Organizational Gardener

The popularity of organic food and gardening has certainly increased over the last few years. Not only does it give you a sense of well being but people love the beauty of wonderful colored flowers and the taste of vegetables they helped create. Organic gardening tips on how to successfully start and care for an organic garden are becoming easier to find as this type of gardening continues to become more popular. Along with being relaxing, it is a very interesting hobby. Anyone can organically produce wonderful fruits, herbs and vegetables and know that they are healthy to eat and pesticide, herbicide and chemical free. There will always be garden pests but instead of using chemicals to deal with this problem, there are many organic gardening tips to get rid of them, similar to the way gardeners did many years ago before the use of pesticides and herbicides.

A good homemade pest deterrent to use in organic gardening is:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

 

Following a few organic gardening tips, you will produce fruits, vegetables and herbs that are healthy, taste wonderful, are less expensive than buying produce at the grocery store and give you the peace of mind knowing exactly how they were grown and what was used on them. Aphids are annoying little insects that often cause a lot of damage in your garden. If you plant marigolds near your vegetable garden, the aphids will quit bothering your plants. If you already have an aphid problem, spray the infected plants with diluted soapy water and then spray them again with clear water. Organic gardening tips you should try are; instead of buying compost for your garden, which could contain chemicals, make your own while you cut down on garbage at the same time. Using your garden and kitchen waste is an excellent and very easy way to make your own compost. In your compost pile use peelings from carrots, potatoes and other vegetables, dead weeds, coffee grounds, egg shells and even the pruning from roses and other plants. The different textures help break down the compost quickly. Compost improves the soil texture, structure and aeration while enriching the soil, which stimulates root development. When choosing plants for your organic garden, make sure you choose ones that are well adapted for your area.

Here are a couple of great organic gardening tips that not only help keep your garden free of weeds but also keep the soil from drying out too quickly. Grass clippings and pine needles mixed or old newspapers make very good mulch, which keeps your garden weed free and the soil moist. Organic gardening tips help you grow healthy organic fruits and vegetable that you, your family and friends will love.

Most important of all, is to enjoy your organic garden and the fruits of your labor. Not only will you have the satisfaction of growing vegetables and herbs organically but you it will also inspire you in your culinary tasks.

Here’s to a great organic garden and fabulous, healthy meals.

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

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There are gardening methods to fit the style and needs of every gardener. And every gardener has preferred and unique ways of growing a beautiful garden. Beginning gardeners can join a local garden club and benefit from the advice of experienced gardeners.

Garden clubs are a valuable resource for a beginner, since members always exchange tips that they have collected in their years of gardening.

A key element for a successful garden involves watering. Plants must be watered in an appropriate manner or they will not thrive. Providing a deep watering every week is better than spraying the garden every day with the hose because most plants prefer thorough and deep watering to frequent, shallow watering. One of the best methods for watering the garden is a soaker hose. This type of hose ensures that the plant’s roots are adequately watered.

Experienced gardeners always say there is nothing more important that creating their own compost from recycled household waste. Composting waste materials like leaves, kitchen scraps, and other organic materials results in a rich organic soil amendment that provides excellent nutrients to the garden. Having a compost bin in the home is also a good way to reduce the amount of waste being trucked into already overflowing landfills. Compost added to the garden soil is a good way to balance the pH levels to ensure the soil is not too alkaline or acidic. Composting provides a high-quality humus that has important elements, including iron, phosphorous, and manganese. These are often lacking in commercial fertilizers.

Once plants have been put into the ground, deep cultivation should be avoided because digging deeply near the plants can damage their root systems, dry out the soil, disturb the valuable microorganisms that contribute to plant growth, and cause weeds to rise to the surface. Deep cultivation should be confined to the preparation of a plant bed.

Flowers contribute beauty to the landscape with their bright colors. When selecting garden and landscape flowers, colors that highlight and emphasize those already existing in the landscape are best. When bright colors like reds and oranges are mixed with soothing pastels, an excellent contrast of colors can be achieved in the garden. Many gardeners like to combine a home garden with landscape elements like waterfalls or ponds. Water elements offer a relaxing retreat from everyday stress.

Using flowers in a landscape can increase the value of a home as well. Research has indicated that flowers and plants enhance the resale value of a house, while providing a wonderful experience for the senses at the same time.

Give them their own ‘patch’. This is a great way for kids to learn to be responsible for something. It’s best if their patch is small, at least in the beginning. If they love it and want to do more, you can always make it bigger.
You want to encourage them by getting results as quickly as possible. When I was a little tacker it seemed like time almost stood still especially when I was waiting for something. Start with seedlings of lettuce, cherry tomatoes or snow peas foods that they love and are quick to give results. Potatoes are always a winner. Digging them up is like digging for buried treasure!

Take your little one(s) with you to select seeds that they can grow in their plot. They’ll probably choose plants with bright colours and interesting textures, which will add interest to your dinner table. You’ll find they are really keen to eat what they’ve grown, so you’ll have them trying new things. This also gives them a valuable sense of contribution to the family and pride in themselves.

Most little people love flowers too as they are such visual creatures, so you can introduce them to companion planting. Teach them to grow good plant combinations and how this keeps insect populations in check. Try borage and strawberries, or tomatoes and parsley or basil. By the way, spending some time together watching bugs is a great way to learn about nature and how everything is interconnected.

Let the child be in charge of their patch. You can guide them with suggestions and tips, but let the final decision be theirs. Encourage them to mark when and where they plant seeds so they’re not working in a spot they’ve already planted seed in. This will let them know when to expect the shoots to poke through very exciting! Remind them to water and weed. Let them to do the bulk of the ‘work’, so the results are truly their own. Allow it to be a place of discovery, not mistakes. Encourage them to clean up after they’ve finished in their plot for the day. Establishing good habits now will have far reaching benefits in their life.

Building small structures like a trellis or bean teepee adds interest and dimension. You and your child can use bamboo or wire to make a small, simple structure for plants to scramble up. Climbing plants look great on a structure and can really shoot up very quickly. Try climbing beans, peas or cucumbers.

Enjoy your time together in the garden. Make sure your child’s plot is near where you spend most of your time in the garden. You can be working your veggie garden while they are in theirs. You can share moments of excitement and discovery, like when seeds first break through the surface, or when you notice the first cucumber on the vine, or a gorgeous flower just emerging. Your garden is a place of constant wonder that you can share with your little ones. So have fun and enjoy!

When you do your gardening, you always end up with some leaves and weeds, dead plants and probably some grass clippings. Most people see this as rubbish and send it off to the landfill. Not only is this a waste of one of nature’s fertilizers but it takes time and money to get rid of this garden ‘rubbish’. So, what alternative is there? Well, a gardening tip to consider is do what nature would do and use all this garden ‘rubbish’ to provide nutrients for your garden. Following are the gardening tips to help you convert this garden ‘rubbish’ to compost.

The first thing to know is that organic waste is considered better for your garden than any chemical fertilizer on the market. Nature has a decomposition process that promotes proper chemical change resulting in excellent nutritional benefits to the plants in the garden.

Of course, the question is, “Where shall I put this pile of smelly garden ‘rubbish’”? Gardening tips; your compost heap shouldn’t be smelly and if it is, you need to alter the composition of it to prevent it becoming anaerobic ie too much nitrogen. This requires the heap not being too wet and having enough oxygen. Once you’ve got the balance right, you will find that the decomposition process is actually producing some fertilizer that isn’t a pong to the nose!

So, what does this suitable place for a fertilizer heap look like? Gardening tips; is should be an area that has plenty of width space and not too deep. If it’s too deep, the materials down low in the pile will not be able to get enough of the necessary requirements, and you end up with a smelly heap. Try to choose an area where you can spread out the garden ‘rubbish’. You can, if you’ve got the space, have two heaps side by side. Remember, it’s width not depth that’s important.

What rubbish can you put into the heap to be converted to garden food? Gardening tips; it must be quickly decomposable – that is, able to rot away quickly. Did you know that orange peel takes years to decompose? Therefore, it’s not suitable; nor is meat or diseased plants. However, you can use most other organic material including grass clippings, woody plants, leaves, and vegetable scraps. Using your lawn mower, shred garden ‘rubbish’ to help quick decomposition.

How do you start the composting process? Gardening tips; make the materials as small as possible. Mix up the pile quite frequently to allow oxygen into the heap which will aid the decomposing process. Water periodically, but not too much as this is a sure way to invite anaerobic micro-organisms which will give you a smelly pile.

No matter what, your compost pile will be a little unsightly. Gardening tips; find a place that isn’t easily seen and is also near the garden areas that you will want to fertilize. Be aware of your neighbours; it may be out of sight for you but right in the vision of your neighbor. They really don’t want your compost heap near their entertaining area! Construct a compost pen for your pile, or buy a ready-made compost bin to contain all the decomposing material.

Summary:

Use your garden ‘rubbish’ as garden food and put back nutrients into the soil. Some gardening tips will ensure that you get a good start to making your own fertilizer.

If you have a tiny yard and would like a simple but well-maintained garden, you only need two things – determination and know-how. Here are some tips on how to keep your garden by the yard looking spruced up and glamorous.

1. Deadheading
Keep your border free from wilted flowers and dried leaves. Deadheading or removing dead flower heads will encourage the plants to produce more blooms for longer. Many perennials such as geraniums and dahlias, and some annuals benefit from having spent blooms removed

3. Pinch out tops.
Certain plants – especially foliage plants like Coleus – respond with a spurt of growth when their tops are pinched out. Pinching out makes the plant much bushier and so more blooms are produced. Fuchsias are prone to becoming leggy unless they are pinched out.

4. Fertilize lightly.
A minimal amount of fertilizer will further boost the growth of your vegetation. If you water your yard frequently, you have to fertilize it more regularly because of nutrient depletion. A fortnightly application of liquid fertilizer is sometimes more beneficial than granules as it is more readily absorbed by the leaves. Container plants will be considerably healthier with a half-strength solution of liquid fertilizer applied regularly.

5. Weed out.
This is one of the best ways to preserve the beauty of your garden by the yard. Remember, weeds compete with your plants for both nutrients and moisture. If the weeds are not close to seeding, leave them on the bed to rot down for mulch. If you must use a weedicide, try and get a wick applicator, rather than a spray. This will protect you plants from spray-drift.

6. Water them well
One good tip when it comes to watering your garden by the yard is to give it a thorough soaking once a week, making sure there is no run-off to cause erosion. Deep watering will encourage the growth of deeper roots that will be able to withstand dry spells weatherwise

7. Say no to chemicals
Chemicals are dangerous to humans and often kill the natural predators of the pest in your garden, so avoid them if possible. There are many organic alternatives that work almost as well.

With these simple tips, your garden by the yard will soon be the envy of your neighbors.

With the costs of living rising all the time, it may be possible to save money and increase your family’s health at the same time by growing vegetables in your backyard.

It’s a good idea to choose your favourite vegetables to grow and plan beds for early, middle of the season and late varieties.

Most vegetables require at least 6 hours of sunlight per day, some need 8. Some quick growers like lettuce and radish can be grown between the rows of plants that take longer to mature, like beet or corn, thus making full use of the area available.

Throughout dry periods, vegetable gardens need extra watering. Most vegetables benefit from an inch or more of water each week, especially when they are fruiting.

During the growing season watch for insect pests. If you discover a bug problem early it will be much easier, but be careful to not use pesticides once the vegetable are close to being picked unless it becomes an absolute necessity. Organic gardening is one healthy and environment-friendly option. Once you have reaped your crop, put the vegetable waste into your compost pile so that it can be recycled for next spring.

It is important to protect your vegetable garden from wild animals looking for a tasty treat. Make sure your garden is surrounded by a fence that will keep out dogs, rabbits, and other animals. The harm done by wandering animals during one season can equal the cost of a fence. A fence also can serve as a frame for peas, beans, tomatoes, and other crops that need support.

Protection is needed in order for your vegetable garden to yield a bountiful harvest. Hard work will pay dividends if necessary precautions have been made.