Bob Hall


In the last ten years there has been huge advancements in technology which has led to homogenization and mechanization of farming. Now farmers have access to herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, mass production, additives and pesticides. This is most definitely affecting the health of mankind. New diseases, like bird flu, are spreading very quickly among humans as well as animals.

The W.H.O. (World Health Organization) has produced certain reports that show how chemicals as well as other dangerous products that are used in our food along with the process in which the food is manufactured is actually threatening our health.

If your garden has a little extra space where a few pots can fit, you should consider growing an organic vegetable garden of your own. Here you can see seven reasons why this would be good for you:-

1. There are no additives in organic vegetables – Many organic food associations have studied and concluded that additives in the food you eat can lead to osteoporosis, migraines, hyperactivity and heart diseases.

2. There are no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides – These chemicals are applied on crops so that they can be grown irrespective of weather conditions or plague and they greatly affect quality of the crops. Also, most pesticides are poisonous to human beings.

3. No genetic modification [GM] of vegetables – Hormones, drugs and antibitoics are used on many vegetables to get more, larger vegetables. This practice has one consequence. That the vegetables all look similar and are pretty much tasteless.

4. Eating organic vegetables made yourself is healthy – These vegetables won’t have any of the chemicals or products mentioned above. They are much more natural as compared to any ones that you may find at a super market. You won’t be risking your health as there will definitely be nothing dangerous added in your vegetables.

5. Home grown organic vegetables are more tasty – When pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and synthetic fertilizers are used to grow vegetables, they grow un-naturally and have no taste. When you grow them yourself you will be able to experience their full flavor.

6. Growing organic vegetables is environmentally friendly – Since you are not using pesticides or any  other harmful substances, you won’t damage the air or the soil with these harmful components.

7. If you grow organic vegetables of your own then you are adding to self sustainability as well as sustainability of our planet. There are many small communities across the country where vegetables are grown naturally and then exchanged between the members and this creates a better, much more friendly place for everyone.

Lastly, growing organic vegetables simply means that we will not add anything, that they are not naturally meant to have, to help them grow. As you will be able to guess, fertilizers, additives, hormones or pesticides are all components that are not found in food that is grown naturally. To take good care of your own health, you should grow organic vegetables of your own. All you need is a few pots.



Floyd

Garden Lodges


There are many people who love to spend most of their time in the garden. The concept of a garden office or garden studio is perfect for such kind of people. In today’s world many people work from their own home. It becomes very convenient for these people to own their own garden office. However, everyone may not have ample space for his or her garden office. In that case, they can take professional help to create their own garden office within a small area.

If you want a robust and secure garden office or garden studio you simply must purchase a product from a specialist company such as Garden Lodges. People who want to build their garden office within a small space normally resort to this method. People who generally work from home prefer using a garden office instead of a spare room. However, there are certain details that one should keep in mind while creating a garden office.

For creating a garden office or garden studio, it would be best if one has sufficient space. He should take into account all the requirements for building a garden office or garden studio. Proper insulation and security of the modular garden office has to be considered.

People often like to own a garden studio. Garden lodges are market leaders in this field. A person can design his garden office or garden studio as per his choice. He can opt for designing a traditional kind of a garden office or garden studio or opt for the modern type of garden office. However, a person has to take into consideration a lot of details while creating a garden studio within a small place.

People who have limited space to build their garden office or garden studio generally purchase smaller buildings. The most modern equipment can be installed into a garden office or garden studio. Micro pods from Garden Lodges based in the UK can also be used.

Apart from the wide range of professional services available, you can get all the information about a garden office or garden studio from gardenlodges.co.uk.



Judy

Emily Jacques


Tomatoes taken by fusarium wilt. Sugar snap peas eaten up by aphids. An army of slugs in the lettuce patch. Broccoli that never heads.

Sound familiar? If you’ve experienced any of the above, then you know how difficult gardening—especially organic gardening—can be to integrate into an already full schedule. Plants need care and careful monitoring when you’re avoiding chemical pesticides like the plague.

But there is a way to successfully plant and grow organic vegetables. Over the past couple of years I’ve learned some valuable lessons about how to manage an organic vegetable garden without having to devote all your free time to it. Allow me to share them with you…

1. Start small. I decided to plant a garden the year my son turned one. That would’ve been okay, if I’d stuck to a small lettuce patch and a couple of tomato plants. But, not knowing how much time and attention my son would require in the coming months, I bit off way more than I could chew. I ended up having an aphid infestation, diseased tomatoes, and generally an unfruitful harvest.

Another option for keeping it small is container gardening. Anybody can find time to tend to five potted plants per day, especially since container gardens tend to be close to the house, so you are more likely to remember to check them. Which leads me to the next point…

2. Make time to check on your plants at least every other day. Carefully checking each plant for disease and pests on alternate days won’t take very much time, especially if you kept your garden down to a manageable size. But the time you invest doing it will pay off big-time. You’ll be able to find pests and recognize the beginning stages of disease before they have a chance to completely obliterate your crops.

3. Set up an easy watering system. Underground irrigation systems, once installed, require the least amount of time and effort. However, the cost might be more than you’re willing to cover. If that’s the case, lay soaker hoses an inch or so under the soil where you’re going to plant. Being able to turn on a spigot and leave it for twenty minutes is much easier than lugging a hose around the yard.

4. Write down the fertilizing schedule in a calendar or daytimer you look at often. If you overfertilize, you end up with a lot of foliage and not much harvest. Underfertilizing will lead to pathetic looking plants and small fruits. Different crops have different feeding requirements, so getting yourself organized in this area of gardening will really pay off.

5. Spray with chemical-free pesticides and repellents every week or two as soon as the shoots sprout up from the ground. Bugs hate neem oil, which is extracted from a native Indian tree. It can also prevent or fend off certain fungi, like powdery mildew. Spinosad is odorless and safe for the beneficial insects, while it kills the plant-eaters. Orange oil kills any insect that it hits.

Be sure to rotate the use of organic pesticides. Too much neem oil can harm bees, and Spinosad is supposed to be used no more than once a month for most crops.

6. Consider raised bed gardening. Or, at the very least, mulch your garden heavily. Either way will save you a lot of weeding (I have practically no weeds in my raised beds). Raised beds are also much easier to dig into because of the loose soil.

Growing your very own organic vegetable garden, even if your days are full, is possible. Follow these tips, and you will soon find yourself surrounded by delicious food from a garden you have spent only a few minutes a day on.



Charlene

nlwest21


If you are trying to change your lifestyle and trying to eat vegetables that are healthy for your family then why not grow your own? Why not grow your very own garden full of organic vegetables and herbs? You can do this right in your own backyard and believe it or not many people are doing just this. All you need are the right tools and the patience to learn how to do it properly.

To begin you will need to make a large space on your property in order to have a good sized garden. Most gardens leave a space of 10 feet by 10 feet to give their vegetables plenty of growing space. This will also help you to plant several different kinds of veggies without them getting in each others way. If you don’t think you have the much space then you can always ask your local nursery what they would recommend. You may have to have two different small gardens to grow the things you want.

Strip the top layer of sod of where your garden will be. During this process you will need to remove three to four inches of the ground surface to help remove the grass and the rots of weeds. Weeds can destroy your garden and the things growing in it so you want to make sure that you remove them all before you plant the seeds.

Near your garden you are going to start your very own compost heap. The compost is one of the best ingredients to helping your vegetables to grow. The compost heap can be made up of grass clippings, fruit rinds, and natural waste from your home. Making your own compost heap is messy – but it will save you money and will be a natural fertilizer for your plants.

Before you plant your desired vegetables you will need to soak the top layer of your garden’s soil. The surface needs to be completely flattened with a shovel in order to avoid puddles. When the ground is not even the water will not be able to distribute evenly to all the plants.

Now divide your garden into a minimum of four sections. This will help you to manage what is growing. Place wooden stakes between each section and label what is growing where. Each vegetable is different and requires different care. Having labels will help you to remember where the veggies are.

When it comes to what you are growing it is all up to you and your environment. You want to grow organic vegetables that both you and your family will eat and love. Visit your local nursery and tell them what you would like to plant. They will let you know in what season you should grow them and whether or not they will grow ok in the soil that you have.

While your organic vegetables are growing keep a close eye on them and make sure that they are growing properly. Remove any weeds or plants that should not be growing. If you notice that one or two of your veggies are beyond repair then you would be wise to remove them completely from the garden. This will help them to spread the damage to the other plants.



Allison

Paul Hata


It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to plant vegetables. But if you want to do this the old fashioned way which has been proven to be very effective, you should know the organic vegetable gardening basics.

The first thing you have to know is what is organic vegetable gardening? It is simply a way of farming that does not use any synthetic products which includes fertilizers and pesticides. In short, you work with nature to get what you want.

When choosing the right vegetable to plant is knowing which of these are suitable to the soil and the climate. If you live in an area that experiences droughts, buy those that do not consume that much water.

Before you drop seeds into the soil, make sure the land is ready by tilling the land so it is clear both of rocks and weeds.

The next step will be to add compost, bone meal or rock phosphate and greensand to the soil to supply it with nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. If the pH level of the soil is too high, add lime or sulphur to adjust it.

One more thing you have to do before planting the seeds is putting in organic fertilizer. You can use recycled leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds, eggshells and kitchen waste which should be applied a month before planting begins.

Then it is time to plant the seeds. Each seed must be spaced by a certain distance the roots do not fight for water. In between each of the vegetables, you can plant other things as well because the tighter the space, the lesser the chances that weeds will grow.

Pests are the biggest threat to your organic garden. To fight them, you can use birds, frogs or other insects. You don’t have these creatures to fend off other insects. You simply have to create the ideal environment by putting a bird house or a small pond. Once they are in place, they will do the rest by patrolling your garden and eating those who seek to eat your crops.

Putting up a few barriers can also help. Row covers are known to prevent moths from landing and laying eggs. You can also use sticky traps and foil collars to stop pests and borers.

There are also organic pesticides around but some of them can only kill one or two kinds of pests. So before you buy them, make sure you know what you are dealing with.

Crop rotation is the best way to preserve the fertility of the soil. This is done after you harvest the vegetables so it is ready for planting once again. For this to work, you have to plant in the same area a different vegetable.

Anyone can learn organic vegetable gardening basics and soon have their own little farm in their backyard. It is fresh and you can pick this anytime you want which is very convenient as these are only a few feet from your home.

Should everyone get into organic vegetable gardening? Perhaps because there is a food shortage right now and most of the vegetables imported do not use this technique. The government for its part has given incentives to farmers here to shift to this method but its going to take more effort to persuade countries that do business with the US to do the same thing.



Robert

P.P.Shelke


P.P.Shelke

SMS(Agri.Engg)

KVK Karda Distt. Washim (M.S.)

                Shri. Punjaji Narsuji Budner, is a marginal farmer of Nizampur village of Washim District. He is having 8 acre of cultivable land. He is growing Chilly, brinjal & tomato through out the year. We have selected this farmer for conducting on farm research.  Tomato is important vegetable crops of Washim district, farmers are growing this crop on commercial line. During the visit of farmers we have analysed the problem and decided treatment.  The package includes variety Bhagyashri, 75:50:50 Kg NPK per hectare, natural growth regulator spray for 6 times. The seed was sown during the month of May on raised beds. The raised bed was sprayed with mixture of cow urine and cow dung before sowing. Seedling Were transplanted during the month of June in the main field.

 

Natural Growth Regulator was used for spraying on tomato. The procedure for preparation of natural growth regulator is simple.  First take materials required  like cow dung 1kg, Gomutra 4kg, Crushed neem leaves 400gm, Jaggery 100gm.   Then all the above material was mixed well & stored in air tight container of capacity 10 to 15 lit. Allowed this mixture airtight up to 7 days. After 7 days lid of container was opened and mixed well. Then added  1 lit. of water and filtered the mixture. Natural growth  regulator of 5 lit, capacity was ready for spraying. 250 ml of this solution was mixed in 10 lt. Of water for spraying. Spraying was taken during morning and in the evening.

                Different spraying of NGR followed during various crop stages.

15 days after transplanting

30 days after transplanting

45 days after transplanting

60 days after transplanting

75 days after transplanting

135 days after transplanting

                The farmers has harvested 139.50 qt. In 0.20 Ha area. He has harvested 465 totals of crates of tomato fruits. The farmers has sold fruits in local market. He has got average Rs.275 (INR) per crates. He has got total income of Rs. 2 lacs (INR)during the year. Due to use of natural growth regulator, the incidence of pest and disease attack was very low during the growth period. Only neem based insecticides with endosulfan was used. The quality of the fruits, shape and size was very attractive. The farmers has got maximum price in Risod market.



Jennifer

Holly Crosgrey


It is normal, and indeed, necessary, for you to have sound reasons for taking different actions in your life. This applies to switching to organic foods as well. This is a significant change and you should know the reasons for making the shift. What makes organic foods better than the traditional ones? What benefits will you gain? What are the drawbacks? Let us discuss some of the reasons you may wish to change.

Firstly, you should be aware of how to recognize an organic food. Organic foods have a label which says Certified Organic. It is easy to find on the label and you should look for this before you buy. If it is hard to find then it probably is not there. Do not be fooled by products that say organic but are not certified or products that use the word natural or other variations of the word organic.

The preparation of organic foods is highly regulated. Not just anyone can go out and sell organic food. There are strict standards in order for the organic foods to be certified by Quality Assurance International. Truly organic foods are of the highest standards. The genuine products have the QAI labels, certifying them as fit for human consumption.

Organic food products are often better tasting, helping us to overcome our slavery to food additives. Try buying some organic vegetables and steam them. Steaming as well holds the flavor of vegetables. You will find you need less butter and salt on organic vegetables. You will be very surprised at how good they taste and how much longer they stay fresh.

Of course you will pay more for organic foods but as they become more popular you will find that the prices will come down. I think this is one of the main drawbacks. A lot of people want to go organic but just do not feel they can afford it. A good suggestion is to buy organic when you can afford them so you get times when you are obtaining more nutrition. Supporting the organic growers in this manner will ensure that the price will eventually go down as more and more people make a point of buying them. Remember that some grocery stores give up on supplying organic vegetables because people do not buy them.

The improved taste is largely due to the fact that these fruits and vegetables are free of chemicals. The soil on which organic food is grown cannot contain chemicals as well.

The naturally grown foods are also known to counter a number of diseases. For example, the products tend to lessen the chances of getting cancer. The chemicals used in a number of pesticides are said to have elements that increase the risk of getting cancer. Unfortunately, this is an issue that is hidden from many people. The chemicals used for a variety of tasks such as killing weeds and insects are considered to be harmful. However, they are still used pretty widely, and their baleful effects are well packed within most of the farm products that are still largely on sale. Imagine, you go out and see those beautiful fresh vegetables at the supermarket and they all contain many chemicals. You think you are eating healthy but you really are not. You can easily do a search on the web as to what the standard chemicals are in a particular vegetable. Different vegetables contain different chemicals sometimes over 10 chemical in a single type of vegetable. It actually is sickening to think about. You would not get the chemicals in organic vegetables.

Because organic foods carry less toxic chemicals they also can help prevent many illnesses that are connected to the chemicals we obtain in our foods.

As we have seen briefly, eating organic foods comes with a lot of benefits to your personal health. However, many people are put off by the high cost of maintaining such a natural diet. The other side of it is that once you are sick you end up spending more money on your healthcare anyway. Starting now with organic foods will reduce the need for medical expenses later on.

While organic foods are usually more difficult to get, you can make your purchases relatively easily from a company that delivers organic food. This will give you a simple way of getting your nutritional requirements. But first of all, you need to be familiar with the delivery companies and how you may find them. It is the purpose of this article to shed some light on this issue.

One of the best ways for you to zero in on a company that delivers organic food is by using the Internet. When you make such an online purchase, your order will be brought up to your house. Given that the companies involved are interested in delivering your organic food in a fresh state, the orders are processed quite fast. Hence most of them carry next-day deliveries.

It is not just vegetables that are sold as well. There are many products that have been certified organic some of which have a long shelf life. I personally buy organic Apple Cider Vinegar which actually lasts five years in the bottle.

There are a variety of choices open to you when you purchase your organic foods online. Some organic food shops sell several different types of brands. In addition, a number of manufacturers opt to sell their organic food products entirely online. Regardless of the type you choose, you should shop around first and make necessary comparisons. This will not only help you to find a rich variety of organic foods but also cheaper deals.

You may also arrange for organic food delivery offline, from local organic food stores. So far, this is the method that the majority of organic food consumers use.

Here too there are different options open to you. For example, you may place an order at a time when you are not going home. In such a situation, you can make arrangements for your order to be delivered to your home at a later time. A number of local stores provide this type of organic food delivery service.

An increasing number of local organic food stores currently provide both local and online services. As a result, you can simply place your order via your local organic food store’s website. Your organic food is usually delivered to you in a matter of hours. The only difference to full-fledged online shopping is that these stores have a restriction on the distance they operate within. You should inquire from your local store as to whether they have such a service. Organic food is sold in the larger cities and as well in the smaller towns since it is in the rural area where these products are often produced.

As you can see, there are different ways through which you can find an organic food delivery company. And you may even play a part by suggesting the above option to your local store in case they do not yet have such a service.

Having your organic food delivered to your door is a convenient method, which is especially useful to those with disabilities. Give organic food a try. You will not be sorry.



Shannon

Abhishek Agarwal


People who have tasted organically grown vegetables swear by its taste and find it extremely difficult to revert back to old eating habits. They often comment that one can taste the sweetness of the sun in the organically produced vegetables. So if it is the first batch of peppers during summers, the juice filled tomatoes, the first lettuce of the spring season or the pumpkins and squashes reaped in the season of autumn, the vegetables never tasted as better as they do when organically produced.

There are several other facts besides pleasing taste buds that justify the gradual movement of today’s society towards organically grown vegetables. Reliable scientific data testifies to the ill effects of fertilizers and chemical pesticides used in the orthodox cultivation methods. There is a clearly defined connection between diseases like cancer, neurological damages, hormonal imbalances and the chemicals that are used in non-organic cultivation. Organic vegetable farming is the need of the hour if we want to protect our children from the disastrous consequences of chemically produced vegetables. We all are aware that kids due to their lower tolerance levels are much more vulnerable to chemical residues as compared to adults.

Following are some important points that you must keep in mind during a transition to organic farming. These points will help you in maintaining the correct natural balance among the plants, animals, soil and the insects:

1. You must stop using all kinds of herbicides, synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. These chemicals do a lot of harm to human bodies in the long run.

2. You must develop the habit of not throwing the kitchen scraps into the garbage box. Instead, start turning that scrap into organically rich nutrient for your garden by making compost heaps.

3. Don’t go about killing the caterpillars and bugs in your garden. A lot of them actually help you in protecting your vegetable garden. There are books you can refer to obtain more knowledge about such good pests and bugs.

To get along successfully with the organic farming, you will have to learn to stop compacting your garden soil. Compacting normally done to get rid of the air gaps in soil bed. You must rather develop the habit of making pathways between the rows of planted crops, thus enabling you to reach and tend to each plant with ease. It is recommended to till the soil only once each in the season of spring and the fall.

Organic farming and water sprinklers don’t go together. The water sprinklers deliver water too fast for the soil to absorb effectively. Hence, it is a good idea to rather use a hose and use it slowly to wet the soil bed comprehensively. You can also try rotating the locations of crop cultivation year on year. This helps in effectively preventing pests and crop diseases.

In the organic method of vegetable cultivation, you will need to keep the garden bed regularly covered in organic mulch like grass clippings, straws or the chopped leaves. Such regularity will curb the weed growth and help the ground absorb water more effectively. This is one of the best methods to achieve optimum results for the organic vegetable garden.



John

Stan T. Little


Chardonnay grapes wine can go well with seafood mixed in cream sauce whereas Dry Riesling tastes better with a none cream sauce which has a subtle and light taste. In the same way, you can try a combination of different seafood like shellfish, crabs and lobsters with Chenin Blanc. There are plenty of interesting combination, which you can try in the process of white wine making at home and use them as wine accompaniments.

The process of white wine making differs from preparing a red wine with the kind of grapes that are used, the method of fermentation which influences the quality and taste of the wine. In white wine making, you can use either white grapes or black grapes to get a clear juice. Besides, in that process, the skin is taken out from the juice before it is put in the crusher. Further, you need to add good quality of yeast to the juice to make it ready for fermentation so that you can get good white wine from this process. Then you need to filter it and store them in stainless steel containers for a few months to get a nice flavor from the wine.

White wine making in wineries

The method of white wine making in wineries is quite different than the preparation that is made at home. The process of separating the stems and stalks from the grapes is the first step before starting with crushing so that all the tannin is removed for preparing white wine. Sulphur dioxide is added to the grapes to prevent the process of fermentation to help in retaining and preserving the taste of the wine for a long time. The next process is pressing which is done using machines where the skin and the seeds are separated from the grape juice, which is collected in steel tanks, where the sediment gets settled down at the bottom. They may be transferred to wooden barrels or steel tanks, where yeast is added to the grape juice to begin the process of fermentation.

The number of days required for fermentation depends on the type of wine which has been produced. Sometimes, the wine is stored in steel tanks which can bring down the cost of manufacturing wine and the process is always much easier. However, white wine making using oak barrels is also a preferred way used for fermentation of wines. After fermentation takes place, the wine is filtered to remove any kind of particles or residue that may have been left over in the process. Thus, white wine making requires great skill and mastery to get that perfect wine blend.



Regina

David Stuart


Organic Gardening For: Beginners

Organic gardening will give you peace of mind and a great sense of satisfaction when you and your family sits down to eat. Imagine the sense of excitement you’ll get when you first see those little green shoots peering through the soil!

So What Is Organic Gardening?

Many gardeners wonder what exactly organic growing means. The simple answer is that organic gardeners don’t use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on their plants. Think natural!

Organic gardening is using recycled materials to grow crops. You can and should use animal waste, kitchen scraps, and vegetable waste to mulch and compost. Common household items like vinegar and soap are used to prevent pests and weeds.

Organic growing is the working together of nature. Using naturally cultivated soil to grow natures seed.

Planning Your Organic Garden

Choose where to plant your garden. Ideally you want an area that will get plenty of light and be protected from the wind.

How big do you want your plot to be? Don’t start off too big – you want to enjoy your gardening not resent how time consuming it can quickly become if you start off too grand!

Draw a scale plan of your gardening area and work out how much of each crop your going to use and where to plant them. Think “groups” rather than rows as they are more productive and easier to attend to.

Getting The Soil Ready For Your Organic Growing Plot

You need to look into testing your soil before you begin. Tests are available from your local gardening center. Good soil should be pleasant to the touch, eye and nose. Once you are satisfied with your soil you can begin.

Planting In Your Organic Garden

Your going to be best served growing from the seed rather than buying plants as they could have been sprayed with pesticides at some point. Also you’ll feel a lot more like a gardener using seeds! Obviously patience is needed to grow from the seed.

Weeding Your Organic Garden

Use a hoe to stop weeds developing into large competitive monsters to your plants! Just simply dig around your crops with a hoe once a week or so.

Once your crop seedlings are larger, the soil is warm and drenching rains have ended, put down a layer of mulch to hold in moisture and smother weeds. Mulch is material that can be laid down around the plants to control weeds.

Pests In Your Garden?

Don’t despair at the sight of insects on and around your crops! To start with just have a watch of them and see if they are actually causing damage. A lot of bugs will just nibble small enough amounts that good healthy plants can resist and recover from, so don’t be too hasty!

Creating Compost For Your Organic Garden

So what are the benefits of compost? It should be used as mulch to reduce evaporation, reduce weed growth, insulate the soil from extreme temperature and keep soil cooler in the day and warmer at night time!

Good compost should be made up of balanced materials. It should be balanced between carbon materials – washed egg shells, milled grains, dried grass, straw and leaves. And nitrogen materials – most kitchen scraps, fresh grass and other plant matter.

David Stuart

www.organicgardening4u.com



Judy