This quick video gives some good ideas for trees and plants that do well when planted in the fall. Trees actually do best when planted in the fall. The warm soil helps the roots get a good start, and they don't have to expend energy on foliage for several months, so they can put all their energy into getting a good root system established, which will help them withstand hot and dry conditions come next summer.
Fall Planting Tips
Expert Tom McNutt talks about what gardeners should plant during fall.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Planting In Fall In Preparation for Spring
You may be aware that there are certain things you can plant in your garden in the autumn, in preparation for growing time in the spring. Very likely you know you should plant bulbs in the fall, and this is also the season for dividing and transplanting other things in the garden. You might know as well that you can plant many perennials at this time of year, so they are well established come springtime. However, perhaps you could use some tips for how to go about all these things, so everything is planted properly and all you need to do after that is wait for the spring reward.
First of all, if there's anything you need to transplant out of the garden and move inside, now is the time to do it. So the perennials that should be potted indoors over the winter should be moved before the temperature goes too low. This would also be the time to thin out or transplant things that you want to give away or put somewhere else in the garden.
To plant bulbs, do it about six weeks before the ground freezes. Make sure the soil is well drained. As a rule of thumb, plant bulbs three times as deep as they are high, so a two inch bulb would go six inches deep, for example. Be sure the pointed end points upward or, if you can't be sure which would be considered the pointed end, plant the bulb sideways instead. When the bulb actually starts growing, it will pull the right end upward as it does.
When you plant perennials, make the hole about three times wider than the root ball of the plant, and just deep enough for the ball. If you're going to add something to help with root growth, now is when you do that. As you set the root ball into the hole, very gently try to loosen some of the roots on the outside. Hold it steady as you fill the soil back in, and tamp the soil fairly lightly. After a good watering, put a three- or four-inch layer of mulch over the soil, leaving a couple of inches of space clear around the stem of the plant. Keep watering, enough just to keep the soil most, until the ground freezes.
If you're planting seeds rather than partly grown plants, you need to be sure the ground is prepared and tilled properly first. Then scatter the seeds over the area as evenly as possible. And again you'll want to keep the soil moist, to give them the best start you can before the frosts arrive.
Even a lawn grows better when it's started in the fall, so now would also be the time to work on that if it's in your plans. The cooler temperatures will give the grass time to get its roots firmly established, in this time when it's not being encouraged to produce a lot of foliage. You should either seed a lawn or lay down new sod eight weeks before the first killing frost, if not slightly sooner than that.
It's kind of encouraging to think that a great many of your plants might already be planted and ready to grow when the spring comes. You'll have enough work still to do when the weather gets warm, so it's good to know you can get some of this done before winter. If you plant properly and keep your plants or seeds secure through the winter, your garden could be half ready in the spring before you even do anything!
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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
To plant bulbs, do it about six weeks before the ground freezes. Make sure the soil is well drained. As a rule of thumb, plant bulbs three times as deep as they are high, so a two inch bulb would go six inches deep, for example. Be sure the pointed end points upward or, if you can't be sure which would be considered the pointed end, plant the bulb sideways instead. When the bulb actually starts growing, it will pull the right end upward as it does.
When you plant perennials, make the hole about three times wider than the root ball of the plant, and just deep enough for the ball. If you're going to add something to help with root growth, now is when you do that. As you set the root ball into the hole, very gently try to loosen some of the roots on the outside. Hold it steady as you fill the soil back in, and tamp the soil fairly lightly. After a good watering, put a three- or four-inch layer of mulch over the soil, leaving a couple of inches of space clear around the stem of the plant. Keep watering, enough just to keep the soil most, until the ground freezes.
 |
| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Even a lawn grows better when it's started in the fall, so now would also be the time to work on that if it's in your plans. The cooler temperatures will give the grass time to get its roots firmly established, in this time when it's not being encouraged to produce a lot of foliage. You should either seed a lawn or lay down new sod eight weeks before the first killing frost, if not slightly sooner than that.
It's kind of encouraging to think that a great many of your plants might already be planted and ready to grow when the spring comes. You'll have enough work still to do when the weather gets warm, so it's good to know you can get some of this done before winter. If you plant properly and keep your plants or seeds secure through the winter, your garden could be half ready in the spring before you even do anything!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Video - Beautiful Organic Container Garden
This gorgeous video shows lots of amazing pictures of a beautiful container garden, along with some great tips for planting and maintaining your organic container garden, composting, controlling pests naturally, ideas for things to plant, and more. Enjoy the lovely pictures, and ideas for your own container garden! (Remember we're on our winter schedule now, so this is the last post for this week.)
Garden By Nature.wmv: Organic Container Garden Fall 2011- Spring 2012
A photographic walk through our first real Organic container garden. We had a lot of fun growing some of our own food, learning from nature and applying what we have learned to container gardening. So far vegetable gardening is paying off for us. I h...
Garden By Nature.wmv: Organic Container Garden Fall 2011- Spring 2012
A photographic walk through our first real Organic container garden. We had a lot of fun growing some of our own food, learning from nature and applying what we have learned to container gardening. So far vegetable gardening is paying off for us. I h...
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Organic Gardening In Containers
If you like the idea of organic gardening, but feel stuck because you're in an apartment or condo and have no actual garden, you may not be as stuck as you think you are. If you've got a balcony, in fact, and get at least a few hours of direct sunlight each day, you can start your own organic garden right there on the balcony. Just use containers!
There are a great many things you can grow in such containers, with certain practices that will be the same as for a regular garden, and others that are particular only to pot plantings.
Almost anything can be used as a container – old plastic jugs, watering cans, bowls, canisters – just as long as you can create a drainage hole near the bottom so the pot won't get waterlogged and rot the roots of the plant. But you can also buy a wide range of terracotta and other gardening containers at nurseries and in department stores.
Many garden centers will provide good organic potting soil as well. Or if you wish to use your own, you might acquire dirt from somewhere else, and mix it with sand and compost. (The ratio would be equal parts of each.) Mixing in a little peat moss and organic perlite will both help the soil absorb water, yet allow the excess to drain. If you make sure the soil is well watered before your plants go in, you'll give your plants a good head start.
As to your choice of plants, most annuals will do quite well in containers. Some can even be grown indoors during the cooler months. Be sure you have enough room for the plants' roots to grow; don't place something huge in a tiny container, unless you've done your research and know that this particular plant likes having its roots all cramped up.
For vegetables, you will likely need about six hours a day of sunlight, so you want to place their pots in the right location on the balcony. Again you'll need to do some research about which vegetables work best in which pots, but some things will simply make sense. For example, carrots would need planting in quite a deep pot. Tomatoes and peppers do especially well in containers. And you could have an entire large pot – or several – stuffed with different kinds of herbs or salad greens.
Container plants need slightly more watering than those in a full garden, because they have such a small space from which to draw the moisture, and the soil gets warmer so they tend to dry out more quickly. You'll need to keep an eye on how dry they're getting. They shouldn't be waterlogged, nor should they be constantly damp, which would promote mold or the thriving of insects. Letting the soil get slightly dry on the surface before you water is usually best. But again, doing some research would be a good idea. If you buy plants from a nursery rather than trying to start them from seeds, many of them will come with instructions about the amount of sunlight and water they need.
Container plants can often be kept clear of insects more easily than garden plants: you can bring the whole container inside, put it in your sink, and spray it with either an organic pest spray or one you've made yourself. This would involve mixing 40 parts water with one part of non-detergent soap (such as Ivory), and spraying it on the undersides of the leaves as well as other places where the insects are. Then after a few moments, you would spray it clean again.
Deadheading flowers when the blooms are finished, and keeping both the pots and the balcony itself clean of dead vegetative matter will also help keep the plants free of insects.
As you can see, many of the same methods used in an organic garden in the yard will apply to an organic container garden as well. If you've got a sunny balcony or patio, there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy an organic garden just as much as someone with a big garden space.
Helpful Container Gardening Resources:
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| Balcony (Photo credit: sez9) |
Almost anything can be used as a container – old plastic jugs, watering cans, bowls, canisters – just as long as you can create a drainage hole near the bottom so the pot won't get waterlogged and rot the roots of the plant. But you can also buy a wide range of terracotta and other gardening containers at nurseries and in department stores.
Many garden centers will provide good organic potting soil as well. Or if you wish to use your own, you might acquire dirt from somewhere else, and mix it with sand and compost. (The ratio would be equal parts of each.) Mixing in a little peat moss and organic perlite will both help the soil absorb water, yet allow the excess to drain. If you make sure the soil is well watered before your plants go in, you'll give your plants a good head start.
As to your choice of plants, most annuals will do quite well in containers. Some can even be grown indoors during the cooler months. Be sure you have enough room for the plants' roots to grow; don't place something huge in a tiny container, unless you've done your research and know that this particular plant likes having its roots all cramped up.
For vegetables, you will likely need about six hours a day of sunlight, so you want to place their pots in the right location on the balcony. Again you'll need to do some research about which vegetables work best in which pots, but some things will simply make sense. For example, carrots would need planting in quite a deep pot. Tomatoes and peppers do especially well in containers. And you could have an entire large pot – or several – stuffed with different kinds of herbs or salad greens.
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| Container Garden! (Photo credit: LollyKnit) |
Container plants can often be kept clear of insects more easily than garden plants: you can bring the whole container inside, put it in your sink, and spray it with either an organic pest spray or one you've made yourself. This would involve mixing 40 parts water with one part of non-detergent soap (such as Ivory), and spraying it on the undersides of the leaves as well as other places where the insects are. Then after a few moments, you would spray it clean again.
Deadheading flowers when the blooms are finished, and keeping both the pots and the balcony itself clean of dead vegetative matter will also help keep the plants free of insects.
As you can see, many of the same methods used in an organic garden in the yard will apply to an organic container garden as well. If you've got a sunny balcony or patio, there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy an organic garden just as much as someone with a big garden space.
Helpful Container Gardening Resources:
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Video - Building A No-Dig Garden Bed
Here is a short (2-minute) time-lapse video with instructions and demonstration of building a beautiful no-dig garden bed right on top of an old patch of lawn - no digging required! You can use other materials as well, but this video gives some examples of commonly used materials. You can substitute thick layers of newspaper for the cardboard, homemade compost for the manure, etc. No-dig gardening is great for new garden areas, and helps avoid some of the work usually required to make the soil habitable for your garden plants.
Check it out!
No dig garden construction
NB: The full video of the workshop that this video is based on can now be found here: www.youtube.com A quick video on the steps involved in constructing a no dig garden bed You do not have to follow the video specifically, you can use different mate...
Also a quick note - as the traditional growing season comes to an end, the gardens start to die down, and many gardeners hang up their trowels for the season, our blog becomes a bit quieter as well. This month we will be starting our winter schedule, so starting this week, we will only be posting twice a week through the colder months.
But do stay tuned! In the coming months we'll be sharing some great tips, articles, and resources, on everything from preparing your garden for the winter, to interesting tales and experiments in winter gardening (yes, I'm planning to attempt to grow throughout the winter in Ohio this year - I'll keep you posted on my results!), and of course, planning for the spring planting season - so don't go away! We're still here Tuesdays and Thursdays, bringing you organic and sustainable gardening news you can use.
Check it out!
No dig garden construction
NB: The full video of the workshop that this video is based on can now be found here: www.youtube.com A quick video on the steps involved in constructing a no dig garden bed You do not have to follow the video specifically, you can use different mate...
Also a quick note - as the traditional growing season comes to an end, the gardens start to die down, and many gardeners hang up their trowels for the season, our blog becomes a bit quieter as well. This month we will be starting our winter schedule, so starting this week, we will only be posting twice a week through the colder months.
But do stay tuned! In the coming months we'll be sharing some great tips, articles, and resources, on everything from preparing your garden for the winter, to interesting tales and experiments in winter gardening (yes, I'm planning to attempt to grow throughout the winter in Ohio this year - I'll keep you posted on my results!), and of course, planning for the spring planting season - so don't go away! We're still here Tuesdays and Thursdays, bringing you organic and sustainable gardening news you can use.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
What Is No-Dig Organic Gardening?
It all started a little over 80 years ago, with a Japanese gardener named Fukuoka Masanobu. He devised the idea of an alternative, natural farming method that involved the rotation of crops, natural control of pests, the use of seed balls, and virtually no tilling or digging of the soil. The idea was gradually introduced into North America and other parts of the world, until these principles have been applied to smaller organic gardens as well as farms, under the name "no-dig organic gardening."
The idea is that leaving the soil alone, along with the mulch that accumulates on it and decomposes and enriches it over time, will make it healthier. Leaving it untouched will allow the development of the small, interrelated ecosystems of worms and microorganisms that are necessary to produce healthy plants - very much, in fact, the way nature already does things and has always done things whenever humans don't step in and try to alter the process.
It doesn't even matter, really, which basic soil you start with. Because you don't actually garden in the existing soil that's already there, but instead you create raised beds for your plants by placing layers of mulch and other organic substances on top of it, which will naturally integrate with the underlying soil without you having to do anything. The mulch, in a layer 2-6 inches deep, consists of things like organic compost, leaf mold, and manure. This provides a very rich environment for worms, insects, and microbes that make a quick job of working through the mix to create a natural biosphere. With the balance of this small ecological system being more natural than in many other types of gardens, proponents of the no-dig system claim that their gardens are more free of harmful pests and plant diseases. As these organic substances decompose, they essentially compost on the spot, while simultaneously feeding your plants.
A slightly more systematic method of no-dig gardening involves more obvious layers of different types of materials, so this way of doing things is also occasionally referred to as "lasagna gardening." This may start with setting out layers of wet cardboard or newspaper on the surface, to prevent weed roots in the base soil from sprouting and intruding into the new, healthier garden. Wet straw may be spread on top of this, as the basic mulch, followed by a layer of compost, leaf mold, and manure. Then another layer of straw, all of which is wetted down thoroughly.
Once this whole mixture has composted slightly, scoops of new soil can be placed in indentations in the mixture, only in locations where a plant is going to grow. Just a small amount of soil is needed, a scoop for each plant, because all the rest of the nutrients will come from the straw and mulch that are composting beneath it. The gardener would either acquire small seedlings to put into these soil pockets, or could use seed balls.
A seed ball was one of the things also advocated by Fukuoka Masanobu. These are created by taking three parts compost and five parts red (terracotta) clay, adding some manure, and forming a small ball. Into this the gardener places two or three seeds, and the balls are then set in the scoops of soil on top of the mulch. These balls allow seeds to germinate and grow even in thin soils, so in a rich, composting location like a no-dig garden, they can simply thrive.
This is a very different type of organic garden from what we normally think of when we hear that term. But it's just one more way of creating a garden that works along with nature's methods, rather than against them. If you have inhospitable soil, or just don't want to go to all the work of digging up, turning, and integrating organic matter into your existing soil, the no-dig method may be a good one for you to try. See below for some helpful resources.
Learn More About No-Dig Organic Gardening:
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| No dig garden (Photo credit: Samuel Mann) |
It doesn't even matter, really, which basic soil you start with. Because you don't actually garden in the existing soil that's already there, but instead you create raised beds for your plants by placing layers of mulch and other organic substances on top of it, which will naturally integrate with the underlying soil without you having to do anything. The mulch, in a layer 2-6 inches deep, consists of things like organic compost, leaf mold, and manure. This provides a very rich environment for worms, insects, and microbes that make a quick job of working through the mix to create a natural biosphere. With the balance of this small ecological system being more natural than in many other types of gardens, proponents of the no-dig system claim that their gardens are more free of harmful pests and plant diseases. As these organic substances decompose, they essentially compost on the spot, while simultaneously feeding your plants.
A slightly more systematic method of no-dig gardening involves more obvious layers of different types of materials, so this way of doing things is also occasionally referred to as "lasagna gardening." This may start with setting out layers of wet cardboard or newspaper on the surface, to prevent weed roots in the base soil from sprouting and intruding into the new, healthier garden. Wet straw may be spread on top of this, as the basic mulch, followed by a layer of compost, leaf mold, and manure. Then another layer of straw, all of which is wetted down thoroughly.
 |
| No-Dig garden 2010 (Photo credit: Pip_Wilson) |
A seed ball was one of the things also advocated by Fukuoka Masanobu. These are created by taking three parts compost and five parts red (terracotta) clay, adding some manure, and forming a small ball. Into this the gardener places two or three seeds, and the balls are then set in the scoops of soil on top of the mulch. These balls allow seeds to germinate and grow even in thin soils, so in a rich, composting location like a no-dig garden, they can simply thrive.
This is a very different type of organic garden from what we normally think of when we hear that term. But it's just one more way of creating a garden that works along with nature's methods, rather than against them. If you have inhospitable soil, or just don't want to go to all the work of digging up, turning, and integrating organic matter into your existing soil, the no-dig method may be a good one for you to try. See below for some helpful resources.
Learn More About No-Dig Organic Gardening:
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Video - Protecting the Future of Food
I love TED talks, and this one does not disappoint - it will be 17 minutes well-spent. Cary Fowler discusses the importance of seed diversity, and the many varieties we have already lost, as well as what we can do to help protect our food supply for future generations. Losing varieties - even ones that don't seem all that special right now - takes away the possibility that we might use them for something someday, and limits our options for the future - something which we really don't want to happen, especially considering the implications of climate change. Crop diversity may well be the one thing that can ensure the continuation of the human race. It sounds dramatic, but when you watch this video you'll see why.... This is one you won't want to miss!
Cary Fowler: One seed at a time, protecting the future of food
www.ted.com The varieties of wheat, corn and rice we grow today may not thrive in a future threatened by climate change. Cary Fowler takes us inside a vast global seed bank, buried within a frozen mountain in Norway, that stores a diverse group of fo...
Cary Fowler: One seed at a time, protecting the future of food
www.ted.com The varieties of wheat, corn and rice we grow today may not thrive in a future threatened by climate change. Cary Fowler takes us inside a vast global seed bank, buried within a frozen mountain in Norway, that stores a diverse group of fo...
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Seed Diversity In The News
The importance of seed diversity to our food supply is quickly losing ground to the political clout of large corporations (the Monsantos of the world), which in some countries forbid even home gardeners to collect, share, or swap seeds. Under the guise of trademark/patent protection, we are slowly losing the genetic diversity in our food supply, meaning plant disease could cause devastating widespread famine, or at the very least, a necessary reliance on chemical pesticides just to keep plants alive. Our planet was designed to house a HUGE diversity of species of plants - messing with this natural design may have consequences we can't even imagine.
As Ben Raskin, Head of Horticulture for the Soil Association in Brussels says, “For both amateur growers and commercial producers, the resilience of our farming systems depend on a wide range of genetics within the food chain. It is vital that these varieties are maintained as a living collection amongst growers. Every variety lost weakens our ability to create an effective food system that can cope with the increasing challenges of climate change and resource scarcity.”
Check out some of these recent articles to learn more about this pressing issue, and why you should care, as well as what you can do about it.
Vandana says “Occupy the Seed” - Permaculture Research Institute
The seeds of this diversity are at the heart of an agriculture of permanence. This is why you have an extremely important role to play in the Global Campaign for Seed Freedom both to save the diversity of seeds as well as our ...
Publish Date: 08/20/2012 9:44
http://permaculturenews.org/2012/08/20/vandana-says-occupy-the-seed-join-the-seed-freedom-fortnight-of-action-2-16-october-2012/
Reclaiming the seed: How the Seed Satyagraha movement is ...
The last twenty years have seen a very rapid erosion of seed diversity and seed sovereignty, and an intense concentration of the control over seed by a very small number of giant corporations. In 1995, when the United ...
Publish Date: 08/20/2012 8:56
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1547185/reclaiming_the_seed.html
Brussels rules against seed diversity – News story from Garden ...
Seeds of edible plants must be kept free of restrictive EU rule which favours the corporates at the expense of small farmers, gardeners and our food security. Brussels rules against seed diversity – News story from Garden ...
Publish Date: 08/13/2012 5:08
http://kitchengardennotebook.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/brussels-rules-against-seed-diversity-news-story-from-garden-organic/
Preserving Seed Diversity | Food Security
Without a strong base of diverse seeds, food production is threatened by disease and climate change. Promoting the use of diverse seed types enhances food security and promotes the preservation of traditional cultural practices and values.
Publish Date: 07/14/2012 23:00
http://foodsecurity.uchicago.edu/research/preserving-seed-diversity/
Defending seed sovereignty - The Ecologist
Declaration on Seed Freedom • Seed is the source of life. It is the self-urge of life to express itself, to renew itself, to multiply, to evolve in perpetuity in freedom. • Seed is the embodiment of biocultural diversity. It contains ...
Publish Date: 08/20/2012 10:55
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1547385/defending_seed_sovereignty.html
As Ben Raskin, Head of Horticulture for the Soil Association in Brussels says, “For both amateur growers and commercial producers, the resilience of our farming systems depend on a wide range of genetics within the food chain. It is vital that these varieties are maintained as a living collection amongst growers. Every variety lost weakens our ability to create an effective food system that can cope with the increasing challenges of climate change and resource scarcity.”
Check out some of these recent articles to learn more about this pressing issue, and why you should care, as well as what you can do about it.
 |
| Diversity in dry common beans (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The seeds of this diversity are at the heart of an agriculture of permanence. This is why you have an extremely important role to play in the Global Campaign for Seed Freedom both to save the diversity of seeds as well as our ...
Publish Date: 08/20/2012 9:44
http://permaculturenews.org/2012/08/20/vandana-says-occupy-the-seed-join-the-seed-freedom-fortnight-of-action-2-16-october-2012/
Reclaiming the seed: How the Seed Satyagraha movement is ...
The last twenty years have seen a very rapid erosion of seed diversity and seed sovereignty, and an intense concentration of the control over seed by a very small number of giant corporations. In 1995, when the United ...
Publish Date: 08/20/2012 8:56
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1547185/reclaiming_the_seed.html
Brussels rules against seed diversity – News story from Garden ...
Seeds of edible plants must be kept free of restrictive EU rule which favours the corporates at the expense of small farmers, gardeners and our food security. Brussels rules against seed diversity – News story from Garden ...
Publish Date: 08/13/2012 5:08
http://kitchengardennotebook.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/brussels-rules-against-seed-diversity-news-story-from-garden-organic/
Preserving Seed Diversity | Food Security
Without a strong base of diverse seeds, food production is threatened by disease and climate change. Promoting the use of diverse seed types enhances food security and promotes the preservation of traditional cultural practices and values.
Publish Date: 07/14/2012 23:00
http://foodsecurity.uchicago.edu/research/preserving-seed-diversity/
Defending seed sovereignty - The Ecologist
Declaration on Seed Freedom • Seed is the source of life. It is the self-urge of life to express itself, to renew itself, to multiply, to evolve in perpetuity in freedom. • Seed is the embodiment of biocultural diversity. It contains ...
Publish Date: 08/20/2012 10:55
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1547385/defending_seed_sovereignty.html
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Organic Gardening vs. Heirloom Gardening
People sometimes equate the idea of organic gardening with heirloom gardening, but the two are not quite the same, even if they overlap to a great extent. "Heirloom" essentially refers to original types of plants, many of which are no longer produced commercially or on a large scale but which are kept in existence by those who hand down the seeds, generation after generation. Many heirloom fruits, vegetables, and flowering plants are virtually the same as they were hundreds of years ago.
Most modern, commercially produced fruits and vegetables are hybrids, that is, plants that have had their genetics altered by cross-breeding or outright genetic modification. They have been bred to be produced in large volumes and to be disease- or drought-resistant, and for the fruits to last a long time as they are transported over vast distances. As a result, taste itself has often been sacrificed for the sake of mass production, longevity, and profit. And frequently these alterations mean that there might only be a very few different kinds of particular fruits or vegetables on the market, rather than the hundreds of varieties of the same plant that used to exist. (For a shocking glimpse at just how many varieties we've already lost, check out this eye-opening graphic: http://nhlsustainablegardening.blogspot.com/2012/02/seed-diversity-shocking-image.html )
Most people don't realize that this situation, this "monoculture" as it's called, can put those few varieties in actual danger. One monolithic variety could be susceptible to a specific deadly virus, and that entire kind of food could actually become extinct if the disease strikes. On the other hand, having many different varieties increases the chance of the survival of the food, as one breed might fall to a virus while others are resistant.
For these reasons and many others, groups and individuals have arisen that seek to preserve and increase the food and other plant varieties that have fallen out of commercial favor. The seeds they save from the growing of these older varieties start out as organic, by definition, because they have not been altered by non-natural means, nor have they been chemically treated. But their planting, fertilization, and harvesting could still end up not falling into the "organic" category if pesticides or herbicides are used, or if non-organic methods are used in the actual gardening.
So you can see that while heirloom gardening has many of the same goals as organic gardening, they aren't always identical.
The true organic gardener who wishes to produce heirloom varieties will use these preserved seeds, and then will utilize the methods associated with organic gardening on top of that. He or she will avoid the synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, will use natural methods of dealing with insects and other pests, and will employ natural composts and fertilizing systems to keep the soil healthy and full of nutrients. Even the pollination of the flowers that produce the fruits or vegetables will be accomplished by "open pollination," that is, via bees, insects, or the wind. This will result in vigorous seeds that breed true in the following generation, unlike many of the hybrids that don't always produce the same results in the second or third generation of the plant.
An organic gardener may plant hybrid varieties, yet use organic methods in the actual gardening. And conversely, an heirloom gardener could begin with organic heirloom seeds, but use non-organic methods. It's only when the two are combined that one will be a true organic heirloom gardener.
For a great source for organic heirloom seeds, visit www.nonhybridseeds.com.
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| Genetic diversity in corn. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Most people don't realize that this situation, this "monoculture" as it's called, can put those few varieties in actual danger. One monolithic variety could be susceptible to a specific deadly virus, and that entire kind of food could actually become extinct if the disease strikes. On the other hand, having many different varieties increases the chance of the survival of the food, as one breed might fall to a virus while others are resistant.
 |
| Heirloom tomatoes are a popular choice for gardeners. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
So you can see that while heirloom gardening has many of the same goals as organic gardening, they aren't always identical.
The true organic gardener who wishes to produce heirloom varieties will use these preserved seeds, and then will utilize the methods associated with organic gardening on top of that. He or she will avoid the synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, will use natural methods of dealing with insects and other pests, and will employ natural composts and fertilizing systems to keep the soil healthy and full of nutrients. Even the pollination of the flowers that produce the fruits or vegetables will be accomplished by "open pollination," that is, via bees, insects, or the wind. This will result in vigorous seeds that breed true in the following generation, unlike many of the hybrids that don't always produce the same results in the second or third generation of the plant.
An organic gardener may plant hybrid varieties, yet use organic methods in the actual gardening. And conversely, an heirloom gardener could begin with organic heirloom seeds, but use non-organic methods. It's only when the two are combined that one will be a true organic heirloom gardener.
For a great source for organic heirloom seeds, visit www.nonhybridseeds.com.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Video - Setting Up Your Worm Composting System
This quick video shows how to create and set up your own worm composting system, if you don't want to buy one. They are generally very cheap and easy to make, and require just a few supplies. Learn how many air and drainage holes to drill, and what size drill bit to use. He also tells you what materials to feed your worms, and which ones to avoid, how to set up the bedding, why you need to add some dirt, and more.
If you're starting your own vermiposting system, this video will be very helpful.
Setting Up a Worm Composting Bin
Detailed instructions for setting up a 'deluxe' Rubbermaid worm composting bin
If You'd Rather Not Create Your Own Bin....
If you're starting your own vermiposting system, this video will be very helpful.
Setting Up a Worm Composting Bin
Detailed instructions for setting up a 'deluxe' Rubbermaid worm composting bin
If You'd Rather Not Create Your Own Bin....
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