Organic Vegetable Gardening
Organic vegetable gardening is something more farmers are getting into because it is cost effective and they are able to produce almost the same yield of crops. Before you can do this at home, the principles of organic vegetable gardening must be understood. No fertilizers, nutrients or pesticides can be used in organic vegetable gardening. Nature is your partner here because you will be using two things to make it all work namely sunlight and water. We don’t produce these ourselves but you have to find the ideal area and provide adequate drainage.
To help the crops grow, mix together leftover food, chipped bark, garden compost, leaf moulds and manure using a compost heap and then spread it throughout your garden so you do not rely solely on sunlight and water. Manure is sold in stores so you don’t have to scoop this from the toilet so don’t feel queasy, also chickens are great to have - just let them roam around in the garden. Some people use dead animals or meat products but you can’t put these in the soil. To help fertilize your garden, leave them for a couple of weeks in the bin and maggots will soon appear which can be used.
The earthworm is another helpful creature because it digs deep into the ground and aerates the soil bringing various minerals to the surface which also provides better drainage. The casting this long pink colored creature leaves behind is five times as rich in nitrogen phosphorous and potassium, according to experts. Any gardening store or garden center will have this available for you to purchase.
Organic gardening is a challenge because pests such as army worms, crickets, gypsy moth caterpillars, slugs and squash bugs are unwanted guests. Despite the fact that at one time people used fertilizer to kill them, the toad, which is known to eat more almost every type of insect it is the best weapon in an organic setting. Caterpillars and spiders are not in the toad’s diet so if they are lurking in the garden you should get a bird.
It isn’t necessary to buy a toad or a bird from the pet store as long as you set the ideal environment for them so they may come in to your home. If you can put up a bird house or a small pond, within days, you will have some new occupants protecting your garden. The preying mantis and the ladybug are other insect killers which you can get to do the job as they mark their territory and eat anything that dares enter their domain.
For example, the rosemary, sage or thyme is an effective deterrent against butterflies whereas marigolds are effective against nematodes. The rotation of crops is seen as the best way to keep the soil fertile, despite all the flowers and creatures that nature has to offer. Change the kind of vegetable for this season with a different one and, after this one is harvested, return to the first one. with some practice you can harvest the vegetables you have planted weeks ago.
Organic Gardening For Beginners
Organic gardening can very well pass as a pursuit for many people and this can be true if you are the type of individual who has the love for gardening. This is a pursuit, which some people take up, so you are one of those lucky ones, who can make things produce! Before you start organic horticulture, there are various things, that you must be clear about, what is the type of dirt you have? What are you looking to grow? How are you goiny to take care of your plants?
This undoubtedly might seem too complex for any newbie, but since you have already proven your gift as a gardener, you could easy start to produce things in the organic way. This method of horticulture is tougher than regular horticulture as much more drive and work is needed to do it this way.
The essential principle behind organic horticulture is that it uses only natural merchandise. This will include the essential components such as the fertilizers and the pesticides. Find all that you need for your horticulture from the earth and then use them for your efforts. This would enable you to produce anything you wish, like flowers, veggies or any other green you wish. Hopefully you are getting what we are trying to say, and that is this is one way to work in conjunction with nature.
Organic fertilizers are they feasible?
Is there such a thing, you might ask? Yes, and you are the one to make it. You can make your very own garden compost from the materials found in your garden. Fallen leaves, twigs and animal manure - all this can be utilised but will depend on the type, and other elements.
Organic Pesticides
Organic gardening demands least use of chemical substance pesticides. Usually handpicking of individual insects is not possible so go to the local store and ask for organic pesticide, which are easily available and ready to use. The traditional way to go about it is to remain alert and kill the worms and other insects, as soon as you see them. You should only turn to the organic pesticides when it gets too much and wild - and you can no longer control it. Another way is to let in animals, which enjoy to feed on these garden pests. This way you do not have to clear the garden of pests, and you are also helping to feed a hungry animal.
As a hobby, this might be time consuming so if you cannot give enough time into it, might as well find a collaborator or drop the thought until you have found the right time to carry on with the tasks. Organic horticulture requires a lot of labor and effort, so you need to be ready to go through the grind. If you feel tires during the process, simply think about how much good you are doing to nature. This can be looked upon as your return gift to mother nature for all the things which she lavished on you since the time you came on this earth.
Managing A Greenhouse
Ventilation of a greenhouse is of great importance and is the key to healthy plant growth in any greenhouse. Fresh air is essential and the use of ventilators also regulates the temperature which is especially important in summer.
For every 1.8 - 2.4m (6-9ft) length of greenhouse there should be at least one top roof ventilator and one at the side low down, preferably more. On windy days the ventilators should be opened on the side away from prevailing wind. In winter the one at the top should be open just a crack unless severely cold.
Ventilators can be hand operated, electronically or chemically operated and all options are fairly inexpensive.
The atmosphere should never be stuffy or unduly humid (except for special plants such as cucumbers). However, draughts should be avoided.
With correct ventilation, humidity will also be at the right level without being excessive (meters for measuring humidity are available). In hot dry weather humidity should be maintained by damping down the greenhouse two or three times a day, the last time by mid afternoon.
Maximum light is essential in winter, spring and autumn. The glazing should be kept clean and free of leaves and other debris. In summer, shading will be necessary with washes or blinds. In winter, plastic sheet used as double glazing will unavoidably reduce the available light but there is now an anti-condensation sheet available.
Very high temperatures are not suitable. Most plants are happy with a range between 7 and 33 degrees C, depending on whether they are temperate or sub tropical plants. In winter various forms of heating can be used: oil, electricity, solid fuel or gas. A maximum and minimum thermometer will be very useful, particularly for recording minimum night temperatures.
Hygiene and cleanliness are vital. The inside of the greenhouse: staging, floor (if concrete or paved) and equipment should be cleaned with a sterilizing solution once a year. Fallen vegetation should be removed, badly diseased or pest ridden plants destroyed and the house kept free from piles of dirty pots, seed trays, labels, canes, crocks and other clutter. Try to keep the maximum amount of space available for growing plants.
Greenhouse Staging & Shelving
Creating surfaces on which plants can be displayed is important, as well as forming working areas where seed sowing, potting and other tasks can be performed at a convenient level, about hip or waist height.
In some greenhouses, the staging is a permanent feature, especially for displaying plants such as orchids where it is often tiered.
Increasingly, however, flexibility of use is all important: many aluminium greenhouses have hinged shelves that can be lowered to allow plants growing at ground level to develop.
The range of staging has widened dramatically in recent years and includes:
Traditional – especially in wooden greenhouses – staging is formed of 5cm/2in wide wood slats with about 2.5cm/1in between them. This creates a flow of air around plants and is especially beneficial in winter when moisture lingering on leaves readily encourages the presence of diseases. The slatted base also enables the free drainage of surplus water if plants have been excessively watered.
Small-mesh, galvanized or plastic covered netting nailed to a wooden framework also crates an airy base, but after several years tends to sag between the supports. Nevertheless, it is relatively inexpensive and quick to construct.
A solid staging, where a continuous, firm base is covered with a shallow layer of pea sized gravel chippings is ideal in summer. The chippings retain moisture and create humidity around plants. Alpine plants are frequently buried to their rims in the gravel, which also helps to keep their roots cool, while other plants are just stood on top. Other base materials include grit and expanded clay particles. All of these must be clean and free from diseases.
Mist-propagation units – used to encourage cuttings to root quickly – need a firm, waterproof base. A wooden base and surround, covered with thick plastic sheeting, is an easy way to provide this. Access to water and electricity are essential: have the unit installed by a competent electrician and ensure all necessary safety devices are installed.
Temporary shelving is often needed for boxes of seeds or seedlings in spring and early summer. Provide these by suspending long, narrow shelves from the glazing bars: if wooden, screw cables to the framework, but in aluminium greenhouses proprietary fittings are available. Take care when watering plants on the shelves that water does not drip on plants below. Also remember that areas near the glass are the first to experience low temperature falls during cold nights. It may be necessary to cover temporarily with sheets of newspaper at night. The isolative property of newspapers is high.
Tubular metal frameworks with slatted or solid surfaces are ideal both as permanent of even as temporary fixtures.
Tiered staging – usually permanent – is ideal for orchids, but ensure it is well constructed.
Hinged, wire framed staging is frequently available for fitting into aluminium houses, and has the advantage of being quickly collapsed when not required. Also, because it remains in the greenhouse there is not a storage problem. However, it does need to be thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned at the end of each growing season to ensure diseases are not present.
Build Your Own Greenhouse
A person may have the pleasure of building his own greenhouse. He may choose from various designs and sizes he would like to build. A greenhouse gives a person comfort whenever he attends to his plants, vegetables, flowers, and orchids. It also provides the needed sunlight and humidity for these plants. He may relax and enjoy every time he visits a place where he has exerted all his effort of building such a wondrous place.
He may save more money if he decides building a small greenhouse. There are supplies and materials that he can use which should be just enough according to his prepared budget. If there is enough space that can accommodate a larger greenhouse, which is more advisable because he may maximize the place where he wants to develop more plants and vegetables.
If he really desires to build a greenhouse where he can develop and propagate more plants, he may consider different factors that would be necessary on the type of greenhouses he would like to build. Here are some tips and factors he would like to consider in building his own greenhouse.
1. He may consider using salvage materials if he intends to make a larger greenhouse. He may use these materials in designing and planning for a low cost budget greenhouse. This will also help him minimize the expenses of the other supplies and materials needed.
2. He should also determine the climate of the place where he lives. An insulated greenhouse should be appropriate for cold climate areas. This will help him provide the needed warmth and heat for his plants. For warm places, a greenhouse that has a shade control should be advisable.
3. He also needs to make sure that his greenhouse will be designed with proper air circulation spaces, ventilation, pest control soil, heaters for winter season, and humidity control devices. He may create an environment that would be appropriate for the types of plants that will grow in the greenhouse.
4. The location of the greenhouse should be built were there is enough sunlight. He may choose a solar greenhouse for vegetables and exotic fruit bearing plants if he would like his greenhouse to be situated on the east-west part where his place is more exposed to sunlight.
5. It is also important to consider the covering of the greenhouse. The most advisable shades are the expensive glass made coverings and fiberglass. They provide more durability and they do not deteriorate quickly compared to plastic coverings. A greenhouse covered with glass or fiberglass allows more humidity and warmth.
6. He has the option to choose on what kind of foundation he would like to use. The foundations can be concrete for a more secured greenhouse. Others prefer the less expensive lightweight foundation where they use improvised materials such as railroad ties, which they can easily attach to the ground. It all depends on how much he is willing to spend on the structure of the greenhouse.
7. He may consider building a greenhouse that will maximize its full potential. He may add benches or materials that will be used for his comfort every time he wants to relax in the greenhouse. He may add many accessories to the place like automatic watering systems, heating systems, ventilation system and other automatic equipments that are effective in maintaining the plants.
8. He may use the “good bugs” for his pest control chemical. They prevent and control the spread of the bad bugs in a greenhouse. If ever he may find insects in a plant, he may isolate the plant and if possible place the plant outside the greenhouse so that the insects would not house the other plants.
9. He may allot a space where he can store fertilizers, potting soil and other tools that are essential in the greenhouse. He may place a tool rack nearer to the potting place so that it would be easier for him to transfer the soil from the pot of the plants. He may also place buckets and tool holders to accommodate the other equipment when they are not in use.
He can develop and grow all sorts of plants with a versatile greenhouse. He may also propagate from the grown plants to fill the greenhouse with a variety of plants. Putting up a greenhouse will be more enjoyable if it done with the help of the family and friends.
