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 . . . 

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!

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! 

3 Tips for Landscaping your Organic Garden

Landscaping is usually a fairly big task, consuming much time and energy. But before you hire that professional, here are some tips that could save both time and money.

1. Spend some time thinking about exactly how you want the final design to be. You need to take account of the style and function of your landscape.










 Do you want to include an area for entertaining? A barbeque? Is there to be an area for children to play, a fishpond or a swimming pool? 










An idea of the plants you want to be there will also help. Focus on the area where you spend most of your time. That's a good place to start.

2. Think twice before hiring a pro. An independent designer might cost you hundreds of dollars when you may be able to access free plans on the internet or at a nursery. But if you have an awkward block such as very steep ground, a pro might give you the expertise to save costly mistakes.

3. The style of your home must be taken into account. If you have a rural cottage, formal gardens surrounding it will look out of place. Think also about your lifestyle. Do you want to spend hours caring for many beds of annuals or pruning beds of roses? If so, go ahead and plant them, but if you'd rather spend your free time at the beach, then go for an easy-care garden and landscape.

Perennials . . . Organic Flower Gardening

In an effort to encourage community pride, my other half and I take great pains to insure that our yard is presentable!  After spending the first three years with my organic vegetable gardening, it was time for me to try my hand at the organic flower gardening. It was time to liven up my yard with beautiful flowers so I had to do my research and this is what I discovered  . . . 


Perennial flowers are a hardy, strong, local flowers that come back every year without you having to replant. During the off seasons, the flowers and stems of the perennials die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there. When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones once were, reoccurring year after year.


You need to make sure that your soil has proper drainage before you decide what type of perennial you are going to plant. If the water stays saturated for long periods of time, you should build a raised bed for proper drainage. To do a drainage test, dig a hole and fill it with water. Wait a day, and then fill it with water again. All traces of water should be gone within 10 hours. If the hole isn’t completely dry, you will need to build a raised bed.


Picking your perennials can be a complicated process. The goal should be to have them flowering as much as possible during the year, so you should create an outline of the year. Research the different types of flower you want, and create a timeline of flowering. If you plan it right, you can have a different type of flower blooming at any point in the year. Getting just the right mixture of seeds can give your yard a constantly changing array of colors.

When you go to buy the seeds from your local florist or nursery, you might be able to find a custom seed mixture for your area. This takes the really tough research part out of the job. Usually these blends are optimized for the local climate, and do great jobs of having flowers always grow in your yard. If one of these isn’t available, you can ask the employees what they think would be a good mixture. They should be happy to help you put something together which will be optimal for whatever you desire.

You should definitely use mulch when planting perennials. This will reduce the overall amount of work you have to do, by reducing the amount of weeds and increasing the water retention. Bark or pine needles work great, I have found, and depending on the rest of your yard you might have them on hand at no charge. As for fertilizer, you should use it sparingly once your plants start to come to life.


When you actually go to plant the seeds, you should put them in small, separate clumps according to the directions. This is because they tend to spread out, and if you have too many too close together then they will end up doing nothing but choking each other out. As you plant them, throw in a little bit of extremely weak fertilizer. In no time at all you should start to see flowers blooming up.

5 Tips For Growing a Healthy Organic Flower Garden


Believe it or not, just having the basic knowledge of how to care for your organic flower garden can truly be the determining factor when it comes to the presentation and health of your plants. Here are a few simple tips to make your organic flower garden bloom with health:

Organic Flower Garden 

Tip#1

A major perquisite should ALWAYS be the fundamentals . . .

Essential to healthy growth, it is imperative that you have enough water, sunlight, and fertile soil and the absence of these basic conditions can and will greatly affect the health of plants. Water flower garden more frequently during dry periods. When planting bulbs, make sure you go right into the depths. When planting shrubs and perennials, make sure you do not heap soil or mulch around the stem. If not, the water runs off instead of sinking, and in particular to develop rot overheating.

Organic Flower Garden 

Tip#2

Annuals with perennials formulate a good mix . . .  

Just be aware that perennial flower bulbs need not be replanted since they grow and bloom for several years while they grow and bloom year for a while. If you mix some annuals        with you perennials you will be guaranteed to always have flowers coming.

Organic Flower Garden 

Tip#3

You will get more blossoms from Deadheading . . .

Deadheading is merely snipping off the flower head after it has wilted. By consistently doing this you will make the plant produce more flowers. Be careful to make sure that you don't throw the deadheads on the garden or it can cause mildew and other plant diseases to attack your plants.

Organic Flower Garden 

Tip#4

Know the Good Guys . . . 

Unknownst to many, the vast majority of garden insects do a lot more good than they do harm. Butterflies, beetles and bees are known as the pollinators because they fertilize plants through unintentional transfer of pollen from one plant to another. Up to 75% of flowering plants rely on insects for their survival. 

Aphids

By fortifying your soil and making nutrients more available to growing plants is accomplished thru sowbugs and dung beetles. Together with fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms these are the good guys that are necessary to help in the decomposition of dead plant material.

Lacewings

However it is important that you are aware that other insects like lacewings and dragonflies which are natural predators of those insects that do the real damage, like aphis.


An occasional application of liquid fertilizer when plants are flowering will keep them blooming for longer.

Organic Flower Garden 

Tip#5

  Prune, Prune, Prune

Always prune dead buds, branches and leaves.  There are those that you will have to handle more carefully than others while pruning, such as Fuchsia.  Fushsias are particularly prone to snapping when you brush against them so use caution when pruning. Just know that the broken branch can be potted up to give you a new plant, so with that being said . . .

GOOD GROWIN!

Organic Gardening Tools - Growin with the BIG BOYS!

Organic Gardening Tools - An Overview of What You May Need

It is basic knowledge that to achieve sustainable growth of your garden plants, good soil quality, sunlight and sufficient water and VITAL.  Of course nature has blessed with the bare necessities and you will find the need for modern gardening tools as well to upkeep your garden. Gardening tools aide greatly in the maintenance of your organic vegetable garden as well as the good growing conditions.

Just be aware that defective or inadequate gardening tools can cause injury to your plants, cut your plants or actually plug your plants from the soil. To prevent such an occurrence, look for the best gardening tools that will provide your plants  the best of care.

Here are some points for you to consider regarding garden tools:

Lawnmowers

The Luxus Push Reel Mower     has been rated as best by the gardening aficionados provides large top cover that protects overhanging flowers and shrubs. Another special gardening tool called American Lawn Mower Deluxe has also been accredited as best which will be helpful to operate on elbow grease alone and also causing no pollution. But this is not conducive for too tall grasses.

Garden Shredders

All the garden shredders have a high power motor and come with a silent crushing system and is utilized to accelerate your shredding activity.  Garden shredders with electric shredder is an easy to assemble gardening tool, which aids in tree pruning with maximum of 40 mm and making healthy hedges. This gardening tool is considered to be a best among all the garden shredders since it is available with a plunger for increased portability and built-in wheels.

Cultivators

Cultivators are modern gardening tools which are available with patented tines to help in cutting the hard compacted soil smoothly. Cultivators are available with a free border edger. It is perfect to use in cleaning the moss, aerating and in thatching. This garden tool helps extensively in preparing vegetable plots and flowerbeds.

Edge Trimmer

This gardening tool has also been accredited as important equipment by the gardening equipment reviewers. This aids in trimming the hedges and also aids in plant pruning.

Spading fork

This is a wonderful gardening tool used for aerating and transplanting.  By using this gardening tool it is possible to perform splitting grasses and perennials. In addition to this these gardening tools helps a lot as the job of a manure fork, mulch, sorting hay, for tiny gardens.

Mattock

Mattock is an important gardening tool for breaking up the clay soils and also working around established trees with the roots. There is no need to have a pick and a hoe and handles in your garden, if you are having mattock with you.

Of course you may find that based on your own person organic vegetable gardening needs that you may only have need for one or two of these items.  However, once you have utilized some of this equipment, you will realized how much of the work that they do for you and how much easier they make it to maintain a healthy organic vegetable garden.

Good Growin!