Down To Earth Home and Garden | vegetable garden

Posts Tagged ‘AeroGarden’

AeroGarden 6-Pod Seed Kit
Organic Gardening Advantages

The definition of organic gardening is a garden that does not use pesticides to kill pests. This method can be used in either vegetable or flower gardens. In vegetable gardens organic is the safest for you since you will be consuming what you have grown. But, if you utilize it in flower gardening also, it is safest for the environment.

Raising an organic garden has many sound reasons to encourage gardeners to go this route. As mentioned above all of your vegetables will be pesticide free, which means no poison on the food you are growing. While in flower gardening, many people plant flowers that will attract butterflies or bees which you won’t attract if you use pesticides. You especially want to remain pesticide free if you have small children or pets because chemicals could be harmful for them.
Gardening Nature’s Way Organic Gardening Step 1
Your organic garden will be anything but simple gardening. Every garden takes effort and research and your organic garden is no exception. As with all gardens you must start with a plan. Research the plants you wish to grow. Find out what their needs are when it comes to light, fertilizer, PH in the soil and drainage. Be diligent in picking a spot that is well suited to your plants. If you are planting an herb garden select a site that is close to your kitchen door for easy harvesting. Find out if there are companion plants and if there are, consider using them.

When planting an organic garden you will need some really good compost. You can make your compost out of soil and organic matter. Organic matter includes leaves, manure, vegetable refuse, coffee grinds and eggshells. You can include peels from fruits and vegetables. (Potato skins, apple skins, orange rinds, etc.) Start your compost early, find a place to put your compost and work it frequently. By working it I mean turn it with a shovel so the organic material will break down. When you are ready to start planting work your compost into the garden beds before you plant.

Your garden location is very important. You need to pick a spot that gets lots of light and drains well. If it is a very windy spot you will have to figure out some way of sheltering. Don’t pick a low spot on your property since that might flood during heavy rains. You really want to put the garden in a place that has easy access for you and for watering with your hose.

Mentioned above were companion plants. Companion plants are plants that repel unwanted pests. If you plant roses, plant some garlic. It is said that garlic will repel rose’s nemesis, aphids. Cucumber beetles will not be a worry if you plant oregano. Marigolds will also repel many pests. For a good natural pesticide follow this recipe:
The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses
In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

If you come up with a good plan you can have flowers and vegetables mixed together. Make sure that you know your zone and the conditions that apply in your area. Flower and vegetable gardens will be very different in Alaska than in Florida.

Your organic garden will take some work, but it will not be in vain when you can sit back and enjoy your beautiful blooms or make some culinary delights from the vegetables and herbs you have grown.

Happy Gardening!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at Gardening Landscaping Tips Gardening Outside and Herb Gardening

Author:
null

Terms: Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live

Source: www.articledepot.co.uk

Hydro Greenhouse Table-Top Hydroponic Garden
Hydroponics ensures safe produce for consumers

People kept on adapting to the changing environment. As drastic changes in the weather and the need for a safe and reach-in production increases, people shifted to modern means of cultivation. Hydroponic gardening is a concept that people may not knew, but has existed for more than 38 decades. As early as 1627, hydroponics has been conceptualized by Bacon and publicized by Gericke in 1937. Nowadays, the said procedure has been adapted in Canada and other countries, due to its efficiency and the accessibility of the technology.

Hydroponics culture is means of using water (with mineral solutions) in cultivating plants. In the 90s, scientist discovered that plants do not need soil in order to grow but uses ionization in the process. The system of hydroponic is being adapted in agriculture for its claimed advantages. To mention:(1) nutrient solutions may be re-used in other areas such as potted plants and turf management; (2) Growing mediums can be re-used and recycled (3) culture and technique requires less space; (4) non-arable land can be accessed and facilitated; (5) reduction of agriculture overhead costs (transportation, fuels,manpower etc.); (6)plants develop stronger resistance; and farmer/ agriculturist has more control of the plants nutritional intake through controlled conditions in the process.
AeroGrow AeroGarden with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit
The procedure entails dissolving of nutrients in the water. Nutrients are more of inorganic and ionic form. This includes calcium, magnesium, potassium, nitrate, sulfate and phosphate nutrients which are essential to plants. The first three mentioned are the positively-charged ions introduced to the solution while the latter are the major nutrient anions.

The biggest producer in the world that uses the hydroponics technology can be found Willcox, Arizona, Eurofresh Farms. This produced metric tons of tomatoes in 2005.

The said technology is within the reach of consumers with the availability of built-in hydroponics technology that can be used not only for agricultural production but also for gardening.

The system is more being built in a greenhouse where the environment is thoroughly controlled. With pest problems reduced, and nutrients constantly fed to the roots, hydroponics productivity is set at maximum level. Climate and infestation are being manage to achieve fresh and undamaged produce. This is through sealed greenhouses administered with carbon dioxide into the environment to sustain growth (CO2 enrichment) and reduction or addition of the lights.

Author:
Jovan Gomez is the webmaster of hydroponics dictionary . It was designed and contributed to by many authors that bring a wealth of information and experience about the hydroponics industry.

Terms: Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live

Source: www.articledepot.co.uk