veggiemike's blog

Deciding on a site for your Vegetable Garden

I cannot adequately stress that the site selected for growing organic and healthy vegetables is extremely significant. A poor vegetable garden layout will drastically limit the possible for crop yields, regardless of just about any horticulture competence or technical talents which are subsequently applied. Even one of the most simple varieties of veggies possess an prolonged pedigree of selective breeding. Like racehorses, and fancy dog breeds, most of our cultivated veggies keep minimal resemblance to their wild forebears. As a consequence, their proliferation and survival is dependent upon the maintenance of good conditions inside a sensibly managed and secure environment. In choosing an appropriate location for growing vegetables, I recommend the most effective supervision of 4 influential factors: sunshine, h2o and drainage, soil chemistry, physical protection and ease of access.

Sunlight

Like all green plants, vegetables varieties survive by converting co2, water, and sunlight to the fundamental carbohydrates stored inside their tissue. The edible segments of a vegetables are largely constructed from cellulose, starch, and sugars. Smaller amounts of protein, oils and steroidal ingredients are produced from organic and inorganic soil nutrients which also call for sunshine to facilitate their absorption.

Though quite a few plant varieties are capable of flourishing with modest amounts of sunlight, it is usually a simple fact that most vegetables involve a lot of sunlight to achieve their potential. Even though standard winter greens like cauliflower and turnips can accommodate cheaper intensities of sunlight, they'll in no way thrive when its availability is restricted for extended durations. This signifies that an perfect place for expanding veggies receives sunlight for most with the day, without having the hindrance of overhanging tree branches, hedges or shrubbery. Vine growing veggies in distinct, involve big exposures of sunshine to ripen properly.

Accessibility to sunshine plays a substantial part in keeping soil and ambient temps. Bear in mind that most vegetable kinds will be injured by temperatures at or a little below freezing, unless of course they may be acclimatised to endure these levels. It truly is more suitable to locate them inside a comfortable area. The standard planting arrangement of rows running north to south is frequently utilized to present a greatest and also quantity of sunlight all through the day.

H2o and drainage

Planting in properly drained garden patches produce h2o requirements that are certain with their variety, maturity, and also the surrounding atmospheric and soil characteristics. With regards to drainage, it can be the bodily topography of your specific site which presumes one of the most significant part. The immediate elevation, slope, and soil structure wants to become very carefully assessed prior to establishing the vegetable back garden.

Essentially the most ideal forms of location have gentle surface slopes and include deep and well drained soils. Numerous veggie growers prefer a moderately heavy loam with a minimum of several feet of topsoil. Although a deep sandy loam could also be quite excellent for root crops like carrots and beets, it can be improved to stay clear of the types of heavy clay soils which develop into sodden in winter. This is particularly relevant for flat and low lying sites which can not facilitate the surface area drainage of air and h2o. Until the underlying soil is effectively structured, continuous waterlogging is likely to damage plants by restricting oxygen absorption in the roots.

Soil chemistry

Most vegetables need a mildly acidic or neutral soil with a pH reading in between six and 7. You'll find exceptions like cabbage and cauliflower, which develop poorly within acidic soils and choose the pH to be 7 or higher. Nearly all cultivated vegetables likewise require nutrient rich soils using the structural capacity to supply enough amounts of water and air towards the plant roots.

For serious farmers, a professional soil assessment is often a worthwhile investment. This enables any problems being efficiently treated, earlier to planting. If there is evidence of mineral imbalance or particular deficiencies, you will find some natural clays and organic extracts which will increase the soils productive capability, particularly over the longer term. Mainly because vegetable crops call for huge quantities of colloidal minerals and water soluble nutrition, even well balanced soils ought to be enhanced through the typical addition of organic materials in the months earlier to sowing vegetables. An exception to this guidance could be root crops like turnips, which develop superior with out compost.

Physical protection and accessibility

Structure provides protection in an organic and natural vegetable crops require a degree of defense against the essentials. In their wild state, annual and perennial plants frequently obtain cover from larger plant species or establish by themselves close to organic crevices along with other protective structures. When selecting a site for your vegetables, gardeners need to take into account the prevalence of strong winds and heavy rains which can easily desiccate young plants. Gardens supply moderate shelter when they're situated alongside a fence or wall, even though try to guarantee this does not restrict access to adequate sunlight. Climbing varieties like cucumber, peas, and ornamental peppers will always gain in the warmth and help of the sun drenched wall. With the extra protection of delicate types and immature seedlings, it really is acceptable to encircle veggie beds with temporary net barriers or low density shrubbery. When selecting shrubs, attempt to obtain native types or other sturdy varieties with modest h2o needs.

An capability to secure handy entry is often overlooked when deciding on the finest location for an organic vegetable garden. I generally encourage individuals to plant their greens and herbs as close as feasible towards the kitchen area. It is likely to ensure that the garden becomes integrated using the each day actions of food preparation, socialising, and entertainment. The direct route in between garden and kitchen may well be travelled so frequently that a pathway is suggested. Non slip concrete, pebbled, or flagstone pavers are visually attractive on warm afternoons, and will also prove by themselves invaluable throughout prolonged wet climate. Lastly, for gardens of considerable size, do not neglect the importance of maintaining accessibility for automobiles and gear, garden storage sheds, h2o faucets, and most importantly friends and family

A good vegetable garden plan will eliminate a lot of these potential problems from the outset

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Finding room for a garden

Because of the uncertain economic uncertainties and due to the health alarms caused by the lax government oversight of our food suppliers, many families are now growing their own fruits and vegetables and raising their own live stock and food animals. The National Gardening Association reports that over 7 million households are now doing their own food cultivation. The major seed nurseries report a huge surge in the sales of seeds and seedlings. Jarden Home Sales, the maker of Ball and Kerr home canning supplies, has reported similar upswings in their sales as well.

Urban gardeners who wish to join this movement often have a particularly difficult time finding space to grow a few vegetables from their personal gardens, so you have to think outside the box - you may be surprised at how much space is available for your efforts

There are several options available to create space for your urban garden. Most of these options can be combined or you may have to settle on just one garden style depending on the circumstances. Some options are as follows:

Raised Bed or Square Foot Gardening
Container Gardening
Indoor Gardening or Hydroponic Gardening
Lasagna or No-Dig Gardening
Straw Bale Gardening
Vertical Gardening

Raised bed gardening or square foot gardening is an intensive gardening system meaning the plants are planted close to each other. This creates a high yield garden with the various species of plants easily rotated so that a continuous supply of ripe produce is ready to be picked.

Container gardening is the growing of your plants in virtually any sort of container. The only requirements are drainage, is the container big enough to hold your plants and can the container be easily moved if necessary.

Indoor Gardening and Hydroponic Gardening can easily be utilized in most locations where there absolutely no outdoor space Using grow lights is a basic way to approach this manner of growing plants and this system can easily be expanded as required or needed. The other major method is hydroponics in which the plants are grown in a soilless environment with the nutrients being delivered by a liquid such as water that has added nutrients and minerals.

Lasagna or No- Dig Gardening has nothing to do with pasta or the Italian entrée, it is simply a method of layering organic materials such as straw, manure, compost, dead vegetation and food scraps to create a rich and fertile planting bed.

Straw Bale Gardening utilizes treated straw or hay bales as the growing medium. This system is quick and easy to implement and you can create a vegetable garden right in the middle of your driveway if you so desire.

Vertical Gardening is building or utilizing structures around the garden so that the plants will grow up instead of sprawl on the ground. This option can be implemented with any of the above systems, to create more growing room.

A survival vegetable garden can be quite small to begin with and as you learn and appreciate how wonderful fresh veggies are,hopefully you will continue and expand your gardening efforts. To learn more and get the details visit SurvivalVegetableGardening.com.

Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening

There has been a considerable increase in the number of people turning to their own gardens to grow their own vegetables to save money and to eat healthier food. Organic gardening is enjoying a level of popularity like never before and raised bed gardening seems to be the popular choice. A quick stroll around a few of the gardens in your neighborhood will reveal small board or stone sided rectangles in peoples' backyards housing mini vegetable gardens.

First let us look at what a raised bed is. It is a small patch of land that is fenced in by either wood, stone, cinderblock or brick. In this article we cover some of the main aspects of raised bed gardening to help you make the transition from in-ground to raised bed gardening in a smooth way. The beds are built atop the native soil and may or may not incorporate the soil. The raised bed gardens can be built with a variety of materials. Alternatively you can simply pile up the soil and ingredients to several inches in height and go ahead and plant anything from herbs to vegetables.

Raised gardening is not a new concept and has been in use for centuries to grow cash crops. There are advantages to be had in using this method to grow a healthy garden, though it may be a bit more expensive than just digging up the existing soil and planting your vegetables. The raised beds are uniformly spaced out and the gardener can tend them from both sides quite comfortably.

When planning a raised garden you have to consider the cost of rot resistant, untreated wood, if wood is your choice of wall frame for the garden. Line the bottom with a hardware fabric or chicken wire to prevent the voles and moles from getting into the garden. If you think you don't have any in your garden, guess again! Look into the watering system you have, if your garden is going to be large enough to warrant more than a hose and spray nozzle you will need to have the connect laid on. You will buy the best quality soil and compost so factor that in as well.

Some of the advantages of having a raised bed garden are:

• You have the opportunity to grow your vegetables in the highest quality soil and compost available. Raised vegetable garden beds help you build up a rich and fertile base for your plants and you can make the adjustments with compost and fertilizer very easily.
• Soil drainage is far better in raised beds than in-ground gardens and you will not have to stand in puddle water in your garden. Make sure to line the bottom with sand and rocks to facilitate good drainage.
• Weeds and slugs will mostly stay out of your raised garden; it is not so easy for the weeds to get into a raised bed garden. If you leave enough room between the rows you can even use your mower to keep things tidy.
• A well laid out garden means less maintenance time and no need to bend over for ages tending the beds.
• A well laid out garden means less maintenance time and no need to bend over for ages tending the beds.

Want to know more about raised beds gardening? Visit my website www.gardensetup.com for more information about organic gardening.

Beginner Guidelines to Organic Gardening

Gardening has become a wonderful pastime for many people. It is relaxing and takes us away from our busy lives. Manmade chemicals in our food are a growing concern, and gardening organically offers a safe alternative to this problem. The organic method gives everyone, even organic gardening beginners the opportunity to produce tasty food that is good for us and helpful to the environment.

Our personal health and diet have become very important issues for us in recent years. More consideration is being given to the relationship between our health and the food we eat. We are hearing some good news, that many vegetables contain cancer fighting properties. We are being told to reduce our intake of fat and sugar, and eat more fruits and vegetables. Another concern for many people is the toxic environmental pollutants which eventually leak into our rivers and drinking water. A common topic for political debates is the welfare of our environment. The welfare of our environment has become a common topic for political debates.

Common agricultural practices, work against nature, resulting in topsoil that has a lower quality. Resistant insects and land that is less fertile are all the result of the overuse of pesticides. The number of natural insect predators is reduced with the use of pesticides and this will produce more pests requiring the application of even stronger pesticides. The loss of quality topsoil means a reduction in farmland productivity. Inorganic fertilizers are used to make up for this loss; however, this does not solve the problem. Microorganism in the soil which make nutrients available to plants can be killed off by inorganic fertilizers.

Organic gardeners want to work with nature, not against it. They want to grow food that has not been sprayed with synthetic fertilizers and is good for the environment. Gardening organically means that you do not need to be concerned about children coming into contact with harmful synthetic fertilizers and weedkillers on the lawn. Using the organic method, soil fertility is increased, wildlife is protected and environmental damage can be reversed.

Another great advantage of organic gardening is that kitchen and garden waste can be composted to reduce the amount of garbage that needs to be sent to a landfill or incinerator.

with a good vegetable garden layout, a large amount of vegetables can be produced from a small space and picked fresh for your table. Fresh organic vegetables are tastier than store bought food and contain more nutrients, more vitamins and more enzymes. The texture, the scent and the appearance of the food is also a very rewarding part of organic gardening. You will be providing your family with nutritious pesticide free food and also a safe healthy habitat for animals and insects.

Beautiful gardens can be grown without the use of chemical fertilizers. Throughout history, before these chemicals were discovered people have been growing food for use in the kitchen. Organic gardening helps us to be more self-sufficient, like the generations before us. Gardening is a rewarding and fun pastime and will contribute to the well being of your surroundings.

If you enjoyed this article, visit my website at OrganicGardenSolution.com where organic gardening beginners can come for expert gardening advice.

Get rid of your lawn and plant a vegetable garden!

Lawns, we love them, we hate them! Well maintained lawns were once the domain of the wealthy, but at some point in the last half of the last century home lawns for middle class Americans became the standard. It is safe to say that Americans spend more on lawn care annually than on any other aspect of home maintenance.

Lawns require a lot of resources. These resources are in the form of water, fertilizer, pesticides, equipment and labor and the cost can be enormous. The average lawn size, front and back, is about a quarter acre. The average monthly cost for lawn care is somewhere in the neighborhood of $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 per year. The average first time home buyer never considers this cost until the mowing starts.

Typically, 30 to 60 pounds each of nitrogen and phosphorous are applied to the home lawn in a year, along with an unmeasurable quantity of herbicide and insecticide, and irrigation amounts are somewhere around 60 inches per season, and labor time comes in at 10 hours or more per month during the growing season. All of this to have a pretty, green showplace for your neighbors to admire.

There is a way you can avoid some of these expenses, and even get a pay off. Yes, a pay off!

Simply get rid of that resource draining lawn and raise a vegetable garden in it's place! Instead of spending all that time and money on growing grass, grow something that will save you money at the supermarket. It is good for the environment, good for your health, and good for your pocketbook.

You don't have to do it all at once. If you are afraid of suffering lawn withdrawal you can get rid of a section at a time. Once you get started, you will probably not stop until your lawn is all gone and your pantry all full!

James Burns has a lifetime of experience in horticulture, agriculture, aquaculture, and vegetation management and is the owner of Home And Garden Press. Learn about organic gardening at: Home And Garden Organic Gardening

Why your grocery bills are about to skyrocket - and what to do about it...

Takea look at this great article from "the micrfarmer man" and let me know what you think...

While I was perusing the website Bloomberg.com, I found an article about the cost explosion the middle class is about to feel when they go to the grocery store. I didn't need to read very much about the article to know what it's about; inflation affecting commodities like soy, corn, wheat, pork and beef is continually escalating. And that means we'll be facing increased prices at the grocery store. At a time when salaries are either stagnating or, in some cases, going backwards, meat is expected to go up an astounding 14% this year. So if your ground beef (who can afford steak anymore!) was costing you $3.85 per pound, the price will eventually increase to around $4.39 per pound. Chicken that runs for about $1.88 per pound at your BBM (Big Box Multinational-ChinaMart) will now cost around $2.14 per pound. And it's not just those two commodities. My best guess will be that your average consumer will have to cut out eating meat by 14% just to keep from going backwards. Who wants to do that? Me, I love eating meat. And unless your a big fan of PETA, you probably like a bit of bacon with your eggs in the morning also. That's now going to cost you a lot more.

What you have is inflation (and that's what we're talking about here), in which you aren't being confronted by increased value on those pork bellies but you're being taxed by the devaluation of your money. That's how the central banksters at the Federal Reserve are looting this country (FYI: the Fed is not a federal agency, and has no reserves-funny, huh). Just ask Thomas Jefferson or Andrew Jackson about central banks. They loan out more and more of our money to us, and we have to continually pay the loan back with interest. A citizenry can never get ahead when dealing will central banks and fiat money.

The obvious solution to this decreasing value to your hard earned bucks should be pretty obvious to anyone vaguely appraised of self-sufficiency, but for any newbies, here's the answer-start a micro farm or plan a vegetable garden. You can't make corn or beef cost less, but for fruits and veggies (which we should all be eating more of, by the way), growing them yourself is an extremely cost-effective method of reining in your grocery budget. Even if it's winter where you're at, starting a garden plot is your first step in reining in the costs of food. You know, that whole journey-of-a-thousand-miles-begins-with-the-first-step thing. Go to some seed company websites and sign up for a seed catalog. They're free. Lay out your garden plot in your yard, amend the soil, buy the proper tools and get all your ducks in a row, so when spring springs up, all you'll have to do is drop some seeds and watch the miracle happen. That and start saving money at the grocery store.

I refer to myself as a microfarmer for one simple reason-I grow a significant amount of food every year on a very small plot of land. I call it my micro farm. My family and I live on what was euphemistically at the time called a "cottage lot" when we bought our home. In reality, the lot is a postage stamp. But, by using intensive techniques, I'm able to grow a great deal of the fresh fruits and vegetables we eat every day. If you want to know how I set up my micro farm, you can go to my website- http://www.themicrofarmer.com and read all of my blog posts on organic gardening and micro farming.

Adding a Greenhouse to your Vegetable Garden

Building a greenhouse is an exciting step toward expanding your gardening expertise, as well as your growing season. Greenhouses have come a long way, and are available with so many technological advances, making it easy to grow a variety of plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Decide on the size of your greenhouse before you do anything. If you have experience with greenhouse gardening, don't be afraid to try a large greenhouse to challenge your green thumb. On the other hand, if you have never used a greenhouse before, you may wish to start small and get your feet wet before you take on a large project you may not be ready for. Once you've decided on the greenhouse size, it's time to decide on the frame and covering for your indoor garden. Frames come in a variety of materials, all of which are sturdy and built to weather the elements. If you live in a particularly wet climate, choose a material that won't rust or rot. Solexx makes great polyurethane coverings for greenhouses that use extraordinary technology built to diffuse and filter the sunlight for all types of plants. Lastly, it's time to decide on the gadgets! Shelving, thermometers, heaters and more are all available to help you take your greenhouse garden to new heights.

Greenhouse gardening is a wonderful hobby, and when you build your own greenhouse, there is no limit to the vegetable garden layout you can create. Go ahead, get creative and enjoy building your greenhouse garden to enjoy a longer growing season and fresh vegetables.

If you are looking to build a greenhouse make sure you check out Solexx Rolls before you decide on the covering material. Getting the right covering is one of the most important decisions you will make in order to have a successful growing greenhouse.

The Year Round Vegetable Garden

The reality is that in many places a year round vegetable garden is simply not an option outdoors. Learning about the temperatures, moisture and lighting that are present in your area throughout the year are a good starting point for determining whether you will need some shelter to garden year round.

In the best case the weather outside may allow it. Individuals in these climates can take better advantage of this by carefully scheduling the timing of their vegetables. There are two types of vegetables that you might plant. The first are those that you plan to leave. These may actually include some plants that only grow once a year. The other type are those that will be removed completely each season. This includes removal of the roots, but could be removal for transplant or consumption. For outdoor gardens try to leave enough room between each row to plant seeds. Then with careful scheduling the seeds can be sprouting between rows of vegetables that are about to be removed.

A number of vegetable garden layouts will require some amount of shelter. A low cover in particularly harsh times may be sufficient. Irrigation or other watering may also be necessary for these environments. A year round vegetable garden in these locations can also benefit from planting between the rows. With the additional environmental considerations you will need to schedule your plants accordingly though. In cases of low covers and some other outdoor shelters, it is best to schedule pollination for times when the covers are not present. The opposite may be true if you practice intentional pollination however, as the cover can actually reduce the possibility of accidental or natural pollination.

In other areas there is the need to actually plant the year round vegetable garden under cover, either in a greenhouse or on a small scale inside your home. This allows you to create the environment that is best for your plant. The set ups in indoor gardens can become elaborate rather quickly. In some cases the very lighting may be artificial and placed on specific timings. In these cases the vegetables that are chosen should be within a certain range that grows well in the conditions that you are creating. Beyond this you can further maximize the production by moving plants outdoors when the weather is suitable. This will allow you to then begin a second garden indoors that can then be mature in the next season.

With the importance of timing and space optimization the process may seem far more technical than the practice of sowing seeds and watching vegetables grow. Developing an entire vegetable garden plan prior to beginning can help to ensure the process is more relaxed. It is also a good idea to introduce some variety. With limited conditions and space it can prove more challenging, but having something different in the garden can be a wonderful joy that both you and the others you share your garden and vegetables with will appreciate. Consider planning a two year cycle at one time for your year round garden. It isn't the gardening that should be a surprise; planned variety produces the surprise of a variety of vegetables.

Zack Wilson is an avid organic gardener, for more comprehensive information on how to have an alternative garden visit Zach Wilson's website where you will also find many articles on organic gardening, problems with gardening, easy steps to organic gardening, making money with your garden and much much more.

http://www.organicgardenallyear.com

Garden Fertilizers explained

There has been some outcry against farm and garden chemicals and it is true that mistakes have been made with them, but if used intelligently in your vegetable garden layout,some of them can be of the greatest value to the gardener and can do no possible harm. In general they can be divided into three types: weedkillers, insecticides and fungicides. In addition there are chemical fertilizers.

Unfortunately, under these labels there exists such a proliferation of types and names, some proprietary and some chemical, that the average gardener is both confused and tempted to buy far more than he needs.

Most gardeners, with what is known as ordinary soil, need have in their armoury no more than one fertilizer, three types of weedkiller, one insecticide and one fungicide. It may also be helpful to have a small supply of garden lime and a certain quantity of granulated peat.

The garden fertilizer can be of almost any type, liquid, powder or granular. If the general principles of good gardening are followed then the soil should be in good condition and rich enough to grow most crops well. Garden fertilizers should be used only to give a boost or spurt to crops, floral, arboreal or vegetable, at the beginning of spring, so that they give of their best for the remainder of the year.

There are three basic garden chemicals necessary to healthy plant life. These are nitrogen, phosphorus (phosphoric acid) and potash. The chemical symbols for these chemicals are respectively N, P and K. Nitrogen promotes lush leaf growth, phosphorus helps the production of strong roots and potash gives ripening and fruit production. It is possible to obtain fertilizers which contain different proportions of these chemicals, but in general most so called "balanced" garden fertilizers which you buy in garden stores contain NPK in proportions that will bring well balanced growth to the plant in all ways. Legally all commercial fertilizers must carry information about their NPK content, usually abbreviated into percentages such as 5:3:2. All proprietary garden fertilizers have their virtues and so long as they are used with discretion and strictly according to maker's instructions they can do no real harm.

For more information on what garden chemicals to use and where to use them in your garden, visit: http://www.gardeninginfozone.com

Growing carrots in your vegetable garden layout

Growing carrots is not hard if you make sure the soil is well prepared.  Carrots growing in hard clay gumbo will be stunted and look funny.  Carrots grown in rich sandy loam are full of vitamins and taste better than store bought carrots, which have traveled a long way since being picked. This makes carrots a good bet for a raised vegetable garden bed

If you have prepared your garden well, you have tilled the soil down to a depth of six inches and worked three inches of compost into it.  Now make a hill that is 4-6 inches tall and about three inches wide.  Leave a furrow between this hill and the next one.  The hills help make sure the carrots drain and also that they have enough good soil to grow straight and tall.  Plant the seeds along the top of the hill in a furrow that is 1/2 inch deep. Cover, water in, and wait.

Carrot seeds are tiny and hard to handle.  You can now purchase the seed in a biodegradable tape that already has the seeds at the correct spacing.  It is a little more expensive, but you may find it worth the money.  You can also purchase things that look like big syringes to dispense seeds.  I have never found those to work, but your experience may be different.

Before planting your carrots, work one cup of 10-10-10 into each 10 foot of row.  It is easiest to spread the fertilizer, then rake it in.  When the carrots emerge, wait until they are about 4 inches high then side dress the carrots with two tablespoons of the same fertilizer.  You can repeat when the carrots get to be 6-8 inches tall if they are pale instead of bright green.

When the carrot tops are 4 inches high, thin them to a spacing of 2 inches between carrots.  You can probably eat the ones you pull up.  As the carrots get bigger, thin to 4 inches apart.  If the carrots are crowded they will not grow well.

Keep the carrots weeded well or the weeds will take all the water and nutrients and the carrots will fail to thrive.  Carrots should be ready to eat 70-80 days from planting.  They should be 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter.  Any bigger and they will get tough.  Loosen the dirt around the carrots before pulling to make sure the root does not break off.

To store carrots, remove the tops and compost them.  Wash the carrots and store them in the bottom of the refrigerator.  They will store longer if you place them in a plastic bag to increase the humidity and store them in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

If you can find room for carrots in your vegetable garden layout, I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

The author of this article is  Stephanie Suesan Smith, Ph.D. If you enjoyed this article, please check out Suesan's website, http://stephaniesuesansmith.com. You will find many more articles on gardening and other interesting things there.