There might be a new and improved way to rid contaminated soil of toxins and pollutants: zap it with lasers. By directly breaking down pollutants, researchers say, high-powered lasers can now be more efficient and cheaper than conventional decontamination techniques. The … [Read more...]
Power of composting – How orange peels revived a Costa Rican forest
In the mid-1990s, 1,000 truckloads of orange peels and orange pulp were purposefully and legally unloaded onto a barren pasture in a Costa Rican national park. Today, that area is covered in lush, vine-laden forest. A team led by Princeton University researchers surveyed the … [Read more...]
7 Organic Fertilizers You Might be Throwing Away
Buying organic fertilizer can be pricey. Did you know that there are ingredients you may be throwing away that can be used to fertilize your garden for free? We've put together a list of seven free ingredients that can be taken from the trash and converted to organic soil … [Read more...]
Trench Composting: Just Dig a Hole and Forget it!
Trench composting is a method of making compost that is just as simple as you might imagine. All you do is dig a hole and bury your compost materials anywhere in the yard or garden where you’re not currently growing something. Then you forget all about it while the organic … [Read more...]
Scientists Say: Don’t Rake Leaves
Unless you’re raking a pile of leaves to jump in, it isn’t much fun. And, a large yard with a lot of trees means all day raking. So, if you’re not looking for free mulch or to compost leaves, scientists suggest leaving them alone to benefit wildlife and the garden. Yes, let the … [Read more...]
How to Test Your Soil With Just a Mason Jar
There is an easy and cost-effective way for you to test the quality of your garden soil at home. All this method requires is a lidded mason jar plus a little bit of background knowledge. Let’s get a basic understanding of some soil properties before describing how … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Mulch Your Vegetable Garden
Gardeners already understand the importance of mulching flower gardens. Mulch helps regulate the soil temperature, improves water retention, and prevents soil erosion. But should you mulch your vegetable garden? If so, with what? Studies show that mulching your vegetable … [Read more...]
Make Your Own Fertilizer: A DIY Guide
Depending on the rate of application and the size of your vegetable garden, you may find yourself purchasing large quantities of fertilizer. But before you head to the garden center, did you know that there are plenty of fertilizer recipes---regular and organic---that you can … [Read more...]
17 Different Composters and Compost Tumblers You Can Build Yourself
If you've done much gardening, you probably know that compost is known as "black gold." That's because it improves every type of soil. It gives sterile dirt microbial life. It improves sandy soil and let's it hold more water. But it also breaks up heavy clay soil and makes it … [Read more...]
Organic Soil Amendment 101
What is soil amendment, and do you need it? Soil amendment is when material is added to soil to enhance its properties, such as retaining water or improving aeration, drainage function, or structure. Don’t get this confused with fertilizer: the purpose of fertilizer is to provide … [Read more...]
How to Improve Your Garden Soil
Consistent, nutrient-rich soil is every gardener’s dream. Too often we are stuck with what we have---or are we? If you find your soil is too sandy, rocky, mottled, discolored, or has too much clay, you can take steps to improve the quality of your vegetable garden … [Read more...]
How To Create Your Own “Black Gold” for Your Yard and Garden
Talk to any experienced gardener and they will tell you -- the easiest way to success with gardening is to have rich, healthy soil. And the best way to enrich your soil? Hands down, it is adding compost. Master gardeners call compost "black gold," because it is … [Read more...]
Troubleshooting the Compost Pile
Composting is a great way for gardeners to make their own soil additives and save money at the same time. Using your own compost can increase your harvest immensely. It can also cut down on disease in your gardens. It is simple to compost and the benefits are immense. People … [Read more...]
Healthy Soil: The Key to a Healthy, Productive Garden
Healthy Gardens Start with Healthy Soil Healthy soil is the key to growing delicious and nutritious food. But what exactly is soil? And what makes it healthy? Soil is a blend of organic material, water, air, and minerals. The organic matter comes from plant roots, … [Read more...]
Lasagna Gardening 101: the lazy, no-till garden method that works
By Julie Christensen Maybe you’re the type of gardener who loves spending hours in the garden – tilling it in the spring and weeding and watering it through the rest of the summer. Perhaps you have a flexible work schedule and children who make their own meals, do their own … [Read more...]
How to Use Epsom Salts in Your Home Garden
By Julie Christensen You’ve used Epsom salts for aching muscles in the tub, but Epsom salts in the garden? If this sounds far-fetched, consider that test gardeners from the National Gardening Association noticed significant improvements in their gardens after using Epsom … [Read more...]
Using Chicken Poop As An Organic Fertilizer
Fertilizers are nothing new to gardeners. In fact, most organic gardeners are intimately familiar with the benefits and uses for various types of manure as both fertilizer and compost material. Many gardeners are now turning to backyard chicken keeping and finding that the manure … [Read more...]
How To Take a Soil Sample
Although it is possible to dig into and analyze your own soil for basic nutrient amendment, it is recommended that those gardening in unknown soil (soil never used for the purpose) get their soil professionally analyzed. Most gardeners will also benefit from periodic sampling and … [Read more...]
How to Increase the Number of Earthworms in Your Garden Soil
Earthworms are something that all of us are familiar with. Most of us, at a young age, were introduced to the "slimy, gooey" things and learned to either love or loathe them. Given various names like "fisherman's friend," "gardener's buddy" and "earth diggers delight," worms are … [Read more...]
Seaweed as a Natural Fertilizer
Seaweed as a fertilizer has a lot going for it. It's an abundant resource that washes up on beaches throughout the world. It can be dried for easier transport, or incorporated wet into compost. It's also a good source of plant nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, … [Read more...]