully or if it will be stressed out and produce a poor harvest. For the best growth to be made, a good vegetable gardening tip is to see that your soil is a rich, sandy loam type of soil.

The best time to start tomato gardening is when all of the other trees in your garden are fully in leaf. By this time the season will be warm and your acclimatized tomato plants will receive about 8 hours or more of life giving sunlight. The roots of the tomatoes should be fully embedded within their soil bed. This lets the tomato receive all the nutrients that it can from the soil.

With tomato gardening you need to keep an eye on the weather. Hot sunny days might be great for you, but they mean that your tomato plants will need regular watering at least once a week. Other than this you can sit back and relax. Once your tomatoes are fully ripe, just pluck them off the vines and enjoy your fresh tomatoes.

Abhishek Agarwal


Organic gardening today involves more than making a cultural impact. In fact, it is now considered an intelligent way of living in harmony with the natural environment. While fertilizers and chemical pesticides are extremely toxic and can prove fatal to useful plants and bugs, tending to your garden organically, using organic plant food, organic gardening supplies and natural lawn maintenance all prove very beneficial to the fragile ecosystem that makes up your garden.

The essentials of organic garden tending are:

1. Rich and fertile soil

2. Sturdy plants

3. Adequate water and sunlight

4. Organic feeds, pesticides, and fertilizers

If there is fertile soil, a good spread of manure and ample nutrients in your garden, then your work is made even more easy. Enriched soil is the foundation of an organic garden, organic gardening supplies, and natural lawn maintenance.

In the absence of fertile soil, it is not possible to achieve the same level of distribution of nutrients to the roots or the same level of defense against pests. Besides, without rich soil the groundwork for a good lawn cannot be laid down and even using organic garden supplies with self-assurance is not done on account of the beneficial effects being reduced by poor soil.

Moreover, sturdy plants can do much towards improving the organic garden, organic gardening supplies, and natural lawn maintenance. Selecting healthy plants free from disease makes certain that the diseases are not transmitted to your garden. A sturdy and tough plant can withstand better, adverse gardening conditions. Hence, if irrigation is not carried out regularly or there is blistering sunshine, sturdy plants are able to tolerate the vagaries of nature much better.

Organic Pesticides and Fertilizers

The maintenance of the organic garden, organic gardening supplies and natural lawn preservation are stipulated like add-ons in the diet of a sportsperson. Organic feeds are conditional on the kind of plants you wish to grow and the soil quality. Based on whether the levels of nitrogen are low or the level of potassium is grossly down one can choose to opt for a granite meal or blood meal.

An overall decent organic fertilizer will contain phosphorous, potash and nitrogen as its key nutrients. Even though manure has been used for the past so many years, at times levels of nutrients in the manure are far less than those in organic products.

In the case of lawns, a safe and reliable herbicide is corn meal gluten. A few gardeners use hot pepper sprays or soap to discourage insects or to get rid of aphids. Most of the organic gardeners just remove or wash out the bugs from the plants. In whichever way you seek to set up organic garden tending, organic feed, organic gardening supplies, and natural lawn maintenance as a part of your garden routine is left up to you.

There are several established methods, but then there is always room for improvement, to go organic and to be happy and healthy as a result of it.

Annettew


Every tomato grower has a “secret recipe” for tomato growing success. An integral part of high tomato yield is proper plant nutrition. Plants need food, too! Giving a plant the right food at the right time will not only increase fruit yield, it will also help prevent damage from diseases and pests.

Plant Nutrients

Plants do not eat hamburgers and French fries, but they do still need “nutrients.” Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are the three nutrients most commonly fed to plants. Most fertilizers are a combination of the three. When reading a fertilizer package, a three number series such as 3-0-3, or 15-10-5, presents the ratio of all three nutrients in the fertilizer. Other nutrients and minerals, in smaller amounts, help tomato plants grow robustly and healthily. Plants get nutrients from the soil in which they are planted, so soil preparation is integral to providing plant nutrients in proper amounts.

To determine which nutrients your garden soil needs to promote healthy plant growth, prepare a soil sample and send it to your local cooperative extension office for analysis. The soil sample will allow you to properly prepare the garden soil and add just enough of each lacking nutrient to grow healthy plants. Another important test is the soil pH. Soil pH affects the way plants are able to take in nutrients. If your soil is too high or too low, you will want to amend the pH by adding mulch (to increase acidity) or lime (to increase alkalinity.)

When to Add Nutrients

Tomato plants need nutrients at differing amounts at various stages of growth. After receiving soil test results and before planting tomatoes, work a general fertilizer into the soil. Ratios of 5-10-10 or 8-16-16 are good to start. The soil test results will tell you if you are seriously lacking one nutrient or another.

Once the plant begins growing, different ratios of nutrients promote best growth. Once the plant starts flowering, it needs a higher ratio of potassium.

Soil Composition for Plant Nutrition

Adding fertilizer is only one step to providing plants with proper nutrients and increasing crop yield. Soil composition and structure directly affects tomato plant health. Tomato plants thrive by growing roots deep into the soil. Hard clay soils must be broken and amended with compost to promote healthy root growth. Overly sandy soils need addition of organic matter in order to hold water and nutrients.

Compost for High Fruit Yield

Organic matter is an essential component of soil. Adding proper organic matter will greatly improve soil health, while adding improper organic matter is detrimental to soil. Organic matter can be added by top dressing or double digging. Top dressing with organic works exactly as it sounds-you add organic matter to the top of the soil, almost like a mulch. Double-digging requires digging and removing soil, mixing the organic matter into the soil, and replacing the newly combined soil.

Great organic matters are already composted, or broken down. As wood chips, leaves and other compost breaks down, it uses nitrogen. It is important to add composted organic matter rather than fresh, as fresh matter will remove essential nutrients from the soil. If fresh organic matter is all that is available, be sure to add nitrogen along with the organic matter.

Soil composition is one key to tomato growing success. Structure, pH, and nutrient availability all contribute to plant health. For more detailed information on soil health and how to manage nutrition (including diagnosing nutrient deficiencies), consult a comprehensive tomato growing reference such as How to Grow Tasty Juicy Tomatoes.

Allison Agnick


Would you like to try growing your own fresh fruits year round, but live in an area where, due to cold temperatures, snow or poor soil, you are unable to do so outdoors? Instead, why not try hydroponics, a form of gardening in which you can grow plants without any soil at all. There are several different types of fruits you could consider growing in a hydroponic manner.

One aspect of plant culture that is wise to keep in mind is to pay attention to the growing conditions a particular plant needs to survive and thrive. Poor choices for hydroponic-style gardening are succulents, because they will only thrive in dry conditions, and you are attempting to grow plants in the medium of water. Water-loving plants make a good choice for hydroponic gardening, because the plants will be growing in water. Melons are a good example of a fruit that grows well in this circumstance. Watermelons and cantaloupe can both be grown successfully hydroponically because both are water loving plants and can thrive in this sort of growing medium.

Although not considered a fruit by some, nevertheless tomatoes meet the scientific criteria for classification as a fruit. Tomatoes grow wonderfully in a hydroponic environment as long as they have excellent lighting.

Other fruits that grow well hydroponically are berries. You can grow strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries very well in a hydroponics system.

Grapes are another favorite fruit that you can grow using this method as well. Both table grapes and wine grapes have been successfully grown using hydroponic methods.

Surprisingly, there are some trees that can be grown in a hydroponic manner. Banana trees are one, and dwarf citrus trees, such as lemons, are another. Imagine growing fruits that would normally require a tropical or very warm climate to produce fruit during an Alaskan or Scandinavian winter, through the appropriate use of a hydroponic plant system and the correct lighting and proper nutrition.

All plants will receive absolutely no nutrients from soil, since this system uses none, so the gardener must supply the plants with nutrients in the form of a nutrient solution. You water the plant with the nutrient, and the plant takes the food up through its roots. Typically the nutrients are dissolved in distilled water, because the water needs to be very pure. If you use your own water, you will likely want to have the water tested for elements that may already be present, so that you do not provide too much of any one nutrient.

Hydroponic-system gardening is an excellent way to increase fruit yields over conventional soil gardening, and it allows gardeners to grow fruits that would otherwise not be possible in their climate or soil.