Who Can Benefit From Composting?

As there are many uses for compost, you will find people with different interests and occupations utilizing this environmentally friendly resource.

A homeowner can create a compost bin or pile to reduce the amount of trash they are throwing away.  As an added benefit they are creating a fertilizer for their house plants or garden plot.  Since compost bins require green food (kitchen scraps, grass clippings) and brown food (leaves, straw, shredded brown paper, etc.) you can collect your grass clippings and add them to your bin too.

Home-made compost pile. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On a farm, crops can produce a lot of waste.  A farmer can use crops that are not consumable (ground cover, etc.) and add them to a compost bin along with manure from any livestock they may keep.  Once the compost matures and is ready, the farmer can use the material for added nutrients in the soil, to build up low spots in his field, and to keep the soil healthy. You can even use mature compost as mulch to help the soil retain water and prevent weeds.

A professional landscaper can create compost material for clients that want only natural or organic materials used on their lawn or flower beds.  This can be a low-cost material for a landscaper to utilize providing his clients with Earth-friendly options with a low overhead cost.

If you like the idea of composting but do not have the space or time to create a compost pile of your own, check with your city or municipality’s recycling center.  Some will accept your yard waste and clippings for a city compost heap.  This material will then be used throughout the city’s parks and gardens.  In certain centers they may let the residents utilize the mature compost for their own needs too.

Schools may also utilize compost to teach the students the process of decomposition and to teach children what we can do to help our planet.  This is in addition to the cost savings for the school in up keeping the grounds and gardens. Some schools also plant community gardens as a learning tool for the students, and also to create green spaces and support the local community.

3 Easy Ways to Extend Your Vegetable Growing Season

If you live in an area with distinct seasons, there are natural limitations to when you can grow vegetables outdoors. In the spring, you have to wait until the threat of frost has passed and soil temperatures reach acceptable levels. Then, before you know it, shorter days and cooler temps will return to signal the end of your outdoor growing season. Unfortunately, we've already reached this season here in Ohio.... :-( 

Of course, it’s difficult to fight Mother Nature - especially if you hope to win. However, if you learn to work within the boundaries she sets, you can find successful ways to extend your vegetable growing season.

Here are Three Easy Ways to Extend Your Vegetable Growing Season

While you can’t prevent late spring frosts or early blasts of winter, you can mitigate much of the damage caused by these natural events. You simply have to be prepared to provide adequate protection for your tender plants when the need arises.

1. Mulch. Adding a heavy layer of mulch is the easiest way to provide protection for your plants. Mulching around your plants provides a layer of insulation for the soil when temperatures dip too low. It will also help hold in moisture as temperatures rise so you won’t have to water as much.

There are many types of mulch available, including shredded leaves, wood chips, grass clippings, straw and compost. Whatever type of mulch you choose for your food growing area, check to ensure it is free of chemical pesticides and herbicides. For example, if you use a lawn service or chemical treatments to keep your lawn green and free of weeds, you wouldn’t want to use your lawn clippings on your vegetable garden.

A simple coldframe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Cold Frames. Cold frames are another great way to extend your vegetable-growing season. A cold frame is simply a four-sided structure with a glass or plastic lid on top. They are used to trap in heat from the sun to keep plants warm when temperatures drop.

Cold frames are relatively easy to build. Start by creating a rectangular or square structure out of wood and securing an old glass window or door on top with hinges on one side. This will keep the top from blowing off in the wind and will make it easy to open and shut as you add and remove plants. Potted plants and seedlings can then be placed inside to harden them off or help them survive unexpected dips in temperature. (Just be sure to vent it or lift the lid if the temperature rises outside, so you don't cook your plants!)

In a pinch, you can create a makeshift cold frame with several bales of straw and an old glass window or door panel. Simply arrange the bales in a rectangle, while leaving the interior empty to house your plants. Top with a window or glass-paneled door and securely weigh it down on both ends so it doesn’t fly off in high winds. 

If neither of these options appeal to you, you can always buy a ready-made version at your local garden center or online. You’ll pay more for this option, but won’t have to go through the hassle of finding materials or investing the time to build it yourself.

3. Build a Greenhouse. For many gardeners, a greenhouse is the ultimate gardening dream. How great would it be to have a permanent year-round space to nurture and grow your favorite plants? As an added bonus, a well-designed greenhouse can serve as a beautiful focal point for your property, as well.

Unfortunately, hiring a contractor or purchasing a high-end kit to build a permanent greenhouse can get pretty expensive. Plus, you need to pay to heat the structure part of the year in colder climates. If you rent or have limited outdoor space, a permanent greenhouse may not be a viable option.

However, you can still enjoy many of the benefits a greenhouse offers without the high price tag or long-term commitment. There are a number of very affordable and portable mini-greenhouses available that are lightweight and have a small footprint. These options take advantage of vertical space by providing four or five substantial shelves to house your plants.

With a little planning, these three methods can extend your vegetable growing season. Once you get started, you may be surprised by how much more productive your gardening efforts become!

Maintaining Your Summer Garden

There are many things that go into planning and planting a summer garden. Far too often would be gardeners do not consider the time and energy that should be spent maintaining a summer garden in order to keep it looking beautiful and healthy throughout the long dog days of summer and, hopefully, into the first frosts of fall. If prolonging the life and beauty of your summer garden is a priority then there are things that must be done in order to keep everything ship shape and in good working order.

1. Create a calendar of things to do in your garden for routine maintenance throughout the summer growing season and follow it as closely as time and the weather will allow. Make sure this list allows for upsets such as a week of rain or a week of no rain as well as time to adjust for these inconsistencies and an inability to work in the garden when temperatures are uncomfortably hot. Having a list of things to do written down in a place where it can be seen will be much more likely to be accomplished than if it were out of sight and out of mind.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Make sure you keep your garden weeded, watered, mulched, and fertilized according to the needs of the specific plants within your garden. Check for leaves that are turning yellow and any pruning that needs to occur on a weekly basis. Remove dead leaves and flowers, and remove all weeds whenever the opportunity or need arises. If weeds are becoming a prevalent theme you may want to increase the amount of mulch being used in your gardening efforts.

3. Trim the areas of your lawn that need trimming in order to create a more uniform appearance between lawn and garden. You do not want to diminish the beauty of your garden because your lawn is looking shaggy and unkempt. Devote a little time to lawn care in order to keep your lawn and garden on a consistent scale with one another throughout the summer gardening season.

4. Make sure that you carefully study each plant that you have in your garden and are aware of any special needs that exist for one plant over another. If your plants that need shade or extra water are either receiving too much sunlight or not enough water you need to make efforts to provide shade for them and get more water to them throughout the remaining months or you risk losing the investment of time and money you have already made in procuring and growing these plants.

Taking proper care of your garden during the summer months can make the fall harvesting process go a lot more smoothly, while also helping prepare for the planning that will occur in the winter months ahead. Learn from the maintenance of your garden and plan the next garden with the needs you became aware of this season in mind. Always take time to learn from both your successes and your summer gardening failures for the best possible results. Learning to maintain your summer garden properly is the best way to determine whether or not you want to attempt a more or less ambitious garden in future growing seasons.

Which Ones are the Weeds?

I have always wondered who ever determined exactly what was a weed? There are some delightful looking weeds that grow in the garden even when we don't want them to be there.

I guess the best explanation of what represents a weed is, a weed is a plant that is growing somewhere that it shouldn't be. I have known people who will happily leave weeds in the garden if they think their color and style will add to the variety of their garden. I don't mind a few weeds if they're not terribly invasive, but some plants become weeds just by invading other available spaces where we don't want them.

More often than not, we fight the never-ending battle to eradicate these unwanted residents from our gardens only to have them grow back faster than ever.

Weeds (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The problem with weeds is the fact that many of these plants are better at seeking out the nutrients in the soil and by doing so they are using the goodness that we want for the plants that we choose to have in the garden. They can also suck up that all-important water that can be scarce during the hot season, and they can shade or crowd out our garden plants. Many weeds also attract insects to the garden that can affect the condition of other plants.

No matter how diligent we are at removing weeds from the garden they will always reappear as their seeds are transported by insects, the wind, and even on the clothing and shoes that we wear.

Replanting from one garden to another can easily introduce new weeds so it is always important to check the soil and the roots of the plants that you are moving to ensure you aren't transplanting weeds also.

Most of the time pulling weeds is the best way to remove them, although in some areas a hoe can also be of use. Once they are removed, adding a covering of mulch will help to reduce the return of weeds. Another method that helps is to lay a thick layer of dampened newspaper on the ground before covering it with mulch. This is very effective, and the newspaper will decompose easily into your soil and and even provide food for beneficial earthworms.

Once you get the weed population under control, usually it gets easier with each passing year, as long as you stay on top of it. Be sure to remove weeds before they go to seed, and you'll have fewer and fewer unwanted weeds in your garden area.

Mulching Your Organic Garden

Mulch is great for your garden and for the environment, simply because you are turning something that would normally be thrown out as waste into a food supply and a very effective one at that.

Mulch will help to maintain moisture in the soil and reduce the weeds in the garden too.

Mulch.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Generally you should mulch in damp weather so the plants will have sufficient moisture in the soil. If you are using mulch in dry conditions make sure you water the soil first to retain some moisture as it will be harder for any water to get to the roots of your plants through the covering of mulch. Mulch keeps the soil moist but it can also stop the soil getting moist if the water can't penetrate.

If you are using lawn clippings for mulch make sure you haven't used any chemicals on the lawn prior to cutting, that could have a detrimental affect on your plants. If you leave the clippings to rot first this will often reduce any side effects that these chemicals might have on your plants.

Lawn clippings can also generate a lot of heat so spread them around lightly in thin layers and don't smother your plants with it - they are a green form of compost materials, and they do heat up a lot while decomposing.

There are many different things that can be used for mulch, from lawn clippings and plant cuttings to straw, hay and bark.

All those autumn leaves that are blowing around your property can make good mulch but they really need to be left to rot before being used, as they can be too acidic if used too soon.

If in doubt with anything you are using for mulch, leave it to rot first, or compost it, and you can be sure it will be better for your garden.

Tips for A Successful Organic Garden

If you’re considering bringing the joy of organic gardening into your life, you may be intimidated by thinking that you’re going to have to do everything au-naturale. Don’t be. It’s easy to find the best ways to prevent or get rid of pests and fungus invasions and how to plant and care for your organic garden. Here are some organic gardening tips that will help get you started.

Cover via Amazon

Prepare – Prepare your garden long before you begin to plant by mulching the soil with organic materials (compost from plant or animal waste). You’ll be so glad you did when you see the results. Mulching helps the soil retain water and nutrients and even keeps weeds from taking over your garden.

Start a compost pile – Recycling certain food waste and other materials that add strength to the compost. Besides enriching the soil, composting will help your plants develop a strong and healthy root system.

Choose plants according to environment – Plant certain plants where they’ll thrive. If a plant is known to adapt best in the shade, don’t plant it in full sun.

Treat infestations without chemicals – It is important to use natural means to treat problems with insects and other types of infestations. You can find formulas online that can be mixed at home and that will prevent certain pests from invading your garden.

Use organic alternatives whenever possible – There are so many organic and earth-friendly products on the market today that keeps toxic buildup from forming in our drinking water and soil. Look for those rather than chemical and synthetic solutions.

Use soaker hoses – These cleverly made hoses will water the base of your organic plants, keeping moisture from evaporating, and preventing water waste.

Red earthworm enjoying organic garden soil. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Utilize helpful bugs – There are a number of varieties of insects that actually help your organic garden. Insets such as ladybugs, praying mantises, spiders, ground beetles and fireflies work to decompose organic matter and help to pollinate plants.

Organic gardening should be largely simple and fun. There doesn’t have to be a lot of work involved in preparing the garden, preventing problems and addressing the problems organically if they do occur.

Many online sites can tell you everything you need to know about becoming a successful organic gardener – visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html for helpful tips and resources - or if you prefer a book, see below for some suggestions, or check your local library or book store. You’ll learn the best material for composts, how to mulch your garden and how to plant so that you’ll get the most yield from vegetables and herbs and the most beautiful flowers. And of course be sure to check this blog often for more ideas!

After learning a few organic gardening tips, you’ll have more self-confidence to begin your own sustainable organic garden.

A Few Helpful Organic Gardening Books:
   

How Can You Tell When Your Compost Is Ready?

Patience is needed when you compost.  It can take anywhere from a few months to one year or more for your first batch of humus to be ready to use.  It will depend on the size of your bin, if you are using cold or hot composting, what you are putting into the compost and the weather and climate.  Another factor to consider is what you will be using the finished product for. Different uses can utilize the compost at different stages of the process.

Finished compost. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The longer a compost is allowed to decompose the finer, darker, and richer it becomes. But you do not have to wait until it reaches this state to use it.  If you want to use the compost as mulch for your flower beds or other areas of your garden you can use it when it is still in a chunkier state.  The mulch is used to keep an even temperature for the soil and discourage weed growth.

If you are going to be using the mature compost to add to your planting pots, the compost should be at the last stages of the process.  Things to look for to know that your compost is ready are:

• The amount of material that is in your bin is reduced to approximately half of the original contents.

• When you look at the finished material, you can not tell what it used to be – no parts are recognizable.

• The pile will no longer be as hot (if using the hot composting method)

• The compost is dark in color and looks very much like a rich top soil

In order to have a steady supply of mature compost it is recommended to have a two-bin system going.  Once your first container is full, you can continue to compost with the second bin until you can use the material from the first. 

Some Things You Don't Need to Do in a Fall Garden

If you've been reading this blog for a while, and gardening for some time, you may think you've learned everything there is to know about all the things you can do in your garden in the fall, to prepare both the soil and any remaining plants for the winter. You can seed, you can mulch, you can even plant some things now instead of waiting until the spring. You've got a whole big list. However, suddenly you realize that you've had a very long summer of constant gardening work and maybe, like the garden itself, you'd really, really like a break. So what are the things you can skimp on, without putting the garden in jeopardy?

Vegetable plot in winter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

First of all, you don't actually have to remove all the dead plants if you don't want to. If you have any diseased plants, of course you don't have a choice with those. If you leave those there, they can break down and affect the soil, and give you some very big headaches in the spring. You also don't want to put any diseased plant material into the compost bin over the winter, because it will infect the entire batch of compost and spread disease to all the plants you use it on. Take diseased material and simply throw it away or burn it.

But something like annuals that have been healthy and are now fading away can be left out in your garden over the winter. First of all, they will maintain the appearance of having some vegetation still in the garden for a while. The remnants of ornamental grasses or hostas coming up out of the snow can be very attractive. And after they've broken down over the winter, most of the time you should be able just to turn them into the soil, and they will be one element of your spring compost.

You also don't need to mulch every remaining plant in your garden over the winter. Yes, if you have some that are a little delicate, you should definitely mulch those. The purpose of the mulch is to preserve moisture so the plants don't dry out in the winter air, and to keep an even temperature in the ground around them. So some plants will still need mulching, to give them some extra protection during the winter months. But for other more hardy plants, you can skip the mulching.

Garden Compost bin made of Bamboo canes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Something you should think twice about doing, although this won't necessarily save you work, is wrapping many of your plants in burlap. If you wrap your plants this way, you could actually end up trapping ice inside the burlap and against the surface of the plants. What many gardeners are now advising is that rather than wrapping in burlap to protect plants against things like cold winds, set up stakes all around each plant and wrap the burlap around the entire enclosure instead. This will serve the same purpose, but allow some breathing room for the limbs of the plants as well.

It's a lot of work preparing a garden in the spring as well as cleaning it up in the fall. It's true, of course, that whatever you leave undone in the autumn will have to be done in the spring instead, so you're not exactly saving yourself the work. However, it's also true that the spring arouses new energy, and people often feel much more ready to get a lot done. So if you're tired at the end of the growing season, and really just want to be done with it all, do just the absolutely necessary cleanup and let everything else go for the winter. Put your feet up, enjoy your well deserved rest, and start recharging your energies for a fresh start in spring.

Autumn Protection for Your Perennial Plants

As your garden comes to the end of its active growth and enters the fall season, you face a big cleanup to get things ready for planting when the weather warms up again. And probably even more important than that, some of your existing perennial plants will need to be protected through the winter and prepared for their new growing season in the spring. In fact, making the preparations that will protect your plants and help them survive until the following spring is absolutely paramount. You can combine this with cleaning up the rest of the garden, but if you do nothing else, at least you must get your more sensitive plants ready to survive the winter.

A cycad plant with its leaves tied for some protection in winter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some of your small evergreens, for example, should be wrapped in burlap. Cedars and junipers, dwarf conifers, and other evergreens that are cold sensitive, like holly, need protection from the cold wind and potentially glaring sun of winter. The evergreens that stand upright can have their branches tied together with plastic netting, to make sure they don't break off if there's a lot of snow. The netting will provide this security but still give the plant some room to breathe. Remember also that evergreens need a very good watering just before the winter, because the dry air of winter can dehydrate them.

Roses, too, need to be guarded against the cold weather. They should have any remaining foliage stripped off, and all organic material removed from the soil around them. If they are tall bushes, their main canes should be cut back to perhaps two or three feet in height, and should be tied together in a bundle. These plants, too, can be wrapped in burlap, though in somewhat warmer climates, it might be enough just to add about eight to twelve inches of extra soil or compost around the base of the bush, depending how tall the plant is.

In very cold growing zones, climbing roses and other tender varieties are given even more protection, by being buried right in the ground. They are cut back and bundled as other roses are, with an extra length of twine loose at the top, and then a trench is dug in the soil beside the plants. It is loosened and the bush is gently tipped over until it's lying in the trench, which is then carefully filled in with the previously removed soil, leaving the loose twine exposed so the bush can be found again in the spring. After the soil is well watered, a foot-thick layer of leaves (or a bag full of leaves) is placed on the spot. This keeps the roses protected until April, when the leaves are removed and the plant is retrieved.

Mulched evergreen perennials in a shade garden. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

More general protection of plants that you need to overwinter in the garden can be provided by mulching. Put a layer about two inches thick around trees and shrubs, leaving perhaps an inch of clear space around the stems or trunks. Make the mulch from things like sawdust, peat moss, leaves, bark, or grass clippings. Once a month, through the winter, double check that there is moisture getting down to the soil underneath.

Of course it's important to get the garden cleaned up after a long summer of growing. However, it's even more important to make sure that the plants that will be with you again next summer are given a fighting chance for getting through the winter. Protect them properly, and when spring comes again, they'll be ready to serve as the basis for the new garden season.

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."

No dig garden (Photo credit: Samuel Mann)

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.

No-Dig garden 2010 (Photo credit: Pip_Wilson)

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:
   

Keeping Your Summer Garden Green Longer

There are many things we do to add a little splash of color to our summer gardens but wouldn't it be nice to prolong the life and enjoyment of our summer garden, and keep it looking lush a green just a bit longer?  This article will give you a few tips to keep your summer garden looking crisp and green as long as possible by taking a few extra steps a little earlier in the summer months to prepare for the inevitable beginning of the end.

One thing to keep in mind is that once your garden begins to take on that yellowish brown hue that indicates the end of summer it always seems to be a downhill ride into the fall. That ride, more often than not is over far too quickly and your summer garden is but a dim reminder of its formerly glorious summer greenery.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. First things first, get rid of the yellowing leaves and dying flowers as they make their appearance. They rob the remainder of the garden of its splendor and leave the pallor of decay on the garden far too soon in the season. You will be glad you did, as it will immediately restore the look of health and vitality in your remaining garden plants.

2. Weed. Remove those pesky weeds that detract from the beauty and lushness of the greenery in your garden. By removing the weeds your entire garden looks better almost immediately. While you are at it, reapply mulch. This will delay the inevitable return of the weeds while also providing an extra layer for holding in moisture to keep your plants from drying out and losing their bright green color. Another great thing about mulch is that it simply makes things look neat and orderly.

Pot Garden (Photo credit: Earthworm)

3. Fill in the gaps. While you are in the process of plucking leaves, weeds, and dead flowers from your  garden it is quite likely that a few gaps will be created. Fill them in other greenery, small shrubs (evergreens are a good idea in this situation), potted plants, or nice garden art. The effects are often stunning and you have the look of an almost new summer garden for only half the effort and expense of creating one. You may also want to scour the local plant stores for late season offerings and markdowns. These are often well cared for and in good condition to add a little touch of color or green to your garden.

4. Another oft-overlooked way to keep your summer garden green is to plant plants that are appropriate to your climate. On an ordinary summer, excluding drought or excessive rain conditions, this will be the best way to achieve maximum greenness from your garden. This is actually one of the best ways to prolong the life of your garden as well because the plants being used are accustomed to the weather patterns that exist in your locale. For this reason they will be much better suited to stay green and healthy much longer than most implants that are not accustomed to the local weather patterns. It truly is sustainable gardening!

Creating a greener garden is a worthy cause for most gardeners. We plant our summer gardens because we want to enjoy them. By keeping them green, healthy, and vibrant a little bit longer we are able to prolong our enjoyment of our gardens as well as the productivity of our gardens. This means more flowers, more fruit, more vegetables, and much longer spans of greenery for the uninitiated. It's well-worth the little bit of extra time and maintenance.

More Organic Garden Mulching Ideas

Here are some helpful articles on using mulch to control weeds and enhance your organic gardening efforts. Mulching has many benefits, but there are many different types of mulch you can choose from, depending on your climate, your garden and what you wish to accomplish. Check out these ideas for inspiration on the different ways you can use mulch in your own organic garden.

Organic Methods for Controlling Weeds ~ Learning Through Life
Mulching is another option. You have many different mulch options available to control weeds in the organic garden. A few commonly used mulches are compost, yard clippings, cardboard and newspaper. All of these will help ...
Publish Date: 02/04/2012 9:27
http://learningthroughlife.blogspot.com/2012/02/organic-methods-for-controlling-weeds.html

Aged mulch of coarse home compost (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Magic of Newspaper Mulch - Organic Gardening - MOTHER ...
A bit of experimentation revealed newspaper mulch was just the thing to keep quack grass and other weeds under control in the author' s garden.
Publish Date: 11/09/2004 19:00
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/newspaper-mulch-zmaz80mjzraw.aspx

Growing Potatoes in Mulch - Organic Gardening - MOTHER EARTH ...
No matter your soil type, you can try Dorothy Johns' easy method of growing potatoes in mulch.
Publish Date: 04/05/2004 20:00
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/growing-potatoes-in-mulch-zmaz78mazjma.aspx

Make Garden Compost and Mulch With a Yard Chipper Shredder ...
A good garden yard chipper/shredder machine can turn scrap brush and garden waste into great compost or mulch.
Publish Date: 04/06/2004 20:00
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/yard-chipper-shredder-zmaz86sozgoe.aspx

Cool it with mulch
There are two kinds of mulch: organic and inorganic. Organic mulches include formerly living material such as chopped leaves, straw, grass clippings, compost, wood chips, shredded bark, sawdust, pine needles, and even ...
Publish Date: 06/19/2012 17:00
http://blogs.thepoconos.com/home-garden/2012/06/19/cool-it-with-mulch/

Southeast Spreading Company » Rubber Mulch… Gaining Traction?
Rubber Mulch… Gaining Traction? Landscape Rubber mulch: Remains porous at all times (never mats) allowing nearly 100% of all rain water direct to the soil. Soil temperatures remain only 2 to 3 degrees above wood mulch ...
Publish Date: 06/16/2012 15:39
http://southeastspreading.com/2012/06/rubber-mulch-gaining-traction/

Types of Mulch For Organic Vegetable Gardens

Mulching is a great addition to your organic garden which adds fertilizer, cools the soil, and helps retain water. Simply defined, mulching involves placing matter, whether organic or inorganic, around your plants.

(Photo credit: t0msk)

Aside from providing fertilization, mulch also protects your soil. Whether your garden is subjected to heavy rains or at the risk of weed infestation, mulches provide ample protection and strengthening needed to supplement the natural growth processes of your organic garden vegetables. Aside from this, it also regulates the temperature of the soil, plus it can also render aesthetic appeal to the garden because it will help improve the ground texture and overall appearance.

If you have effectively established mulches in your garden, less watering is required because it will also help the plants retain water. The plants will also experience better growth levels and moisture retention.   Although known to help in weed control, it does not directly fight or ward off the weeds. It just helps as a filler for bare areas that are at higher risk of weed infestation.

For the case of organic mulches, bacteria has the tendency to eat up the much-needed nitrogen, so in some cases, you might be required to inject additional dosages of nitrogen to your soil. Some examples of materials you can use for mulching include lawn clippings, composted materials, leaves, straw, sawdust, or wood chips. These are examples of organic materials for mulching.

Inorganic mulches include such things as plastic, fabric, or even metallic mulches. However, be careful when using these in hot or sunny climates, as they can cause plants to overheat and die. Watering is also very important when using these types of mulch, which may not be as permeable to rainfall.

Whichever type of mulch you choose, mulching can be a great enhancement to your organic garden, and help you grow healthy organic vegetables quite successfully right in your own backyard.

Getting Started With Gardening - Part 2

Continuing on from Tuesday's post, here are some more considerations for starting your new garden.

Image via WikipediaIf you buy seeds then plant them according to the directions. If picking plants, choose ones with green, healthy looking leaves and stems and healthy roots.  Put the smaller plants towards the front of the bed and larger ones in the back.  The key to a successful beginning in gardening is planting at the right time.  Make sure and wait until the frosts are over before planting.  If you are planting seeds the package will usually tell you exactly when you can plant them to achieve maximum growth.

Once you have started and gotten into gardening, making sure your plants receive enough water is essential to their growth.  Hand watering works well if you only have a few plants.  Other options include sprinklers or sprinkler hoses.  Watering is more effective during the cooler parts of the day.  The type of plant will depend on how much water is needed, but most require about an inch per week.  During the hottest periods plants will be need watering about three times per week.

One of the most helpful things to add to a garden is mulch or compost.  Just a few inches of organic mulch will improve fertility and help the soil hold moisture.  Wood chips, grass clippings, leaves, manure, and pine needles are all things that can be used as mulch. 

If you are just getting started with gardening, these tips should get you off to a good start!

More Beginner's Gardening Resources:
   

Getting the Most Out of Your Compost

After a couple of months taking care of your compost pile, turning over the pile every now and then, warding off insects and pests, and keeping the pile damp, it is only natural to want to get the most out of your compost. And this means using the compost wisely and effectively.

Image by Chiot's Run via FlickrYou will know the right time to harvest the compost when you no longer recognize the original materials that you used to make the pile. The finished compost should look more soil-like or humus-like. It is dark, loose and smells earthy. When you harvest the compost from your pile, if it seems too damp to spread well it would be best to spread it out a little first and expose it to the air. This will further dry the compost and will make it easier to use.

If you find some bigger chunks still not fully decomposed, throw them back to the next compost pile you’re going to make. One way to get the not fully decomposed material is to use a screen or wire mesh large enough to let the compost through but small enough to screen the remaining big chunks. (Or you can just rake them out, or pick them out by hand if there aren't that many.)

As you probably know by know, compost has a lot of benefits for gardeners. For starters, compost helps improve the overall soil structure. This means the density and porosity of the soil is improved, allowing plants’ roots to grab ahold of the soil better. Deeper penetration of roots means the soil also becomes more resistant to erosion and runoff. Likewise, adding compost to the soil allows better water retention.

Aside from the soil structure, the macro and micronutrients in compost contains provide plants with the needed minerals and nutrients to grow large and healthy. The soil holds in the nutrients better when compost is added to the soil. Not to mention, compost improves and stabilizes the soil’s acidity levels as well. These are but a few reasons why compost should be used by gardeners.

Let’s go back to your newly harvested compost. After removing the pieces that did not fully decompose and after curing the finished compost, the next steps would be using what you have been brewing these past few months.

Among the most common usages of compost is as soil amendment. This simply means you add the compost to your soil and to replenish the nutrients and other essential minerals for your plants to absorb. You can also spread the compost over the soil before the planting season.

Image via WikipediaAnother usage of compost is as potting mix. Mix the compost with sand and soil and voila! You’ll have a great quality potting mix which you can use for your plants. A mix of 1 part sand, 2 parts compost, and 1 to 2 parts soil seems to be the general agreement for using compost as potting mix.

You can also use your compost as mulch (also called "top-dressing" when used in this way). Mulch is a protective layer spread over the soil to help counter the effects of the climate. You might need an ample supply of compost if you use it as mulch though. To use it as mulch, you need two to six inches of compost covering the soil surfaces around plants, trees, shrubs, and exposed slopes. As mulch, the compost will help lessen weed growth, prevent erosion, attract earthworms, and help retain water.

Getting the most out of your compost is important. You worked hard creating your compost and now is the time to reap the benefits!

Preparing Your Garden for the Winter

Well, here we are again - frosty nights are already settling over some areas, and sadly enough for us gardeners, winter is on the way. But wait, don't put away those tools just yet! There is still some important work to be done to properly put your garden to rest for the year.

Image by slack12 via FlickrSome people believe that when the weather starts getting colder and the leaves start to fall, it is time to put away the gardening tools and wait until next spring to work on their garden again. Wrong. Winter is an important time to maintain your garden's health and assure yourself a good crop for next year. You may think that might take to long to prepare your garden, but the truth is that it takes less than one day to prepare your garden for the upcoming winter.

When the nighttime temperatures drop to less than forty-five degrees Fahrenheit for more than four days in a row, or frost is forecasted for your area (usually around late October or November) you know its time to begin preparing your garden. You should begin by evaluating your garden design, check which plants grew well in the past season, and which plants did not do well. Fall is a good time to decide which plants will remain in your garden next year, and which ones should go.

It is also a good time to decide which new plants you want to grow for the fall season. To make your garden more colorful and healthy, be sure only to plant the more hardy plants during the fall so that they can withstand the winter. Some plants that will do fine being planted in fall are: rudbeckia, Aster Novi-belgii, Anemone Japonica, panicle hyandea, endive, escarole, and Brussels sprouts. You can find all of these and more in gardening magazines or your local nursery.

After you have finished this you should begin cleaning up your garden. Begin by pulling out weeds that may have cropped up, and raking fallen leaves. Weeds and rotten leaves can carry insects and diseases that might be harmful to your garden. You should also rid your garden of spent annual plants, and harvest your vegetables and other plants that cannot withstand the winter weather. After fall has come and gone, the leaves will be off your trees and you can see any dead and rotten branches. Trimming off the unwanted branches from your trees isn't necessary to your garden's health, but may help later on by not dropping branches on your plants and not blocking too much of the sun.

Image via WikipediaIf you have younger trees you should consider wrapping them and supporting them with stakes to help them survive the winter wind and cold. Putting mulch over your garden for the winter can be a helpful way to protect plants from sudden temperature changes and heavy snow. For mulch you can use about five inches of shredded bark, pine needles, leaves, or a variety of other materials. However, be careful not to mulch too early, because some insects may still be alive and able to take shelter in it for the winter.

Once you are finished with your gardening tools you should clean them and make sure they are in a safe place where they won't rust and you know where they'll be for next year. Before winter comes you should always set out slug repellent, as slugs are one of the worst bugs to have in your garden. Sluggo is a great all-natural OMRI certified slug killer if you have an infestation you want to get rid of before the winter, so they won't make a quick snack of your spring greens! And of course, if you have a pool or fountain in your garden, be sure to take out any fish that you have in them and bring them inside. There’s nothing sadder than a fish frozen in a block of ice!

Video - How to Mulch a Garden

Here is a helpful video with some tips and ideas for mulching your garden and making the most of your mulch. Check this out - it's quick and has some great ideas for keeping your garden healthy this summer.

How to Mulch a Garden
Gardening doesn't have to be a lot of work, especially if you use mulch in your vegetable and ornamental beds and pathways. Mulch is a huge garden timesaver because it helps prevent weeds, reduces the need to water, moderates soil temperatures, adds ...

Mulching for Free

Most likely if you are reading this, you have used some form of mulch during your gardening career. However, you may not know that there are many other options for organic mulching that you can explore. These days, many gardeners are discovering new sources of free mulch that has been there all along; an untapped resource. These can include everything from clippings from a lawn, to woody prunings from other plants in your yard. You will be surprised by how beneficial these things can be, and how often the opportunity arises to use them.

Image by annethelibrarian via FlickrMany gardeners have taken to spreading out their excess grass clippings across the rest of their yard. You may think this will look tacky, with big piles of grass just sitting in your yard as if you were too lazy to rake them up. However, if you spread them out enough then you won’t even be able to tell that there is an excess amount. Leaving the extra grass on the yard acts as a sort of mulch by preventing evaporation and weed growth. With this extra water, you won’t have to water nearly as much to keep your grass green. When I started leaving my grass clippings, I had to adjust the frequency of my sprinkler system because I was worried my yard was getting too much water!

If your garden is in more need of mulching than your yard, it is not unheard of to rake up all the grass and transport it to your garden. By making a small layer around the vicinity of the plant, you’ll apply all the same benefits from leaving it in your yard. My yard is rather green on its own, but I often have trouble with my plants staying green and healthy. So, rather than leave the grass clippings in my yard, I move them all around my plants. It is just a matter of choosing what your highest mulching priority is.

Sometimes, our pruning activities will leave us with an amazing amount of branches and twigs. If this is the case, you should consider renting a wood chipper to put all of those branches to use. After one day of intense pruning, you would be surprised at just how many branches you end up with. Rather than throw these away, you can turn them into a huge amount of mulch for your plants. However, if your pruning has not left you with a large enough pile the first time, you should bundle it all up and save it to add onto the next batch. This is because the chipping machines can be slightly expensive to rent, and you want it to be absolutely worth it!

Image via WikipediaOver time, all organic mulches need to be replenished. This is because they will naturally decompose in the conditions of your yard. Usually you can tell for yourself just by looking at it, but sometimes it can still look perfectly fine but still have problems. If you start to notice any poor plant growth whatsoever, you should replace your mulch. Keep in mind that during the process of decomposition, your mulch will use up the valuable nitrogen in the soil. Without this, the plants will be missing a key nutrient. Be sure that you nourish your soil with compost and manure, to make up for this potential deficiency.

The use of mulches in the yard and garden is something everyone should try. Not only can it save lots of time by reducing the amount of garbage you have to transport out, but it increases the healthiness and integrity of your plants by putting that so-called garbage to good use. So if you think you would be able to save a good amount of branches and twigs for chipping, or if you think that you are ready to stop raking up all your grass clippings, then free mulching may be for you.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Mine is growing great!  It's been quite an adventure for my garden this spring.... Crazy winds, cold nights, hail, and rain, rain, rain have proved a challenge for many local gardeners. But, the garden must go on! I seem to have picked the right crop for this year - I'm focusing on mainly potatoes, and apparently they LOVE rain! Some took a couple of weeks to come up, and when it was very cool, they grew slowly, but I think they have gained 8-inches this week alone! I just finished hilling them up a bit, and did the mulching, and they look just gorgeous!

Here are a couple of  pictures of my organic garden so far this year:

Happy potato plants!

2011 Garden - late May

In this last picture, you can see the potatoes on the left. In the background are gladiolas (and other slow-growing flowers that haven't taken off yet). To the right are the remainder of my lettuces which wintered over, and cilantro. Yum!

6 EasyTips for Creating a Summer Garden on a Budget

Gardening can quickly escalate into an expensive undertaking if you do not enter into the prospect with certain and very specific budget constraints in mind. If you plan according to your budget and purchase according to your specific plans and needs you are likely to find that your summer garden is more budget-friendly than the vast majority of other gardens on the block. I hope the advice that follows will help you cut the expense of gardening and help you find budget-friendly ways to build the summer garden of your dreams.

Image via Wikipedia1. Don't buy what you don't need. It may seem simplistic, but who among us hasn't gotten seduced by a great sale? It doesn't matter how good the deal is -- if you do not need the seeds, tools, and various other items there is no real reason to purchase them. It is a waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere.

2. Don't pay for shipping if it can be avoided. You may find a few items cheaper online but be very aware of the costs involved in shipping. If it costs more when all is said and done than it would have cost to purchase the same items locally you haven't saved anything at all. Look at the big picture rather than seeing only the cheaper asking price. It is also a good idea to support small local businesses whenever possible as they are going to be more likely to bargain, barter, and throw in freebies.

3. Check locally for free composting materials. Many communities offer these free to residents. When compared with the expense of purchasing these materials the savings can be significant over the course of a summer.

4. Work out an exchange among gardening friends. This is a great way to incorporate new plants into your summer garden without purchasing each plant you wish to include! This is also a great way to make new gardening friends, share a passion, and save money. It's a win-win situation for most gardeners!

5. Select plants that are native to your area for your summer garden. This is a huge money-saver that is often overlooked (and it's also more sustainable!) The costs of non-native plants can be excessive in the best of circumstances and the added care incurs further costs - especially if you end up not being able to keep the plants alive, or productive. Keep costs down by selecting plants that will easily thrive in your climate and those that are locally cultivated. This isn't an all-or-nothing proposition of course. If you absolutely love a couple of non-native plants, by all means incorporate them into your garden. However, if you are planning a garden from scratch choose as many native plants as possible for filler.

6. Check your local classified ads and free-cycle program for used garden tools that are in good condition. There are many reasons that people sell or give away garden tools and a bargain is a bargain on these tools that are going to be used to play in the dirt. You do not need to be incredibly picky about the tools you purchase and saving money is almost always a good thing. It's even better, of course, when you get them for no cost at all. You also might find a few free plants available through these sources too.

Image via Wikipedia7. Mulching saves time and money. Really! It saves water to mulch because the mulch holds the moisture in. This lowers the cost of watering and eliminates many of the pesky weeds that crop up-which saves time. We all know that time is money and most of us despise weeding - unless we have some truly aggressive emotions to work through, that is. :-)

By using all of the steps above you should find that you have saved a good deal of money in the planning and growing of your summer garden. Combine them with tips of your own that you discover along the way and next summer your garden should cost even less.