Tag: Crops

The Basics of Organic Gardening

The stress brought by modernization has made people realize that there is a need to cultivate healthy foods. Thinking that these will ensure the health of the future generations, more and more of people became interested with the basics of organic gardening.

As defined, organic gardening refers to the act of planting and growing crops without relying on the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other synthetic products. This is to ensure that the crop is 100 percent all natural and free from harmful chemicals and elements that can lead illnesses to people.

Pointers for organic gardening

In organic gardening, the basic consideration is the soil where the crop will be placed. Veterans say that the perfect soil for organic gardening should be filled with nitrogen, which will contribute much to the health of the crop being planted. The soil should also be placed in an area where sunlight and air reaches it.

Experts also advise that clay soil is the most ideal type to be used in organic gardening because it is relatively high in nutrients compared to other types of soil. Aside from containing higher amount of nutrients good for the plants, it is best in holding the water for replenishing the plants. Although some types can also be used such as sand and garden soil, they cannot produce better crops just like the clay soil can. What you can do is to add some organic matter to make it more suitable for the plants.

Aside from the soil preparation and the area where it should be placed, here are some of the basics of organic gardening to help you get by:

1. Preparation of organic matter. Since this will be the one where the plants will get their nutrients, preparation of organic matter should be paid attention very carefully. As defined, organic matter can be a plant that is decaying or an animal waste that is mixed together with the soil. Aside from decaying plants and wastes of animals, organic matter can also be a clipping of grass, leaves that are dried, scraps from the kitchen such as vegetable stalks and peels of fruits as well as heads of fresh or cooked fish. Organic matter is very important in organic gardening because it serves as a conditioner for the soil to support the growing crops in it. Organic matter should always be regularly replenished. It can be put on top of the soil or can be mixed with it so the nutrients and other minerals can be absorbed very well.

2. Controlling pests and other plant-related diseases without the use of synthetic chemicals. Since the basic premise of organic gardening is using all-natural products, it is best if you familiarize yourself with the natural means of controlling pests in your crops. These natural means of controlling pests include worms and other insects that can defend your plants against other harmful elements. You can also prevent your plant from diseases if you inspect them regularly for any sign of damage. Once you suspect that there is a threat for plant illness, it is best if you remove the plant affected quickly to avoid the spread of the disease to nearby plants.

3. Selecting the ideal plants for your organic gardening. One of the basics of organic gardening that all people should know is how to select plants that will fit your natural condition. It is very important to understand that not all plants are suitable for all climates. To ensure that you will grow healthy plants, make sure that you check your site conditions and decide which are the plants that can withstand the environment available.

Partial Shade: Its Vital Role in Organic Vegetable Gardening

Why does partial shade play an important role in organic vegetable gardening? And how can such shade be done? And is it really vital for your produce to grow?

For gardeners, they know that shade plays an important role in what they are doing as much as the sun. This is especially true if one is into organic gardening of vegetables. The exposure to sun and its need to be in shade still depends upon what plant you want as produce. But learning all about the plant and its needs first will lead a gardener for a better output.

Being one with nature, being in touched with your produce, is the main responsibility of an organic farmer, in the first place. So before you might want to delve into this, you must first be ready to be patient and hardworking because of the holistic approach being used in such type of gardening, everything depends on the farmer, they have no one to turn to except for themselves and the natural environment.

Organic Horticulture
The word horticulture comes from two Latin words, hortus that means garden plant and cultura or culture. It is both an art and science of planting and producing vegetables, flowers, fruits and even ornamental plants.

Horticulture has five parts of study; floriculture for floral plants, landscape horticulture for landscape ornaments, pomology for fruits, postharvest physiology is about keeping the harvested produce fresh and how to prevent these from rotting quickly.

The fifth area of study for horticulture is olericulture, which you might be interested in if you are into vegetable gardening because this tackles the process from producing the crops to marketing such.

Partial Shade
You may know that a plant needs soil, sun and water to be able to survive. But you must also be aware that it needs shade, especially the vegetables because not only one must protect it as a plant but must also care for it to produce a good harvest.

In organic vegetable gardening, by exposing the plants to a range of 30 to 50 percent of shade can actually lower the leaves’ temperature by about 10 percent or even more. For the northern and coastal climates, 30 percent shade is recommendable while 47 to 50 percent in hot and summer-like places.

By doing what’s stated above, vegetables like lettuce, arugula, mustard greens and mesclun mix would produce better qualities.

The shade also lessens the temperature of the soil by three to six degrees Fahrenheit. This will benefit vegetables such as cabbages, mustard greens, broccoli, chard, radishes, turnips and spinach that grow in the soil. It is because these produce will germinate better when the soil temperature is below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Shade Tent
You can also provide your plants with handmade tents. This will be most beneficial if you have a large produce and you can’t attend to each plant one-by-one, placing cloth as shade at top of each one.

To do a shade tent, you would need sturdy plastic tubing that are about 1/2 or 3/4-inch in diameter. Cut this tubing into 6-foot in length, just enough for it to arch a foot length above your crops. For each arch that you’ve made, place a bamboo or rebar stakes, each one at about 18 inches. Put these in the ground at the sides of the plants’ bed until about 10 inches of each of the stakes is visible. Now you can bow your tubing by sliding its ends at the stakes.

With the foundation ready, you can now place a shade cloth over the arches for it to cover the plants’ bed. Make sure to clip the cloth at the tubing so that it will remain in place.

Remember, if partial shade is not readily available when you are into organic vegetable gardening, make one by just doing the abovementioned procedure.

Organic Herb Gardening Is Something You Need For The Kitchen

Organic Herb Gardening Is Something You Need For The Kitchen

Do you use a lot of herbs and spices whenever you are cooking? If you do, perhaps instead of buying these from the grocery, you can get this for free by making your own organic herb garden. In fact, it is so easy to do that even kids can get into it.

So what kind of herbs should you plant? Since they are going to be used for cooking, why not go for herbs that are either Italian or Thai. These herbs are called culinary herbs. Other examples that you can plant for cooking later on include basil, bay leaves, chives, dill, marjoram, oregano and parsley.

Chances are you would like to start from the very beginning which means you have to buy herb seeds. These are sold in packs and it is best to read the instructions before opening them.

Some organic herb seeds can be sown directly to the soil while others have to be raised in seedbeds. Best of all, you do not have to worry that much about pests because they are not that frequent when compared to planting fruits or vegetables.

One herb plant that you should avoid mixing with others is mint because it acts just like a weed and has the tendency to kill the rest. But since you need it, it is best to grow it in a pot so it does not harm your other crops.

Organic herb gardening is not different to organic farming because similar techniques are used to make them grow. The first step is to find the right location that offers adequate sunlight and drainage. Also, check on the soil conditions because what you have in your backyard may not be suitable for it.

When the soil is ready for planting, the rest of the work is easy since you just have to monitor their progress daily. You should also use compost bins so you produce your own organic fertilizer that can be applied to the garden.

Aside from making an organic herb garden outdoors, you can also do the same indoors so it is much closer to the kitchen. Instead of planting these on the ground, you will have to buy organic containers. These can be made from clay, plastic or wood. The important thing is that it provides excellent drainage and good air circulation.

When you use pots for your organic herbs, do not use soil but a mixture of peat, perlite and vermiculite. They need to be watered regularly so make sure it is moist and not damp. Since they also need sufficient sunlight, you can place these outdoors and then bring them back in when it is too cold or put these in the western or southern windows of the home.

Regardless if your herbs are grown indoor or outdoor, you still have to deal with pests and weeds. You can pick them off by hand or get other insects to do your dirty work. Mulch is another solution and you should apply at least 3 to 4 inches or 8 to 10 cm in order for it to be effective.

Herb gardening is a lot of fun since it can be used for other things aside from culinary like for cosmetic, craft, household or medicinal purposes. But if you are into cooking, then organic herb gardening is good for the kitchen.

Organic Gardening Supplies That You Can Use

One of the most important aspects of a successful organic garden is to know the list of organic gardening supplies that you will need. This is very important because these tools can help and assist you in growing healthy crops in no time.

Finding the right organic gardening supplies

Aside from regular care and proper monitoring, having the right organic gardening supplies would definitely ensure that you would have a successful and healthy garden. Experts say that knowing what you need and have them readily available would lessen the time that you would have to spend in taking care of your crops. This will also ensure that you will have fun in watching every development in your garden.

The following are the most important organic gardening supplies that you need for your organic garden:

1. Water. This is very important because this will serve as the secondary lifeline of your plants. Having enough supply of water nearby is very crucial because you will never know when the plant would need some of it. Although there is scheduled time to water the plants, it is always best to have ample supply of water just in case you or somebody forgets to water the plants on time.

2. Soil. This is considered as a lifeline of any plant in any organic garden because this is where all the nutrients are derived. Although you dont need so much of it if you only a few number of pots and trays, it is best to have an extra supply of soilclay soil is the best for its capability to hold water betterjust in case accidental dropping of containers happens. Having extra supply of soil can also make it possible for you to make another organic garden.

3. Organic matter. This is also crucial because it will provide nutrients for your plants. Although you need not worry about having enough supply of this because these are always readily available in your backyard through grass clips and dried leaves and in your kitchen through decaying vegetables and peel fruits. You can also use the dog or cat manure, if you have a pet, in the compost pit as well as head of fish that has not been consumed.

4. Light. This is very important especially for indoor gardening because it will provide the light needed by the plant. Light is very important from the germination of the seeds to the growing of the sprouts. It is also very important for leaves because it paves the way for a very important process called “photosynthesis.” If possible, make a garden site where there can be direct exposure to sunlight. If this is not possible, try to create alternative light from a fluorescent bulb or tube that is placed directly on the container.

5. Tools. These are also very important organic gardening supplies for a successful gardening because it will make the work easier for you. Important tools might include cutting tools, weeding tools, watering tools, clawing tools, and sweeping tools. These will help you in cleaning and maintaining the plants especially if they are growing fast.

These tools can also help you organize the plants so they won’t get tangled, as they grow taller. In buying tools, make sure that you only buy those that you really need. Use the size of your garden as a guide. If you have small garden, there is no need for you to buy large tools for gardening.

Organic Gardening At Home

Organic gardening at home is not that different from what they do in the farm. This is because the same techniques are used to make your choice of plants and vegetables grow even if you have a smaller area to work with.

The first thing you have to do is choose the location. It is important that it gets at least 6 hours of sunlight everyday and it has access to water. You should also check if the spot has good drainage otherwise you will have to build a raised bed garden instead.

When the location has been found, it is time to prepare the land. This is the time you bring out your gardening tools and gloves so can get rid of weeds that are present. All debris must also be removed so do this for a few days to make sure the area is secure.

The moment of truth will come when you test the soil. For that, you will need some compost from the store and then mix it with the soil. If it is able to integrate and stabilize itself, then you can begin planting your crops in the next 2 to 4 weeks. During such time, you can already add fertilizers into the soil to make sure that the nutrients hold.

The fun part is when you put in the seeds. Dont forget to start your own compost pile at the same time by using coffee grounds, dead leaves, grass clippings, manure and vegetable or food waste that become organic fertilizer for your crops. By doing so, you will no longer need to buy these from the gardening store.

If you dont already know, not all fruits or vegetables planted in one area are the same for another. This is because some may not survive due to the conditions of the region such as the weather, pests and other plant borne diseases. You can check at the store, do some research or get advice from fellow organic gardeners.

It will also be a good idea to plant a variety of fruits and vegetables. Some protect the rest from pests while others can only be grown during a certain season. In short, you get to practice crop rotation so you do not use up all the nutrients in the soil. Aside from plants, the use of birds, insects and toads can also help protect your garden.

Although you already removed the weeds before you planted, you still have to check for them again because they do some back. You will have to inspect the area and then pull them out which is one of the responsibilities of owning a garden.

Since larger animals not only insects could do damage to your organic garden, you should also protect it by putting up some fences. Some gardeners have also used animal hair, baby powder and deodorant soaps that act as deterrents.

Surely, you have noticed that organic vegetables being sold at the grocery are quite expensive. They cost a few dollars more than the regular kind so instead of putting this on your list, why not cross it out and simply get this from your backyard.

With some practice, you will realize that organic gardening at home can be challenging and at the same time fun. It is your way of going green and being environment friendly.