Saturday, June 30, 2012

Ideas to Get You Started in Organic Gardening


Your organic garden can be an important part of your life. Just like you, it needs to be taken care of properly. You need to research what you need, and then figure out what you need to do to help it grow properly. These tips below can help you with that.

When maintaining an organic garden, be sure to always wind up your hoses. Dragging and storing a hose that is not wound up can take a lot of time away from you. Try using stationary or portable hose reels to wind up your hoses and to save you some time.

If you have a problem with aphids, consider using ladybugs. Ladybugs are natural predators to aphids, and they are very effective in keeping the aphid population under control. You can buy them in bulk from a garden center or online. This is a much better solution than spraying your plants with pesticides.

Be aware that some plants are poisonous. If you are going to have kids and pets in your garden, you may want to avoid plants that have toxic properties. Some of these are foxglove, sweet pea, datum, iris, oleander, amaryllis, lupine, clematis, poinsettia, and lanthanum. Plant only if you can be sure they will not be disturbed.

When starting your organic garden, a great tip is to figure out which vegetables you should pick to plant in your garden. Some vegetables are better suited for home germination than others are. Some great vegetables to consider planting include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, peppers, onions, tomatoes, basil, and more.

When growing your own organic plants, you should move your seedlings away from any air vents or radiators immediately upon germination. This is because your seedlings do not need to be really warm like germinating seeds do. They need to be cooler in order for them to grow in the best way.

Your plants need to grow in a rich soil. You can buy bags of soil but they can be quite expensive. You can also easily create your own: you need to use perlite, vermiculite and peat in equal quantities. You should also add a small quantity of lime and compost if needed.

Pick the right plants. Certain plants will have an easier time germinating than others, and will guarantee a better harvest for the beginning organic gardener. Good choices include hardy varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, and herbs, but of course, you have to choose those plants which are going to do well in your climate.

Make use of a ground cover, such as mulch or hay. Be sure when you are purchasing your ground cover, that it is also organic, as any chemicals contained in the mulch or hay can be absorbed by your plants. Organic ground coverings will protect the roots of your plants and help prevent water evaporation.

Taking good care of your organic garden can ensure that you and your family always have healthy, fresh food to eat. So, do yourself a favor and do your research and apply the above tips to your own organic gardening strategy so that you can have healthier, happier plants to use at home. 




For FREE garden products . . . CLICK HERE  You will find loads of FREE gardens samples to help you to get started QUICKLY!

For information regarding landscaping, the you have to sign up for a free digital subscription to Total Landscape Care . . . ABSOLUTELY FREE!

TEST FREE GARDENING TOOLS by Clicking Here!

Interested in ORGANIC MUSHROOMS???  Then CLICK HERE NOW!

The ONE THING you will truly want to do is STAY INFORMED of product information and specials that are available to you !  SIGN UP NOW!



Thursday, June 28, 2012

Maximizing Your Garden, Organically



Growing your own organic garden can be a great way to get some clean, healthy produce into your house, while also providing yourself with a relaxing, stress-relieving hobby. If this sounds great, but you aren't sure where to start, don't worry. Read on to find out how to make your own home garden!

Hose reels are a vital piece of equipment for the organic garden. You can use reels to keep hoses neat and prevent time-wasting tangles. Untangling a hose is possibly the least enjoyable way to spend your gardening time. This hassle is easily avoided by purchasing a reel will rid any unnecessary frustration.       

Compost can do more for your organic garden than just work along the surface. When good compost is worked well into the soil, it introduces and helps feed some diverse life deep into it. This includes various types of bacteria, worms, insects and more. These organisms can help support some very vigorous plant growth in the soil.

You should keep your seeds damp without drowning them in water. Spray water over the soil to keep it moist, and place the pots or trays in which you have your seeds in water so that the soil can absorb the water. Make sure you replace the water in which your pots are standing regularly.

Add vines to your landscape. You can get a wide range of plants that are vines. Some ornamental, and some fruit or vegetable varieties. Vines can grow up most fences or structures. Use them to create more interesting landscapes in your yard. Have them grow up an awning, and create shade for you.

For organic fertilizer to use around the plants in your garden and flower beds, start a compost bin made from all-organic material that would otherwise be wasted. Pitch in yard clippings, leaves, vegetable peelings, eggshells and coffee grounds, turning the contents of the bin often. In just a short time, you will have great material to mix with your soil that will provide nutrients and nourishment to your plants without added chemicals.

Before you begin planting in an area of your organic garden and before you begin making a mulch cover, you need to be sure to water the area very thoroughly. Be sure to do this both before and after you are done applying a sturdy mulch cover in your garden.

Spread your mulch out. Mulching is great for your garden. Cover as much of your garden as possible with it. Just be aware that if you let mulch pile up against trees or structures, it can cause them to rot. No one likes rotting trees and sheds, so make sure your mulch is spread.

If you don't have a big yard, or any yard at all, you can still grow great organic produce in containers. Most vegetables, other than some root vegetables, grow just as well in pots as they do in the ground. There are also many varieties which have been bred to do well in containers.

Start your home organic garden today, and soon you'll have plenty of delicious fresh produce, and the satisfaction of knowing that it came from plants you grew with your own hands. Don't hesitate, use the information you've learned now to start building your own organic garden in your home! 





For FREE garden products . . . CLICK HERE  You will find loads of FREE gardens samples to help you to get started QUICKLY!

For information regarding landscaping, the you have to sign up for a free digital subscription to Total Landscape Care . . . ABSOLUTELY FREE!

TEST FREE GARDENING TOOLS by Clicking Here!

Interested in ORGANIC MUSHROOMS???  Then CLICK HERE NOW!

You may THINK you know-it-all, but  . . . YOU DON'T!

Stay informed of current methods, ideas & product specials!







Common Sense Gardening Tips



A lot of people who garden tend to stay away from the organic stuff because they're afraid that bugs and disease will plague their crops. Relax. It's not 1460 anymore. You simply do not need those added substances to make your garden grow vibrant and safely. Take a few minutes to read these organic gardening tips and find out how to grow plants naturally.

Test your soil before starting your organic garden. A healthy soil is the primary ingredient in a healthy garden. If you start by testing your soil, you will know what nutrients it lacks, and also which nutrients are in over abundance. Once you find out where your soil stands, you can make natural modifications to help ensure a healthy start for your garden.

Cut the tips off of your expensive perennials! Dip the cut ends in rooting hormone and submerge them in damp sand. In a couple of weeks the cuttings will form roots and you'll have free start-up plants to give to all of your friends and acquaintances. Free plants are very much appreciated in today's tough economic times!

Hand weed your organic garden on a regular basis. Just get on your knees, put your hands in the dirt, and pull weeds out by their roots. If you do this regularly, you can avoid having to use harmful pesticides. Your garden will stay healthy, safe, and organic.

Make sure that your soil is not deficient in minerals. Ideally, your soil should have a blend of fourteen basic mineral elements that come from the rocks in your region. When one of these minerals is missing, your plant growth will be adversely affected. When you see a deficiency, add organic mineral amendments to your soil.

Use a raised garden bed when planting your plants. Not only does it provide a minor defense against the common vegetable pests, raised garden beds are also warmer during the spring. The planter becomes warmer because it isn't surrounded by several inches of isolating ground-soil. The warmer climate will result you being able to plant earlier.

Any organic gardening project is immediately susceptible to fungal diseases that can rot and ruin your seeds or seedlings before they even have a chance to grow. In order to prevent this, you should use sphagnum moss which acts as a natural fungicide.   
                                                                                 
When your seeds are planted into the soil, apply the moss immediately after planting. On the other hand, if your seeds are exposed to sunlight, you should apply the moss first, and then deposit the seeds on the moss. You only need to use a sprinkle of moss.

Like so many things in life a good organic garden benefits greatly from advanced planning. The savvy gardener develops an all-encompassing plan for his or her garden before the first seed is planted. Good garden planning takes into account not only the initial plantings, but the subsequent changes that need to be made as the growing season wears on.

Now as you can plainly see from the tips above, you will not need those added substances to assist in growing any type of plant, whether it's a flower or a tomato. All you need is the right knowledge to ensure that your plants are getting what they need to grow strong and healthy. 



For FREE garden products . . . CLICK HERE  You will find loads of FREE gardens samples to help you to get started QUICKLY!


For information regarding landscaping, the you have to sign up for a free digital subscription to Total Landscape Care . . . ABSOLUTELY FREE!


For step-by-step instructions on ORGANIC MUSHROOM GROWING look no further!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Container Gardening Tips for Newbies




Container gardens are a truly a wonderful method of creating beautiful additions to your landscaping. You can very easily compliment the welcoming look of a deck or patio with colourful pots of annuals, or fill your window boxes with beautiful shrub roses or any number of small perennials. Depending on whether you arrange your pots in a group for a massed effect or highlight a smaller space with a single specimen, you'll be delighted with this simple way to create an organic container garden.


In truth, container gardening enables you to easily alter your color scheme, and as each plant grows to its fullest potential in flowering, it can be replaced with another or you can build around it. Whether you choose to harmonize or contrast your colors, you will want to make sure there is variety in the height of each plant. Think also of the shape and texture of the leaves. When arranging, be aware that tall strap-like leaves will give a good vertical background to low-growing, wide-leaved plants. Try to select plants with a long flowering season, or you can have other varieties ready to replace them as they finish blooming.


You must experiment with creative containers and if you look carefully around you home and garage yo will find plenty I am sure!! Try to find an old porcelain bowl, copper urn or even an old crock pot you can use.  You may choose to buy your containers ready-made, terracotta pots look wonderful, but tend to absorb water. You don't want your plants to dry out, so paint the interior of these pots with a special sealer available from hardware stores. 
Cheaper plastic pots can also be painted on the outside with water-based paints for good effect.  When purchasing pots, remember to buy matching saucers to catch the drips to keep your floors from staining


.
Always use a good quality potting mix in your containers. This will ensure the best performance possible from your plants. 


An attractive pot plant on each stair leading up to your door will delight your visitors and when it come to the indoors, pots of plants or flowers help to create a cosy and welcoming atmosphere for your guests. 

Attempt to make a plan and determine ahead of time where you want your pots to be positioned, then buy plants that will accomplish the look you are trying for.  Be advised that you will not buy sun loving plants for a shady position, for the outcome will not be the one you wished for!  Also be advised that some plants also have really large roots, so they are best kept for the open garden. 


If you have plenty of space at your front door, a group of potted plants off to one side will be more visually appealing than two similar plants placed each side. Unless they are spectacular, they will look rather boring. 
Group the pots in odd numbers rather than even, and vary the height and type. To tie the group together, add large rocks that are similar in appearance and just slightly different in size. Three or five pots of the same type and color, but in different sizes also looks effective. 


With a creative mind and some determination, you will soon have a container garden that will be the envy of friends and strangers alike.




Interested in ORGANIC MUSHROOMS???  Then CLICK HERE NOW! I did and I was pleasant surprised at how easy it was!




GOOD GROWIN!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

MILE HIGH Organic Gardening Tips!




Changing your lifestyle around and ensuring that your family always has healthy meals, means that you must make better food choices. Turning to organic produce is a great way in which you can make those healthy changes. For some great organic gardening tips that you can easily use, check out the information below.

If you want to be economical in running your own organic garden, a great tip is to use tomato cages, used blankets, or old rebar to make row covers. These things are a great way to make your row covers without them costing you an arm and a leg to make.


Make your landscape seem larger by using colors. Try yellow, orange, and red colored plants and flowers. This will play a trick on the eye, and make the objects appear closer to you. For maximum effect, place the warm colored plants in front of cooler colored plants in your garden.



When growing your own organic tomatoes you should always alternate the tomato bed. The reason is because this will reduce the tomatoes' risk of catching soil borne diseases like early blight and bacterial spot. These particular diseases can destroy your tomato plants, so you need to lower the risk of your tomatoes catching them as much as possible.

It is possible to grow an organic garden all year if you have a sufficient light source for an indoor garden. Plants need plenty of light in order to grow properly and there are bulbs that can be purchased to provide indoor gardens with the appropriate amount of light to have them thrive and produce a fruitful bounty.

While Mother Nature will eventually do the work needed to create compost from a backyard pile, even if it is not actively tended, you can give her a helping hand by adding compost starter to the mix. Compost starters, available from the garden centers, add microorganisms to the soil that help speed up the decay process.

Cover bare spots when you plant. When you put a new plant into your organic garden, do not leave the earth bare where you planted. Make sure you mulch the area all around your new plant. This will protect it while it begins to grow. It will also keep the ground moist.

When starting an organic garden, test the pH level of your soil. You need to know the pH level of your soil in order to choose the appropriate plants that will grow in it. For example, plants that favor an alkaline soil will not do well in acidic soil. Test kits can be purchased to test the pH level of your soil.               

Use compost to improve your soil structure, texture and aeration. Compost will also help to increase your soils water holding capacity so you will have to water less often. Compost also promotes soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development. When your soil is happy and healthy your plants will grow healthy and strong.

One of the best things about the tips you've read in the above article is that they're all fairly simple to implement. You won't have to attend Cornell in order to become a great organic gardener. As long as you can implement what you've learned here, your garden will be fantastic. 



To get emails regarding Organic Gardening Ideas, Products and Services . . . 



Friday, June 22, 2012

More Organic Gardening Tips for Success



Organic gardening isn't always about food to eat. Some people enjoy growing flowers and other forms of plant life as well. You can grow anything bereft of harmful chemicals as long as you're doing it the right way. Make sure you're always gardening the right way by using the information in the article below to assist you.

If you have a problem with rabbits getting into your vegetable garden, try this simple and organic solution to get rid of the sweet creatures.     Just use 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper in a quart of water, strained into a spray bottle and add a teaspoon of horticultural oil. The oil will make the pepper spray stick to the plants. Spray your plants periodically and you will never see a rabbit again eating your vegetables.

Try to avoid letting your organic garden chores build up. Even if you are too busy to tend to your gardens needs every day, you can try little things that will prevent you from having a lot of work when you return to your garden. If you are outside with your dog, pluck a few weeds while your dog is taking care of his business.

Sometimes it's helpful to spread grass clippings or other kinds of decomposing plant matter around your plants. The plants will decompose and allow their nutrients to go back into the soil. This same theory works for many kinds of decomposing matter such as rotten apples, eggs, and pretty much everything else that can be considered organic matter.

When first growing a plant you should make sure that it has all the nutrition and water that it needs. The sprouting stage for most plants is the time when it is most vulnerable to drying out or dying. With proper care, a sprout will mature into a full adult plant which is much more resistant to environmental and animal threats.
While Mother Nature will eventually do the work needed to create compost from a backyard pile, even if it is not actively tended, you can give her a helping hand by adding compost starter to the mix. Compost starters, available from the garden centers, add microorganisms to the soil that help speed up the decay process.

Use milk jugs to keep your plant's roots moist for hours. Punch a small hole in the bottom of a milk jug. You'll have to experiment to get the right sized hole but fill the jug with water and, leaving the lid off or only loosely screwed on, sit it beside the plant that you want to water. The jug will slowly drip water for hours.

When you are preparing fresh vegetables for meals take a few minutes after dinner to chop the excess pieces finely and add them to your garden. These veggies will begin to decay quickly and leech important nutrients right back into the new plants you are growing. Some can be used for composting of course, but using some of the waste immediately can be beneficial.

Perhaps there isn't actually a "wrong" way to garden unless you are harming people, but always know that organic is simply a better way. Better-tasting, healthier food that's far less expensive if you grow it at home -- it's a win-win any way you slice it. Implement these tips and your next garden will be a success. 




For FREE garden products . . . CLICK HERE  You will find loads of FREE gardens samples to help you to get started QUICKLY!

For information regarding landscaping, the you have to sign up for a free digital subscription to Total Landscape Care . . . ABSOLUTELY FREE!

TEST FREE GARDENING TOOLS by Clicking Here!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Organic Gardening . . . Seven Tips For Success




Organically grown produce is truly superior to the produce found in local supermarkets, and is also tasty and healthy for your body. You can grow your own produce instead of heading to the supermarket. Read on to find out how to build your own organic garden, in your own home!

TIP #1  To make sure you are doing organic gardening, define what organic means to you and make sure your seeds, plants and supplies fit your criteria. There is no set scientifically agreed on definition of what "organic" consistently means, so companies can label practically anything organic. Know what it means to you, then read labels to make sure you buy things consistent with your beliefs.

TIP #2   Use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map to determine your planting zone. When you research plants for your garden, you will see zone information that is most ideal for the hardiness of the plant. In choosing plants for your garden, this zone information will tell you if the plant is suited for your geographic region.

TIP #3   While caring for your organic garden involves many big, day-long tasks, it also calls for smaller jobs that need to be performed more frequently. Keep a good handle on the minor needs of your garden so that you can make good use of brief periods of free time. When you have a few minutes to spare, why not use them weeding, pruning or performing other garden maintenance tasks?

TIP #4  You should organize your garden and plan everything. Do not buy seeds if you do not know where you will plant them. You need to plan on the long term for certain plants, and on the very short term for short-lived plants that will need to be replaced very quickly.

TIP #5  Compost plants at the end of the season to strengthen the next season's crop. The plants you have been harvesting all season are still full of rich nutrients that will be highly beneficial to your compost stock. The key is not to waste any part of the plant that is available.

TIP #6  Get rid of slugs and snails in the organic garden. As small as they are, slugs and snails can eat entire plants in one night. They thrive in moist conditions below 75 degrees. The best (and possibly most humane way) is to use beer traps to rid your garden of slugs and snails. Simply place stale beer in a shallow pan, the lip of which should be at ground level. The slugs and snails are attracted to the beer and will crawl in. This way they will leave this world happy and inebriated.

TIP #7  Maintain your soil with kitchen ingredients. If you don't have a compost pile, you can amend your soil by using ingredients from the kitchen. For example, finely chopped up boiled veggie scraps, eggshells or fruit peel can be worked into the soil to provide essential minerals. Coffee grounds work particularly well around plants such as rhodies and azaleas, and the remaining water after boiling eggs is full of calcium that will give a boost to any plant.

Building an organic garden, as you've now read, is both easy and cost-effective. Stop buying inferior produce. You don't need to pay an arm and a leg for organic produce elsewhere, if you start growing your own now! Apply the seven tips for success from this article today, to start producing your own fruits and vegetables!