Coir fiber comes from inside the coconut shell and is a natural byproduct of the processing of coconuts. The coarse, strong fiber is used to make rope, floor mats, brushes, mattresses, and, for the past 20 years, landscape mulch. Coir is an outstanding substitute for cypress … [Read more...]
Controlling Blossom End Rot in the Garden
Photo found on Flickr.com, courtesy of mrpbps. Blossom end rot is a disease of fruiting crops--including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cucurbits--that can result in serious damage to the crops. In fact, gardeners and farmers may lose half of their crop to blossom end … [Read more...]
Compost Ingredients
Photo found on Flickr.com, courtesy of normanack. What to Feed Your Compost Pile Gardeners have lots of favorite crops, and mine is compost; I find it so satisfying to make. As you probably know, compost is the supreme soil builder, and the better your soil the better your … [Read more...]
Ground Rules: Tips to Improve Garden Soil
Photo found on Flickr, courtesy of Bukowsky18. The most effective gardeners realize that soil is not inert or changeless. Soil is a living mass that changes season to season. It might be best to think of your garden soil as a living entity filled with billions of organisms … [Read more...]
Worm Composting Made Simple
Vermiculture, or worm composting, is a method for transforming food waste into nutrient-rich compost and soil conditioner. If you don’t have room for a compost pile or if you want to continue composting through the cold winter months, worm composting is a perfect solution. If … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Use Finished Compost at Home
Have you ever looked into your compost bin and asked yourself, “Is this really compost?” Well, if it doesn’t look like banana peels, eggshells, onionskins, and apple cores any more, it’s compost. When your whole pile looks like soil or humus instead of food scraps, it’s time to … [Read more...]
Crop Rotation
What do you think of when you hear the words, “Crop Rotation?” No, it’s not spinning your corn in circles to increase yields. It’s not some arcane wizardry of the fields. Crop rotation is a method of improving your soil, increasing your crops’ resistance to pests and increasing … [Read more...]
Healthy, Organic Soil
To many, soil is simply the stuff that you plant in. It’s brown, and sometimes it’s damp and sticky. Sometimes you may add fertilizers to it, but that’s entirely incidental. The fertilizers are meant for the plants, not for the soil. However, thinking about plants without … [Read more...]
Using Compost in the Organic Garden
Is your soil looking lackluster? Rich, earthy compost is just the right tonic for your garden beds. What is compost? It’s a mixture of whatever goes into the compost bin, all decomposed into useful, rich humus by big animals like worms and microorganisms like friendly bacteria. … [Read more...]
3 Methods of Raised Bed Gardening You Should Consider
Raised beds solve a number of gardening problems. Where soil is poor raised beds circumvent the arduous task of improving the soil. Instead of planting directly in the too sandy, too compacted, too depleted, or too heavy soil, you can elevate your garden and grow plants in good … [Read more...]
How to Use Mulch in Your Garden
Mulch solves so many problems it ranks pretty high on a gardener’s list of best friends. Mulch controls weeds, keeps soil moist, and prevents erosion and runoff. Organic mulches enrich the soil when they decompose, adding nutrients and improving soil structure. A blanket of mulch … [Read more...]
How To Make Your Own Raised Bed Soil
You have chosen to garden in raised beds. The frames are set and it is time to fill them with fertile soil that will serve as a good growing medium for your garden plants. One option is to buy a good grade of commercial soil, but that can easily break the bank. The best … [Read more...]
How to Make Your Own Potting Soil
There are a couple of good reasons for making your own potting soil. The most obvious is that blending your own ingredients together is cheaper than buying commercially made sterile varieties. In addition, different plants require different soil types for healthy and … [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...]
Six Smart Ways to Recycle Food Waste
Many years ago I was listening to a radio program about gardening; composting was the topic for that day’s call-in show. The moderator, a quick-witted and well-informed agricultural extension agent, took a call. “What can you do with food scraps if you don’t have a compost pile?” … [Read more...]
How to Kill Weeds The Eco-Friendly Way
Why Weed Killers It’s become a tradition for gardeners faced with weed problems to pull out the herbicide spray and cover the unwanted weeds in chemicals, effectively poisoning the weed to death. But there are plenty of people who are looking for ways to kill weeds without all … [Read more...]
How to Use Recycled Coffee Grounds in Your Garden
Composting with Coffee Grounds Old coffee grounds are one of the best ways to add nitrogen to your compost pile, which is often a lacking element in urban or suburban composting. They can go right into the compost pail, and just give the pile a bit of a stir when you add the … [Read more...]
How to Grow a Weed Free Garden
Keep Weeds Out with Mulch Start a weed-free garden with the basics: weed-free pots, plants, soil and mulch. You should be sure when purchasing any of these that they are certified weed-free, and if you are re-using soil, pots or mulch or starting your own seeds, take … [Read more...]
How to Make Sturdy Recycled Newspaper Pots
Think Green Making seed pots out of old newspapers is not only a thrifty use of the newspapers, but also good for the planet. Commercial seed pots usually make you choose between throw-away plastic, or expensive pressed peat moss pots that can go straight into the ground, but … [Read more...]
Top Soil Problems and Helpful Tips
Whatever plants you are going to grow in your garden, you need the best quality soil possible. It should be well drained and aerated, with an ongoing supply of good quality nutrients. This may mean bringing in extra top soil; it invariably means adding compost and fertilizers to … [Read more...]