Archive for the ‘Home Tips’ Category

by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

Organic vegetable gardening is the trend these days because it has been discovered that the use of fertilizers and herbicides does more harm than good. The end result of which is organic farming which is the old-fashioned way and going back to basics.

There are many ways to do organic vegetable gardening. There is companion farming, crop rotation, composting, mulching and vermicast. Lets talk about these in detail so you’ll understand.

Companion farming doesn’t mean tilling the land with a buddy. This is achieved by planting two kinds of crops beside each other. Studies show that certain plants enhance the growth rate of the other by fending off insects and other pests. There are so many to choose from so you have to know which can be paired together.

Crop rotation means you literally change the kind of crops you are growing every quarter. This assures that the current plant doesn’t take away all the rich nutrients in the soil so that it can be used again in the future.

Mulching is the simplest way to do organic farming because you are just putting a protective cover on your crops.

Vermicast involves the use of earthworms. Basically, you feed these creatures nutrients in order for them to oxidize and stabilize the unstable organic matter or the decomposing plant so you’ll be able to plant new crops in the soil.

Of the 5, composting seems to be the most interesting because you help the soil cultivate your crops. In order to do this, you’ll need to create around 2 to 3 compost heaps in your backyard.

You don’t always have to buy these from the gardening store because some of the garbage that you plan to throw out will work nicely. Some examples are animal manure, lawn clippings, selected fruit or vegetable scraps, old hay or straw and shredded paper. Things that don’t work include meat scraps, orange peels and onion skins.

This is then placed in a bin or a tumbler because it will soon turn into a nutrient rich soil conditioner that can be added to the soil. You have to make sure that it receives a lot of heat in order to fight off seeds coming from the lawn clipping and weeds.

The methods mentioned can be used one at a time or simultaneously. The important thing is that you are organic vegetable gardening.

by Iza del Carmen, MomAuthority.com

According to the Department of Health, people should eat vegetables among other things in order to have a healthy diet. Growing them is one way of making sure they aren’t contaminated with pesticides and here are a few vegetable gardening tips to help you get started.

First, choose the ideal vegetables that can be grown in your backyard. Some of the common ones that can survive almost any weather condition are cabbage, potatoes and tomatoes. There are others aside from the three mentioned so do your homework.

Next, buy everything you need. You will need a spade and rake to cultivate the land. The seeds can be purchased from the gardening store. While you are there, you should also buy some pieces of wood or green plastic fences to protect your crops from birds and other pests.

Once you have all the materials, it is time to find the right spot to do your vegetable gardening. This should be exposed to the sun at least 6 hours daily and be placed a few feet away from the trees because the roots may steal the nutrition from your crops.

People who don’t know any better usually step on the crops they are planting. You can prevent this from happening by making a path in between each area.

Most people choose about 4 types of vegetables to plant in the garden. You don’t just dig a hole and throw the seeds in but instead check the condition of the soil and to be sure, mix some compost and fertilizer while feeding it daily with water.

The proper way of sowing the seeds is in rows and from a north to south direction, which means that choosing right location isn’t the only thing that gives it maximum exposure to the sun.

The last tip for people who want to do some vegetable gardening is rotating the crops several times a year. This prevents the crops from sucking away all the nutrition in the soil making it useless for those that want to replant again in the future.

Chances are, the vegetables that you will be harvesting will not be as big as those at the supermarket. After all, you aren’t a farmer that does this for a living but you should take comfort in knowing that your hard work and efforts paid off because you are eating something healthy made by your own hands which is what vegetable gardening is all about.
recommended to use non-chemical and organic means of controlling pests.