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organic gardening – Page 3 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Tag: organic gardening

  • 3 Tips for Healthier Tomatoes  

    3 Tips for Healthier Tomatoes  

     

    Tomatoes are one of the most commonly grown crops in back yard gardens.  But it isn’t always easy to grow healthy, productive tomatoes.  And it isn’t really worth it to grow tomatoes if they aren’t healthy and producing to their full potential.  If you have had problems with tomatoes in the past, here are 3 tips you might want to try.

     

    Epson Salt

    Epson salt is made of Magnesium and Sulphur.  Both of which are vital nutrients for growing healthy tomatoes.  If you have had issues with tomatoes in the past try watering them with ½ tablespoon of Epsom salt per gallon to start, and 1 tablespoon per gallon once they are established.  This can also be helpful for peppers and eggplant.

    Aspirin

    A fungal infection in a plant’s leaves will leave the plant unable to feed, and grow, and therefore unable to produce even if it stays alive.  If your tomatoes have suffered from fungal infections they could benefit from some aspirin.  Crush an aspirin pill, a regular 325 mg pill is enough to add to a gallon or so of water, make sure it dissolves prior to watering.  You can pour the water over the plant’s leaves.

    Egg Shells

    Eggs shells are a great source of calcium.  If you have noticed blossom end rot in your tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants, they it is likely that your soil is lacking in calcium.  Grinding or blending your egg shells into powder will decrease the time needed for them to break down and make the calcium plant available, but even this will not be enough to help plants that are already suffering from blossom end rot.  This needs to be done at least 6 weeks prior to planting.

     

    Don’t get down if your tomatoes have been leaving something to be desired, with these 3 tips, most problems with tomatoes can be a thing of the past.

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  • Never Buy Fertilizer Again

    Never Buy Fertilizer Again

    It’s not just a clickbait title, with a few easy steps you can have nutrient rich soil forever, and never need to buy fertilizer again.  How?  Grow comfrey.  Comfrey is beneficial it is borderline supernatural.  As a dynamic accumulator comfrey gathers nutrients from where other plants cannot and transfers these nutrients to its leaves.  These leaves can then be used in the place of store bought fertilizers with amazing results.  Not only is comfrey an amazing alternative to expensive fertilizers, but it is also incredibly easy to grow, propagate, and use to enrich your soil, here’s how.

     

    1. Purchase some comfrey starts, or better yet make your own from a friend’s plants. To make starts from an existing plant all you need to do is to dig it up and split the larger portions of the roots.  Any root segment that is more than 1 ½ inch long should grow.  Although comfrey is very hardy once it is established it is prone to pest attack when it is just getting started because of how nutritious its leaves are, so place them on a table or inside to get them started.
    2. Comfrey is not a picky plant, it is able to grow in just about any reasonable soil and can tolerate shade. But if you want to get a lot of nutrient rich leaves to use as fertilizer it is best to plant it in the sun so that it will grow fast.  Comfrey grows very dense, and can be used as a border for your garden or around trees.
    3. Once your plants are established they will be virtually impossible to harm. You can take 90% of their leaves at a time and they will continue to bounce back.
    4. Though many people will tell you to make a compost tea with the leaves, a slow release process is much easier, and in reality, just as fast since the act of making the tea will not take any less time. Simply cut off the leaves, and mulch with them.  Worms love comfrey, and the leaves will quickly be part of your soil, releasing the nutrients that their roots have gathered from up to 30 feet into the subsoil where your vegetables will never be able to otherwise access.

    Gardening usually requires hard work with no shortcuts, so it can be difficult to believe that comfrey can so easily solve your soil nutrient problems, but it’s true.  Comfrey is a natural wonder and no garden is complete without a supply of it.

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  • Tips for Better Tomatoes

    Tips for Better Tomatoes

    Homegrown tomatoes taste a far cry better than anything you will find at the grocery store. You know exactly what’s in your soil and what you are putting on the plant, so you don’t have to worry about pesticides getting you or your family sick. Here are some quick and simple tips you can use to improve the tomatoes in your garden.

    Plant Deep

    First, you always want to make sure you are planting your tomatoes as deeply as possible, without having any of the leaves touch the ground. This way, the plant will produce a stronger root system, which can increase the moisture content, since the plants are taking in more water. Another reason to plant deep is so the roots can better hold the plant in place in the event of a bad storm or wind.

    Remove the Lower Leaves

    Once your plants have started to grow and reach about two feet high, it’s a good idea to remove the lower leaves. This allows the nutrients to promote growth higher up in the plant. The leaves at the bottom, which wouldn’t be getting much sunshine anyway, are essentially useless, so there is no harm in removing them.

    Use Mulch

    Using mulch with your tomatoes will help you to conserve water. In addition, it will keep the soil warm and help to foster a strong root system. Another one of the benefits of using mulch is that it can help to prevent diseases in the plant.

    Tomato Cages

    Using tomato cages can help ensure your plants don’t topple over. Once a plant starts to grow and develop fruit, it can get top heavy. Using the cage ensures it stays upright and continues to grow. Another one of the benefits is that the stalks are under less stress, which means bigger tomatoes.

    These are some simple tips you can start using the next time you plant your tomatoes. Happy harvesting!

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  • Does Tap Water Kill Garden Bacteria?  

    Does Tap Water Kill Garden Bacteria?  

     

    Some people believe that the chemicals used in treating tap water, namely chlorine, will kill or harm the bacteria in their garden soil.  Since bacteria are the base of the food web in your garden it’s important to keep them healthy and happy.  Because of this some gardeners have resorted to filtering their water with costly filtrations systems, or letting it sit out for hours or even days in watering cans to allow the chlorine to evaporate.  But is any of this necessary?  In this video we are shown the painstakingly scientific evaluation of this hypothesis.  The experiment takes place in Alberta Canada, and other areas will have slightly different treatment levels in their water, but the results are not likely to be drastically different from the ones shown in the video.  Hope this helps.

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  • A Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet

    A Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet

    I love a good, detailed infographic, especially when it comes to gardening. A lot of the gardening infographics that show up on my feed on Pinterest are pretty simple, so I was stoked when I found this one from Anglianhome.co.uk recently.

    It’s an all-purpose cheat sheet for vegetable growing, from what’s best for plot vs. patio (or potted) vegetable gardens, where to plant, when to plant, and a handy companion planting guide as well. I think the companion planting guide section is my favorite, with handy color coding. It can be overwhelming trying to decide what to plant with what, and I love visual aids like this that can make planning out next year’s garden simpler.

    The most impressive part of the infographic however, has got to be the chart in the middle that has, in one handy chart, all the info you will need for planting, from spacing, sunlight, whether to direct sow, and what season to plant and harvest. This can also help to plan a garden, so you can coordinate companion plants and early spring starts.

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  • Black Fly Control

    Black Fly Control

    If you have been growing fava beans then it’s likely that you have run into black flies.  Black flies love to damage fava bean plants and ruin your production.  But there are a few simple ways to fight back if you notice an infection and even measures you can take to prevent your plants from ever getting infected while increasing the food you get out of your plants.  Here’s how.

     

    • Check your plants regularly. Black flies will only ever affect the tops of the plants, so keep a close eye on the tops especially.
    • If you see black flies on the plants spray them with soapy water.
    • If the infestation is serious, cut the tops after spraying them with soapy water. Put them in a plastic bag, tie the top to seal it and throw it away. Do not compost any plant material that is infected with anything as it could spread to other plants near your pile, and in the case of some diseases, even survive in the compost pile and infect the plants that the compost is later applied to.
    • To help prevent black flies from becoming a problem keep your plants from getting too high. Since the flies only like the tops of the plants, cut off the tender tops about 3 to 4 inches below the tip.  When they regrow, cut them again.
    • If you beat the black flies to the tips of your plants there is no reason to throw them out, or even compost them. The tops can be steamed or lightly boiled and eaten.  With a little butter and salt they can taste pretty good.

    Pest control doesn’t have to mean harsh chemicals, it doesn’t have to mean hard work, it doesn’t even have to mean that you lose out on production.  In this case you can actually eat more from your plants by preventing black flies.

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  • Soil Tests

    Soil Tests

     

    Soil test kits are one of the most under-used tools for backyard homesteaders in their gardens.  Most gardeners seem to prefer to treat all soil as equal, equally bad, or equally good.  Adding compost and fertilizer to every square inch of growing space, and treating soil for every crop that goes in.  But money and hours of hard work can be saved though testing your soil for pH and mineral content.

     

    pH

    Without knowing what the pH of their soil is, most people will add acidic soil amendments like elemental sulfur to their soil if they are planting crops like blueberries that thrive in acidic soils.  But what if your soil is already acidic?  Then you will waste your money on the soil amendments, and likely damage or even kill your blueberries that you spent time and energy planting.

    Mineral Content

    If you have a large garden, then more than likely you are composting more than just kitchen waste.  You probably go out of your way to gather material like leaves that require raking, or even going and getting bags of coffee grounds from your local coffee shop.  Then, if you don’t test your soil, you probably apply that compost to every area of your garden.  But time, energy, and resources can be saved if you test your soil.  Areas that are rich in minerals can be maintained simply by mulching with comfrey and wood chips.

    Guess Work

    Knowing the soil in each area of your garden will give you a better idea of where to plant what, and will help in determining why some crops might not be doing as well as you would like them to be doing.

     

    Soil tests don’t need to be performed regularly, they don’t take long, and don’t cost much.  But they can give you valuable knowledge about the soil in your garden.

  • Saving Space While Growing Corn

    Saving Space While Growing Corn

     

    Corn is a crop that has disappointed many backyard gardeners.  Mostly because they watch lush green stalks grow up with anticipation, only to find that the ears didn’t produce any corn.  One of the more common reasons why is that they didn’t plant enough corn.  In order for corn to properly pollinate it needs to be planted in several rows, if you are planting in rows.  This can take up more space than most backyard gardeners have, or are willing to give to one crop.  But there is a way to grow corn successfully without using so much space.

     

    • Make some space throughout your garden, it doesn’t have to all be in the same bed, but try not to have each space separated by more than a few feet.
    • Mound some compost into a “hill” several inches high and about 2 feet across in each of the spaces that you have available. Corn is a heavy feeder, so rich compost is important if you want nice corn.
    • I recommend mulching the mounds even before the seeds have sprouted with a thin layer of coffee grounds. They are rich in nitrogen which will help the seedlings get started, and the sprouts will have no problem pushing a little coffee out of the way.
    • Thin any extra sprouts, or sprouts that are too close together. Preferably you should have about 6 plants left after thinning on each mound.  If you have less they will not pollinate.
    • Make sure that you keep them well watered and as the corn grows add thicker mulch to help with water retention and add nutrients as they grow.

    With 6 mounds, and 6 stalks on each mound, and each stalk producing 2 or three ears, you can end up with over 100 ears of corn without sacrificing a large area of your garden.

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