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Have a question about organic gardening or interested
in chatting with others about gardening? Visit the forum here Organic
Gardening Forum
If you are new to organic gardening, here
is some basic information for the beginner. A compost bin of some
kind worms or regular is highly recommended. A good compost bin
will have aerator vents, be rodent proof, keep the heat in, and
keep the rain out. Some composting tumblers have come out recently
that make the compostor's dream come true. You can have one side
going with older material and add organic scraps to another. If
you would rather have your compost ready in weeks, rather than months,
you will want to get some compost activator. You will also want
to get some highly concentrated bacteria and fungi which is sold
as compost activator. Simply shake 1-3 cups of the powder over your
compost
pile, then moisten the pile with water. The compost activator will
come as a small pouch of organisms that will speed the process of
composting and give your bin a good head start. If all goes well,
your compost bin can heat up and reach temperatures as high as 140
degrees. This is a good thing and it means you will soon have rich
organic soil to plant your vegetables.
If you're like most people, you occasionaly let vegetables or fruit go bad. Instead of throwing this away into our landfills, or putting it down the garbage disposal, put this nutrient rich rotten food into a worm bin. After you have built up at least a cubic foot of compost, get some red worms. Red worms are the best composting worm available. For less than $20, you can buy 500 or 1 lb of red worms. Vendors that sell red worms give you worms in all stages of life. This is important to starting a healthy worm bin population. You want to make sure that your worm bin does not get too hot. 65 to 85 degrees is ideal. In areas of California where the temperature gets too hot, you may want to consider a regular compost bin as described above.
A trellis is important to a plant's well being. Without proper support, plants will not grow as fast and will not be as fruitful. Stakes can help save your plants from the wind. It can be pretty depressing to wake up in the morning and discover that your plants were destroyed by a wind storm because you failed to protect them.
Another important aspect of organic gardening is pest control. Unfortunately, there are no insects that eat weeds, only insects that eat the good plants of your organic garden. Beneficial Insects - those that eat the bugs that eat your plants are a mainstay. The three most widely used beneficial insects are green lacewings, ladybugs , and the praying mantis. Beneficial nematodes are also used, but they are more common for larger organic farms and not the backyard gardener. Ladybugs will help eat pests like aphids that live and breed on the leavers of your organic vegetables and fruit. The Praying mantis will eat almost any pest in your garden included earwigs and ticks. Serious organic gardeners will buy a fresh population of several benefical insects every season. You can expect to pay about $40 $60 for a set of about 4 different commonly used beneficial insects that will cover a large garden of about an acre or so in size. Bat are another useful thing to have in your yard if you have a mosquito problem. Not only will bats help control your mosquitos, but they will also produce bat guano which is one the best fertilizers known to man.
Organic gardening can be done in your back yard, front yard, or in a greenhouse. If you're planting in your yard, you will probably want to till your soil first. If you have a few acres, a tractor can save your back. Gardening tools can make your life much easier. Tillers and cultivators
can aerate your soil and mix in nutrient rich organic compost. The benefits of growing inside a greenhouse are that your plants are protected from wind, pests and weeds. Wind can deal a devasting toll on plants. Some gardeners will even build wind breaks around their garden. In places where cold temperatures are a problem you can also buy greenhouses with a heater inside them to keep the plants warmer. If you plan to garden outside, weeding is something that you just can't get around unless you put your precious plants in containers or grow them in a greenhouse. Greenhouse gardening is surely the best way to go if you can afford it. Juliana 7200 series greenhouses are large scale quality greenhouses for the serious gardener.
In short, California organic gardening can be one of the most rewarding hobbies. It can be an expensive hobby after you add up all the tools that you need - tractor, tiller, chipper, greenhouse, electronics & irrigation, shredder, sheers, compost tumbler, worm bin, organic fertilizer. But, spending money on these tools can turn out to be some of your best spent money. Northern California gardeners should especially consider a greenhouse. Southern California gardeners do not have to worry as much about cold temperatures. Tomatoes grow best where the temperature is around 90 degrees. Carrots grow better in cold temperatures around 70 degrees.
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