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Organic Gardening In The Backyard – Fun, Healthy, and Easier Than You May Think
Author: C.J. Gustafson
Organic gardening, which is sometimes thought of as something out of the 60s hippie culture, has been steadily growing in popularity over the years. Not only can you find entire aisles of organics at the local supermarket, the number of specialty stores dedicated to organically grown foods has increased dramatically. Part of this popularity is due to an increasing understanding of the dangers associated with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Growing organically generally means gardening without these potentially dangerous chemicals. Many backyard gardeners are turning to organic methods as they realize how easy and effective organic growing can be.

Part of the reason chemical pesticides and fertilizers are so widely used is because they work well. In deciding to use organic methods in your backyard garden, you first will need to accept the fact that you will likely have more pest damage and lower yields than if you were employing chemicals. Many people are willing to make this trade off in return for the opportunity to harvest chemical-free foods for themselves and their families.

There are several different approaches and techniques used in organic gardening. You may find that you are using some of them already. If you have selected cultivars that are resistant to pests or drought, you are involved in one form of organic gardening. If you put out a scarecrow or bars of hand soap to keep animals away, this too is organic gardening. Compost is an organic fertilizer. Organic techniques are around in many gardens already. By utilizing them more and moving away from chemicals, you can improve the environment and lead a healthier lifestyle.

There are different levels of organic gardening and different reasons why people choose organic methods. Some do it because they do not want to harm any animals, even aphids or cutworms. So they try to develop a system where they can cohabitate peacefully, keeping insects and other animals out when possible and removing them or learning to live with them when other options don't work.

Some people are not opposed to pest control and extermination but they don't want to add any more chemicals to the environment or to the food that they eat. Others go organic as a means of getting back to a more historic, natural, and even challenging way of gardening. You will need to decide which methods match your personal philosophies and reasons for going organic.

Pest control and fertilization are two of the key areas to focus on with organic gardening. In addition to using native, resistant plants, mulching, and practicing crop rotation, the use of other natural methods of pest control and of compost and manure as fertilizer can go a long way toward creating a more organic garden.

Pest Control

There are many ways that backyard gardeners can control insects and other pests without the use of synthetic chemicals.

- Use mesh row covers to keep insects off of plants. They need to be removed from squashes, melons, cucumbers, peppers and other plants that require or benefit from pollinations during flowering.
- Collars placed around young plants will help prevent damage by cutworms.
- Allow natural predators such as ladybugs and wasps to assist you in your efforts by planting vegetation that will attract them to your garden and avoiding pesticides that harm them as well.
- Screens, cold frames and fences can help keep some insects and animals such as rabbits out of the garden.
- Aphids can be removed from plants with a strong stream of water. Hand removing insects such as potato beetles can be effective in small gardens.
- Weed your garden and turn the soil regularly to help reduce the growth of insects that like to nest in certain plant debris.
- Learn to identify the egg clusters of harmful insects and remove them immediately
- Use homemade insecticides such as garlic spray or other harmless pest inhibitors.
- Try using non-invasive methods of pest control including soap bars, cuttings of human hair, or an alert dog in the yard. These techniques may or may not be effective, but are worth a try before resorting to chemicals.
- Some home pesticides such as those that use rhubarb or tobacco plants can be very dangerous to humans and other mammals. Use caution and be sure you know what you're getting into before you begin.

Organic Fertilizers

Of course you want your plants to grow quickly and produce large yields. However, chemical fertilizers are potentially harmful to those who eat the plants and to the environment, especially if applied too heavily and allowed to run off into water supplies and habitat areas. Using organic fertilizers can decrease the problems associated with chemicals.

Manure is a natural, effective fertilizer if used properly. Not only does it improve soil structure, it provides the nutrients plants need to develop. Manure that is allowed to age and decompose before use is most effective. Pasteurized manure is less likely to include active weed seed or harmful bacteria. Do not apply too heavily.

Create and maintain a compost pile to use as fertilizer. Not only does it incorporate the use of natural organic material such as leaves, lawn clippings and household waste such as potato peels and carrot stems, it also provides a free source of fertilizer and reduces the amount of waste that is hauled to landfills.

If you choose to use chemical fertilizers, use sparingly and choose a slow release variety that is less likely to leech into vulnerable areas.

Companion planting, which is the practice of putting together two plants that seem to benefit each other, has been offered as a means of enhancing organic gardening practices. It is thought that plants such as nicotina and marigolds are natural pest deterrents. However, there is no firm research to support this as yet. Still, many gardeners have reported success with this method.

Additionally, planting vegetables with prickly vines, such as watermelon or squashes around the perimeter of vulnerable plants may help keep out rabbits and other animals that don't like the scratchy vines.

These days, many gardeners are looking for ways to reduce the use of chemicals and rely on more natural and inexpensive means of providing food for their tale and backyard growing enjoyment. Organic gardening techniques provide fun and healthy options.

About the Author

C.J. Gustafson is an amateur gardener and a professional photographer, providing valuable tips and advice about http://www.vegetable-gardening-4u.com/garden-accessories.htm garden accessories and other http://www.vegetable-gardening-4u.com vegetable gardening topics. She would rather lose a few ears of corn than go without wildlife in her garden.

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Pest Control for the Vegetable Garden
Author: Karen Gross
One of the biggest challenges for vegetable gardeners is pest control. Anyone who has tried to keep a determined deer from eating the sweet corn knows how difficult it can be to deter animals, including insects, birds, rabbits and other wildlife from what, for them is a natural smorgasbord. From their perspective, there sit these wonderful veggies, all neat and weeded, almost as if you placed the plants there just for them. And so animals that we might otherwise enjoy can become a nuisance when it comes to the garden.

While avoiding wildlife is nearly impossible, chemical pesticides are often an effective means of deterring unwanted insects. However, many gardeners are uncomfortable using these harsh chemicals that can leak into water supplies and harm the environment. They also have concerns about using chemicals in the foods they feed their families. Here are some ideas for more organic pest control.

Crop Rotation

Practicing crop rotation every year in your vegetable garden and using companion plants will improve your soil and keep the pests under control. Most insects need time to become established in the soil. They may take two to three seasons to get their life cycle established. By practicing vegetable rotation and varying the type of plants grown in a particular area from year to year, you can avoid establishing plant specific types of garden pests.

Companion Planting

Certain varieties of garden plants are less attractive to pests. To deter rabbits, plant green onions amongst the lettuce plants. Plant several radish seeds in each hill of cucumber seeds to protect against the cucumber beetle. And when planted near each other, cucumbers will prevent raccoons from eating all the sweet corn, while the corn will reciprocate by preventing cucumber wilt.

Tomatoes like to be near chives, parsley, marigolds, garlic bulbs, nasturtiums, gooseberries, asparagus, and carrots. Tomatoes have a natural defense for pest control against the asparagus beetle and are also effective in keeping insects away from gooseberries. Carrots on the other hand are nearly every garden pest's friend. To control the carrot fly pest, plant onions, rosemary, or leeks nearby. Potatoes like to be planted near corn, horseradish, broccoli, cabbage and peas. Avoid planting by tomatoes, melon, and cucumbers.

Some vegetable gardeners plant pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers among the corn. The heavy growth and scratching of the vines and leaves helps keep rabbits, raccoons and other hungry critters at bay.

Tricks of the Trade

In addition to the planting methods described above, there are a number of non-pesticide options for organic pest control. Human or dog hair spread around the garden and hung from tree limbs acts as a good pest repellent, as do bars of soap hung from shepherds hooks or laid right in the soil. Deer do not like the smell of rotting eggs, so a mixture of 9 eggs with 2.5 gallons of water sprayed on ½ acre of crop will deter deer from entering the area, but the solution is diluted enough to avoid annoying humans.

Deer tend to be nervous and wary animals and can be scared off by annoying wind activated garden fixtures, plastic foil tape, scarecrows and whirligigs. Those that make noise, such squeaking, fluttering, or tinkling, work best. You may have to move these items around and rotate selection to keep the deer from getting use to them. Dogs are also a good source to keep watch over the garden and help scare off unwanted wildlife diners.

Tall fences (9 to 10 feet high) planted firmly in the ground are the best way to keep deer out of the vegetable garden. An inexpensive chicken-wire fence at least 24 inches high is often enough to keep those pesky rabbits out of your garden. Or a solution of cayenne pepper spray on the plants after a rain will sometimes deter rabbits from nibbling. Dried blood meal, which rabbits do not favor, can be sprinkled around when planting. The flavor will absorb though the root system of the vegetables, making them less appetizing. As an ongoing garden pest control, blood meal can be added to the soil every two weeks.

Live traps can be used for smaller rodents and rabbits. Bait the traps with a small amount of peanut butter, check them regularly, and transport any captured animals to another location immediately. Wear plastic gloves when handling live traps to prevent exposure to diseases carried by rodents and their parasites. Sticky insect traps and lures are another good pest control. Paint a thick piece of cardboard a bright color to attract the pest, and coat with a sticky substance such as Stick-em or Tanglefoot.

Electronic Pest Control

There are several electronic pest control devices available on the market as well, including electric fences, motion detecting water sprayers, and ultrasonic noisemakers that humans can't hear, but that garden pests find annoying. There are some units on the market that allow you to adjust the unit to the pest you are trying to drive away, without bothering the other critters you would like to have around.

Electric fencing can be installed around the perimeter of the yard. Some of these products claim to be strong enough to deter deer from entering the garden, but weak enough that they do not hurt family pets.

Moles feed on earthworms and grubs, not plants, which can make them a benefit to gardens, but as part of their natural activity, moles tunnel through the soil, causing damage to delicate plant roots. Battery or solar operated devices can be placed in the ground to help deter moles from burrowing in your garden. Place a few around the garden to prevent these pests from making paths in a new area.

Beneficial Bugs

Insects that prey upon garden pests are called beneficial insects. In nature these insects keep the garden pests under control. Encourage beneficial bugs by avoiding the use of commercial pesticides as these are usually non-discriminatory and will kill good and bad bugs alike. A small number of pests in the garden will encourage those beneficial bugs to stick around and multiply, making your work easier.

Ladybugs are natural enemies of aphids. Green lacewing in larvae stage feeds on thrips, mites, aphids, and various other insect eggs. Trichogramma wasps are effective against corn earworm, tomato hornworm, and loopers. The tiny wasps are also a parasite to many kinds of caterpillars.

Sprays and Soaps

There are many organic pest control sprays you can make at home, as well as purchasing less harmful insecticidal soaps. Many of the homemade sprays include ingredients such as garlic, onion, or cayenne pepper. A word of caution when using sprays intended to go directly on the plants. Never apply sprays in the heat of the afternoon sun. The water can heat up very quickly and cause brown spots to appear on the leaves.

Most gardeners have a connection with the earth and enjoy the wildlife and insects nature has provided…just not in the garden! For those who prefer to practice organic pest control, there are many options. They may not work as well as pesticides in some cases, but they are a lot less harmful and can even add fun and beauty to your garden.

About the Author

Karen Gross is a professional gardener and design consultant. She provides valuable tips and advice about http://www.vegetable-gardening-4u.com/seed-companies.htm seed companies , http://www.vegetable-gardening-4u.com/container-gardening.htm container gardening and other http://www.vegetable-gardening-4u.com vegetable gardening topics.

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Rose Gardening Challenges
Author: Ken Austin

Rose gardening can be a challenging exercise but you don't have to be an expert to grow roses. Roses are grown successfully in gardens in nearly every different type of climate and environmental condition. Coming in a rainbow of colors and thousands of different modern-day varieties, roses offer a wonderful array of choices to followers of this beloved rose gardening pastime.

Rose gardening is special, though there are numerous recipes for cultivating the perfect rose garden, with even just a few of the basics such as sunshine, water and fertilizer, a rose garden can thrive in any climate. By adapting the following rose gardening tips to your specific needs, you can maintain a lush and lively rose garden.

Before you plant

Be sure your roses will be in an optimum location where they will receive at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, preferably morning sunshine.

Provide your roses with ample space to grow by digging a hole that is at least two-feet wide and two-feet deep. Add potting soil or organic compost for nutrients.

Keep roses moist by watering diligently for several weeks once you have planted them.

Help your rose garden to flourish

Monitor the pH levels in the soil as roses generally prosper at a pH of about 6.5.

Fertilize in the spring when roses begin to leaf out and continue regularly until just before the arrival of winter frosts.

Remove dead flower heads occasionally to instigate new bloom growth.

Prune your roses at least once per year. With new plants, prune after the first blooming period is over. For older plants, pruning after the winter will help to begin rejuvenation and new growth. In colder climates you may also want to prune just after the first frosts to prevent harsh winter damage.

And always remember, roses love lots of water and proper drainage.

About the Author

Ken Austin

http://www.1stinroses.com " target=_blank>Roses and Rose Gardening

http://www.1stdiscountshopping.com " target=_blank>Online Discount Shopping Guide

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Decorating around the garden
Author: Melissa Cameron

Straight Talk On – Decorating Around the Garden

Do you live near a park? Most people do – there are so many around
now. All levels of government recognize the value of a green
environment. And, of course, if people know that government has provided
them with lots of parks and trees, they'll get lots of votes. But the
bottom line is – we have, in North America, some absolutely beautiful
parks.

Some of the most beautiful parks are natural areas, untouched by man,
with lots of trees and plants flourishing in their natural environment. For example, New York's Central Park is a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, even though it's right in the middle of the city. In California, there's Redwood Park, with its statuesque redwood trees.In Vancouver, Canada, there's Stanley Park, another beautiful acreage of natural habitat, set right next to the city.

And then there are the world-famous gardens, like Butchart Gardens in
Victoria, British Columbia, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England,
and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town. These displays of
flowers literally take your breath away, their beauty is so stunning.

But you don't have to go around the world to find a garden that takes
your breath away. You can create your own park – your own place to go on
sunny Saturday afternoons, complete with shady trees and cool summer
breezes.You can create the best of parks right in your own backyard (or front yard, too, for that matter).

Imagine your garden as a beautiful park

Why do people go to parks? Most would probably say that they go
to parks to relax. Think of the soothing feeling you get when you
walk into a quiet forest, with their pine needle beds and their sweet
scent of mature wood. Or perhaps the park you most like to visit is a
garden of floral delights – roses, chrysanthemums, magnolias, and
perhaps even orchids. These gardens are definitely places that whisk us
away from the rush of your daily lives into what almost seems like
another world. These are the gardens that are decked out in flowers,
with http://www.decorweathervanes.com " target=_blank>colorful garden decorations , statues, bridges, http://www.decorativewaterfountains.com/ " target=_blank>fountains
– all the things that just call out to you saying, Come. Sit down.
Relax.Breathe in the wonder of nature. Who could resist that call?

But you don't need to go out to parks or gardens to find an
environment so sweet. You only need to go as far as your own back
yard.There's no reason why you can't create a garden of your own, just as good as any you'll find in your neighborhood, or in your tourist
area. You can create your own garden.

If you don't think you're creative enough, then there are lots of
landscapers who can give you expert advice. They'll come and survey your
yard, and present you with a number of plans that'll give you a
wonderfully unique garden that'll make you the envy of the entire
neighborhood – or maybe even the city. Landscapers are trained professionals. They can design and create a whole environment of beauty from your plain old yard. But whether you hire somebody, or do it yourself, the possibilities are endless. There are literally hundreds of ways you can beautify your garden. One unique way is with a http://www.decormailboxes.com " target=_blank>decorative mailbox and post in front of your home.

You can create a garden as good as any park

To come up with a wonderfully-landscaped garden, just sit back, close your eyes, and let your imagination run wild. Picture yourself sitting in your gazebo, the soft water of a gently-running fountain soothing your senses. You rise from your garden bench, and slowly wander over your little wooden bridge that crosses the babbling brook flowing through your garden. You stop here and there to admire the roses
climbing the trellis, or smell the carnations crawling up the gazebo walls, perhaps picking one to take inside and put in a glass on your
living-room table.

What a wonderful feeling that is, isn't it? And this is something
totally within your range of possibility. Think of all the things you could do to turn your yard into a park. You could put little statues at
the entrance, beckoning everyone that passes by to stop and commune with
nature a while. If you'd like to educate your friends as they enjoy your garden, you could put up garden signs, naming the more exotic plants and flowers you've brought in. Great conversation pieces!

One of the more popular items in a creative garden these days is a
pond. There are dozens of types of fish you can keep, depending on the
size of the pond.You can fill it with lily pads, and floating
plants. You can even put a fountain right in the pond. There's
nothing like sitting in your yard with your eyes closed, listening to
the soothing sound of gently-splashing water. It just seems to take you
away from it all, doesn't it?

Gardens can be functional, too

The functional aspects of your garden can be esthetically-pleasing,
too. You can now get decorative water sprinklers with a dragonfly or butterfly on top. And garden structures don't have to be big
and ugly. You can get http://www.garden-n-storage-sheds.com/ " target=_blank>garden sheds that look more like little guest houses, colorfully decorated with ivy and vines. Outside the shed, you could put a garden bench, inviting someone to sit and take a deep breath of fresh air, fueled by the fragrance of blooming flowers.

You can do the same thing with your shade structures, too. You can
strategically place canopies around your garden, creating little rest
areas. Or you can get very creative with awnings, like attaching them to
your gazebo, or a trellis, where they can be rolled out as the sun
passes. Again, these are available in many attractive designs,
fulfilling their function, while still providing a pleasant view.

And how about a deck, to connect all that garden beauty to your
house. A deck can also be very functional, while still remaining
charming and stylish. And you can outfit your deck with some
great-looking teak patio furniture, and protect yourself from the sun
with a colorful awning that'll match your house. Again, it can look good
and provide a purpose at the same time.

What a picture you've painted

That's quite a picture you've painted in your mind, isn't it? Well,
it doesn't have to remain just a picture. You can turn it into reality
any time you want. There are some wonderful http://www.decorweathervans.com/garden_gifts.html " target=_blank>Garden Centers out there. There's sure to be one in your
neighborhood. The people there are usually very knowledgeable and very
helpful. They can guide you through all the phases of creating your own
park in your own yard. They'll help you find the best garden
decorations. They'll show you the best garden furniture. They'll help
you choose the best garden structures.

When you're developing your garden, take the time to let your
creative juices flow. Come up with unique ideas that identify your
garden with you. Duplicate your personality in your garden.

About the Author

Melissa Cameron is a successful author
providing moneysaving tips and common sense advice for consumers purchasing
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and
http://www.inflatable-boats-boat-accessories.com/inflatable-boats.html "
target="_blankinflatable kayaks . Her many articles offer valuable insight and straight talk on confusing topics.

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