Organic Gardening How To Blog

Knowing your soil temperature is an important organic gardening how to before you plant your vegetable gardens. Your soils temperature is one key factor related to seed germination. Other factors include soil moisture and exposure to light.

If you plant your seeds too early when the soil is too cool, the seeds will germinate too slowly and will likely create a plant with a weak root system. I know that spring has just arrived and we are all anxious to get our gardens started, but it’s important to consider what you’re going to plant. Different vegetables germinate best in different soil temperatures.

Kale, radish, lettuce, pea, and spinach are considered cold-weather plants and germinate best when the soil temperature is slightly above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. To test your soils temperature, insert a soil thermometer into the ground to a depth of about three inches. Allow the thermometer to remain there for about one minute to get an accurate reading.

Cool-weather plants include carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, leeks, and beans. These plants germinate best when the soil temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

Corn, tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers are warm-weather plants. They like warm soil and warm air and germinate best when the soil temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

Don’t germinate your plants indoors and place them in the outdoor soil too soon. Placing plants in soil that is too cool for them will shock them and stunt their growth.

Another organic gardening how to is to keep in mind that you can help to increase you soil’s temperature by covering your garden area with black plastic before you plant your seeds. The black plastic will absorb the sun’s warmth and help to heat the soil beneath it.

One last thing to remember and to be cautious about is frost. Your soil may have reached the desired temperature level for seed germination, but don’t plant your seeds if you might still expect frost. Frost may kill your young plants. You can check with the National Climatic Weather Center to help you find when the last chance of frost is for your area.

Yes, spring is here and we’re all anxious to get started. I hope this organic gardening how to will help you grow a terrific organic garden.

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Yesterday, I was kneeling and mixing compost in my organic garden when I heard a delightful sound. Bzzzzzzz…It was the sound of a honey bee. The tiny little bee had landed on a blooming azalea near my head and was busy collecting nectar. Ah, the beautiful sights and sounds of spring.

I’ve always enjoyed watching the busy honey bees in my organic garden during this time of year. They seem to be so frantically involved in what they are doing and, yet, they seem to enjoy their nectar gathering tasks. It’s a shame that these little creatures are disappearing and scientists have not been able to figure out why.

It all started in 2006 when large numbers of beekeepers started reporting unusually large numbers of bees disappearing and dying outside of their hives. This phenomenon has since been called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and its’ origin is unknown. It’s estimated that in four short years that nearly 70% of the world’s bee population has vanished. In four short years!

There are nearly 48 species of bees that are on the endangered list. This list includes bumble bees which are the most important pollinators of tomatoes, cranberries, and blueberries. Nearly, one-third of the food we eat depends upon bees for pollination.

Watch this video to see just how bad this problem really is:

The exact cause of CCD is still not known, but we do know there are some known things that you can do in your organic garden to help out.

Stop using pesticides.

Labels on pesticides and herbicides don’t tell how toxic some of these chemicals are to the bee populations, but many of them are. If you have to use pesticides, use only organic one’s such as those shown in this Organic Gardening How To. Try other things, such as floating row covers to protect food crops or companion planting (such as planting marigolds around tomatoes). Plant pest-resistant varieties of vegetables, shrubs, trees, and flowers.

Identify your bees.

Many people will classify any flying, stinging, yellow colored insect as a “bee”. This includes not only the honey bee, but also wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets. But, the honey bee is much different than these other insects. Honey bees are docile and are too busy to bother you. You can work side-by-side with them and they won’t bother you unless you step on them or threaten their nest.

Grow the right flowers.

Try to grow native plants and lots of them in your organic garden. Bees prefer native plants over exotic plants because they know where the pollen is and how to get to it. Native plants are four times more attractive to bees. Bees prefer blossoms that are white, yellow, violet, purple, or blue.

Plant 3 to 4 different wildflowers in every growing season. Why? Because different bee species are active at different times of the year. In spring, bees coming out of dormancy are running out of energy reserves and they need to fatten up before they can lay eggs. And, in the fall, the bees need to fatten up to make it through the winter and they greatly appreciate fall-blooming flowers like goldenrod and asters.

Here are some of the flowers that bees love: mint, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, basil, aster, bee balm, black-eyed susan, poppy, chrysanthemum, columbine, marigold, cosmos, goldenrod, fireweed, lavendar, ironweed, lupine, milkweed, sage, sunflower, purple coneflower, willow, spiderwort, russian sage, lobella, tickweed, and zinnia. And, there are many others.

Provide water.

Provide a shallow pan with clean water. Put a 1/4′ of white sand in the bottom and fill with water to about 1/4″ above the sand. Place a couple of small flat stones in the water so the bees won’t drown.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz…Bee-Friendly in your organic garden.

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Before this organic growing season begins, you need to make sure that you have plenty of the necessary nutrients in the soil that all organic gardens need. These nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium and they are vital for a healthy organic garden.

Nitrogen (N) enables plants to build protein which enables them to grow. All plants need nitrogen, some more than others. Leafy plants such as cabbage, lettuce, beans, rhubarb, kale, chard, and peas need high amounts of nitrogen. Some caution with nitrogen is required because too much of it can also burn the plants.

Phosphorous (P) is needed in the soil from day 1. Phosphorous helps the plants to convert the sun’s energy into energy that the plants can use to grow. It is essential in the photosynthesis process. If your soil is low in phosphorous, your plants will grow slowly and look sickly.

Potassium (K) is also essential for plant growth. Potassium is sometimes called potash. It helps the plants to absorb and hold water and helps to make them disease resistant. Sufficient amounts of potassium in the soil will lead to higher crop yields and more flowers in the flower beds.

Organic growing can be strengthened with the proper preparation of your garden soil. Apply organic fertilizer to your garden beds and mix in with the soil about 2-3 weeks before actually planting. Also, apply small amounts of organic fertilizer to your potting soil to help those potted plants (read Organic Gardening How To On Potting Soil).

Home Made Organic Fertilizer Recipe

Combine:

4 Quarts – Cottonseed Meal

1 Quart – Bone Meal

1 Quart – Greensand

1/2 Quart – Gypsum

1/2 Quart – Dolomite Lime

Mix these five ingredients thoroughly and apply at the rate of approximately 4 pounds per 100 square feet.

All of these ingredients should be available at a nursery near you or you can click on the links posted above to buy them online.

Adequate soil preparation is organic growing at its’ best!

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At last, spring is only two weeks away! I’ve been busy planting garden seeds and I thought I would share this organic gardening how to with all of you. It’s important to give your garden seeds a healthy environment to begin their growth in. Plants that start out healthy are much more likely to give you abundant flowers and vegetables as they mature. Following is a recipe for making your very own organic potting soil. I’ve found that my young plants thrive very well in this organic mixture. INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Gallons – Sphagnum Peat Moss
• 2 Gallons – Vermiculite
• 2 Gallons – Organic Compost
• 1-1/2 Cups – Organic Fertilizer (read Organic Growing for recipe)

Mix all the ingredients together, breaking any clumps apart. Make sure all of your ingredients are dry. You can use this potting soil immediately or you can store it in plastic bags for future use. Use this short Organic Gardening How To to start your spring garden and watch your organic garden really grow!

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Organic foods implies that the food has been grown and produced without pesticides, fertilizers, food additives, or sewage sludge. Organic foods are not genetically modified and are not exposed to any type of radiation.

It’s not uncommon to see the term “Organic” or “100% Natural” in many of your local markets. But, does this mean that the food you are thinking about buying is truely organic? Definitely NOT – and don’t be fooled by it!

Organic food commands a higher price and many wholesalers and markets try to increase this profits by tricking their customers into buying products that are not truely organic. If you see the term “organic”, check it out closely before making a purchase decision.

In the United States, federal organic legislation defines 3 levels of organics. The first level, “100% Organic”, means that the product has been made entirely with organic ingredients and methods. The second level, “95% Organic”, means that at least 95% of the product has been made with organic ingredients. Both “100% Organic” and “95% Organic” products can be marketed with the use of the word “organic” and both can display the USDA organic seal that is shown below:

This label is sometimes green/white/brown (as shown), but sometimes it is also only black/white.

The third organic level, containing at least 70% of organic ingredients, can be marketed with the term “made with organic ingredients”. Product’s that use less than 70% organic ingredients canot advertise this information and can only display it on the product’s ingredient list.

Be aware of thes differences in organic foods. If you only want to buy real organic foods, look for the certified USDA organic label.

Watch these two videos for some further information on organic foods:

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 gardening how to, or your money back.

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