Harvest House
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Jack Jones has become the leader of The Harvest House Community
Garden -- an new expert on Organic Gardening. Want to know about
organic gardening, organic pest control and other gardening supplies to
make your garden eco-friendly? Here are some organic garden tips from
Jack....
Before discussing the organic garden tips, it is very essential for you to
know what exactly organic means. Basically organic matter is nothing but
matter that has originated from a living organism, is capable of decay, or is
composed of organic compounds. As far as gardening is concerned, you
must know that soil is composed of minerals and organic matter. The
organic matter in soil is derived from plants and animals. Organic
gardening is the technique of growing plants by following the essential
principles of organic agriculture. Thus, organic gardening is nothing but a
gardening technique that aims at improving the soil fertility, overall quality,
managing the pests without the use of chemical pesticides and preserving
the important species of plants by healthy propagation methods.
Organic Garden Tips
There are numerous ways in which you could incorporate organic techniques
in your gardening methods in order to have a healthy and eco friendly
organic garden. Here are some of the important organic garden tips, which
will not only be beneficial for your garden, but are more eco-friendly than
the chemical involving gardening techniques:
Organic Compost
Green Manure
Biopesticides
Use of Natural Fertilizer – Creating Organic Compost at Home
Use of organic compost is perhaps the most important and useful organic
garden tip. All you need to do is create a compost plant in your garden.
Just dig a hole, which is deep enough to collect a lot of biodegradable
waste. You can add the kitchen waste products like remains of vegetables
as well as animal meat, dried leaves of trees, rotten fruits and vegetables
to the compost hole. Make sure you have a proper cover for your compost
so that it doesn’t attract unhygienic conditions in our garden. Always add
some moist soil with the waste, so that within a few days you will get a rich
and fertile soil in the compost hole.
Using Cover Crops for Fertility – The Concept of Green Manure
Green manure is the practice of planting certain crops that enhance the soil
fertility by nitrogen fixation or other processes. Typically green manure
crops are grown for a certain period and then ploughed and incorporated
into the soil. For example some leguminous green manures like clover and
vetch contain nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria. These green manures or
green manure plants also increase the biomass in the soil, which leads to
improved water retention as well as better aeration. The root systems of
some varieties of green manure grow deep in the soil and bring up nutrient
resources unavailable to shallower-rooted crops. Some of the green
manure plants also provide protection against hazardous factors like weeds
and soil erosion, while some green manures provide forage for pollinating
insects.
Eliminating the use of Chemical Pesticides – Using organic and Biopesticides
The term biopesticide refers to microbial biological agents that are applied
in a similar manner to chemical pesticides. Microbial biological insecticides,
fungicides as well as weedicides are available. Common examples include
Trichoderma spp, Ampelomyces quisqualis and Bacillus subtilis. Other
biological methods for pest control that you can use to stop pests are use
of pest-repellent plants. One very important biopesticide that you can
easily incorporate in your garden is the use of neem, which prevents the
attack of most microbial pests and harmful insects as well.
Garden -- an new expert on Organic Gardening. Want to know about
organic gardening, organic pest control and other gardening supplies to
make your garden eco-friendly? Here are some organic garden tips from
Jack....
Before discussing the organic garden tips, it is very essential for you to
know what exactly organic means. Basically organic matter is nothing but
matter that has originated from a living organism, is capable of decay, or is
composed of organic compounds. As far as gardening is concerned, you
must know that soil is composed of minerals and organic matter. The
organic matter in soil is derived from plants and animals. Organic
gardening is the technique of growing plants by following the essential
principles of organic agriculture. Thus, organic gardening is nothing but a
gardening technique that aims at improving the soil fertility, overall quality,
managing the pests without the use of chemical pesticides and preserving
the important species of plants by healthy propagation methods.
Organic Garden Tips
There are numerous ways in which you could incorporate organic techniques
in your gardening methods in order to have a healthy and eco friendly
organic garden. Here are some of the important organic garden tips, which
will not only be beneficial for your garden, but are more eco-friendly than
the chemical involving gardening techniques:
Organic Compost
Green Manure
Biopesticides
Use of Natural Fertilizer – Creating Organic Compost at Home
Use of organic compost is perhaps the most important and useful organic
garden tip. All you need to do is create a compost plant in your garden.
Just dig a hole, which is deep enough to collect a lot of biodegradable
waste. You can add the kitchen waste products like remains of vegetables
as well as animal meat, dried leaves of trees, rotten fruits and vegetables
to the compost hole. Make sure you have a proper cover for your compost
so that it doesn’t attract unhygienic conditions in our garden. Always add
some moist soil with the waste, so that within a few days you will get a rich
and fertile soil in the compost hole.
Using Cover Crops for Fertility – The Concept of Green Manure
Green manure is the practice of planting certain crops that enhance the soil
fertility by nitrogen fixation or other processes. Typically green manure
crops are grown for a certain period and then ploughed and incorporated
into the soil. For example some leguminous green manures like clover and
vetch contain nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria. These green manures or
green manure plants also increase the biomass in the soil, which leads to
improved water retention as well as better aeration. The root systems of
some varieties of green manure grow deep in the soil and bring up nutrient
resources unavailable to shallower-rooted crops. Some of the green
manure plants also provide protection against hazardous factors like weeds
and soil erosion, while some green manures provide forage for pollinating
insects.
Eliminating the use of Chemical Pesticides – Using organic and Biopesticides
The term biopesticide refers to microbial biological agents that are applied
in a similar manner to chemical pesticides. Microbial biological insecticides,
fungicides as well as weedicides are available. Common examples include
Trichoderma spp, Ampelomyces quisqualis and Bacillus subtilis. Other
biological methods for pest control that you can use to stop pests are use
of pest-repellent plants. One very important biopesticide that you can
easily incorporate in your garden is the use of neem, which prevents the
attack of most microbial pests and harmful insects as well.
Coming Soon: Harvest Farmers
Market!
Raising your own berries, fruits,
and vegetables is a fun and
rewarding way to save money.
Grocery bills drop dramatically
during harvest season, and the
food cannot be beat. (Try Jack's
Salsa recipe.) March is the time
to start planning your Florida
Summer vegetable and melon
harvest garden. Many of the Men
from Harvest Home are equipped
to teach and help advise starting
garden that will produce a bounty
of delicious food.
At Harvest Tabernacle and
Harvest Home we get many
requests for information about
starting a vegetable garden. This
is huge topic, and really enough
fodder for an entire website. If
you’re a novice gardener you will
benefit by asking yourself six
questions before mail-ordering
seeds or heading to your local
nursery. Now is the time to do
your research so that you’ll be
ready for planting season.
Do you actually like to eat
vegetables?
If not, focus on fruits and herbs,
edible and ornamental flowers,
and a favorite veggie or two. A
well-tended garden will produce a
lot of vegetables. If you are
lukewarm about zucchini then
pass up that beautiful seedling.
(Or go introduce yourself to your
five nearest neighbors so that
you can share come July).
What is your gardening space
like?
This is probably the most
important question for the novice
gardener. If you are starting from
bare dirt or, more likely, a patch
of lawn, you have some work to
do. The plot needs to be
evaluated for sun and wind
exposure, moisture/drainage,
soil pH and elemental content,
pests, and other factors.
Market!
Raising your own berries, fruits,
and vegetables is a fun and
rewarding way to save money.
Grocery bills drop dramatically
during harvest season, and the
food cannot be beat. (Try Jack's
Salsa recipe.) March is the time
to start planning your Florida
Summer vegetable and melon
harvest garden. Many of the Men
from Harvest Home are equipped
to teach and help advise starting
garden that will produce a bounty
of delicious food.
At Harvest Tabernacle and
Harvest Home we get many
requests for information about
starting a vegetable garden. This
is huge topic, and really enough
fodder for an entire website. If
you’re a novice gardener you will
benefit by asking yourself six
questions before mail-ordering
seeds or heading to your local
nursery. Now is the time to do
your research so that you’ll be
ready for planting season.
Do you actually like to eat
vegetables?
If not, focus on fruits and herbs,
edible and ornamental flowers,
and a favorite veggie or two. A
well-tended garden will produce a
lot of vegetables. If you are
lukewarm about zucchini then
pass up that beautiful seedling.
(Or go introduce yourself to your
five nearest neighbors so that
you can share come July).
What is your gardening space
like?
This is probably the most
important question for the novice
gardener. If you are starting from
bare dirt or, more likely, a patch
of lawn, you have some work to
do. The plot needs to be
evaluated for sun and wind
exposure, moisture/drainage,
soil pH and elemental content,
pests, and other factors.
Crop gardens need a sunny spot. But
remember that the angle of the sun in the
summer months will be different than it is now.
Nonetheless, try to watch over the next few
weeks to determine where the sun hits your
property. If I have to choose between morning
sun and evening, I prefer morning sun — it is
less intense, which means watering needs are
decreased. Here in Portland, however, it’s hard
to give a garden too much sun.
Tap the resources on this website. You'll find
many helpful links. Sarasota County offer $5
soil testing, which is a good step in telling you
how to amend the soil if nutrients or organic
matter are lacking, or if the pH of the soil
needs to be adjusted. Although Sarasota
County’s Master Gardener program only works
with flowers, Harvest Home will look to help fill
any gap in understanding you may have. Each
crop has an optimum pH growing range. We
add acid for our blueberries and strawberries;
kale and peas like a slightly alkaline soil. If
your soil is close to neutral (pH 7), you can
probably proceed as-is.
remember that the angle of the sun in the
summer months will be different than it is now.
Nonetheless, try to watch over the next few
weeks to determine where the sun hits your
property. If I have to choose between morning
sun and evening, I prefer morning sun — it is
less intense, which means watering needs are
decreased. Here in Portland, however, it’s hard
to give a garden too much sun.
Tap the resources on this website. You'll find
many helpful links. Sarasota County offer $5
soil testing, which is a good step in telling you
how to amend the soil if nutrients or organic
matter are lacking, or if the pH of the soil
needs to be adjusted. Although Sarasota
County’s Master Gardener program only works
with flowers, Harvest Home will look to help fill
any gap in understanding you may have. Each
crop has an optimum pH growing range. We
add acid for our blueberries and strawberries;
kale and peas like a slightly alkaline soil. If
your soil is close to neutral (pH 7), you can
probably proceed as-is.
Even if your soil is terrible, you still have
options. On a small scale, container gardening
can be rewarding. A cherry tomato, well-
watered, can do well in a large pot on a patio.
Better yet, build some raised beds. These will
require an initial investment for the soil to fill
them and construction materials, but they
provide better drainage, warmer soil
temperatures in the spring (and thus earlier
crops), and reduced weeding. (Please avoid
pressure-treated lumber, though, there is
some evidence that the toxic chemicals leach
into the soil. Okay for a picnic table, but not for
the dirt where your eggplant is growing!)
If this all seems rather intimidating, I
encourage you to start small. Don’t roto-till the
entire lawn under until you really decide that
crop gardening is for you. If your gardening
space is less than ideal but you’d like to take
the plunge, perhaps one 6′x12′ foot raised bed
is the perfect beginning. Or try growing herbs.
options. On a small scale, container gardening
can be rewarding. A cherry tomato, well-
watered, can do well in a large pot on a patio.
Better yet, build some raised beds. These will
require an initial investment for the soil to fill
them and construction materials, but they
provide better drainage, warmer soil
temperatures in the spring (and thus earlier
crops), and reduced weeding. (Please avoid
pressure-treated lumber, though, there is
some evidence that the toxic chemicals leach
into the soil. Okay for a picnic table, but not for
the dirt where your eggplant is growing!)
If this all seems rather intimidating, I
encourage you to start small. Don’t roto-till the
entire lawn under until you really decide that
crop gardening is for you. If your gardening
space is less than ideal but you’d like to take
the plunge, perhaps one 6′x12′ foot raised bed
is the perfect beginning. Or try growing herbs.