Green Gardening

Why Buy Organic Seeds?

If you want to have a truly organic garden, you will need to buy organic seeds.  Plants raised from any other type of seed are not truly organic, even if you have never used pesticide or weed killer in your garden.  Standard seeds may have been subject to all kinds of sprays while they were forming on the parent plant. In addition, non organic seeds could even be genetically modified.  Genetically modified or engineered plants have had their genes altered to encourage them to have certain qualities, such as disease resistance, higher productivity, sweeter taste, etc. This is different from selective breeding and hybridization which has been going on for centuries in order to produce the vegetables and fruits that we have today.  With genetic modification, there is no way of knowing what else might be altered when the genetic material is tampered with.  Even an apparently beneficial alteration such as making a plant more resistant to disease can have a negative effect if this means that bacteria evolve to survive.  There is a risk that human diseases could become increasingly resistant to antibiotics as a result.  There is also a risk of harming biodiversity and perhaps producing new allergens or even ...

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Vegetable Garden Planting Checklist

Anybody who is planning a vegetable garden planting will be glad of this handy checklist.  We cover exactly what to do and when, and look at what you need to take into account when you are planning and planting a vegetable garden. Planning the Site The best site for a vegetable garden is in a sunny spot, perhaps not in full sun all day, but getting a good amount of sunlight.  It should also be flat.  If the only available land has a significant slope, dig it into terraces so that water will not simply run down the slope and leave your young vegetable plants high and dry - literally. Ideally the vegetable garden planting takes place near the house so that you can see your growing vegetables and do not forget to check on them, water them or harvest them when ripe.  You will want to protect your vegetable garden with a rabbit proof fence.  This will also stop dogs digging up your plants. What to Plant When considering what to plant, the first consideration is what you and your family likes to eat!  There is no point in producing a huge crop of perfect cabbages if you all hate them. Next think about the ...

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The Principles of Square Foot Gardening

Square foot gardening is an idea made popular by Mel Bartholomew in the 1980s.  It is ideal for the smaller organic garden, because it is an intensive method of gardening based around ideas of companion planting, water conservation and avoiding pesticides and weed killers. Square foot gardening is especially good for certain kinds of people, too.  Using raised beds means that disabled and elderly people can garden without having to get down to ground level.  The method involves minimal work, making it very attractive for those with busy modern lives.  It is great for kids too because there will be a lot of plant variety in a small area, easy for kids to reach so that they can help out, and always something to new to see. To create the raised beds, planks are joined to form an open bottomed box.  Initially the recommended size is 4 x 4 ft, divided into a grid with string to make 16 sections of one square foot each.  The box is then filled with new soil, purchased from a nursery so that it is nutrient rich.  Compost will be added in future years.  This means that it is not so important what type of soil ...

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Should We Use Organic Weed Killer?

Organic weed killer or herbicide can be used in organic gardens to kill unwanted plant growth without introducing dangerous chemicals into your backyard.  Many people will look for organic weed killer even if they do not have a 100% organic garden.  In a vegetable garden, you probably do not want to spray a lot of unknown chemicals onto plants that you are growing for food.  And even if you only have lawn and flowers, organic weed killer will usually be safer for pets.  Do check labels, however, because ingredients can vary. The word 'organic' has two different meanings.  One is any substance that is carbon based.  This includes virtually all weed killers.  The other meaning is a product that can be used on land that has been certified for organic food production.  This is what we usually mean when we talk about organic weed killer, and there are not so many of these products.  So if you are buying a commercial weed killer, you will need to check that it is for organic land. Herbicide (which just means 'plant killer') comes in two types.  Selective herbicides kill certain plants only, for example, a broad leaf weed killer will kill clover, dandelion and ...

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Perfect Gardening Gifts

Gardening gifts will make any gardener happy!  Even a person who just likes to spend time in their garden and have someone else do the work will appreciate garden oriented gifts. It is very simple these days to choose perfect gardening gifts.  You no longer have to drive miles to a nursery and then pick out something from among a huge range of faded looking plants without knowing if your loved one will like it or even whether it will grow in their yard.  Now you can order online and you can research all of this before you order anything.  Check out gardening websites or simply send your question to the online store by email.  In most cases you will receive a reply very fast. Plants Certain plants make particularly good gifts.  You will probably want to aim for perennials, that is, plants that will not die after just one season.  A rose bush is a great choice for wedding anniversaries.  A miniature rose in a container can grow just about anywhere.  You can choose white roses for a silver wedding or yellow roses for a golden wedding.  Red roses, of course, are perfect for any anniversary and also for Valentine's Day. However, there ...

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