Chemical Issue in Organic Gardening

In recent years, organic gardening has moved to the forefront. Like so many other aspects of gardening, however, organic practice often involves little more than plain common sense, in this case, using only natural organic materials and not using inorganic or synthetically manufactured substances unless absolutely essential.

In other words, you should generally work with nature rather than against it. If you follow these rules in your garden, then you are pretty well organic already. So, in essence, organic gardening amounts simply to gardening without the use of chemicals although some naturally occurring chemicals are allowed.

Chemicals are often used by gardeners as a form of shortcut; it is so much easier to spray a border full of weeds than it is removing all of the weeds by hand. A slight change of mindset is all that is needed here.

Gardeners need to try and accept that gardening is inherently a time consuming occupation, and that it is far better to spend a bit more time on chore rather than waste your money on all kinds of unnecessary chemicals.

In terms of flower gardening specifically with annuals and perennials, the visual results of following organic principles are pretty minimal, but over time there are great advantages to the garden as a whole.

If, for example, you treat the soil with well rotted organic materials, such as garden compost or farmyard manure, then the structure of the soil will be improved and the plants fed at the same time.

If, on the other hand, you just add chemicals feeds to the soil, you will have well grown plants, but, over the years, the structure of the soil will break down and in the long term plants will suffer.

The Author is an expert in article writing and has done a lot of research online and offline. Come visit his latest websites on Patio Furniture Sale and Auto Floor Mats as well as Latex Mattress Topper and Electric Meat Slicer

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Inorganic Fertilizer in the Organic Garden

"You don't feed the plant, you feed the soil"

Horticultural fertilizers are the most familiar fertilizers to the home gardener and are commonly found at your local garden center or hardware store. There seems to be much misinformation regarding these fertilizers especially as they relate to organic gardening.

All plants need 16 basic elements for growth. Three elements, - carbon, oxygen and hydrogen - are obtained from the air we breathe through a process we call photosynthesis which creates 95% of the plant's structure from these 3 elements. The other 13 nutrients are water soluble and are accessed by the plant's root system.

Fertilizers are designed to be used infrequently in order to provide a well balanced soil for a healthy growing environment, but fertilizers have been demonized recently due to overuse and misguided publicity.

Fertilizers come in many blends and types. There are timed release or controlled release varieties designed to be used only as needed and water soluble types which need to be applied more often as they leech away quite rapidly. Most of these commercial fertilizers are mainly composed of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in predetermined percentages with fillers and some small amounts of trace elements added.

Most of these products do not replace the trace elements such as Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Boron, Chlorine, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, and Zinc which have been depleted by the crops grown on the land. In addition, the heavy metals often found in manufactured phosphate fertilizers tend to amass in the soils after years of heavy use or run off and accumulate in water sources.

It is always advisable to do a soil test in order to find out exactly what your soil is lacking or needs. A soil test will also provide vital information concerning the PH level of your growing medium.

All gardens need fertilizer in one form or another because the soil gets worn out, sometimes in the space of one or two years and need to get refueled. Judicious use of horticultural fertilizers will provide the nutrients needed for healthy plants and a flourishing garden. Organic fertilizers have the disadvantage of slow nutrient release rates so a quick shot of fertilizer will bring timely results. Organics may also not provide the specific nutrients that your plants require and the content can vary from batch to batch. Mineral nutrients, which are readily available can always be added to your soil as needed.

Obviously the best practices of organic gardening should always be practiced. Planting a winter cover crop and composting are two of the smartest solutions in the quest for the perfect garden and may possibly alleviate any need for fertilizer.

Dick Murray is a retired urbanite who has kept his passion for gardening alive with the creation of informational and how to web sites such as - http://www.vegetablegrowingbasics.com/ - More and more families are beginning to grow their own fruits and vegetables due to their increased concern regarding the quality, price and safety of our food supplies.

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What is Organic Composting?

'Organic' with a capital 'O' is the new word in food production. Food crops in particular are grown without chemical assistance. That means no chemical fertilizers or pesticides of any kind may be used if the food we buy is certified as 'Organic'.

Many people adhere to these Organic gardening principles when gardening at home too. Ornamental flower gardens and food production plots all benefit the environment if reared without artificial assistance. Plants grow stronger if they grow more naturally and slowly. The local ecology is not put at risk by toxic pesticides and we all benefit by cleaner air and less polluted water-ways.

Any gardener and particularly any using Organic principles will know the benefit of recycling garden waste and kitchen scraps into their own garden compost. Composting is a great way to reduce the amount of waste we send to land-fill and it gives us a free all-purpose soil improver and plant food. But, now for the environmentally aware there is the worry about whether we are carrying out Organic composting or not.

The simple answer is of course we are. Anyone creating compost is doing so organically. Compost, is by nature a decomposed form of organic matter. This true meaning for 'organic' is that the matter was once alive. Whether that means it is vegetable scraps, manure, lawn clippings, old newspapers or sawdust, anything added to the garden compost bin is by its very nature organic.

It seems ludicrous to be concerned about only putting Organic waste onto the compost heap. Sure, that means no chemical residues are put on your heap but it also means less organic matter period. We should all aim to put as much into our compost bins as possible to minimise the polluting effects of our lives. Any chemical residues remaining on your waste food, or in the newspaper ink will all be tiny volumes unable to have a detrimental effect on your garden soil. Plus, the decomposition of all that waste will mean most residues are broken down into harmless mineral components anyway.

Even the Soil Association realizes how difficult it is to maintain soil fertility while relying only on Organically produced waste matter. They allow certified Organic growers to use animal manures from conventionally reared animals. That means those manures are produced by non-organic feed and are likely to contain veterinary chemical residues. They specify how long such manures should be stored or composted for, before being safe to put on the land without any loss of Organic credentials to the resulting crops. Some manures are not permitted but this is due to welfare issues not practicalities. So for example poultry manure from battery farmed hens is not permitted because the Soil Association would prefer battery farming to stop. But, manure from hens reared in sheds and fed ordinary feed can end up on Organic farms.

This is good news, it shows how we should be practical and pragmatic when it comes to organic food production. Rather than worry about whether the apple core ready to go on the compost pile has been grown without pesticides we should be more concerned with how to get the goodness left in that core back into our garden soil.

Of course if we manage to live off our own land we can ensure everything going back onto it has been farmed in such a natural way. Or if we have vast amounts of money to only ever buy Organic produce we can do the same. But, in reality even the most environmentally aware of us must battle with economics and practicalities. It is very unlikely more than a tiny proportion of us live off Organic produce alone.

We should not fear what is not a problem. Whenever we hear of Organic Composting we must remind ourselves that all garden composting is in fact 'organic composting'. Forget about the lifestyle connotations associated with that capital 'O' and remember what organic gardening is really all about; making the most of our land is as natural way as possible. The principle way to do this is to ensure we always put nearly as much back into our soil as we take from it.

For more information about organic composting, creating garden compost and finding the right garden compost bin have a look at my other articles.

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Organic Gardening - Reasons Pepper Plants Can Turn Yellow

One of the most common problems that the home gardener have with their pepper plants is the yellowing of their leaves. This can be caused by a few different reasons. The first is the lack of nitrogen and magnesium, another reason is chlorinated water, soil splash on the lower leaves from watering and a fungal problem.

The first reason, the yellowing of leaves is most of the times caused by a lack of nitrogen and magnesium in the garden's soil. This can be simply a result of the nutrients being leeched from the soil due to excess water. Pepper plants only need 1" of water per week. Another reason is the plants may need an application of fertilizer that is high in nitrogen to get past this problem.

Normally you wouldn't want to give pepper or tomatoes a high dose of nitrogen, it will usually result in lush foliage and not a strong harvest. You need to get the plants healthy again, so if they need a dose of nitrogen do it sparingly.

Another thing that works for me is to apply an epsom salt spray to my pepper plants. Epsom salt will supply magnesium and calcium that can be absorbed by the leaves for a quick recovery. You may want to try this foliar spray. I mix 3 tablespoons of epsom salt to one gallon of water and spray the foliage.Then I apply a slow release organic fertilizer that is high in nitrogen to the soil around the plant. At this time I remove any flower buds so the plants can solely concentrate their energy on there foliage. There is still plenty of time for a productive harvest.

If chlorine is the problem, you can simply rid the water of chlorine by just running the water into a bucket and letting the bucket stand for a few hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate.

Lower leaves that turn yellow on your pepper plants can be simply caused from soil splash when watering. They will yellow and wilt. Remove these yellow leaves and your plants should do just fine.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

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Organic Gardening - 5 Tips For Watering With Sprinkler Systems

Organic gardens usually require less water as you amend and build up your soil. Organic gardeners want Mother Nature to be the boss since real rain is the best medicine for any lawn and garden. Non-organic gardeners don't want to run the sprinkler system either for that matter, especially when they open their water bill!

Our common goal is to never run the sprinkler system -or as my friend Mike likes to call it "upside down rain". But droughts or extremely hot weather usually turn our no run plans into a non-starter. The challenge we all face is how to best manage our sprinkler system for maximum effectiveness with the least amount of water used.

The reality is that most homeowners water too much, not too little. These tips will require you to turn off that switch in your head that says "more water" and let your garden tell you what it needs.

1. Equipment check: Run your sprinkler system while you are watching! Ensure that all sprinklers are working correctly and all parts of your landscape are being reached by the relevant sprinkler and you're not watering too much of the street. I recommend you do this at the start and midway through the growing season. Lawn mowers damage sprinkler heads and your plants will grow through out the season so what worked before may no longer be the case.

2. Sprinkler schedule: Your sprinkler system should only run 1-2 days a week in the heat of the summer when there is no rainfall. You only need about 1 to 1.5 inches of rain a week to maintain your landscape so keep a rain guage out or pay attention to the weather to see if you need to run your system. Why so few times? You want to run your sprinkler through multiple cycles each time it runs for ground saturation and then you want to let it dry out just in time for the next sprinkler run. This forces the roots deeper since they follow the water deep into the soil which allows your plants to better withstand dry conditions in the future.

3. Cycles for each zone: The number of times you water each zone on the days you run your system depends on your soil and how easily it absorbs water. Excessive water run off on the sidewalk or driveway will tell you that you can reduce your cycles or the time for each cycle. Remember we want to saturate the ground, not just water the surface.

4. Cycle Start Times: Start your cycles before dawn and finish before the sun is above the horizon. This will prevent excessive evaporation in the heat of the day and also reduce any fungus issues that might arise with a wet lawn and cooler temperatures if you were to run the system early in the evening.

5. Zone Run Times: Adjust your run times for the type of sprinkler heads in each zone and the amount of sun each zone receives. Pop up sprayers are a constant spray to specific area while rotor sprayers will water each area once on each pass so they will probably need almost twice as much time as a pop up for the same amount of water. The southern and west sides of the yard receive more sun and will probably need more water while the northern and east sides may not need as much.

So, what could this look like all summed up?
Sprinkler Runs: Sunday & Thursday
Cycle start times: 3am, 5am, 7am
South lawn/pop up head: 8-10 minutes each cycle
South lawn/rotor head: 16-20 minutes each cycle
North lawn/pop up: 6-8 minutes each cycle
North lawn/rotor: 12-16 minutes each cycle

Most sprinkler systems have 6-8 zones so you'll need to make sure that you give enough time to run through the cycle before you start to cycle through again.

Follow these tips and you'll have both a healthy landscape and more money in your pocket!
Susan LaRocca has experience in landscaping and organic gardening in the Dallas, Texas area. If you would like more information on organic gardening and a free organic gardening 6 day course "Organic Gardening Magic" visit http://easyorganicgardeningguide.weebly.com/

Starting Your Own Rose Garden - Tips and Trips to Get You Going

If you are about to start with a rose garden, you might think that it's too daunting for you at first. One thing you could do is go to your local garden center and be inspired. You will see what seeing so many colors, sizes, different types of roses will do to your creativity.
Each of these roses have a special characteristic not found in another type, and each of them is best used in a particular landscape. However, all roses love sunlight, no matter of their differences. So when you are choosing a place for your rose garden, make sure that it has plenty of sunlight per day, preferably 5-6 hours at a time.
Then you need to really think about your rose garden. For example spend some time envisioning the different types and color combinations that go together. If you have a nice variety of colors, it is much more pleasing to the eyes than a boring one type / one color mix. So you need to be aware of the color schemes available. For example you can check in various catalogs, magazines, online magazines, whatever inspires you. You need to plan your garden carefully before you actually start designing it.
When you're really there, when you've started your rose garden, you need to pay attention to a few things. For example, you need to clean your garden on a regular basis. What this means is simply keeping the fallen leaves, including various other debris away from the roots of the rose, because this way you can not only water the plants directly at the roots, but you will also get the additional benefit of keeping problems such as fungus in check.
Feed your rose bushes throughout their flowering season because this will keep your plant healthy when the dormant time comes. You can use various fertilizers, they are all good, but you need to remember that following directions on the bottle will yield you the best results.

Organic Gardening in 3 main steps

Gardening with organic methods is a basic way to garden. It is done by creating a natural environment that will maintain itself. Applying simple techniques of composting, crop rotation, companion planting and succession planting. These methods will benefit the soil you are growing your crops in and will develop healthy plants to provide a thriving crop.

To start an organic garden, you don't have to be an experienced gardener to have a successful garden. Whether you are growing flowers, fruits, herbs or vegetables, some basic information, a few basic tools and the willingness to grow your own garden will get you started.

Knowing your hardness zone is the first thing you should know about the area you are in. This is a map system that the United States Department of Agriculture has developed to divide the different climate zones in North America. There are ten zones, 1 being the coldest and 10 being the warmest. Having the knowledge of your zone will enable you to choose the plants that will grow best in your area.

Your garden's soil pH level and its fertility is the second information you will need to know. Testing garden soil is very important, especially if you are starting a new garden or changing over from the traditional methods to organic methods. The soils acidity or alkalinity is what influences plant growth and are determined by a number scale from 1 to 10, 1 being very acidic and 10 being very alkaline. Most of your fruits and vegetables prefer a ph level of 6.5 to 7.0. Soil fertility is another very important part of your gardens soil, it affects the health and productivity of the plants you are growing. To test your gardens soil, you can take a soil sample to a cooperative extension service or purchase a soil test kit from most garden centers to test it yourself.

The last and very important part in starting a garden is don't over do it, go easy and start small. Starting out small and growing crops that you really enjoy. Taking on a garden to large to handle will only turn the enjoyable experience of gardening into a second job and you can get discouraged.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

Organic Gardening for Beginners

Of all the reasons why people choose to grow their own food, perhaps today the most important one is a financial reason. Food is expensive. Organic food is even more expensive! If you want to eat healthy and you want to stick to a budget, then you should grow your own organic food in your own organic garden.

We all know that organic food is much better for us. We know it when we taste it. We also know all the chemicals that are used in the production of commercially bought food and know that it isn't good for our bodies, or for the earth. By growing your own food in your own garden, you make a little difference in the world, and a big difference in the taste of your food. Organic food tastes great!

If you look online, you will find a few websites that show organic gardening for beginners tips. When starting an organic garden for the first time, information for organic gardening for beginners is exactly what you need. It may sound simple to start an organic garden, but it's a lot more work than you think and if you don't know what you are doing, it can really go wrong quickly.

Some organic gardening for beginners tips that can go a long way surround the organization and initial development of your garden. By choosing the right crops right off the bat, you will prevent a lot of problems later on. By learning how to feed and water your plants to maximize the growth and minimize the pests and weeds, you will have a more successful garden.

Yes, you can go toss some seeds on the soil and hope for a few vegetables to sprout up in a few months, but if you want a quick, successful, and healthy garden, get some good advice.

Graham Vanderliden is an organic gardening for beginners expert and the director of the popular website OrganicGardeningGuideForYou.Com. For free tips and advice on how to get started on organic gardening and more, check out the website for more info!

Organic Gardening - Why Grow Your Organic Garden

Some first time gardeners might wonder why they should bother growing their vegetables organically. They wonder if it even makes any difference in the long run. Before that question can be answered a person must first understand what organic gardening really is.

Organic gardening is gardening without using any chemically created fertilizers, weed killers, or pesticides. In most gardens store bought fertilizers that are crammed with chemicals are used to treat the soil the vegetables are planted in. Later, more store bought pesticides and weed killers are sprayed among the vegetables while they are growing to kill the insects and weeds that are part of any garden.

For many using store bought fertilizers, weed killers, and pesticides seems like the best choice. It is often considered easier to run to the market, purchase a bottle of “weed killer” and spray your garden whenever you notice weeds growing. The process is later repeated when any pests appear or the vegetables do not seem to be growing well. The problem with using these store bought, chemically enhanced items is that you rarely know exactly what you are exposing your vegetables to.

There are some people who do take the time to check the ingredients on their products before buying them but most of us don’t. In fact, many of us only look for the cheapest products available. After buying based on price we are then exposing ourselves to potentially harmful chemicals by using them on food we plan to later eat. Yes most vegetables are washed before being eaten but how thoroughly and how will washing help when the food has been grown using fertilizer loaded with unknown chemicals. The following are two common pesticides used for gardening with their known possible side effects:

Malathion- Abdominal pain, stomach cramps, anxiety, unsteadiness, confusion, depression, diarrhea, labored breathing, dizziness, sweating, loss of bowel or bladder control, eyelid, face, and neck twitching, unusual weakness, and slow heartbeat.

Skoot- Headache, dizziness, loss of memory, kidney pain, insomnia, nausea, and vomiting.

These are only two pesticides that can lead to serious health products. There are many more insecticides and pesticides used on vegetables that have very harmful side effects. In addition to chemically saturated pesticides most vegetables are also grown using fertilizers that are filled with chemicals and the vegetable plants are also treated with weed killers that expose vegetables to even more chemicals.

By growing organically you are placing yourself in complete control of what is going into the food that you are eating and completely avoiding any chance of being poisoned by pesticides. When vegetables are grown organically you do not have to wonder about what sort of chemicals your vegetables have been exposed to since you know that you have used no store bought, man made, chemicals in your garden.
In the event that you do feel that your vegetable garden needs pesticide or fertilizer there are natural ways to create both fertilizer and pesticide that do not involve buying outside products.

Along with shunning the use of pesticides organic vegetable gardening is also a great way to save money and valuable resources. Surprisingly, many gardeners and those that are interested in starting their own gardens do not realize that starting an organic garden is a money saving move. It is easy to forget that if you are not using store bought chemicals you do not have to pay additionally money each month for chemicals that you will quickly use and have to replace.

If you do not believe that organic gardening will save you money price the cost of store bought fertilizers, pesticides, and even weed killers the next time you are at the store. Once you have found the cheapest items imagine having to continuously buy them to keep your garden going in addition to your normal household groceries and supplies.

Imagine the money you will you will save by not using these expensive products all together. Also imagine the money you will save by not having to waste gas making last minute trips to the market when you realize you have run out of these supplies.

These last minute trips to the grocery store will happen more often than you realize if you start a garden using chemicals. It is easy to forget to purchase weed killer during a hectic grocery store trip only to come home and find that weeds are overrunning your garden. The same thing often happens with pesticides. Many gardeners will not purchase a replacement bottle of pesticide because they have not noticed any insects. Then, the next thing they know, their garden is overrun with hungry insects ruining the fruits of their labor.

If saving money isn’t a major concern for you or your family think about the health benefits that come from gardening organically. Organic vegetables are usually recommended with many diets, especially diets that encourage detoxification and the cleansing of ones system. Having a fresh supply of organic vegetables on hand at all times will help you and your family lead a healthier lifestyle and make any organic vegetable detox diet easier to maintain.

Organic vegetables and a detox regiment can do wonders for your health and the health of your family. Many people who eat meals that are made up of at least 60% organic vegetables will find that they have more energy as a result of receiving more vitamins and minerals from a natural source. Overtime those who have diet consisting primarily of organic vegetables will experience a lowering of blood pressure and cholesterol. They will also find it easier to lose weight since they are consuming less fat and processed foods.

Last, but never least, organic vegetables taste much better than those that have been heavily treated with chemicals. Good, organic, vegetables that have never been sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals will usually have a more pronounced flavor and better taste than their non-organic counterpart. People who eat organic vegetables taste the vegetable and not the chemicals that have been used to protect and grow the vegetable. Many people who grow organic vegetables do so for the great taste more than anything else.

By: Juliet Spalding

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To learn about lilac bushes and lilac trees, visit the Lilac Flower website.

Understanding Organic Gardening

If you have a passion for gardening and you have never tried organic gardening then why not try it. It requires a lot of work, but it can be done. Some people start it as a hobby and let it grow from there.

Some people just seem to have trouble gardening, while others can grow anything. Where do you fit in? It requires a certain amount of skill to grow a good garden. You have to make sure the plants get the right amount of sun and water. You have to know the type of soil you have and how to treat it. Once you start your organic gardening, you should see it through to the finish.
Many people are successful gardeners are encouraged by friends or family to try their hand at organic gardening.

Organic gardening requires you to use natural ingredients for your fertilizing and pesticides. This means you should use compost for the fertilizer. You can make your own compost or buy what you need from the local gardening supply store.

Compost consists of grass clippings, dry leaves, twigs, hay and household organic waste. You let the ingredients compost for several months and you should have an excellent organic fertilizer.

Organic gardening means that you are using no pesticides. This requires you to pick the insects off with your fingers. This can be a painstaking process but made much easier if you have a greenhouse. You could purchase an organic pesticide as well.

Organic gardening is time consuming, so you will have to be diligent in its operation. However, the rewards are wonderful. Eating organic vegetables is very healthy for you.

Even though organic gardening is a lot of work, it is very rewarding. Your friends and family will be proud of your accomplishment and so should you.

By: tommyd

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Tom has been gardening for years but this is his first foray into organic gardening. Visit his site for more information on how to grow your own vegetables. www.mygardeningbasics.com
By T. Houser