Home and Garden, An Organic Lifestyle
Home and Garden always go together when you’re trying to create a beautiful and healthy environment for you and your family to live in. But this environment should not only be about aesthetics and appearance. It should also be functional and best of all, must not be in conflict with the community and nature as a whole.
The concept of living an organic lifestyle and having a pleasant home environment is to promote and maintain harmony within ourselves, our family and our environment. This should be the goal of everyone and must be integrated in the aspect of planning, designing and building our ideal home and garden.
Some Home and Garden Ideas:
having trouble installing masonite?
looking for curtains blind and curtains shades?
want to learn the art of trouble shooting washing machines?
fancy rhythm clocks?
save a lot from home solar power systems
Vegetable Container Gardening: Growing Food in Containers
Organic vegetable container gardening appeals to many home gardeners because it means growing something that you can literally put in the table. Maybe you’ve grown some herbs and flowering plants, but until you’ve grown your own food, organic home gardening success doesn’t taste as sweet. So if you’re prepared to take on the challenge, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of growing vegetables in containers.
Growing food, such as vegetables, in convenient and flexible planters is much like growing anything in containers. You will need soil, sun, water, fertilizer and of course, containers and plants to get you started. (See my post on Organic Container Gardening). But vegetables are often planted in the ground and standard varieties are mostly suitable to sizeable land areas. It may be possible to grow them in limiting pots, but is it easy?
The answer is yes on most points. Here are some tips on how to succeed in vegetable container gardening:
Choose your vegetable plant wisely. Although dwarf vegetable varieties are highly recommended for container organic gardening, some growers complain that these do not yield as much and the produce are not as good-tasting as their regular counterparts. With container organic gardening on the rise, seed and plant breeders are coming up with breeds that are meant for container culture. But even without these breeds, there are still standard vegetable varieties that can adapt well in potted environment. To begin with, choose the ones that don’t grow too big and bear small to medium-sized fruits.
Choose containers that suit the needs of your vegetable. Picking out the right container is crucial to the growth of your vegetables. If you have herbs flourishing in cute, little pots, the same may not apply to your vegetables. Some vegetables grow expansive root systems that require space and depth, and will only grow abundantly in deep and large pots. Some do well in wide and shallow planters.
Aside from determining their space requirement, knowing their moisture and nutrient needs is also important. Vegetables that love moisture must be planted in containers that hold water well. This makes large, non-porous pots ideal, but you can also line the inside of porous containers with plastic or mix water-holding gel to improve moisture retention in the soil. Large pots are also good for heavy feeders because soil nutrients in big containers are not easily depleted and can minimize frequent applications of fertilizer. But this doesn’t mean that vegetable can only be planted in big, bulky planters. It all boils down to choosing the right container for the right vegetable plant.
Choose the appropriate soil. Garden soil is deemed too heavy for any container gardening because it is more compact which doesn’t provide good circulation for air and water. A sterile and lightweight potting mix offers good water retention and air flow but can be too ‘thin’ in terms of organic nutrients and too light that it might not be able to support the roots effectively. Adding compost can increase the nutrient content of potting soil and even improve it’s ability to hold water. And a little coarse sand in the mixture can provide the weight needed.
If you intend to have a very large container, you might find that store-bought potting soil is quite expensive. You may very well make your own mix. One part peat moss, one part coarse sand, one part perlite and one part compost can be a good combination. Other alternative organic ingredients are vermicullite, alfalfa and composted pine bark. Soil is also an option but is often disregarded to prevent soil-borne diseases and pests from infecting your vegetables.
Choose proper watering method. We already know that vegetables in containers need more water than those in the ground. And that small pot and porous containers dry out quickly while dark colored containers absorb more heat. These all translate to more frequent watering. But there is also such a thing as too much water, so water your vegetables only when they need it and ensure proper drainage in their containers. Soggy soil becomes too compact to let the air to pass through and roots won’t be able to breathe and will rot eventually.
On the other hand, if you often let your vegetables to wilt before watering, their roots will shrink, diminishing the size of the entire root system. When you finally water them, they will put more energy into growing back bigger roots instead than growing leaves and fruits. Irregular watering can cause blossoms to rot and drop, leaves to wither, and crops to shrivel and stop developing.
Choose organic garden fertilizers. Before you can eat them, you must feed them first. Aside from adding compost to the potting soil during planting, vegetables in containers will need regular nourishment of organic matters and trace elements from the soil. Slow-release fertilizers are good for the growing period. But once your vegetables start to produce, use liquid fertilizers that are easily absorbed into the soil to give them the extra boost they need for bigger and healthier yield. Just make sure that you don’t apply too much to prevent fertilizer burn. Excessive watering also drains some nutrients from the soil. Lodger-Agreement.co.uk
And lastly, if you’re really serious about vegetable container gardening, there are lots of useful information you can find in this ebook that will help you successfully grow vegetables in containers.
Is Cedar Compost A Smart Choice?
Cedar compost anyone?
You can compost almost anything, from kitchen scraps to chicken manure to yard waste (See Compost Types).
So, it’s inevitable to wonder if cedar compost would be a good idea.
After all, this wood smells great, and many of us have a lot of it on our properties. But stop and take a minute to think before you put that cedar in your compost bin. There are some reasons that cedar is a bad addition to most composting operations. Here’s some information on why this wood isn’t right for your gardening operation and what you should do with it instead.
Cedar lasts a long time. One of the big reasons that so many decks and pieces of outdoor furniture are made out of cedar is that this wood takes a long time to break down. It stays solid, doesn’t decay, and won’t end up being splintery or unpleasant, even when used outside. Weather doesn’t really harm it much, and bugs aren’t interested in making their homes in it. Those are great properties for wood that needs to function outside. They’re terrible properties for wood that ends up in the compost pile, however.
Cedar’s fungus, bacteria, and insect repellent properties mean that it’s not going to do much in your compost pile. You can toss it in, but it’s just not going to decay properly. At worst, it might slow down the rest of the compost pile, too, by killing off the micro organisms that make composting work. So keep cedar out of your composter if you’d like to have a coherent, fast working compost that’ll nourish your garden well. Cedar just isn’t worth composting.
What cedar is good for. So what can you do with surplus cedar? There are a number of different options available. If you have a wood stove or fireplace, well seasoned cedar can be burned, though it’s not as good a choice as hardwood. Cedar can also be used to build your compost bin – because of the properties that make it bad for composting. A cedar compost bin can resist the bacterial action of the compost, and stay in good shape for long periods of time. It resists weather, too.
You can also chip scrap cedar that’s not worthwhile for building and use it for garden mulching. While cedar mulch isn’t great for your garden, it can be effectively used around shrubs and other plants that can tolerate an acidic environment. Keep it away from the house to discourage termites, and you have an effective use for your leftover cedar.
Cedar compost just isn’t the right choice for your compost bin. Fortunately, there are plenty of other things you can do with it instead, like frames for large wall clocks. Take the time to figure out what your scrap cedar is good for, and you’ll have no problem finding a use for it. Reusing and recycling everything is a great idea. Just make sure you use it for the right thing. Lap Siding
If you’re not sure what they are exactly or if you want to ensure that you’re doing your composting the right way, you can find a good deal of information here.
There are a lot of things that you can use instead of cedar compost for your compost file.
The Different Compost Types
It might surprise you to know that there are different compost types. Depending on what goes into the mix, and how the composting process operates, the result will be a little different. There’s vermicompost, composted animal manure, the familiar vegetable and yard clippings compost, and several others. It can be hard to tell the difference between types at the end, since most of them look the same, and all of them are rich additions to your soil. However, they do have a few differences.
Let’s take a look at some compost types.
Animal Manure Compost
This kind of compost is made from the droppings of vegetarian or mostly vegetarian livestock. Composting cat and dog manure, or other carnivore droppings, is rare and poses a lot of problems. But horse, cow, and chicken manure are popular choices. They contain a lot of helpful nitrogen that can be good for plants. But applying them to your garden fresh can “burn” your plants. That’s why they need to be composted to make them usable. It’s important to make sure that any animal manure compost you use is fully composted. If you’re doing it on your own, check the pile temperature to make sure that the whole thing decays properly. That’ll help you keep a healthy garden.
Vegetable Compost
This is probably the most common type of compost made at home. Many people put their kitchen and yard waste into a compost bin and turn it into a nitrogen rich soil additive. It’s important to maintain the right balance in the pile if you want it to stay hot and decay quickly, instead of moldering and smelling. However, if you get it right, the result is a useful garden treatment that even works well as a mulch. There’s not as much danger of nitrogen burn from unfinished vegetable compost, but it should still be done completely.
Vermicompost
Most compost piles will actually end up containing at least some of this type. That’s because earthworms are a helpful addition to any composting operation. They break down organic matter and leave rich soil additives. However, some people decide to use worms more deliberately. They choose types of earthworms that can successfully live in an enclosed space, and place their kitchen scraps and other small vegetable waste products inside. The worms multiply and turn the waste material into rich compost. Most vermicomposting operations are small, but some people have much larger worm boxes, or several sets of boxes, and compost yard waste this way, too. Vermicompost is a very rich form of compost in most cases.
But that is just the first step in creating an organic garden compost. More information about the proper technique and procedure here.
Knowing the different compost types can help you determine which materials you can use for your own compost file.
Is Using Shredded Mulch In Your Garden A Good Idea?
Many of us use black shredded mulch, cedar mulch, and other materials to help protect our plants from weeds.
But is this shredded mulch actually a good idea for your organic gardening project?
Some wonder if their garden mulching might be killing perennials and preventing seeds from growing properly. Some people are also finding that they have sooty black patches on neighboring objects. Could mulch be the culprit, and what can you do to keep your plants safe?
Unfortunately, while wood mulches can be useful, shredded wood mulch like sawdust, bark, wood chips and root mulches can be a breeding ground for fungus. These fungi can shoot spores as far as thirty feet away, and are hard to get off of nearby light colored objects. They can also slow down the growth of established plants and new ones. That’s because wood, as a carbon, binds with nitrogen in the soil. Since plants need nitrogen to grow, this nitrogen immobilization can cause real problems. Wood mulches can actually steal the food right out of the soil.
The worst offenders for this are dyed mulches. They’re usually made out of chipped up old pallets that have been colored to be more appealing. It’s the worst kind to use around plants, and will often kill your new landscaping. Another problem is the acidic substance that forms when new, sap filled trees are turned to mulch. These can turn to a substance that will injure your plants. Chipped mulch that smells like vinegar should be avoided.
So, if shredded mulch isn’t the best idea for your garden, what should you use? Many people try straw, but if that straw contains seed heads, it’ll attract rodents and create weed problems. Plus, straw is also carbon rich, and can bind nitrogen the same way that wood mulch can. Shredded fall leaves, on the other hand, are an excellent option that releases nitrogen as it decays, instead of binding it.
There’s another great option for mulching, as well, and it might surprise you. Possibly the best mulching alternative is seasoned compost. After all, it can prevent weeds and retain soil moisture just as well as regular mulch or shredded leaves. Two inches of compost does as well as conventional shredded mulch. Plus, you get all the usual benefits of compost, like soil enrichment, and when the season is over, you can just till the compost in. Appearance wise, compost looks a lot like dyed black wood mulch, but without the same problems. Hot Tub Research
You can also try converting your fall leaves into good quality compost using just a shredder, or get some compost from your local garden center. Avoid wood and bark mulches, and steer clear of straw in favor of something that’ll help your plants grow better. Keep it six inches from the plant stems, just like regular mulch, and away from your foundations to prevent termites, and you’ll see better results in your garden. (For more complete info on garden mulching and ways to beautify your garden using a garden gnome, click here.)
