| |
| |
|
Landscaping & Gardening Information |
|
|
|
Chicken Soup for the Soil
Keeping Your Soil Healthy Your soil is the most important part of your garden, but too many people forget to nurture their soil. Soil is a living thing, containing microbes, fungi, insect life and general "creepy-crawlies" vital to plant health and vigor, as well as a receptacle for chemicals and trace elements. Doing a little soil prep every fall pays off each and every harvest. First, add more organic matter. Use your rototiller or your spade, and dig under frostbitten plant material, grass clippings, leaves, wood chips, and compost. Avoid using any diseased plant material as compost - burn it first if there are no local restrictions on burning. If you live near any livestock, cover your garden with 1 - 2" of uncomposted manure, then disguise that with other organic materials, and let the whole thing winter over. A blanket of snow from December through March will turn all of it into about ¼" of the most beautiful topsoil you can imagine. It's also time to think about soil pH, or the acidity or alkalinity. The addition of organic materials can lower the pH, or make it more acidic. If your soil is already high in acid and you'd like to neutralize it, you can also add lime or wood ashes to your garden. Wood ashes are wickedly alkaline, but after a season or two, create an excellent haven for earthworms and add enough potash to the soil to grow wonderful root crops. Finally, feed your fungi. Really. Many stores specializing in products for organic gardening and sustainable agriculture sell micorrhizal spores, which is a fungus that helps soil release its nutrients more easily. Micorrhiza needs to be fed in order to reproduce and survive the winter. Use a hose-end sprayer, and fill it halfway with gooey, blackstrap molasses. If you can find the sulphured kind, so much the better. Fill the rest of the sprayer with flat beer, and spray the solution over your garden beds. The sugar in the molasses feeds the existing fungi and beneficial bacteria in the soil, and the yeasts and enzymes in the beer add more. You'll literally make your soil come alive, and that will help your garden thrive next year. About The Author Jean Fritz is a farmer and freelance writer. She owns and operates KittyVista Organics, a small organic farm located east of Indianapolis which specializes in heirloom, open pollenated and unusual varieties of flowers and vegetables. Visit the KittyVista website at http://clik.to/kittyvista/
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
CO2 for Free We've all heard that there is no such thing as a 'free lunch'; well the process described in this article may be as close to one as you get. Most of us already know the benefits of CO2 enrichment for photosynthesis. Cozy Nooks: Creating a Secret Outdoor Place Everyone seems to love a secret -- and when the secret is a nook in your outdoor space, all the better. A nook is defined as a private or secluded quiet inner place. Flowering Cherries Flowering cherries While the briefness of their glory has to be acknowledged, cherries really are the hardy spring-flowering trees for temperate climate gardens. I can think of no others, apart from their close Prunus relatives and some of the magnolias that even come close to rivalling flowering cherries for sheer weight of bloom and vibrance of colour. Summer Pond Tips Low Oxygen levels Kill FishUse an oxygen tester and air stones to keep your availableoxygen level to at least 7.0 parts per million of dissolvedoxygen in 90 degree F. Planning a Vegetable Garden It is important when you start to plan a garden, to know what you want the garden to do.For instance, if you are hoping to feed a family of four all year round, you will need to plan a garden that is approximately 100 square meters of space (not includingwalking paths) that produces more than once. Orchid Myths -The Truth Here are some of the popular orchid myths#1 Orchids are CarnivorousThey are not, in fact, they pollinate by luring insects to them but they do not eat the insects. This helps the orchid gardeningOrchid Myths#2 Orchids come from the TropicsSome orchid flowers do come from the tropical climates but they grow in any climate and in any country, even Alaska. Daphnes for Scent and Colour Anyone with even a passing knowledge of plants knows that daphnes have wonderfully fragrant flowers. And because some of them - usually the most scented - flower in winter, they're the sort of must-have plants that are usually among the first planted in any new garden. Commercial and Residential Flagpoles The world's tallest unsupported flagpole is located in Amman, Jordan. Erected in 2003, the carbon steel pole juts 416 feet into the sky and weighs a staggering 190,000 pounds. The Perfect Porch Swing There is a magical quality to porch swings. In his summertime classic Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury describes the "ritual of the front-porch swing. How To Build A Waterfall The number one, most asked question that I receive about water features is "How do I build a waterfall?"The first advice I give is to visit natural waterfalls or at least look at photos. Don't try to memorize just how they look. Tips for Backyard Fish Ponds Care Installing a backyard fish pond is an aesthetic addition to your landscaping and offers a bit of tranquility as well. However, taking care of backyard fish ponds is not as easy as one might think. Landscaping of Hindu Religious Places Traditionally Hindu tepmples were located either on hills or forests or river banks.In ancient times, the temples were constructed in such locations faraway from human habitations for providing a calm, peaceful and pleasant environment and also for ensuring a close bond between man and nature. Understanding Weeds - But mostly How to Kill em When I was a child, I loved to pick Dandelions. The pretty yellow flowers were small, colorful, and looked nice tucked behind my ear! However, if one had popped up in the front yard, my hair accessory would have been considered an atrocity!I often feel sorry for weeds. Gallica Roses Very soon stocks of new season's roses will be arriving in the garden centres, if they're not already there. Indeed, to be sure of getting the most sought after varieties it may have been necessary to put an order in some time ago. What is the Right Plant and Where Do I Put It? Know if your plants are disease-susceptible. Your choice of plants used in your garden is as important as the soil that you put those plants in. Rose Meanings Explained Roses are the traditional gift given on Valentines Day, but they're well-received any time of year. The color and type of rose does carry a meaning, though. Organic Roses in the Flower Garden Many people believe growing their flowers and vegetables organically is healthier for them and their environment. It is natural that you may wish to grow your roses this way also. Catch a Leprechaun in Your Garden There is no mention to be found of female leprechauns in traditional Irish legend, so as to how they came to be .. 7 Factors Needed for a Compost Pile Compost, made from decomposed grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and branches, becomes a dark, crumbly mixture of organic matter.Learn how composting works. The Protea Family (Proteaceae) The protea family (Proteaceae) includes a wide range of ground covers, trees and shrubs that often make superb garden plants. While some of the species are frost-tender, they are in all other respects remarkably resilient plants that often thrive in situations where others would rapidly succumb.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
