The urban gardener asked:


“Ebb and flow” hydroponics system is an example of the common arrangement of the indoor garden. Such system is composed of the upper grow bed, which is a box or tray that holds containers with plants. Those individual containers may be filled with various mediums, the most frequently used ones being rockwool, coconut fiber, lava rock, perlite, vermiculite or styrofoam pellets. The best mediums are those that are porous and can accumulate some water for a long time: lava rock is said to be the best in this respect.

The other part of the hydroponic system is the lower bed – the reservoir with the mix of water and nutrients dissolved in it.  Aquarium pump, regularly triggered by a timer, sends water solution up into the tray with plants.

The most important thing is to keep the correct composition of water solution in the reservoir – this is the key factor of the hydroponic garden flourishing. Many beginners find it difficult to maintain the right pH level of the water, necessary amount of nutrients, and their correct ratio. 

Standard organic plant nutrients are available to fertilize plants; however, many people are reluctant to do that, as they think such fertilizers will quickly make the water reservoir dirty. Indeed, organic nutrients interact with the organisms in water, which leads to their decomposition. Specialized concentrated nutrients, on the other hand, keep the reservoir relatively clean, since they are synthetically made and thus they cannot interact with the organisms in water. Nonetheless, such “clean” fertilizers will severely burn the plants roots if used in access.

Being pumped into the grow bed, water with a fertilizer saturates the plants and returns to the reservoir lacking the previous amount of nutrients and ppm (parts per million). Thus, its composition is always different and changeable. That is why a gardener should always monitor water solution, controlling its pH level and plant nutrients amount.

The urban gardener asked:


The organic hydroponics system pre-supposes that the reservoir will not supply nutrients to the plants; thus, there will be no need to constantly check the ppm and pH balance of water. It will make wet only the lower part of the medium and the secondary roots. This system gives a gardener an opportunity to grow plants as easy as it is in soil growing without troublesome balancing of the chemicals and pH level of the water.

The technique of the organic hydroponics allows supplying organic nutrients to the upper soil-mixture layer, as in traditional plants growing. The liquid forms of the organic nutrients are mixed according to the necessary concentration and then poured onto the top of the medium upper half.  Beware, though, of pouring too many nutrients!

This experiment will help you learn how much liquid with hydroponics nutrients you should pour on your plants for its excess not to drip into the lava rock layer and, consequently, into the water reservoir. If you find out that there is an excess of feeding liquid and it drips through the lava rocks into the grow bed, you can either soak it up with a cloth, or you can use other form of fertilizer, the one without liquid. It is also reasonably to change lava rock.

However, if only a small amount of organic nutrients is noticed to drain into the reservoir, there will be no problem, as the volume of water there is much larger. Reservoir water should be changed every 1-2 weeks, similarly to the standard hydroponics nutrients chemical reservoirs

Organic vegetable gardening is certainly not new. It’s been around for thousands of years. At one point, organic gardening was the only way to grow our gardens and crops. Then we began to pour pesticides and chemicals over our crops to kill harmful insects, weeds and small animals like mice and rats. The real truth about pesticides is that they are poisons and can be very dangerous.

When pesticides are spayed, particles float through the air and they lay over our plants and vegetables and when it rains the pesticides wash into the soil and into the ground water supply. So you see, it doesn’t matter where the pesticides end up whether it’s in the air, on land, in our water or on our crops, pesticides can be very harmful.

Learning to grow organically is a very rewarding experience as well as being very healthy for you and your family. It is however more involved then our traditional gardens we are use to growing. We need to learn how to fertilize and control pests and not harm the environment at the same time. It is so well worth the extra effort to learn how to grow an Organic Vegetable Garden and end up with healthy food on our dinner table.

When deciding to plant an organic vegetable garden, it needs to be careful planning. First you need to find a piece of land that will become your garden spot each year. Make sure your garden is not shaded by buildings or trees. The soil is very important when planting an organic vegetable garden. Seeds will germinate nicely in well-prepared soil than in coarse, hard soil. Each year as you prepare your garden for planting, you will be increasing the fertility of the soil through cultivation.

It’s a major decision in deciding what to plant in your organic vegetable garden. As a home gardener, you need to decide what vegetables you want to grow. It’s a good idea to study which vegetables will return a good portion of nutritious foods for the space required. Growing seasons plays a large part in deciding what to grow depending on where in the country you live. Remember to always plant according to your family’s needs. Careful planning will increase your return and lesson your gardening labor. Proper planting time is important if you want to get the maximum quality and production out of your garden. Plant your garden as early as possible so the vegetables will grow and mature and ready for harvest in the fall.

Fertilization is a very important factor for a success organic vegetable garden. Depending on your type of soil will depend on the amount of fertilizer you will need. Always apply the fertilizer a few days prior to planting. Be sure to work it into the soil properly with a spade or spread the fertilizer by hand and work into the soil properly. Pay special attention to not over fertilize as it could result in the death of the seeds or severe burning of the plant. After the fertilizer has mixed well with the soil, start to prepare for planting.

When you grow an organic vegetable garden, you cannot use pesticides. You need to use organic natural means. No artificial or chemically processed pesticides  which includes all commercial pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and fungicides should be used. Be sure to keep a healthy soil by cleaning and maintaining the sand/clay balance. It is a good idea to check on your vegetables daily. Check out the leaves, roots and the general condition of the plants. If you see any wilting, yellowing or spots of insect damage, such as aphid’s honeydew. By doing so, you’ll be keeping ahead of the pests that want to thrive on your hard work.

Harvesting is the day you’ve been waiting for. To get the greatest joy from your organic vegetable garden, be sure you harvest your vegetables when they are fully mature. Vegetables full flavor develops at the peak of maturity, resulting in incredible tastes. If you are canning or freezing your vegetables, it’s a good rule of thumb to harvest them the same day.

In today’s environmentally conscientious world, we hear a lot about organic gardening, but just what does that mean exactly?

The answer is simple; it means to use natural products in your gardening efforts. In particular this refers to fertilization and pest control; two aspects of gardening that have, in the past, made heavy use of chemicals.

Luckily, today’s gardeners don’t have to make use of harmful chemicals in order to have beautiful gardens since there are many organic options that will help keep your garden environmentally friendly.

Fertilizer

Fertilizer is to plants what food is to people and all gardens need a bit of fertilizer in order to produce lush, vibrant plants. All fertilizers should contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as these are the 3 ingredients that plants need for growth. While there are some organic fertilizers that contain all 3 like manure, many of them contain only 1 of these elements so one must be careful to combine appropriately when using these fertilizers.

Some popular organic fertilizers include:

Fish Emulsion – decomposed mashed up fish – this is kind of smelly but the smell goes away after a few days. High in nitrogen, this can help with early growth in spring.

Blood Meal – this powdered fertilizer is made from dried blood from cattle slaughterhouses – it is also high in nitrogen.

Chicken Poop – These non smelly pellets made from chicken poop contain all the nutrients needed for good growth.

Pest Control

When it comes to pest control, going organic is a little bit more work. You can invite “friendly” bugs like lady bugs, birds and lacewings into your garden to help with some of the work. Planting plants native to your area will also help as they will be more resistant to native pests and disease. In the end, keeping a close eye on your garden and immediately eliminating any sick or diseases leaves or plants is your best bet for organic pets control.

Going organic in your garden is a great way to really connect with the earth and insure that what you are doing is helping the environment as opposed to harming it. Good organic practices help to ensure that the beauty of nature, and gardens, will be around for generations to come.

If you love gardening and care about the environment, then you’ll want to know how to control garden pests naturally. Sure, there are plenty of chemical pesticides that will help, but these can be toxic to you, your family and the planet. Luckily, there are many things the conscientious gardener can do to keep his garden truly green.

When it comes to natural pest control, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Dead plant debris, poor soil and bad planting habits can be attractors for pests and disease so you want to be sure that you keep your garden and plants healthy in order to minimize pest invasion.

One thing you want to do is be sure to pull out any weak or diseased plants – these will attract pests and the disease could spread to other plants. If you see any spotty leaves or stems get rid of them right away. Also, be sure to keep your garden clear of fallen leaves and other debris as this can be a breeding ground for insects.

Having healthy soil and rotating your crops (in your herb or vegetable garden) can help keep plants healthy and make them less attractive to pests. There are actually some herbs that repel certain pests, take some time to learn about these and plant them in strategic places in your garden.

Not all insects are bad, and inviting the “good” ones into your garden can help with natural pest control. Lady bugs, lacewings and praying mantis like to dine on aphids, mites and other garden pests so making sure you have plenty of them in your garden can really keep down the unfriendly insect population. You can actually buy ladybugs, praying mantis eggs and lace wings online to populate your garden with.

Three are also some home remedies that will help you control garden pests naturally. Spraying your plants with a mixture of 1 tbsp canola oil with a few drops ivory soap mixed in a quart of water will help keep down aphids, mealy bugs and mites.

If you have grubs in your garden, you might consider making your garden attractive to birds like robins which love to eat them. You can also buy something called milkyspore which is a natural substance that causes grubs to contract some sort of disease that kills them. Spread it on your lawn as this is where the grubs like to live.

For slugs and earwigs, you might consider spreading diatomaceuos earth on your garden. This is earth that is the fossilized remains of diatoms which is a hard shelled algae. The particles are very tiny but sharp – they won’t hurt you or your garden but will hurt slugs and earwigs making your garden an unpleasant place for them to be.

Your best weapon in natural garden pest control is your eyes. You need to keep a watchful eye on your plants and take action as soon as you see any type of infestation. Keeping a healthy garden and using natural techniques will ensure you are adding to nature, not taking away from it and you will be doing your part to make sure that gardens can be enjoyed for centuries to come.

expertvillage asked:

Drying fresh herbs is easy with these tips, get expert tips and advice on organic herb gardening in this free video. Expert: Gale Gassiot Bio: Gale Gassiot makes her own organic compost or “gardener’s black gold.”

gardenproducts asked:

bit.ly Finally, here is your opportunity to learn the secrets of healthy gardening with Companion Planting passed down through time – all crammed into a simple, easy to use guide. You’ll Instantly Discover…. How to choose the right plants to grow together Which plants you must never grow together How to protect your fruits and vegetables from insect attack How much to plant for your family And Much More! Take Action! & Click Here: bit.ly

expertvillage asked:

Growing an organic herb garden is easy with these tips, get expert tips and advice on organic herb gardening in this free video. Expert: Gale Gassiot Bio: Gale Gassiot makes her own organic compost or “gardener’s black gold.”