Garden Tips & Resources

Archive for May, 2008

Fertilizing your plants may not be quite as simple as it would be if you used chemicals in your garden. Chemical fertilizers are certainly convenient. Most of them come in a form that only needs to be mixed with water and sprayed onto plants. But organic gardeners need a good, organic way of fertilizing their plants.

You need to pay careful attention to the package if you?re going to purchase a pre-made organic fertilizer. Some of them are high in one of the major plant nutrients, but low in the other two. Plants generally need nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash. You should research which of these nutrients your particular plants need, so you can purchase the correct type.

Some common types of organic fertilizers include blood meal, fish emulsion, cottonseed meal, compost, manure, and seaweed fertilizer. Many of these can be purchased, but a lot of them can also be made at home.

You must be careful to fertilize when the ground is warm enough. Organic fertilizers need organisms in the soil to break them down and release the nutrients they contain. So the soil needs to be warm and moist so the organisms in the soil will be active.

Cottonseed meal is one common organic fertilizer. It?s a byproduct of the cotton manufacturing process. It is great for acid-loving plants, because it has an acidic reaction in the soil. It generally contains about 7% nitrogen, 3% phosphorous, and 2% potash. Cottonseed meal is usually used for flowering plants like azaleas and rhododendrons.

Fish emulsion is a very popular organic fertilizer. It is made of a blend of decomposed fish. It is a high-nitrogen fertilizer, and also contains a lot of trace elements than can be very beneficial for plants. Fish emulsion is a nice, balanced fertilizer.

Blood meal is the blood of cattle that is collected from slaughterhouses and then dried and powdered. It is high in nitrogen, and care must be taken to ensure it doesn?t burn plants. You should be very careful not to exceed the recommended dose, because this could really harm your plants. Blood meal is also high in several trace elements like iron.

Manure is a well-balanced fertilizer, but it is relatively low in the nutrients it contains. It?s a very popular fertilizer, but it just isn?t high enough in these important nutrients to make it a viable choice for home gardeners.

Seaweed fertilizer in the form of a seaweed tea is often used by organic gardeners. Dried seaweed is added to water and steeped like tea, then applied to plants like other liquid fertilizers. This can be a very good fertilizer, and won?t burn plants. It is very high in nutrients. Use a dried seaweed, and be sure it?s not roasted or seasoned.

Some people use sewer sludge for their fertilizer. It?s made from recycled material from sewage treatment plants. You can purchase activated sludge, which is higher in nutrients, and you can buy composted sludge, which isn?t quite as good.

It is generally found in a granular form. There is some concern over the safety of sewage sludge, because it can contain buildups of heavy metals like cadmium. This can build up in the soil in potentially harmful levels.

Source: Organic Gardening

If you’re looking for a beautiful, old world garden style, then you should look into designing a Tuscan garden design. There are several different things that you can do with a Tuscan garden design, but there are a few things that you should keep in mind if you’re planning on a Tuscan garden design. First of all, if you’re aiming for a Tuscan garden design, then you’ll definitely want to aim for a Mediterranean feel.

This is easy to do if you’re planning to design your own garden, and there are just a few important tips that you should try to follow if you want a Tuscan garden design. One thing that is very helpful is if you can design or add a wall fountain to the garden. The wall fountain (as opposed to a free-standing fountain) adds an air of older elegance, and definitely gives the impression that you’re in a Mediterranean garden.

Iron wrought benches can also help you achieve a Tuscan garden design, as well as a lot of terra cotta planters. In fact, one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get a Tuscan garden design is to use terra cotta plant containers instead of containers made out of other materials. If the shape is like older vases, then that is even better.

Garden design landscaping can also go a long way toward helping you make a Tuscan garden design. One important thing to remember is that a lot of Tuscan gardens have flagstone pathways leading in between patches of different flowers. If at all possible, you should try to design your garden so that you can put in pathways.

The final, and most important part of any Tuscan garden design is that you use the right types of plants. By using plants, herbs and flowers that grow primarily in the Mediterranean, you can make your garden appear to be a real Tuscan garden.

Hans is author of the Garden Design section of Gardening Guides.com

Source: Landscape & Gardening

Super foods to include in your organic garden

When an individual sets off to build their organic garden, a lot of time the individual think about planting their favorite fruits or vegetables, which is fine but you shouldn?t be that closed minded! When an individual is having a garden they should also thinking about the many health and nutritional benefits that organic vegetables could provide them with. As we know, many of the most nutrient beneficial foods come straight from the earth, so it a good idea to implement some of these foods within your organic garden.

Super organic food number one: Blueberries are fruits that are extremely high in antioxidants and many other vitamins an minerals as well, such as vitamin C and E. It is also extremely low in calories, and even though it tastes very sweet, it is extremely low in sugars as well. These are one of the most nutritional foods that an individual can grow within their garden, so it?s a good idea to make sure to include some of these within your garden.

Super organic food number two: Walnuts are also a very powerful super food that individuals can grow in their garden as well, and these types of foods are known for their high levels of omega three fatty acids which is known to help fight and protect against heart disease. They are also high in micronutrients and have been studied to help reduce levels of cholesterol in the body. However, make sure to eat these within moderation because these are very high in calories.

Super organic food number three: Tomatoes are not only very useful, but they are also extremely high in nutrients. They contain a cancer fighting potent also known as lycopene. Tomatoes are very handy because they can be made to be used in many other different forms, such as for sauce, can be chopped up to be used in salads, and can also be used as condiments for items such as on ketchup.

Super organic food number four: Super food number four is organic beans. Beans are extremely high in fiber and other vitamins and minerals such as the B vitamins and potassium as well. It has been reported that beans can possibly have more potassium then blueberries. Beans have also been reported to help aid in digestion for individuals and to also help clean an individuals internal organ from substances that the body has a hard time ridding itself of.

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Source: organic

Are age related problems stopping you from enjoying your gardening? The sore back from too much bending, sore knees from too much kneeling or just the long recovery from aches and pains after a stint in the garden. I know these problems first hand, as a baby boomer I had to find a solution and I did! Bring your garden to you by making use of raised beds!

To allow for easy reach you need to build your bed to about 2 feet high and 3 feet wide, this is easily done with a timber frame. This eliminates any kneeling and decreases bending for us as we get older, more importantly it also gives anyone confined to a wheelchair the opportunity to enjoy doing some of the light maintenance work in their garden.

What other benefits do you get from this form of gardening? Let’s see… there’s the removal of soil problems, greatly improved pest and weed control, the above mentioned ease of access and the increase in your crop harvest.

Any plants that love well-drained soil can benefit from being grown in raised beds.  You don’t have to raise just vegetables.  You can also easily grow herbs, fruits, and flowers in raised beds and make your job easier.

The plants in raised bed gardening are planted much closer together than the plants in a traditional garden.  This allows the plants to conserve moisture and also help block the sun from allowing weeds to germinate and grow.

You’re also going to be able to extend the growing season, because you can start sowing seeds earlier. This together with better yield, will have you harvesting for longer and enjoying a bigger crop from a smaller area.

If you have soil problems in your garden, you can use raised beds and just bypass your own soil completely.  If you start with completely fresh soil, it doesn’t matter what type of soil you had in your garden to begin with.

Another great benefit of raised bed gardening is the fact that the gardener doesn’t walk on the soil in which the plants are growing.  This helps prevent the soil from being packed down, so the roots can grow through the soil more readily.

A lot of pests and diseases will become a thing of the past because of your ability to select good quality soil for your garden beds. Another advantage that will lead to an increase in your harvest and superior quality of your crops.

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Source: gardening

Childhood is so fleeting, and no one knows that better than parents. Your child is young and impressionable for such a short period of time. Finding ways to spend time, not just doing what needs to be done, but enjoyable activities that will enrich their young lives well into adulthood as well, can be a challenge.

Whether you consider yourself an avid gardener, or if you have ever thought to try your hand at cultivating the soil, starting a small garden that is primarily your child’s can be a wonderful way to spend quality time together and teach your child a lifelong respect and passion for all things living and growing. Digging side by side in the soil will lead your child’s thoughts and imagination in many directions. You will have a chance to answer questions and share exploration and discovery together in a way that isn’t possible with other activities.

Never Talk about Gardening as Work

If you enjoy the hours spent tending your garden, you want your child to feel the same way. Don’t let them think of taking care of the garden as work. You want them to feel pleasure and think of gardening as a form of recreation and not a chore. Depending upon your child’s age, you can also present gardening as learning about science, as a way to express their creativity and a way to play. Your child will love discovering treasures beneath the dirt and sharing their findings with you.

Start Off Slowly

“The younger the child, the shorter the attention span” is the first thing you need to realize when you are ready to explore the world of flora and fauna with your child. Find age appropriate tasks for them to accomplish with some measure of success. This will make them eager to learn more and take on more responsibility as they grow older. If your child wants to take a break and follow a bug along his way, let them and encourage them to report their findings to you. Your child’s self esteem will soar as they help you in the garden. If your child knows how much you love taking care of your tender shoots, they will be more than happy to join you in your happy pursuits.

Giving them their own patch of soil to work in is a wonderful way to deepen your bond. You can start off with simple plantings that are hardy and can take a bit of abuse and neglect so they will flourish under your child’s care and give them a true sense of accomplishment.

Get the health benefits of fresh fruits and veggies with phytonutrients.

Source: gardener

The biggest problem organic gardeners face is dealing with pests. An infestation of aphids or cutworms can absolutely devastate a garden! You can have an entire row of plants wiped out in days, or even hours.

It?s important to try to prevent infestations, rather than just treating them once they occur. You can do this by spraying your plants with solutions that deter many of the most common garden pests.

There are many organic solutions available, but you can make your own by using recipes that can be found in most organic gardening books. Most of them will be sort of like a tea, made with things like hot pepper sauce and garlic.

When you can, you should try to plant species that are native to the area in which you live. These plants have natural immunity to many common diseases in the area. There are also plants that are pest-resistant, and won?t have as many problems with pests as other varieties.

If you plant early enough, you may be able to avoid the worst part of the bug season. Insects have just a short period of each year in which they will be active and eating your plants. If you plant early, you may be able to harvest before those insects terrorize your plants.

You should do everything you can to encourage natural insect predators like ladybugs, praying mantis, ground beetles, and birds. Some types of plants like mint and rosemary can attract many beneficial bugs that can help you keep other insects under control.

You should keep a close eye on your plants to spot potential problems before they get out of control. If you see a hornworm on your tomato plants, pluck it off quickly and drown it in soapy water. By watching your plants daily, you have a chance to stop these problems before they become too difficult to handle.

If you?re having trouble with a particular pest, you can take pictures and then try to identify the pest. Go online and try to search for it. If you can?t identify it, you can take your pictures to your local county extension office or library and ask for help identifying it.

Once you?ve identified the pest, you can ask your extension office for advice with regards to controlling it. Just be sure to tell them you?re an organic gardener, and ask them if they have any ideas for you.
You may be able to prevent some pests by installing netting over your plants. Although this is probably a last resort, you may be able to save your plants from utter devastation if you have a particularly bad season of beetles or other such bugs.
Just remember, netting will also prevent beneficial insects from reaching your plants, so if some pests make it through, it may be harder to detect them and for predator insects to control them.
Pest control is a very difficult part of organic gardening.
If you lose a crop to insects, you may be tempted to abandon organic gardening and rush out to buy a chemical spray. A lot of organic gardeners experience this! Don?t feel bad. It can certainly be very frustrating to deal with pests, especially when you?ve worked very hard to take care of your plants all season.
But just remember, organic gardening has so many benefits that it?s really worth it to go through all of the extra work. Your family will be rewarded with healthy food that is safe to eat!

Source: Organic Gardening