gardeningtheorganicway
Gardening The Organic Way
Today, everyone wants to know what they can do the help save and heal the planet. The answer is simple and often overlooked: it all starts with the food we eat. We have the ability to make a significant change to our planet by growing some of our food organically. My mission here is to show you how you can grow your own food (even if it is just a small portion of all the food that you eat).
The fundamental principles of organic gardening will be shared through small vignettes; how to grow vegetables and other various plant-based foods, the basics of soil composition at a physical and microbial level, the importance of restoring the soil, the benefits of growing on a raised bed, and why composting is so good for your garden and the environment.
If we are what we eat, then why have so many of us chosen to eat poisons?
The poisons are not just the processed foods at the grocery store, but also the toxins that have been poured into the earth. What we must do is treat the soil as if it is a living organism and recognize all that it can provide for us if properly cared for. If the soil is brought back to life it has the capacity to obliterate those poisons and transform them into non-toxic elements.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have your children know the richness of biting into a fresh fruit whose flavor imprints a wonderful memory of goodness and comfort? A food that is alive and filled with the Earth’s energies can only bring a smile to those who consume it. Wouldn't it also be wonderful to pass along these teachings so that future generations can continue to care for the Earth in a way that positively affects everyone?
The potential to learn more and start making a difference is here at your fingertips.
50 posts
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Last Seen Blogs
pibgeonart
Art is a Fart
yumigguk
🫧𓇼𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚🎐
drc00l4tt4
DR COOLATTA
lockescoles
just promise me one thing.
adorexaileemm
ellie 🌷
Text
Flowers that Attract Bees and other Pollinators
There are many flowers that attract bees and other pollinators as well as other beneficial Insects. I prefer using native and popular perennials, as they don’t need to be replanted every year. They are likely to thrive for some years with proper care, such as adding compost annually and periodic division when they become oversized or overcrowded. The chart below is meant as a guide to help in…
View On WordPress
#bees and flowers#Flowers and bees#flowers that attract bees and pollinators#organic gardening#vegetables that require pollination
0 notes
Link
This comprehensive guide to organic gardening will take you from absolute beginner right to harvesting delicious fruits and vegetables, through soil restoration, and sustainable practices. Download it in Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Garden-Organic-Way-Marleny-Franco-ebook/dp/B086M97K3W/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1
#organic farming#food shortages#growing food locally#organicgardeningtips#vegetables#how-to (media genre)
0 notes
Video
New Post has been published on https://gardeningtheorganicway.com/building-a-raised-bed/
How To Build a Raised Bed
Tweet
Building a raised bed in the video below . It’s the best time to do this. The raised should not be less than 4 feet and ideally around 5 feet.
Benefits of a Raised Bed System
I see the raised bed as an efficient system, which requires fewer resources, gives more yields, preserves the soil structure and makes the maintenance an easy way to garden – or, if on a large scale,- to do some real farming.
• A raised system allows us to start almost fresh. The bed gets filled with the type of soil we want.
• If you have a soil that is very rocky or has been infected with a lot of chemicals, you can overcome these obstacles with ease.
• Therefore, a highly organic mixture can be brought in and supplemented with any amount of organic material.
• This organic material then becomes food for worms and for reestablishing the soil flora, which makes our soil alive and full of nutrients.
• Also, we are not trying to add organic matter to a whole area, which can be quite extensive, but just the area of the raised beds.
Aeration and Root Development
• By not walking on the bed, we allow the soil to have minimum compaction. The only compaction would be from rain storms.
• Reducing even this compaction can be minimized by simple mulch, which would receive the first impact of the rains.
• Once a bed is established and proper organic matter added, the aeration in the soil would increase, which would then allow the root system to penetrate deeper into the soil and develop.
• By having a greater root system, you end up with a better plant and greater absorption of water and nutrients. • Good root development is one of the greatest benefits of raised beds.
https://youtu.be/C3vM0yLq228
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/essential-guide-to-destructive-insects-in-your-garden/
Essential Guide To Destructive Insects In Your Garden
Tweet
In this book and supporting video, Essential Guide To Destructive Insects In Your Garden – Part 1 (link: http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/shop/essential-guide-destructive-insects-in-your-garden/ ) , I begin a series on destructive insects that attack and destroy many crops. In order to have an effective organic garden, it’s important to get a good handle on those insects we normally call pests. These insects get out of control when nature is out of balance. Nature, on its own, keeps everything in a perfect balance, but, due to the extensive use of chemicals while growing our food (along with our mono culture), we have created a great imbalance.
This imbalance manifests itself in an overabundance of any one particular destructive insect.
Chemicals mostly impact the good guys. See my book, First Things first: The Good Guys (link: first-things-first-good-guys), for further reading. I’ve covered those insects that are present in order to assist you with your gardening.
Now I will start covering those that will destroy your garden – the ones we call pests. Because the good insects quickly get wiped out with chemicals, the destructive species, now with no predators, reproduce at a rapid rate. I’ve chosen to call them destructive insects as everything has a role in life.
Therefore, it’s important to become knowledgeable about these destructive insects, what they look like at different stages of development and how to control them to bring balance back into the garden.
I cover the first set of seven destructive insects (Colorado potato beetle, Imported cabbage worm, Mexican bean beetle, Spotted cucumber beetle, Striped cucumber beetle, cabbage loopers, and Harlequin bugs) and describe how best to control them using organic means.
Also covered are what organic pesticides to utilize, as well as preventive measures and cultural practices to keep populations under control or at a minimum. I include lots of pictures of the various developmental stages so that you can easily recognize them in the field.
#cabbage loopers#cabbage white#Colorado potato beetle#cucumber beetles#destructive insects#gardening pest#harlequin bug#Imported cabbage worm#mexican bean beetle#organic gardening#spotted cucumber beetle#striped cucumber beetle
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/first-things-first-the-good-guys/
First Things First: The Good Guys
Tweet
In this book and supporting video, called First Things First: The good Guys, I discuss the importance of attracting and maintaining the good insects when growing organic. One of the hardest things about growing food organically is staying ahead of the bad insect population. These pest are a nuisance, and some are very hard to control with any type of spray or chemical.
There are many beneficial insects that create a balance once they established themselves in the garden. This balance will lead to a huge biological controlling of pests. By having various good insects around, your job will be easier, and the likelihood is that you will not need to spray very often or maybe not at all.
Therefore, the importance of knowing the good guys at all stages of development can’t be overstated. I tried to point out the most common good insects that have helped me in my garden. It took me three full years to establish a good balance and see many beneficial insects in my garden. I am confident they will help you in your garden.
I hope you enjoy this critical book for organic gardening and keep it at your findertips.
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/harvesting/
Harvesting
Tweet
Harvesting at the right time can be just as important as planting.
There is a point of maturity in a vegetable where taste is at it prime, either in sweetness or texture, and also for its defense mechanism against diseases and insects.
Mustard greens passed their harvest.
Sometimes the vegetable looks so beautiful that you don’t even want to harvest it, or maybe you planted so much that you want to wait a week or two, or you have been harvesting all along until they eventually bolt. Depending on these circumstantial aspects and on what plant it is, it may work to wait. But, for many vegetables, once it’s time for harvesting, it’s best to do so right away.
I’ll give a few examples to help clarify my point. Let’s take lettuce or mesclun mix, which contains various types of lettuce (oakleaf, red lettuce, black seeded simpson, Lollo Rossa, arugula, radicchio and some other greens like kale, Chinese greens, beet greens, etc., depending on the producer). Lettuce will grow very nicely when the temperatures are cool, and you can harvest for about two to three months until it gets real hot. If you planted it a bit late, it will come to full size relatively fast.
Once it reaches maturity, you have to harvest it – especially the lettuce, as it will start to grow upward. This is called bolting. Once it bolts, the leaves become bitter in taste and not really edible. By waiting, you may lose your crop.
The same will happen with mustard greens. They can tolerate a bit more heat but the taste will be stronger. Real mustard taste is hot. Eventually, it will flower.
Radishes will stay in the ground a bit more but, at some point, if they are not harvested, they will split or get woody so they can’t be eaten, and they will also go to flower. Once they flower, the root will have become woody.
Another way to lose a crop when you wait too long will be due to insects. Despite having a row cover, I still found some caterpillars in my garden.
I harvested a large amount of kale and decided to wait another week or two before harvesting the rest. I did notice that I had found some imported cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, and a few cross-striped cabbage worms in the patch. I went through the whole patch and looked for them, killing everything I found.
A word of warning, you never get them all. Sure enough I came back to leaves that were totally eaten and lots and lots of caterpillars that were quite big and well fed. I lost around half my crop. I should have known better and harvested the kale to freeze it.
Once you see any infestation, it is best to pull everything, unless you are willing to spray and be on top of the situation every day. I knew I was going to be away, so it was a bad call on my part.
Thankfully, I did find some carrot fly maggots on my carrots, and quickly harvested the whole crop before it spread anymore, which would mean I’d just be feeding the maggots!
Carrot maggot damage
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/1274-2/
Organic Fertilization
Tweet
It has been a short while since I last posted. You may have had the chance to see the books I put out, which is the reason for my lack of posting. I will try to post further information not covered in the books and also clarify any questions that may have come up.
Today, I would like to clarify about the difference between organic fertilization and non-organic fertilization. Organic, when referring to fertilization and organic gardening, is a word used to denote something produced by nature itself versus synthetically produced in a laboratory.
When we speak of organic fertilizers, this refers to a fertilizer that uses organic components. What that means is that they are not produced in a laboratory, but this needs further clarification. For example, say we buy blood meal: Blood is an organic component that comes from animals that are slaughtered. The animals are hung and allowed the blood to drain. This blood is then dried, processed and sold as blood meal. What can be confusing is that that animal that the blood came from was not necessarily grown and fed organic food. Therefore, the blood is organic but may not be free of hormones or other chemicals used in the feeding of the animal. Most likely, the animal blood comes from large slaughter houses that process thousands of animals with no tracking system of how that animal was fed.
Bat eating fruit
Another example where the product is more likely to be organic is bat guano. This is the poop of bats collected from areas where they congregate, processed and sold. Because we don’t grow bats for feed or the like, then the food they eat is more likely to be much more pure and clean. They eat mosquitoes, fruit and other insects. Therefore, the poop is much more natural and organic than the blood.
So, each fertilizer has to be individually evaluated and researched to see if they are organic, not just in the product but also in the whole history of where it comes from. It’s best to read the ingredients and do a little research to clearly know what you are buying. To read more about organic fertilizers and other considerations and warnings, look at my book: “Fertilization Deciding to be Organic”.
#Fertilization#Fertilization deciding to be organic#organic fertilization#organic fertilizer#synthetic versus organic fertilizers
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/organic-gardening-books/
Organic Gardening Books Now Available!
Tweet
Interactive books with full video presentations,
pictures, charts, and explanations
How many times have we all wished we had immediate answers to our gardening questions? Standing in our
Buy Now! Click on picture for iBook version.
garden or garden center wondering . . . What does it mean to be organic? How do I know if my soil is good? How can I improve it? Are all organic fertilizers the same? How do I grow kale? How far apart do I place these peppers? What is eating my vegetables? When can I harvest my vegetables? When do I prune my tomatoes? How do I know which plants need transplants? Which perennial flower are good for pollinators and bees? What shrubs attract bees?
The next time this happens, you can now find an answer right away on your phone, iPad, kindle or computer via a new series of books that I have created.
The first six in the Gardening The Organic Way series are being released as i Book and e Pub. iBooks are MAC-based and can only be seen on iPad’s, i Phones, and Mac computers while the ePub format can be seen on PC or a kindle. They are interactive, topic specific, and filled with pictures, charts and explanations as well as full video presentations.
Some of the titles published thus far in the “Gardening The Organic Way” series, in iBook’s or ePub’s include:
“Why Organic?”“Bring Back Our Bees!”“Soil The Key To Organic Gardening”“Fertilization Deciding to Be Organic”“Vegetables That Need Transplants: In Spring or Fall”“The Nightshade or Potato Family”
If you need a program for a PC or android to see the e Pub version, you can download Calibre for free at https://calibre-ebook.com/download
Many more new books will follow shortly.
Hard copies will be published after the whole series is released electronically.
Buy NOW by clicking below.
Get it on iBooks, ePub version
#Brussel sprouts#cabbage#cauliflower#collard greens#Cool season vegetables#cool weather crop#eggplants#fall gardening#Get a huge potato harvest#growing peppers#Growing potatoes organically#kale#organic tips#organic tips on soil improvement#peppers#soil improvement#Soil organism restore the soil#soil restoration#tomatoes#Why organic gardening
0 notes
Video
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/gardening-books-arriving-tomorrow/
Gardening Books Arriving Tomorrow!
Tweet
Gardening Books Arriving Tomorrow!
https://youtu.be/-wQVCUAntxE
#broccoli#cabbage#cauliflower#collard greens#Cool season vegetables#cool weather crop#fall gardening#Fertilizing with Compost tea#Get a huge potato harvest#growing broccoli#growing cabbage#growing peppers#Growing potatoes organically#kale#organic gardening#organic matter#organic tips#organic tips on soil improvement#soil improvement#Soil organism restore the soil#Why organic gardening
0 notes
Video
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/the-gardening-books-are-ready/
The Gardening Books Are Ready!
Tweet
How many times have we all wished we had immediate answers to our gardening questions? Standing in our garden or garden center wondering . . . What does it mean to be organic? How do I know if my soil is good? How can I improve it? Are all organic fertilizers the same? How do I grow kale? How far apart do I place these peppers? What is eating my vegetables? When can I harvest my vegetables? When do I prune my tomatoes? How do I know which plants need transplants? Which perennial flower are good for pollinators and bees? What shrubs attract bees?
The next time this happens, you can now find an answer right away on your phone, iPad, kindle or computer via a new series of organic gardening books that I have created. They are interactive, topic specific, and filled with pictures, charts and explanations as well as full video presentations.
https://youtu.be/3D8k1VqJA5I
The first six in the Gardening The Organic Way series are being released as i Book and e Pub. i Books are MAC-based and can only be seen on iPad’s, i Phones, and Mac computers while the e Pub format can be seen on PC or a kindle.
If you need a program for a PC or android to see the e Pub version, you can download Calibre for free at https://calibre-ebook.com/download
Many more new books will follow shortly.
Buy NOW is just a click away.
Buy Now!
Hard copies will be published after the whole series is released electronically.
Some of the titles published thus far in the “Gardening The Organic Way” series, in i Book’s or e Pub’s include: “Why Organic?” “Bring Back Our Bees!” “Soil The Key To Organic Gardening”, “Fertilization Deciding to Be Organic”, “Vegetables That Need Transplants: In Spring or Fall”, and “The Nightshade or Potato Family”.
#Brussel sprouts#cauliflower#collard greens#Cool season vegetables#eggplant#Fall season crops#Fertilizing with Compost tea#Get a huge potato harvest#growing broccoli#growing cabbage#growing peppers#kale#organic tips#Planning a Vegetable Garden#Soil organism restore the soil#soil restoration#tomatoes#why organic
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/instant-answers-gardening-questions-coming-soon-6/
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
Tweet
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
#growing eggplants#growing peppers#Growing potatoes organically#growing tomatoes#Potato family#warm season vegetables
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/instant-answers-gardening-questions-coming-soon-5/
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
Tweet
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
#organic growing#cabbage family#Cool season vegetables#cool weather crop#fall gardening#Fall season crops#growing#growing broccoli#growing cabbage#organic tips#spring gardening#transplants#using transplants
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/instant-answers-gardening-questions-coming-soon-4/
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
Tweet
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
#chemical fertilization#Fertilization#Fertilizing with Compost tea#organic fertilizers#organic tips#Self-sufficiency#Soil organism restore the soil
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/instant-answers-gardening-questions-coming-soon-3/
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
Tweet
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
#growing organic#organic tips#organic tips on soil improvement#soil#soil improvement#Soil organism restore the soil#soil restoration
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/instant-answers-gardening-questions-coming-soon-2/
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!"
Tweet
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!”
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/instant-answers-gardening-questions-coming-soon/
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!
Tweet
Instant answers to your gardening questions: coming soon!”
#Cool season vegetables#growing cabbage#Growing potatoes organically#organic gardening#organic tips#organic tips on soil improvement#Soil organism restore the soil
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on Organic Gardening
New Post has been published on http://gardeningtheorganicway.com/materials-that-you-can-use-to-mulch/
Materials That You Can Use to Mulch
Tweet
Straw mulch
Materials That You Can Use to Mulch: Some materials I really love, and they are very beneficial. Others- I wish they didn’t exist. Everyone has a prerogative to use what they like, but since I’m into organic gardening and healing the planet, I will write of those I love most and comment on some advantages of those that, although they have their purposes, should not be used as regular mulch.
Straw: Using straw has so many benefits, and they far outweigh the few problems that it may cause. Here is a list of benefits and the various uses:
Everyone knows straw is great for mulching. I’m not sure you can get a better product than this in northern climates. It allows water to percolate right through to the plants.
Straw as a mulch helps keep the soil at a moderate temperature in the heat of summer.
Prevents soil from drying out and does not increase its temperature like plastic or other black mulches.
Readily available and reasonable priced.
Decomposes and can be incorporated into the soil or removed and placed in the compost bin.
Straw is one of the best things to protect plants over the winter. Some plants, like asparagus crowns, can heave if they have been recently transplanted. By applying a cover of straw over the winter, it will be protected against heaving. It will also protect the roots close to the surface from frost damage.
It can protect plants that have germinated in the fall and have grown some – like garlic. I like to apply a layer of straw to help them overwinter.
I use straw for mounding potatoes. Mixing straw and soil in the mounding of potatoes makes a loose mixture that allows the potatoes to develop in a fluffier soil with less resistance. This yields larger potatoes. Most beneficial is the ease with which you can harvest them.
You can cover any one area or the bed you will be using in the spring with straw. Mark it well so you know where it is located- and mark the perimeter as well. Once the spring season approaches, you can remove the snow from the bed along with the frozen straw on top of the soil. Then the bed will get direct sun and be ready to plant that much sooner. You can pick up a good two to three weeks of planting season this way.
There Are a Few Problems With Straw Mulch:
Some animals, like voles, can hide under straw but they can also do a great job of hiding under black plastic and black cloth. Even more so with plastic or cloth, as there are no cracks in them, so there is no way for predators to get at them. Back plastic and cloth are considered to help increase the vole population due to their ability to hide under these materials.
When you think of all the benefits versus this small disadvantage, I see no reason not to use straw. Instead, inspect the area for voles or other insects hiding underneath the straw, and see if you can find a method to control these.
Black or Clear Plastic Have Some Advantages and Uses:
It can be used to help heat a bed faster in the spring. Apply a layer of plastic for a week to ten days and it will cause the soil to defrost from the winter, allowing you to start your spring garden as soon as possible.
You can use clear or black plastic to sterilize the soil, or solarization, which is its official term. They recommend clear plastic for the best effect but I have seen it done with black plastic as well. It is best you do this when you have an infestation of a particular disease caused by a bacteria or fungi in the soil or if you have some bad nematodes. If you have a weed infestation or want to eliminate any growth from a particular area, you can solarize the soil without herbicides.
Plastic can be very effective as a weed preventative but it will increase the soil’s heat and can be detrimental to the root system of the plants during hot summers.
Disadvantages:
Must use a drip irrigation to allow watering of plants.
The biggest disadvantage of plastic is that it’s not recyclable. It’s made from oil, which is a non-renewable source.
Creates a lot of garbage and has to be disposed of.
Harbors voles and other potential rodents.
Doesn’t allow rain water to water the bed and only where the hole of the plant is located can water enter, not sufficient usually to maintain the plant.
There are many other mulches. Depending on the region or continent, some can be easily decomposable and thus used for mulch. I have spoken regularly on using partially decomposed compost as mulch. See my blog on compost to read about the benefits.
Then there are waste materials that prove excellent for mulching, like compost, ground coconut husk, dried fallen leaves, dried grass clippings, black or soy ink newspapers. I’m sure there are many great and decomposable materials that I have missed listing here. Feel free to comment and add them.
0 notes