Dave Truman


Spring is on its way and many people are looking forward to planning and planting their vegetable garden. There are so many options, it can be hard to know what to choose and from whom to purchase your seeds. Because there are so many online vegetable seed companies to pick from, the choices can be overwhelming. This article will help to point you in the right direction.

Buying vegetable seeds online can be a very good choice. Many companies do not package their seeds ahead of time, which helps the seeds stay fresh longer. Likewise, many stores will ship the next day so you are guaranteed quick delivery. You will also find a very large selection of seeds that you may not be able to find at your local store. Even greenhouses or nurseries cannot provide a comprehensive array of viable vegetable seed options. If you are looking for that rare organic tomato seed, chances are you can find it online.

Most online vegetable seed companies offer some type of warranty. Some say that if a seed does not produce within a certain time frame, they will refund your purchase price or replace the item. This is the most common type of warranty you will come across. Other guarantees say that they will refund your money if you are not satisfied for any reason. Regardless, make sure you understand the terms before you buy.

Prices are usually fairly comparable, but check a few things before you purchase them. See how much you are really getting. Some sites may be cheaper, but they may be selling a lighter weight. Also be aware of the quality of the seeds. For example, heirloom seeds produce the best tasting tomatoes. There are also a lot of different types of the same vegetable. Be sure you are comparing the exact same vegetable or you will not get an accurate picture.

Have an idea of the type of vegetables you would like to plant. Do you want an eclectic collection of classics and exotics. Are all organic vegetables your thing. Or do you just want an old fashioned vegetable garden with the staples of cooking in it. Whatever you choose, you can find a company that will cater to your preferences.

Make sure that you patronize a reputable vegetable seed company. If you are unsure about where to start, ask some of your friends where they purchase their seeds. If you know someone in the neighborhood who has a great garden, ask them where they get their seeds or if they have any recommendations. Another way to get tips is to join an online gardener’s chat group. Gardeners are always willing to help someone who is looking for advice.

Starting a vegetable garden can be an immensely rewarding experience. Have fun with your vegetable garden, but don’t forget the things we talked about. They can save you time and frustration later on. Buying your seeds from a reputable online company is a convenient and economical way to get your garden started.



Allison

The urban gardener


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.



Taylor

The urban gardener


Pest Control Approaches

Chemical horticulture fights off invasive pests with specific insecticides. They may be effective and fast-working at the beginning, but their long-term use may result in the raise of the insects resistant to the used insecticide. To kill those, more efforts will be needed, and the use of the different and stronger chemicals may be necessary. Moreover, killing enemies in the garden, any insecticide will inevitably eliminate predator insects (natural control bugs). And their lack will cause multiplying of the harmful pests. Consequently, a gardener will have to search for some other options to defeat the invasive populations.  

Organic horticulture, on the other hand, offers pests control through the studying and understanding their life cycles and peculiarities, as well as through the combined use of such methods as:

-           plants selection (pests and disease resistant plants are chosen for a garden);

-           companion plants growth (planting those crops that fight off pests and insects);

-           annual changing of the plants location to disrupt the reproduction cycles of the invasive species;

-           the use of row covers during the periods of pests migration;

-           employing insects traps to reduce the population of the pests;

-           increasing the number of predator insects and beneficial organisms.

In addition, organic gardeners usually allow some pests to live in the garden, carefully controlling their level though.

All of the mentioned methods have also additional benefits in the organic garden, as fertilization, soil protection, pollination, season extension and water conservation, despite of the fact that their influence and results usually take some time to become obvious. To sum it up it is possible to say that biological and organic pest control can be constituents of the integrated pest management (IPM). Nevertheless, the latter can also utilize chemical pesticides to eliminate harmful insects, although these do not belong to the biological or organic means.

Soil

Soil control and management are the important things in gardening. They offer the possibility to keep the garden healthy and strong, which is the key factor in the prevention of diseases and pests invasion onto the plants. One of the ways to success is providing the garden with humus and organic matter.



Jakob

Judith Schwader


Picture three ripe red tomatoes arranged on a wooden cutting board awaiting your pleasure. They’ve each come from a different source: can you tell which one was grown organically?

Two of the tomatoes were lovingly tended in backyards - one in a conventional garden and the other in an organic garden. The third tomato came from the supermarket, and it’s easy to eliminate from the guessing game.

The supermarket tomato is the pale red one the size and shape of a tennis ball. Bred for packing, shipping, and storing, (not flavor), this tomato was picked green, has traveled more than a thousand miles from farm to store, and has sat on the shelf for weeks — looking none the worse for wear.

Set this one aside. It was definitely not grown organically.

Two remain. For the sake of the game, they are the same tomato variety, let’s say Big Beef slicers. Bright red, they were just picked and are still warm to the touch from afternoon sun.

It’s not so easy to tell the difference in these; we have to look beyond the surface… literally. The quality of the soil from which they grew is the key element to naming the winner of this game: conventional tomato vs. organic tomato.

The chemicals in the fertilizers used in conventional gardens actually break down the health of the soil. Microbes that are necessary for making soil nutrients available to the plants are killed off.

The dead soil requires increasing doses of conventional fertilizer, and still the plants are malnourished, falling prey to insects and disease. Enter the deadly pesticides, sprayed liberally on the plant.

Now, the game is getting serious. One of the two remaining contestants in our tomato contest had better be carefully washed before being eaten; it’s been dusted with poison.

On the other hand, the organically grown tomato also had fertilizer applied to it, but this fertilizer was made from naturally occurring substances like bone meal, fish emulsion, and rock phosphate. These additions fed the soil and did no harm to the beneficial microbes that make nutrients available for use by plants.

Pesticides probably weren’t necessary because a healthy plant produces its own pest-resistant chemicals. But if there were pests, the organic gardener might have used a home-mixed spray of hot pepper and garlic, or something similarly non-toxic to humans.

There are a few additional techniques the organic gardener probably used, such as tilling in a cover crop to add organic material for the microbes and earthworms to decompose. This process results in a crumbly textured soil that holds moisture and allows the roots to breathe.

But even without the soil improvement from a cover crop, it’s fairly clear which tomato is better for health: the only nutrients that can be found in the fruit had to come from what was available in the soil. The organically grown tomato provides better nutrition.

What is not so clear is which tomato is better for flavor. A test of the ratio of sugar to acid might be made, but that isn’t a big issue. Both the conventionally grown and organically grown tomato are vastly superior in flavor to the poor tomato found in most supermarkets.

The original question in this tomato guessing game was whether you could tell which one of those ripe, juicy tomatoes on the cutting board was organic. Turns out that it’s hard to tell just by looking, or even just by tasting.

So, what’s the big issue? Mainly this: sustainability. Conventional growing depletes and eventually destroys the soil. Whereas organic growing techniques actually build and improve the soil.

In the end, the nutritious organic tomato contributes more to your health, and it is certainly better for the health of the soil from which all future crops will come.



Lara

Rachael Green


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.



Anne-Marie

Ben


First of all, we need to explain what an organic wine is. An organic wine is made from grapes grown according to the organic agriculture. That means any chemical products as pesticides, fertilisers and insecticides are used into the vine. All of these things damage the soil and can end up in the wine as residue. The legal definition of Organic Wine is somewhat more complicated and varies according to where the vineyard is, where the grapes are from it are fermented into wine and, finally, in which market it will be sold. In all cases, the owner must be able to prove which vineyard the grapes come from, which officially recognized body certified the vineyard as organic and from what date certified organic practices began.

The idea is that making wine from grapes grown without man-made chemicals is better both for the planet and for the wine drinker, because there are no chemical residues to end up either in the vineyard soil or in the wine.

Organic Vineyards promote polyculture (biodiversity) by allowing plants other than vines to grow in and around the vineyard. This sort of biodiversity helps regulate the vineyard soil.

So, when you decide to buy and taste a bottle of organic wine, you do 2 gests. On for the planet and the environment (as any chemical products are used) and a second towards you as there is no residue into the wine you will taste.

Some tips now to enjoy organic wine.

In most case, decanting benefits both the appearance and the taste of the wine. Decanting helps the appearance by leaving any sediment in the wine at the bottom of the bottle the wine came in, rather in your glass. Remember that organic wines are often bottled without fining or filtration, so they are likely to contain sediment. This is often a good sign in a wine. Decanting helps the wine to breathe and develop all its aromas.

If after all, you are not convinced, why not pop in a real good independent wine merchant to have a little tasting and let yourself be seduced by the wine.



Cathy

Christy Wilhelmi


When I think of heirloom vegetables, romantic notions of windswept hillsides and fields of sunflowers come to mind. I picture a sturdy wooden table arranged with rustic linens and slender glasses of wine, each one catching a ray of sunlight and reflecting onto the summer palate of oranges, reds and yellows that make up a bowl of freshly prepared Caprese salad. There is nothing quite like the combination of heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella cheese. Mix in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and you have the quintessential summer faire of the gods. Sure, you can make it with regular tomatoes, but the difference in flavor is like the difference between cheesecake and cardboard. Heirloom tomatoes provide exotic flavor, color and biodiversity to your life from garden to table.

By definition, an heirloom is something that is passed down from generation to generation, in hopes of preserving the memory of days gone by. In the case of heirloom tomatoes, varieties from around 100 years ago are still in circulation today thanks to thoughtful growers of yesteryear who carefully saved seeds and handed them down to their children. Seed banks and catalog companies that specialize in providing heirlooms to curious gardeners have opened the door to a world of variety ordinarily unavailable to the public.

Heirloom seeds have survived the test of time, exposure and ecological change, and are therefore more disease and pest resistant than many of their younger counterparts. Also, with supermarkets continuing to reduce the amount of biodiversity available in their produce isles, and with the introduction of genetically modified fruits and vegetables, the idea of heirloom produce is even more appealing to those who want to know - and trust - their food sources.

Some of my favorite heirloom tomatoes are chosen more for color rather than taste, even though their taste is mind-blowing, simply because there are a rainbow of colors to choose from. Each year I plant at least one of every color to insure a feast for the eyes all summer long. Let’s look at that rainbow, shall we?

Reds/Pinks: Other than the increasingly popular “Brandywine” tomato, there are so many reds and pinks out there: Costaluto Genovese – a medium to large, ribbed fruit; Burbank Red Slicing – as close to a standard tomato as heirlooms get, with much more flavor; Old German – huge red tomatoes with a blush of green on top; German Queen – a large beefsteak variety also with some color variation; Arkansas Traveler - a beefsteak tomato that will satisfy the Henry VIII in all of us. Mortgage Lifter – famous for its size, which was so said to be so big that it could help a farm out of foreclosure; and Amish Paste – a plum tomato like the traditional Roma. Some catalogues contradict each other when listing some heirlooms whose lineage is somewhat unclear: Ispolin – a softball sized flat tomato molted with oranges and pinks; and my all-time favorite, Stupice – a Czechoslovakian salad tomato that is, without fail, the first on the block to provide bright red, flavorful tomatoes every year. This plant breaks from tradition with its potato leaf foliage that also adds variety to your garden.

Oranges: Jaunne Flamme is an orange tomato that produces salad tomato sized fruit. The bright color and consistently sweet flavor make it a perfect choice for those trying to venture out into new tomato territory. Tigerella, and Tigerlike are both striped tomatoes that delight the eyes and perk up any dish with their unusual color; Orange Oxheart is indeed a heart-shaped tomato that breaks the mold of traditional flat-bottomed tomatoes. In some catalogues but not others, the Persimmon tomato is listed as an heirloom. It is shaped and colored like a persimmon, but don’t be fooled, as its sweet tomato flavor is nothing like its look-alike.

Yellow: I have tried many yellow tomatoes and have found few to compare with the delicate sunny flavor of the Yellow Pear. These sweet little teardrops of summer goodness hardly make it in from the garden, and mostly serve as tasty snacks while gardening. Even among the Yellow Pear, I have found one particular Yellow Pear from Seeds of Change to be sweeter than the others. For some other interesting yellows try Yellow Perfection – a larger salad tomato; Pineapple – a most interesting variety that is streaked with red throughout the center; and Garden Peach – named appropriately because it actually has fuzz! Don’t let that deter you from trying this unusual gem. The flavor is outstanding.

Green: Admittedly, the only green tomato I have tried to grow is the famous Green Zebra. With its dark green stripes over a soft green exterior that leans toward yellow if left on the vine a little longer, the Green Zebra is a terrific addition to any dish for diversity and a change of pace. If you haven’t tried this one, be sure to put it on your shopping list for summer.

Purple and Black: This year I am growing Cherokee Purple – a large tomato with a purple interior and green shoulders. Purple Calabash, similar to its relative Red Calabash, has a molten interior that is dark and mysterious. Adventurous tomato tasters will find it full of flavor and hefty in size. Black Plum is another plum tomato similar to a traditional Roma, but with greenish-black shoulders, much like its larger counterpart, Black, which has the same markings in a regular sized tomato. Black Krim is another popular choice

White: If you are looking for something new and different, try Nebraska Wedding – a white medium to large sized tomato. Unfortunately this one didn’t do so well in my coastal garden. Great White, however, was a huge success - a huge plant, huge tomatoes, and huge flavor. One slice would almost completely cover a slice of bread, and the color was throughout with little yellow seeds. This was one of the most interesting tomatoes I’ve grown in years.

The key to heirloom tomatoes is experimentation. Whether you are buying them at a grocery store, or growing them yourself, choosing different varieties each time is the best way to find what works for your garden or your palette. Each year I have my trusted, foolproof varieties, but I always choose at least 3 or 4 new heirlooms to try. Thankfully, we are beginning to see the phenomenon of heirlooms taking hold in gourmet and farmers markets, so they are becoming more accessible to mainstream shoppers. Just as Julia Child was influential in the appearance of gourmet vegetables in supermarkets, so can we be influential by demanding diversity and inclusion of heirlooms at our local markets. If you can’t get heirlooms where you live, and you aren’t able to grow them yourself, ask your store manager to stock them every time you go shopping. With a little effort and curiosity, soon everyone will be able to enjoy the wonder of biodiversity and fabulous flavor.



Carlos

jamiehanson


To sow seeds in the garden the first and foremost consideration should be the area available for the garden. Then looking at the garden and the seeds you will sow which will culminate into plants, the varieties should be decided. For different type of plants you have to space the garden accordingly. And the instructions for sowing seeds are normally available on the packet or a horticulturist can well advise. Always go with the instructions of the seed manual or the horticulturist who will guide you on the requirements of quantity of water, sunshine, fertilizer, etc. Always buy seeds of the current year and if possible heirloom seeds specifically for special plants. Heirloom seeds belong to a particular family of species which comes from generations and its history is known. In the garden you can plant different types of trees with variant natures. There are plant which climb for them you have to provide for a trellis or a fence. Trellis can add beauty to the garden if placed properly. Beans and peas are some varieties. You can plant tomatoes which also come in varieties like cherry tomato, it grows in vines; the Roma OR Sauce tomato which grow in bush. There is another variety of tomato which crawls in the ground. To buy these seeds you should decide early in the season by March. You sow the seeds and allow them to grow in a temperate climate till they take the shape of a plant to be planted in May/June. One particular factor should be kept in mind that if you ever desire to plant onions , it it better to go for onion sets than for seeds. Vegetable seeds are always chosen depending upon the climatic condition of the area or region. Sow the seeds and transplant them according to their climatic requirement. For example if you plant a vegetable plant or a flower plant or even herbal plant in the seasons which they do not grow, you will not get the expected yield out of it. If you plant a variety which grows in winter will never grow or yield satisfactorily. Growing vegetables are rewarding. Vegetables such as egg plants (brinjal), beans, peas, tomatoes, water melons, cucumbers, cabbage, radish, carrot, lettuce, spinach, chilly and many other varieties can be grown in a garden. The development of gardens, gardening and horticulture is primarily because of the herbal plants. Herbal plants are a part of mankind. It has medicinal values, flavors and also used in different ceremonial occasions. There are many varieties you will find in kitchen gardens or even in general gardens in people’s house. They are angelica, lemon grass, lavender, mints, coriander, Cummins, ginger, Marjoram, etc. Whether it is vegetable seeds or flower seeds or herbal seeds all of them are available on stores and can also be bought online. If you browse the internet through search engines plenty of seller’s will be available. Most of the seller’s of seeds offer good discounts. You can find many family owned generic seed shops which is grown by them and accumulated for sale. Another facility in online buying is that you can buy seeds of such varieties from other countries or region which is not grown in you country or region. A genuine online shop always provides you with premium quality seeds and seeds with more survival ratio. Even shops ship you the seeds for free.



Greg