Soil and Fertilizer Articles
When and Where to Use Liquid Organic Fertilizer
While often the fertilizer focus in organic gardening is on compost, manure, cover crops, or the addition of certain minerals, there are also times when liquid organic fertilizers have a place in the yard and garden. Some of these products can be purchased, and some of them can be concocted by the gardener from items on hand.
There are a number of liquid fertilizers on the market that are approved for organic use. However, as in …
Keep that White Clover in Your Lawn!
Get your White Clover Seeds here!
Lucky clover. You’ll usually see three leaf clover, but sometimes, just sometimes, you’ll be lucky and find a fourth. Actually, contrary to modern belief, you’re a lucky gardener if you find white clover in …
Acid-loving Plants
Acid-loving plants are not plants on drugs; they are plants growing in acidic soil. Whether a soil is
considered “acidic” or “basic” is entirely dependent on the pH of the soil. (Don’t get the pH of the soil confused with adding “humic acid” to your soil, though humic acid is derived by …
More isn’t Better: Organic Fertilizer Myths Busted
With the rabid interest in organic vegetable gardening reaching a fever pitch, questions about the amount and timing of fertilizer applications are bound to appear. Wait – I sound like I’m writing a really bland paper to be delivered at a government conference. Let’s start over.
Don’t you love that show Myth Busters? I do. They save me from trying out all …
How to Sterilize Soil
Soil sterilization is a great technique for organic gardeners to master. For potting soil, you will need a sterile mix to avoid bringing weeds and pathogens into your indoor plants. You may also wish to sterilize outside soil if you wish to start over on a patch of garden. Here is why you might want to sterilize soil, how you can do it and how you build up a healthy population of beneficial organisms after you …
The Green (Smoothie) Monster
One of the best parts about having a vegetable garden is going out and picking your dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. Breakfast? Have you heard of eating vegetables for breakfast? Well, maybe some spinach in your omelet, or a few peppers scrambled with potatoes. What about eating lettuce for breakfast? I tried to feed my husband lettuce soup …
What about Witchhazel?
Continuing with the seasonal plant profiles, this week ends with Witchhazel. Underloved until it starts blooming, Witchhazels are mysterious and beautiful additions to fall and winter gardens. Organic gardeners have much to love about the witchhazel because the plants are rarely affected with pest or disease problems. There are two main species in North America. Hamamelis virginiana, or common witchhazel, blooms in the fall–October and November …
Organic Amendments to Add to Your Soil
As an organic gardener, you know that the soil is the most important factor in creating a successful garden. Rich healthy soil means healthy, beautiful blooms and juicy vegetables.
Compost
Compost is made from decayed organic materials such as straw, grass clippings, newspaper, leaves, certain food wastes, spent plants, hay, chipped trees/brush, and farm manures. You can easily make your own compost using a bin, tumbler …
Improving Your Soil with Organic Matter
After moving into a new home in a new or established neighborhood, many gardeners are disappointed to discover their flowering plants struggling for survival due to poor soil. The soil may be full of clay or stones, too acidic, compacted, or lacking in organic matter. Some home-owners may resort to simply adding fertilizer. Don’t do this!
With a little knowledge and a bit of determination you can use soil amendments to improve poor soil conditions. …
The First Organic Gardener
Nature was the first organic gardener, slowly scraping up a thin blanket of rock particles over much of the barren planet, then feeding it with the bodies of tiny, spore-bearing plants and gradually cloaking it in green.
By the mid to late 19th century, chemists decided that they could help gardeners and farmers with new inorganic fertilizers and alike manna from heaven. This seemed to be the answer to the problems …
