Organic Gardening How To Blog

It’s going to be a tough year for the organic growing of tomatoes, particularly in the southeast of the US. That’s because of the late blight that unexpectedly hit this area last year.

Late blight, known for causing the 1850′s Irish potato famine, struck 23 states including Canada last year causing millions of dollars of damage. This year, it’s expected to reach from New England to Florida and as far west as North Dakota.

Caused by a fungus-like organism called oomycete, late blight is spread by airborne spores. Normally, late blight won’t survive the colder winter, but it will survive in potatoes left in the fields.

Watch this video on organic growing/late blight:

The biggest problem with this disease and organic gardening is that you have to avoid the pesticides. Amy Hepworth, an organic farmer in New York, sprayed her tomatoes with copper. The blue residue that it leaves on the tomatoes has to be re-applied after each rain.

If you do suspect that your tomatoes do have late blight, you are encouraged to contact a cooperative extension agency to confirm it. It’s a community disease and everyone needs to know about it to protect the farms.

Organic growing is fun and delicious, but avoiding diseases like late blight is in the best interests of everyone.

Technorati Tags: hydroponic gardening, late blight, organic foods, organic garden, organic gardening how to, organic growing, organic vegetable, organic vegetable garden, plant disease, vegetable garden organic, vegetable organic

April showers brought a lot of May roses. Now, those roses are starting to drop. This Organic Gardening How To is going to show you the proper way to trim off those old flowers so that your plants remain healthy, continues to grow, and generates more flowers. This is called deadheading.

To deadhead your roses, all you need is a good set of rose gloves , a sharp set of shears , and a container to place your cuttings into.

Watch this Organic Gardening How To video to learn the proper way to deadhead your roses:

It’s that simple!

I know that I have several friends and all they do is cut off the dead blooms directly underneath the bloom. And, that’s wrong! That’s why their roses don’t generate more blooms.

Be sure to trim your dead blooms about a 1/4″ above the first set of 5 leaves. If you do, your rose bush will reward you with new growth and blooms.

I hope this Organic Gardening How To has been of help to you. If you would like to learn more about organic gardening, try either one of these two great eBooks – Organic Gardening Magic or My Organic Food Garden. Or, try them both! Both have a 60-day money back guarantee for your Organic Gardening How To needs.

Technorati Tags: deadhead roses, deadheading, garden, gardening, hydroponic gardening, organic foods, organic garden, organic gardening how to, organic growing, organic vegetable, organic vegetable garden, roses, trimming roses, vegetable garden organic, vegetable organic

Companion planting is an eco-friendly way to manage your organic vegetable garden. Most plants have natural substances in their roots, stems and leaves that can repel and/or attract certain types of insects. Companion planting helps nature do its own thing in a natural way.

Companion planting has been practiced for many years. The Iroquois indians planted beans, squash, and corn together and they were called their Three Sisters (read my article Three Sisters/Organic Vegetable Garden). What one plant took out of the soil, another would put back in. These plants complemented each other.

Practice companion planting in your own organic vegetable garden. Planting basil or bee balm close to your tomatoes helps their growth and improves their flavor. Plant caraway in areas where you have compacted soil and the long roots of the caraway will loosen it. Dill planted next to cucumbers will attract beneficial predatory insects.

Have fun and experiment with companion planting. Find out what works and keep a record of it.

You can also learn a lot more about companion planting in the eBook Organic Gardening Magic. You have a 60-day FREE trial and if you don’t like it, simply return it. You’ll learn a lot of secrets that’ll help you in your organic vegetable garden.

Technorati Tags: garden pests, gardening, hydroponic gardening, organic foods, organic garden, organic gardening how to, organic growing, organic vegetable, organic vegetable garden, pests, planting, three sisters, vegetable garden organic, vegetable organic

Growing herbs in your organic gardens is a lot of fun and so easy to do. If you haven’t done it before, give it a try!

In this organic gardening how to, I’m going to show how to grow one of my favorite herbs – basil. I love the smell and taste of basil. Watch this video to see how easy it is to grow basil:

I particularly like to grow basil amongst my tomato plants in my organic garden. Basil is considered a companion plant for tomatoes and helps ward off insects that can harm the tomato plants (read Companion Planting/Organic Vegetable Garden).

Some gardeners claim basil improves the growth and flavor of tomatoes, but I believe that is more folklore than actual fact.

You can grow basil from seeds or from small plants that can be purchased at most of your nurseries. Don’t forget to foyer feed your basil plants as they do need a lot of nutrients. I use liquid fish emulsion that I buy from Amazon.com .

Hope you enjoyed this organic gardening how to…until next time…

Technorati Tags: basil, companion planting, gardening, growing herbs, hydroponic gardening, organic foods, organic garden, organic gardening how to, organic growing, organic vegetable, organic vegetable garden, vegetable garden organic, vegetable organic

April showers have now brought May flowers. Here are some organic gardening how to tips for the lovely month of May:

* If you haven’t done so already, your cool weather spring crops should now be ready to harvest.This includes peas, rhubarb, lettuce, spinach, radish, and beets. Pick these now before the heat starts to deteriorate their flavor.

*After removing your spring crops, add compost and barn yard manure to your soil and work it into the ground to get it ready for your summer crops. If you don’t have home made compost (read my article Compost For Your Organic Garden), you can buy it locally at most garden centers.

* Plant your warm weather summer crops. This includes tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, beans, squash, and corn.

* Start your vertical gardens. Besides giving you additional space for your garden, there are many other reasons for vertical gardening (read my article Go Vertical In Your Organic Vegetable Garden). Crops ideal for vertical gardening include tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers. Grow these vertically on the north side of your garden.

Watch this Organic Gardening How To Video for some additional tips:

Are you new to organic gardening? If so, or if you just want to learn more, try one of these great eBooks – My Organic Food Garden or Organic Gardening Magic. Or, try them both with an Organic Gardening How To 60-Day Money Back Guarantee!

Technorati Tags: cool weather crops, garden, gardening, hydroponic gardening, my organic food garden, organic foods, organic garden, organic gardening how to, organic gardening magic, organic growing, organic vegetabe, organic vegetable garden, spring crops, summer crops, vegetable garden organic, vegetable organic, vertical gardening, warm weather crops