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Every summer, my biggest pest problem in my organic vegetable garden are aphids. They attack by the millions. Contolling these pests are an important organic gardening how to. When these aphids do appear, I counter-attack with an army of ladybugs.Ladybugs are voracious eaters of aphids – both adults and larval ladybugs consume aphids. Aphids are the primary food supply for lady beetles. An adult ladybug will eat 5,000 aphids during its’ lifespan and a beetle larvae will consume 50-60 per day. The ladybugs will stay in your garden as long as there are aphids to consume. And, while they are in your garden, the ladybugs will lay eggs and the larvae that emerges will also consume aphids. A population of 9,000 ladybugs can grow to 30,000 inside of 30 days. The ladybug army grows quickly. Eventually, the aphids will be gone. And, when they are gone, the ladybug will be gone, also. But, that’s good – your organic garden is now healthy!In many areas, ladybugs can be found in nearby fields. But, if your organic garden is under attack, you may have to purchase a large enough army of ladybugs to put up a proper counter-attack. If your vegetable garden is under 4,000 square feet, I would suggest buying your beetle army from Gardens Alive (view HERE) and if your vegetable garden is any larger, I would suggest buying them from Arbico Organics (view HERE). Both of these suppliers have superior products and excellent shipping programs.When your beetles arrive, you should immediately wet the bag they are in with water – these beetles will be thirsty. Leave them in the bag for 2-3 hours before releasing them. While waiting, also water your entire garden, thoroughly. When you do release the ladybugs, try to spread them evenly throughout your garden. Ladybugs like their space. If you are not going to release the lady army upon arrival, their wet bag can be maintained in a cool refrigerator for up to a week.
Watch this video below for some more information and tips:
Another organic gardening how to is to create a benficial bug ecosystem near your organic vegetable garden. There are some beneficial bugs for organic gardeners that are attracted by certain types of plants. Plant this ecosystem nearby and use the following plants: nasturium, clover, basil, dill, radishes, and any plant from the carrot family. These beneficial bug ecosystems will help support your organic vegetable garden.
If you are new to organic gardening or would like to learn more, try either one of these two great eBooks: Organic Gardening MagicandMy Organic Food Garden Or, try them both! Satisfaction Guaranteed for your organic gardening how to, or your maney back.
Compost is an essential ingredient in any organic garden. Compost is a combination of organic matter that has decomposed until it resembles rich, dark soil. Properly prepared, it is not gross, dirty, or smelly. Compost is a nutritious food for your garden plants and is a must have in your organic garden.
Compost is also a nutritious soil amendment that helps drainage and helps prevent rot and nutrient delpetion which is common in poor soils. Compost will also help hold moisture and reduces the amount of water that you need to give your garden. Furthermore, many of the components of compost help bind toxic chemicals so they won’t enter the plants root systems.
There are many uses for compost. In the spring and summer, it can be used as mulch. Just spread a thin layer of it around the base of your plants. To improve the soil in your vegetable plot, add a top layer of compost to your soil and and mix it in to the top 3-4 inches of dirt. If you do this, you will need somewhere between 1-2 wheelbarrows of compost for every 50 square feet of garden space. For potted plants, you can top dress plants that are already potted, or you can mix it with soil to make a better potting mix for plants you are getting ready to pot. Compost can also be used to make a compost tea. This is a super, rich liquid fertilizer which can be applied at the base of plants or used as a foliar spray (see how Here).
In today’s world, you can buy almost anything including organic compost. Gardeners Gold Premium Compost (view Here) is an excellent product provided by Gardens Alive. This is rich, nutritious compost made from organic products that have been decomposing for a minimum of two years. But, I only buy compost when I cannot make enough of it for my organic garden. Compost is easy to make and the ingredients are only those things that you would normally throw away.
Compost can be made from anything of living origin – either, plant or animal. When you are making compost, you are creating a miniature eco system that is a host to countless micro organisms known as soil bacteria. This bacterium decomposes the organic matter making it into rich, dark compost.
There are many methods to making compost. The easy way is to make a pile in your yard of various organic substances; add a small amount of soil and water; turn it with a pitch fork every 5-7 days; and’ watch it slowly decompose. But, this is the time consuming way. You have little control over the moisture and heat that builds up inthe pile. There are other methods and tumblers to do this same job much quicker, but, we will discuss these further on in this article.
The organic matter that you make compost out of can be classified as either “soft greens” or “woody browns”. You need both of these to make compost effectively. “Soft greens” are the young, tender, moist materials such as lawn trimmings, kitchen vegetable trimmings, and green leaves from your organic garden. “Woody browns” are drier materials such as autumn leaves, dried vines, and stems of plants, eggshells, toilet paper rolls, and newspaper. Yes, newspaper with black ink can be added, but when you do, be sure to roll the newspaper up. This allows air to penetrate into the pile.
The “soft greens” are really what gets the heat going in the pile. The “woody browns” give your pile air and structure. Your pile should be 3 parts “soft greens” to 1 part “woody browns”. Cut any long stems of large chunks into smaller pieces.
To build your pile, separate the “soft greens” and “woody browns” into layers. On the bottom layer, put about 3 inches of “soft greens”, followed by a layer of 1 inch thick “woody browns”, followed by a thin layer of soil. The soil will allow soil bacteria to get into your pile. Repeat this process as many times as you would like, but, I usually try to keep it under 3 feet in height. If the pile seems dry, add a bit of water. An effective compost pile is about as wet as a well wrung out sponge.
As the pile decomposes, heat will build up in the pile – that’s good! It shows that decomposition is well underway. The heat can build up to 140-160 degrees. While you started off making “lasagna”, after 5-7 days you need to make a “soup” out of it by flipping with a pitch fork. You will continue doing this until your pile has turned into rich compost. It may take 3-4 months in the summer and 6-8 months in the winter. If it is going to rain heavily, cover the pile with a tarp.
For further instruction watch this video:
So, as you can see from the video, making compost is no rocket science. Composting is using materials that you normally throw away and naturally turning them into a healthy, organic soil amedment. Your garden will love it!
Making a compost pile in your yard can create somewhat of a mess. It can also temporarily create some unpleasant odors that you or your neighbors may not like. Another method to create compost is to use sealed containers that are specifically designed to make compost. The benefits of these containers are, besides reducing odor and creating less of a mess, that you have greater control over the heat, air, and moisture getting into your compost mixture. By doing this, you can reduce the amount of time it takes to make your compost to just a few weeks. Besides, most of these container systems have mechanisms built in which makes it much easier to flip your compost pile – much of the work is taken out.
I have tried three container systems, but the one I like most is Arbico Organics Tumbleweed Compost Bin (view it Here). The Tumbleweed has a patented, above-ground design. It’s double sided and has a stainless steel bar that runs through the center, helping to break up and aerate with every tumble. With this product, I can make 6-7 cubic feet of compost every four weeks in the summer. Each end of the bin has a twist lock, animal-resistant vented lid – so you can add or remove composting materials from either end. If you are in the market for a compost bin, I recommend this product. View this product on this video:
If you are new to organic gardening or would like to learn more, try either one of these two great eBooks: Organic Gardening Magic and My Organic Food Garden. Or, try them both! Satisfaction Guaranteed for your organic garden, or your maney back.
Compost Tea, that is! Compost tea is the lifeblood of any organic garden. It nourishes and stimulates the plants to grow faster and healthier. It is liquid gold in the flower, herb, and organic vegetable garden. Any and all plants will respond to compost tea. It’s one of the best fertilizers for the organic garden.
And, when is the best time to serve your plants compost tea? ……Anytime! Your plants, like all plants, will just love it. Their leaves will be greener, their blooms will be larger, and they will produce larger and more prolific fruits and vegetables. Serve your organic garden compost tea from the begining os spring until the last days of fall.
Naturally, you can buy this nutritious tea. When I have bought it, I used Arbico Organic’s Compost Tea Ready-To-Use (click Here to see product). This is an excellent product and will instantly increase your plants vigor and reduce disease. But, brewing your own compost tea is easy! One way of doing this is to purchase Gardens Alive Compost Tea Kit (view Here). With one purchase, you have everything you need to make this organic brew for many years. Or, another way of doing it is to collect the materials from around your home or nearby store. The materials you need are:
One(1) five gallon bucket (plastic is best)
Five(5) gallons of water
One(1) aerator (available at any tropical fish store)
Approx. one(1) quart of mature compost (quality is important – available Here)
To brew your own compost tea, pour the five gallons of water into the five gallon bucket and submerge the aerator into the bucket. Turn on the aerator and let it run for about 30 minutes (this helps to eliminate some of the chorine in the water if you are using city tap water). Next, pour your compost (click Here to learn how to make your own compost) into the bucket and aerate for 24 hours (tip: if you tie the compost into a woman’s old stocking and submerge it into the water using a wire across the bucket for support, your compost tea will stay much cleaner). That’s it – your done!Watch this video to see for yourself how easy this is:
As discussed in the video, you can make your compost tea more effective by changing the microbes in it. Adding 2-3 tablespoons of molasses will increase the bacterial action. This is good for the plant’s root system and is especially good for grass. In addition, if you add a protein product (such as Arbico’s Liquid Fish Emulsion, or Arbico’s Liquid Seaweed, or a combination of both), you’ll increase the fungal activity of the compost tea. This is especially good for wooded plants and shrubs. And, to make this all simpler so that you don’t have to buy so many products, try using Arbico Organics Compost Tea Bag (see Here). I have used this product and my organic garden loved it.
I am cautious with my home brewed compost tea. If the tea contains too much nitrogen, it can burn the plants. I always dilute my home brewed tea with a 10:1 ratio of water. That is, for every gallon of compost tea that I use, I add 10 gallons of water. This is much safer and besides, I can serve my organic garden compost tea more often.
To apply your compost tea, you can pour it directly to the base of the plant. Or, you can get the benefits of this powerful tea quicker into your plants by using it as a foliar spray – spray it directly onto the leaves and stems of the plants in your organic garden. But, make sure you don’t plug up your sprayer. Filter your compost tea by pouring the liquid through a filter, such as cheesecloth, before pouring it into your sprayer.
So, see how easy it is to brew your own compost tea?! Now, it’s tea time!
If you are new at organic gardening or would like to learn more, take a look at either one of these two great eBooks: Organic Gardening Magic and My Organic Food Garden. Or, try them both! Satisfaction Guaranteed for your Organic Garden, or you money back.
Ten terrific tips for growing great tasting tomatoes in your organic garden are:
1. If starting from seed, don’t overcrowd the tomatoes. As soon as leaves develop, transplant them to give them more space and move them to 4″ pots about two weeks after that.
2. Tomato seedlings need strong, direct sunlight. If using indirect lights, such as florescent bulbs, place the bulb only a couple inches away. The seedlings will need 14-18 hours a day of this type of light. If planting outside, put the tomato seedlings in the sunniest part of your garden.
3. To develop strong stems, tomatoes need to sway in the breeze. If you do not have breezes in your climate, blow the tomato plants with a fan for 5-10 minutes, twice a day.
4. Tomato plants love the warmth. Prior to planting in your yard soil, cover the ground of your organic garden with black plastic for a couple of weeks, This will give you earlier tomatoes.
5. Bury your tomato plants deep. The entire plant should be buried in the soil except for the top leaves. Remove the leaves from the lower part of the plant (not the stems), bury the plant deep, and roots will develop from the stem of the plant. If you don’t want to dig that deep, lay the plant in the ground sideways – the top of the tomato will turn and grow straight up.
6. Mulch only after the ground has warmed up. Doing this too early will make it harder for the soil to warm up. Mulching absorbs moisture, requires less watering of the tomato plants and helps prevent diseases.
7. Leaves lower on the plant are more likely to catch diseases from soil born pathogens being splashed up on them. So, when the tomato plants are about 3 feet tall, remove these lower leaves (up to about 12 inches). Spraying the plant with compost tea will also help ward off fungus.
8. Remove the suckers that develop in the crotch between two branches. These rob energy from the plant and they will not bear fruit. Beyond that, do not prune too much. You can remove a few of the leaves that are preventing the sun from reaching the bottom part of thplant, but remember, the leaves allow the plant to phoyosynthesize and create sugars that give your organic tomatoes their flavor.
9. While the tomato plants are developing, water deeply and regularly. If you don’t water for several days, and then try to make up for it, this will lead to blossom end rot and cracking. As the fruit starts to ripen, reducing the frequency of watering will coax your tomato plant to produce more sugar and greater flavor. Just don’t allow the plant to wilt or you will lose your blossoms and possibly the fruit.
10. Determinate type tomatoes tend to set and ripen their fruit all at one time, making a large quantity available at the same time, just when your ready to make your sauces. You can get indeterminate type tomatoes to set fruit earlier by pinching off the tips from the main stems in early summer.
Good Luck on your tasty tomatoes in your organic garden!
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