Gardening Made Easy: Plant In A Soil Bag

Filed under Vegetables by admin on September 7, 2010 at 3:22 am {no comments}

Gardening Made Easy: Plant In A Soil Bag

Is anyone out there in a hurry? This no-dig planting method is the fastest way to a vegetable garden – a soil bag can be planted in under 60 seconds Planting directly into a bag of topsoil is also easy
and convenient.

At first glance, this may look like a less-than-organic approach, with the plastic and all. However, there are a few of great reasons to try this method yourself.:

1) You may have the desire to grow fresh veggies or herbs but keep looking hopelessly at the calendar wondering where the heck you’re going to find the time to create suitable bed for them.

2) If you feel intimidated by the whole idea of figuring out the size and structure of a garden bed. Whatever the intimidating factor is – planting soil bags are the answer.

3) When the perfect spot in your yard seems beyond all hope at the moment. You may have this perfectly brilliant spot in your yard for veggies, but what passes for dirt in that spot really gives soil a bad name. Drop a couple of soil bags there and plant to your little heart’s desire; it’s that easy.

Here’s how you do it:
Get a bag of topsoil and with a pair of scissors, make slices into the back of the bag for drainage. Then lay the soil bag on its back (sliced-hole-side down) in the area that you want to make your veggie bed. Use your scissors to cut a big rectangle shape of plastic off of the top of the soil bag. At this point, you simply make some holes into the soil and place your plants into them – then water. You can also start seeds in the bags this way instead of using little plant starts if you’d like.

At the end of the growing season, pull the plastic out of the bedding area and arrange the soil (and the added amendments). This will be the beginning of enhancing any lousy soil that was underneath the bags to begin with.

Steve McShane is Founder, Owner and General Manager of McShane’s Nursery & Landscape Supply. Steve is a Soil Science graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and has his MBA from Santa Clara University.

Email Steve: steve@mcshanesnursery.com

No-dig Gardening

Filed under Uncategorized by admin on September 6, 2010 at 11:40 am {no comments}

No-dig Gardening

My No-Dig Veggie Garden

   Miles Trench 

I have been a passionate organic gardener for over thirty-five years. My first memories are of my father’s fruit orchard in Marden, South Australia, where the deep alluvial loam grew magnificent plums, apricots, peaches and nectarines. In fact, everything we planted grew well. And I fondly recall our early morning trips to the market in the 1970s, the ute loaded up with half-cases full of ripe, juicy fruit ready to sell.

            My grandfather had established an extensive market garden in Uraidla, in the Adelaide Hills. He taught my father about using nature to help grow healthy organic produce. And in turn, I learned from my dad. In fact, most ‘green thumbs’ of the older generation have a wealth of valuable experience and advice to offer – if only we take the time to ask. Then I moved to the Yorke Peninsula and found to my dismay that our block has only a very thin layer of topsoil and underneath it’s solid limestone. So it was with great interest that I began reading Esther Dean’s book on no-dig gardening. Well, straight away I was hooked. The no-dig system as she explains is a fantastic, eco-friendly method of growing nutritious fresh vegetables at home. It’s cheap, easy, no fuss and completely chemical-free (something I have been advocating for a long time.)

There are many benefits and advantages to using a no-dig system; they include:

         Any suitable area can be used to house a no-dig grow bed as long as there is enough sun, access to organic material and clean water is available – you can even build a no-dig edible garden on top of flat concrete if that’s the only space you have available.
(Just be sure that excess water can run off and won’t cause problems later on.)

         It saves time and effort (and your back! – no more bending to work hard ground).

         The organic medium in the grow-bed retains its structure and fertility well.
(This is because the organisms in the soil mix [soil biota] are not continually disturbed as they are during traditional ‘in-ground’ digging and planting methods.

         It’s simple – kids through to the elderly can give it a go, and with great results too!

         It’s cheap, organic, uses recycled materials and is environmentally friendly.

         It reduces water use, insect attack and damage; and weed infestation and competition.

         It can be done on a small scale – right through to as large as you can manage.

         As the organic material breaks downs it creates a soil warming effect.

         And finally – it really works!

Worms…

The gardener’s friend, the humble earth worm, is nature’s underground dynamo.
When you make a no-dig grow-bed without a solid bottom (for example you recycle an old rainwater tank and cut the bottom out), worms in the soil underneath and nearby will then have access. They will work their way up from below, aerating the bed and enriching the soil mix as they go.

Worms:

               Drag small particles of organic matter down into the soil. 

                Deposit ‘worm-castings’ or vermicast back onto the surface

§             Vermicast helps enrich the soil through the addition
         of micro-elements and plant-friendly bacteria.

§             Vermicast used au natural or in the form of a weak ‘tea’
         makes an amazing, eco-friendly and non-toxic natural
         fertilizer.
 

                Tunnelling worms aerate the soil

§             this assists drainage, moisture retention and also provides

         access for developing plant roots.

               Tunnelling earthworms also leave behind a trail of polysaccharides
              (sugars) and plant-friendly bacteria
 

               ‘Worm-farms’, are a great way to recycle organic kitchen scraps and
             will produce a free, natural, liquid fertilizer at the same time.

  Earthworms – Class Oligochaeta Phylum Annelida 

How to Build a No-Dig Grow Bed

 Materials

1)             No-dig bed framework – any suitably robust structure strong enough
                to contain the soil mix

2)             Oaten hay, straw or lucerne

3)             Old newspapers

4)             Compost and well rotted manure

5)             Clean water (to wet down the material as you go)

6)             Organic fertilizer (to boost plant growth)

7)             A couple of hours to prepare and construct the no-dig bed

8)             Seeds or seedlings to plant. 

Method 

1)      Choose a sheltered, sunny site for your no-dig garden bed, away from any large tree roots (if possible). Any form of solid frame can be used, as long as it’s strong enough to support the soil mix and won’t break down in the rain and weather.

      Do not set up your no-dig bed directly on top of established kikuyu or thick Buffalo grass or similar,  as these grasses thrive on the leached nutrients and
                        will send runners all through your mix to eventually swamp the whole bed. 

                 Recycled rainwater tanks make great no-dig grow beds

 Some examples of no-dig frames you might use.

             Hay Bales    Old wire bed frames    Boards

    Sleepers     Rainwater tanks    Bathtubs

             Tyres    Wooden pallets (cut to size)

   Stones piled up/Besser bricks, Galvanised iron

 
    Be inventive – find what you can use – use what you find  

 2) Once you have picked your spot, erect or construct your no-dig bed framework. Secure
it well with screws or bolts or strong wire/twine to make it strong. You can use hay bales (see below), to get you started on your first attempts at no-dig.

 Steps to constructing a hay/straw bale no-dig framework

 Set up your bales of hay in a rectangle then loop and tie a supportive ring of strong twine around the shape, to prevent collapse (the coloured plastic cord that binds the hale bales is a good, strong twine). 
            Knock in some heavy garden stakes around the outside of the frame to provide extra support to the structure (see below). Using stakes tied with twine also provides an ideal trellis for climbing beans, tomatoes or cucumbers.

 Next, place a layer of gravel, small rocks, twigs, or similar coarse material as a base to ensure your bed will have good drainage. Make sure this layer is thick enough to smother any ground weeds. I use a layer of broken bricks at the bottom for a no-dig garden bed, with hay bales to form the outside framework. 

3)      Lay down several sheets of newspaper, a layer of thick cardboard or an old piece of carpet. Wet this down thoroughly. On top of this spread a few handfuls of blood and bone, Dynamic Lifter® or a similar (slow release) organic fertilizer.

4)      Add the first layer of pea straw or hay (oaten hay is the best), about eight cm (ten inches) thick. Wet this down well also.

5)      Add the next layer – about twenty cm (eight inches) of manure. Make sure it is well rotted and weed-free (if possible). Water-in well also.

6)     Cow manure is good, but any natural animal manure is OK – Zoo-Poo® is rated highly by some, but make sure any manure you do use is well aged, as fresh stuff will
burn fragile plant roots. On top of the manure add a layer of compost, humus,
or vegetative scraps (like old corn husks, cabbage or lettuce leaves.)

7) Add another layer of lucerne, straw or oaten hay and water in well. To this, add a crust
of powdered dolomite, garden lime, crushed rock or granite dust. These compounds add essential minerals and trace elements to the mix and help stabilize the pH levels (acid vs. alkaline). Soil pH of around 7 (neutral) is generally the best for growing most vegetables.

8) Add another good, thick layer of aged manure.

9) Top this up with a thick layer, about twenty cm (eight inches) of humus, compost, potting mix or good, clean garden soil. This acts as the base medium to plant your veggies in.  

  CAREFUL:  You can use grass clippings in the layers of your mix, but be careful!  Grass clippings should be mixed in with other material (like compost or dry leaves, bits of bark, or small prunings/twigs) to make a combined layer, so that the grass won’t form into lumpy mats that will go mouldy, spoil the mix and may also introduce mould and fungus.

Warning: 
1) Some horse or livestock manures may contain residual chemicals used in worming, performance or pest control treatment, especially stuff from
pig farms horse studs. 

2) Poultry manure (especially pigeon poo) is very high in nitrogen and phosphorus. It must be well broken-down and diluted or combined well with other composted material before using: Never use raw poultry manure as fertilizer on your plants. 

Well, that’s about it. Of course, this is just one way to construct and prepare a no-dig garden. You can rig-up just about any sturdy framework and fill it with layers of organic material and grow lovely veggies. So if you don’t have all the material suggested above,
use what can obtain cheaply and easily and give it a go. The important thing is to have
a weed-free, nutrient-rich soil base that is deep enough for the plants to grow in.

            You will also that notice that over time the soil mix in the bed will begin to subside. This is normal. Just keep topping up with organic material to maintain a sufficient depth.
A bed using hay/straw bales for the framework will last a couple of crops. Just recycle the hay or straw and use it as mulch or as part of a new no-dig grow bed. Boxes or large pots can be another easy way to no-dig garden as well. Some people grow potatoes in a ring of old tyres, they just keep adding another tyre on top, filling it with more organic material as the spuds develop and grow. When the tops die off, the spuds below are ready to harvest.

      Other materials that can be used in a no-dig bed:

               Coconut fibre / coir / comfrey leaves

                      Sawdust (mix with manure or leaves, compost or similar)

                               Mushroom compost, shredded  seaweed

                                      Rice hulls, Cocoa bean/nut shells, peat
           

                  Hint:    Mulch around veggie seedlings with seaweed:
                               It adds vital minerals like iodine to the soil mix. 

Q. ‘What if I use an old tub with a bottom and the worms can’t get in’? Good question…
A. ‘Well, worm eggs abound in most good soils, so add a couple of handfuls to your mix and once the moisture and conditions are right, they will soon hatch and grow and begin the industrious machinations we all appreciate and treasure.

            But if after a few weeks there is still no sign of worms, make sure once again you have adequate drainage (if it’s too moist, they will drown) and then go for a dig around the moist parts of your garden or beg, borrow or buy a few from a neighbour or friend –
(you can also purchase worm eggs on-line).

            And lastly, be aware that there is a difference between the tiger worms used in worm farms, and the usual garden variety found in most soils.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this story of how I created my no-dig garden.
I now have six grow beds in operation – some tin, some wooden-framed. This allows me to leave a grow bed fallow (unplanted) or plant a green-manure crop – but I’ll tell you all about that and also how I achieve non-toxic pest control using companion planting the next time we discuss the fascinating and rewarding adventure we call organic gardening.

 

Smiles from miles 

Miles Trench – Email:  milestrench_22@yahoo.com.au

http://au.geocities.com/milestrench_22/milestrenchwebpage.html

 

 

Published:


[Expected] – October 2008, Divan 7 – Institute of TAFE, Victoria (poem) ‘a moment’

August 2008, Warm Earth Organic Gardening (article) My No-Dig Veggie Garden

July 2008, Back Yard Farmer (Earth Garden) (article): Basic No-Dig Gardening

March 2008, Scribble Gum – ‘Highly Commended’ – (poem) Flores

October 2007, Kerneweck Lowender – ‘Highly Commended’ A Piece of Paper

December 2006, ‘Writing Right’ – Poetry Prize

April/May 2006 – Grass Roots Magazine (article) Do a Number on Your Garden

May 1999, Grass Roots – (article) Marion Bay

June 2002, That’s Life (article) Look What I Can Do!

October 2001, Winner of Across the Valley Short-story award – Martin’s Secret

May 1999 Third Prize International Library of Poetry – Winter

November 1998 Nimbin News – Papermaking – An Ancient Craft Revisited

April 1998 – Australian Business Opportunities – ‘Recycling’

December 1997, New Age Guardian – Papermaking.


Oeuvre to Date:


56 poems, 26 short stories, 1 book, various fragments and many ‘works in progress…’


Qualifications:


2007 Diploma Professional Writing (external) ARTS SA


Motto ‘Learn, create, explore and believe ‘

Fall Gardening in Southern California

Filed under Vegetables by admin on September 6, 2010 at 12:18 am {no comments}

Fall Gardening in Southern California

Gardeners in sunny Southern California can always plant vegetables and flowers in September and October for their fall and winter enjoyment. Most gardeners in the mid section and northern states are finishing up with their gardens for the year and are getting ready for the winter frost.


We need to prepare our soil by removing all annuals, till the soil and add plenty of compost or organic mix. If we wait a couple of weeks before planting we will give the weeds time to germinate, thus removing them while they are small will be easier than waiting until later. At the end of September, we can start planting our fall and winter flower gardens. In September our nights are usually cool and the days can be warm to hot, especially when the autumn Santa Ana winds start blowing. In the sunny areas we can plant delphiniums, larkspur, pansies, snapdragon, and Iceland poppy; the shady areas can take daisies and primrose.  


Now is also the time of the year when our perennials start losing their vividness. We need to remove all the old summer flowers and to trim back the overpowering growth of the plants. We can also plant some wildflowers by gently raking the soil, spread some seed, and lightly cover the seed with soil. Once the rains come to Southern California, these seeds will start germinating.


We need to start planting our spring flowering bulbs now. We need to purchase the bulbs as soon as we see them in our nurseries, and home and garden centers. The bulbs need to be fairly heavy for their size and firm when squeezed, if we aren’t going to plant immediately, store them in a cool dry place until ready. Now is the best time for planting daffodils, hyacinths and tulips.


When our summer vegetables are no longer giving us a good crop, which is usually late in September or October, we need to remove them and plant new vegetable plants that will continue to produce through the winter. Some of these vegetables are broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, and peas.


The Santa Ana winds that we get can produce chaos to our newly planted garden. The winds will draw out the water from the leaves and the shallow root system cannot replace it as fast as the winds take it. If we don’t provide enough water, the winds can destroy our garden in just a few days. Once the winds pick up we need to quickly get the garden hose and give our precious plants the needed moisture.


Sometimes fall gardening in Southern California can be pretty tricky, but as long as we keep on top of the wind conditions we should be just fine. Having a winter vegetable garden is fun for the entire family.

Barbara and her husband are deciding which bulbs to plant this year. Last year it was tulips and this year maybe it will be iris. Come enjoy our website Gardeners Garden Supplies for more interesting flowers.

Go Organic to Shrink Your Gardening Budget

Filed under Uncategorized by admin on September 5, 2010 at 5:39 pm {no comments}

Go Organic to Shrink Your Gardening Budget

Saving the Earth and protecting children and pets from dangerous chemicals are the reasons most gardeners cite for giving up pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, but guess what? Making the switch to organic gardening methods will save you money too! Here are six examples of how going organic will put money back in your pocket.

**Plant veggies, spend less on doctor bills. A recent article by a Texas research biochemist summarizes some bad news: many scientific studies show that the vitamin content of fresh fruits and vegetables is on the decline. That’s alarming, because fresh produce should be an important source of vitamins and minerals in our diets — without them, we’re more vulnerable to getting sick. Fortunately, there’s a simple way to protect your health and reduce what you spend on costly doctor visits, cold and flu medications, and vitamin pills: plant some vegetables. Fresh-picked home garden produce is brimming with nutrition, and recent studies confirm that organically grown produce can be even richer in nutrients than conventionally grown fruits and veggies.

**Fire your lawn care service. How much do you pay for a lawn care company to treat your lawn? Chances are it’s way too much. So ditch the lawn service and hire a local teen to mow for you instead. To encourage a healthy lawn the organic way, have your hired help set the mower high — at least 3 inches high. That way, your lawn grass naturally shades out weeds (no more herbicides needed).  Be sure your helper uses a mulching mower that returns grass clippings — which contain valuable nitrogen — to the lawn (no more bagged fertilizer needed). Once a year, have your helper spread good-quality compost too, about 1/4 inch thick. The compost will melt into the lawn almost immediately, adding a wide range of nutrients as well as beneficial microbes that help prevent lawn diseases.

**Fight pests with flowers instead of pesticides. More than 90 percent of the insects in your yard and garden are your friends, not your foes. Ladybugs, lacewings, and even many kinds of flies and tiny wasps are an important natural pest control force. Their larvae (the immature stages of the insects) gobble up aphids and other pests, or parasitize the caterpillars that would like to turn the foliage of your flowers and veggies into a holey mess. One easy way to attract these good-guy insects to your yard organically is to plant a garden of perennials and herbs with tiny flowers, because the adult beneficial insects eat pollen, not bugs. Yarrow, purple coneflowers, daisies, tansy, cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias are great plants to start with, and you’ll love how they look growing in sunny spots all around your yard. Buying a few packets of annual seeds and several potted perennials is much cheaper — and much more fun — than buying pesticides and a sprayer!

**Forget the bagged fertilizer — buy seeds instead. It’s true! A packet of cover crop seeds such as buckwheat or oats will add as much fertility to your garden beds as any bag of synthetic fertilizer can. And that’s just the start of the story. Using synthetic fertilizer is a vicious cycle, because the chemicals in the fertilizer kill or repel beneficial earthworms and other organisms that help build a healthy soil. Plus, chemical fertilizer easily washes down through the soil when it rains, ending up in the groundwater we drink! You’ll save big in the long term by planting cover crops instead—they prevent soil erosion, they encourage earthworms and other good guys, and they enrich your soil naturally. Simply sow the cover crop seed on lightly loosened soil, rake it in lightly, and water it to speed germination. Within 4 to 8 weeks, you can cut down the crop with shears or your lawn mower, and all that rich green material will naturally break down, leaving you a nutrient-primed planting bed that will produce bumper crops of veggies, fruit, or flowers.

**Reduce your water bill by capturing rainwater. Depending on where you live, as much as 50 percent of the water you use goes to keeping your garden green and growing. That’s a big expense that will only get bigger as water supply problems increase around the country. But for less than 0, you can buy and install a rain barrel that will capture the rain that falls on your roof, providing you a free supply of water for your gardens virtually indefinitely. Rain barrels are available from home centers and mail-order suppliers, and it takes no special skills to install one.

**Grow gourmet salad toppings on the cheap. Microgreens are all the rage at fancy restaurants and farm markets, but boy are they expensive! Here’s a secret: you can grow your own microgreens at any time of year on a sunny windowsill for a fraction of the price. Simply save leftover clamshell containers from the deli and buy some organic transplanting mix that’s enriched with compost. Clean the containers well, use a barbecue skewer to poke several drainage holes in each one, and fill them with moist mix. Then sprinkle veggie seeds (be sure the seeds haven’t been treated with pesticides) generously over the soil surface, cover lightly with more mix, and set the containers in a catch tray on the windowsill. Mist daily until sprouts appear, then water as needed to keep them growing. Within three weeks, the sprouts will reach the two-leaf stage, and you can snip them with scissors to garnish salads, sandwiches, and entrees. Use lettuce, arugula and other salad greens, as well as broccoli, kale, dill, cilantro, basil, even peas.

©2009 Fern Marshall Bradley, co-editor of The All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Planning – Selection – Propagation – Organic Solutions

Fern Marshall Bradley, co-editor with Trevor Cole of The All-New Illustrated Guide to Gardening, is a writer and editor whose favorite topics are gardening and sustainable living. A co-author of Reader’s Digest’s Vegetable Gardening, she also conceived and edited The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Insect and Disease Control, The Expert’s Book of Garden Hints, among others. Bradley is a former gardening books editor for Rodale.

Is It Organic? Hydroponic Gardening

Filed under Uncategorized by admin on September 5, 2010 at 11:39 am {no comments}

Is It Organic? Hydroponic Gardening

Some organic gardeners believe that hydroponic gardening can’t be organic because you don’t use soil. How can you have an organic garden without rich, loamy soil? Good soil is at the heart of organic gardening. Organic hydroponic gardening does exist, however, and has some advantages over conventional organic gardening.


Soil-less Gardening


Organic hydroponic gardening is organic gardening without the soil. Organic hydroponic gardening relies on water to provide the nutrients needed for plant growth. Organic hydroponic gardening still requires a growing medium; most plants won’t grow without something solid to put their roots into. The growing medium is not the source of nutrients, however; it’s as sterile as a chemically fertilized monoculture wheat field. The growing medium is simply a structure to root the plants into and to hold the nutrient-filled water.


Organic hydroponic gardening growing medium can be any organic material. Vermiculite and perilte are often used. (Be careful when handling vermiculite, as it is a source of asbestos.) Straw, cotton, plant fiber or any other organic material can be used.


The Secret is in the Water


Organic hydroponic gardening relies on dissolving substances in water to provide nutrients for the plants. Because it is organic, anything that goes into the water must be organic. Compost tea is frequently used in organic hydroponic gardening. It is made by soaking compost in water and straining out the solid material. The rich nutrients dissolve in the water and are used to feed the plants.


Manure tea is also used in hydroponic gardening. Manure tea can be a source of bacterial contamination of the produce, including contamination with lethal varieties of E. coli. Manure should be well-composted or sterilized before making manure tea. You make it the same way you make compost tea; by dissolving the manure in water and straining out the solid material.


Other organic additives that can be used are seaweed and fish emulsion. There are no special fertilizers because you continually circulate and refresh the nutrient mixture.


Special Uses


Organic hydroponic gardening has a niche in the organic gardening landscape. It fits anywhere that there is no soil available or the soil won’t support plant growth.


Organic hydroponic gardening is used to grow crops in parts of the world where the soil has been over-farmed and is too depleted to grow food. Organic hydroponic gardening is used in outer space living and will almost certainly be part of any attempt to colonize the moon or another planet. Organic hydroponic gardening is being used for urban gardens on rooftops. This enables urbanites to grow healthy food in wasted space. Rooftops can’t always support the weight of soil for traditional organic gardening.


Hydroponic gardening can be organic. You don’t get to play in the dirt, which is the part many organic gardeners love, but you do get to grow healthy, sustainable, organic food with organic hydroponic gardening.

Guide to Nutrition explores the issue of nutrition and health so that you can find out more information about what you eat and the effect it has on your life. For more information please visit http://www.organicgardenwebsite.co.uk/

Hydroponics gardening guide – growing mediums used in hydroponics – Soil less Mixtures and Coconut Fiber

Filed under Uncategorized by admin on September 5, 2010 at 8:42 am {no comments}

Hydroponics gardening guide – growing mediums used in hydroponics – Soil less Mixtures and Coconut Fiber

Soil less Mixtures

There is a great amount of soil less mixtures available, which contain different ingredients. Sphagnum moss, perlite, and vermiculite are the most widely spread hydroponics components, used in such mixtures.

Being organic, soil less growing media are usually used for container gardening wick systems or on-recovery drip systems. It is also possible to use soil less mixtures in recovery systems, however, it is necessary to remember that because of very fine particles in such mixtures, they can clog tubes, pumps and drip emitters, when used without a good filtration system. By the way, according to the urban gardeners, one can use panty hose as a filter: just fit it to the return line and to the pump inlet, and all the tiny particles will be filtered out.

Most soil less mixes form a good growing medium for multiple hydroponic and organic gardens, because they can hold water well, have great wicking action, and, at the same time, they provide a reasonable amount of air to the roots of growing plants.

 

Coconut Fiber

The popularity of coconut fiber as growing medium increases rapidly around the world. Being the first totally organic growing medium, providing highest performance for hydroponic systems, coconut fiber may soon become the most popular growing medium ever. It is interesting to note that coconut fiber is, actually, a waste product, which contains the powdered husks of coconuts.

In comparison to rockwool, coconut fiber is characterized with higher oxygen capacity and water retaining. These features are important advantages for hydroponic systems with intermittent watering cycles.

Coconut fiber also contains a lot of root stimulating hormones, thus offering some protection against fungus infestation and other root diseases. The mixture of 50% coconut fiber and 50% expanded clay pellets is considered to be the perfect growing medium.

However, it is necessary to underline one precaution when buying coconut fiber. Avoid purchasing a low grade coconut fiber, which is very fine grained and contains a high level of sea-salts. Such coconut fiber will have negative and disappointing effect on hydroponic system.

My name is guy. I am the founder and owner of the urbangardenershop.com.au . I fell in love with hydroponics gardening. As time went by I gathered a vast knowledge base and 2 years ago I decided to find a way to make hydroponics gardening a hobby that anyone can peruse. I added a hydroponic gardening information center to our hydroponic supplies site that offers a large range of hydroponics articles. Thank you for your interest and feel free to ask questions on hydroponics gardening in our site

http://www.urbangardenershop.com.au/

http://www.urbangardenershop.com.au/page/hydroponicresource/default.asp

http://www.urbangardenershop.com.au/category/7/default.asp

Ecological Gardening- what is it?

Filed under Vegetables by admin on September 4, 2010 at 6:18 pm {no comments}

Ecological Gardening- what is it?

The term Ecological Gardening seems to be gaining popularity.  But what is it?  My experience with Ecological Gardening started many years ago.  You see, I have always been a fence sitter.  As a teenager I could never make my mind up whether I wanted to be a horticulturist or an environmental scientist.  And sometimes I’m still a little unsure!

 

Fortunately, I have been able to gain qualifications in both.  My specialty is in growing food using ecological principles.  But I’m not talking about some sort of alternative hippie technique.  I’m talking about sound scientific principles.

 

In my experience, the study of natural ecosystems will reveal everything we need to know about growing food.  Natural ecosystems are generally diverse and there are a number of intricate interdependent relationships occurring between the living and non-living components at any given time.  Put simply, each component relies and benefits from its interaction with other components.  They fuel up on each other, causing the system to be able to sustain itself.  If one part of the system gets ‘out of whack’, the whole system is affected.

 

When studying a natural ecosystem, such as a diverse pristine rainforest we find that there are many living components co-existing in a given area.  Each of these components occupies a niche space.  If a component, let’s say a plant, is removed by an animal eating it, we are left with an empty niche.  An empty niche provides an opportunity for another life form to fill the space.  In natural ecosystems, nature does not tolerate empty niche spaces.  Once the niche becomes available, there will be a whole host of willing opportunists ready to fill that space.  Dormant seeds, sometimes decades old, will spring to life and quickly try to occupy it.

 

The same thing happens when we are trying to grow food.  In any agricultural practice, such as a vegetable garden, there are always empty niche spaces.  And remember, nature doesn’t tolerate empty niche spaces.  So weeds will try to fill the empty niche spaces.  Weeds are very good niche space fillers.  They are the ultimate colonizing plants.  So as we can see there is no difference in the way nature works, whether it is in a pristine natural ecosystem or a vegetable garden.

 

Ecological Gardening aims to create a system where nature works for us, and not against us.  It is actually quite easy to have a weed-free vegetable garden.  You simply do one of two things.  Firstly, you avoid having empty niche spaces.  And secondly, you make sure there is something desirable to fill niche spaces, should they become available.  That’s just one simple example, but Ecological Gardening can easily prevent a number of problems from ever arising.

 

My experience with Ecological Gardening has been phenomenal.  I have been able to combine natural weed management, soil ecology, pest ecology and crop management into a very simple and easy method.  In fact, I have been able to create a garden that requires very little attention and produces far more than a traditional vegetable garden, simply by applying sound scientific principles.  And from the incredible results that I have achieved, I can say, with absolute certainty, that Ecological Gardening is the good way we will be producing food in the future.

Learn how to set up an organic vegetable garden that requires only 8 hours work per year! Discover how to plant an organic vegetable garden you can harvest ever day regardless of where you live HERE.

Bio-Intensive Gardening

Filed under Uncategorized by admin on September 4, 2010 at 5:39 pm {no comments}

Bio-Intensive Gardening

Bio-Intensive Gardening

This old method of home gardening is simply related to organic gardening although there’s a little twist on the application. It involves the process by digging the plots the same size with the plot at a 1-2 feet depth. Inside the dug portion, all the garden wastes, grass clippings and other plant waste materials are deposited to lay there for a couple of weeks to decompose. This is duplicated to other plots alternately in the garden.

7 Ways You Can Apply Bio-Intensive Gardening

1) Clear the area of all weeds, grass clippings and other waste materials.

2) Put garden waste, grass clippings and other yard wastes in certain place.

3) Layout your garden according to the size of plots you want. It can be 1m X 10m length or 1m X 20 m length plot if your area is wide.

4) On the first row or plot dig the soil according to the size and length of your plot 1-2 ” depth. Place the dug soil on the side of plot to make easier to return them back.

5) Gather all you wastes, grass clippings and other landscape wastes and put them inside the dug plot. Press them properly to compress inside the dug portion.

6) Return the dug soil back into the plots where the grass clippings are deposited and compact them to cover the whole plot. It makes the dug soil raised higher above the soil at around 1 foot high.

7) Make another dug area alternately with your plots until all your waste materials are totally buried under the soil.

After a couple of weeks, you can plant on top of the raised dug plots. The garden wastes are now totally decomposed and you can utilize planting other crops alternately.

Bio-Intensive gardening is effective in areas near urban centers and other populated locations. And this is recommended from environmentalists group since it’s favorable for organic gardening.

Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: http://www.crisramasasa.com

Cris Ramasasa is a retired Horticulture teacher for 29 years and Freelance writer. Writes home gardening tips and resources. Written ebooks titled: Discover How To Get Started In Flower Gardening and Vegetable Gardening Made Easy. www.crisramasasa.com

Gardening Supply- The Vegetable Suppliers And Where To Find Them

Filed under Vegetables by admin on September 3, 2010 at 3:16 pm {no comments}

Gardening Supply- The Vegetable Suppliers And Where To Find Them

As you look for gardening supply, the vegetable supplies are often found easily. However, where the supplies are bought from, actually matters. Most of times as you find that every gardening need you have could come from little pouches. This is not true when one is looking for high-quality ingredients for the gardening supply. The vegetable seeds or even bulbs for garlic and onions could be successful. It is, but a better choice to check out for other, still higher quality resources instead of them.

Find them- the place

For any gardening supply; be it vegetable or fruit supplies one should know where to look for them? In earlier times when the farms were readily available, the farmers or gardeners never tried turning to others for any supplies that was needed for the crops. This proves to be very expensive. They instead turned to their very own current crops. They would ensure to keep good amount of seeds from the produce of previous harvests in order to plant their crop again in the next year. It allowed absolutely at no cost and it provided them with consistent and high quality fruit and vegetable crop. The farmers were aware about what the seeds would yield, and took no risk at all about what other products were available in the gardening supply. The vegetables were found amazing, and tasted in the similar manner, too.

Today, however, it is not possible that one has a crop from which the gardening supplies could be gathered. The vegetable growers could look towards other growers, no matter what help is required. For an instance, you may visit your local farm requesting some seeds for trying them in your garden. Always ensure that all the produce which is bought from the farm has come from its actual fields. This would help you in knowing the quality.

In few other instances, one may essentially do even better with the available gardening supply. Most vegetable and fruits could often be bought from the organic growers locally. They can be then seeded by you. When the plant hasn’t been grown in such a manner i.e., not allowing for seeds, then one may find this as the best method for getting affordable gardening supplies. Fruits and vegetables used like this are the very best choices you would find.

Always take some time for checking some higher quality gardening supplies. Vegetables and fruits which are grown in such manner are very unique in their tastes and textures. They would be healthier too, especially when it is grown organically. One may look for varied sources of supplies in the gardening activities. IN most cases, you could even locate most of the growers right online.

Abhishek is an avid Gardening enthusiast and he has got some great Gardening Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 57 Pages Ebook, “Your Garden – Neighbor’s Envy, Owner’s Pride!” from his website http://www.Gardening-Master.com/762/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Gardening with Kids

Filed under Uncategorized by admin on September 3, 2010 at 2:41 pm {no comments}

Gardening with Kids

Gardening with children can be so fulfilling, for you and for them.  Whether you are a teacher, a friend or a parent, you can enjoy some real quality time with the children that you care for. There are a few ways to make it fun for them.  Remember to have fun, encourage silliness and be open to the children’s ideas.  Kids really enjoy getting outside with adults and creating something.  Try to include things in the garden that the kids will really enjoy.  Have them set up hummingbird feeders, spinning wind catchers, wind chimes, and make vegetable markers or signs.  The more colorful and personal they make it, the more they will love it. Using hummingbird feeders, spinners and chimes will help give the kids some instant gratification.  It’s a lot more interesting than simply putting a seed in the dirt and walking away!  Set up a craft table in advance and let the kids decorate and design whatever they can think of to stick in the garden.  They can use construction paper, index cards, glue, glitter, beads and even seeds to decorate signs.  Use some laminating paper or dip in melted paraffin wax to waterproof signs. Sprouting seeds indoors is fun for kids and lets them see how roots grow towards the water and how leaves open up towards the sun.  Simply placing seeds on a wet paper towel and putting them into a sandwich bag will make them sprout rather quickly.  Then they can be placed in the dirt and have a better chance of survival than if you had only placed the seeds in the soil. Kids love the idea of introducing beneficial insects, butterflies, frogs and lizards into the garden.  Do a little research about your area and find out which insects are beneficial.  Your local nursery can usually provide you with useful information on which insects to introduce and where to get them.  Using living creatures to protect the vegetables from invaders is not only fun, but beneficial.  Teaching children how to garden organically will not only help them to ingest and absorb less chemicals now, but as they grow and plant their own gardens in the future.  Organic gardening is more fun, safer and better for their health. The fun isn’t over when the garden is planted.  Kids love to catch bugs and worms and then introduce them into the garden.  They can learn about recycling and composting while adding beneficial compost to their garden soil.  It will get richer by the year if you avoid chemical fertilizers.  Let them water with interesting containers or spray nozzles for the water hose.  Get an automatic <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.roboreel.com”title=”Hose Reel”>hose reel</a> and let them do it all by themselves.  One with forward assist and automatic hose retrieval makes it easy for even very young children to feel important and participate in the family fun.  Happy gardening!

Gardening with children can be so fulfilling, for you and for them.  Whether you are a teacher, a friend or a parent, you can enjoy some real quality time with the children that you care for.

There are a few ways to make it fun for them.  Remember to have fun, encourage silliness and be open to the children’s ideas.  Kids really enjoy getting outside with adults and creating something.  Try to include things in the garden that the kids will really enjoy.  Have them set up hummingbird feeders, spinning wind catchers, wind chimes, and make vegetable markers or signs.  The more colorful and personal they make it, the more they will love it.

Using hummingbird feeders, spinners and chimes will help give the kids some instant gratification.  It’s a lot more interesting than simply putting a seed in the dirt and walking away!  Set up a craft table in advance and let the kids decorate and design whatever they can think of to stick in the garden.  They can use construction paper, index cards, glue, glitter, beads and even seeds to decorate signs.  Use some laminating paper or dip in melted paraffin wax to waterproof signs.

Sprouting seeds indoors is fun for kids and lets them see how roots grow towards the water and how leaves open up towards the sun.  Simply placing seeds on a wet paper towel and putting them into a sandwich bag will make them sprout rather quickly.  Then they can be placed in the dirt and have a better chance of survival than if you had only placed the seeds in the soil.

Kids love the idea of introducing beneficial insects, butterflies, frogs and lizards into the garden.  Do a little research about your area and find out which insects are beneficial.  Your local nursery can usually provide you with useful information on which insects to introduce and where to get them.  Using living creatures to protect the vegetables from invaders is not only fun, but beneficial.  Teaching children how to garden organically will not only help them to ingest and absorb less chemicals now, but as they grow and plant their own gardens in the future.  Organic gardening is more fun, safer and better for their health.

The fun isn’t over when the garden is planted.  Kids love to catch bugs and worms and then introduce them into the garden.  They can learn about recycling and composting while adding beneficial compost to their garden soil.  It will get richer by the year if you avoid chemical fertilizers.  Let them water with interesting containers or spray nozzles for the water hose.  Get an automatic hose reel and let them do it all by themselves.  One with forward assist and automatic hose retrieval makes it easy for even very young children to feel important and participate in the family fun.  Happy gardening!

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

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