Growing An Organic Garden

[Holly Lindin]

Heya!

I'm recently in the process of starting plans to begin growing my own vegetables! It's been a long time coming, and I really look forward to it, but I'd love to hear anyone else's experiences or tips and tricks on how they went about this. It's not that I so much want advice (though advice is definitely appreciated!), but I'd love to hear all your stories and ideas about organic gardening! If it's possible, hearing about it will make me even MORE passionate to get on it straight away. :)

I hope you are all doing wonderfully, and I send you tons of P.U.L.L. (Peace, Unity, Love, and Light!) in your lives! Thanks so much for being my online support group during this crazy and beautiful time. :)

<3
Holly.

[tone3jaguar]

I have been a horticultural professional for over a decade. You want to avoid monostands. A monostand is where you have multiple of the same kind of plant right next to each other. Nature never plants things that way. This prevents things like diseases and insect pests from spreading quickly because these things usually target one type of plant at a time. Water management is also critical. To wet and you could have problems, to dry and you could have problems. There are many organic fertilizers that work well. Fish emulsion, guano, and even the old fashioned compost pile tilled into the soil works great. You also want to avoid using just any old native soil without preparing it first. Get schooled on organic pesticides, odds are that you will need them.

[Freedom]

Gosh Holly....

where does one begin.....
I have so many stories....
hands on.... tried and true gardening
I believe I have tried it all....
still learning....experimenting

I Love the smell of good dirt.....
Gardening is my passion...my therapy...
my classroom...my art form...my love...my life

My best tidbit for you would be....
to have respect for the process...
to look at a seed and know that inside of it....
is a whole new giantic world coming to you....
with a bit of your help

Trust in that process and love for it.....is key for me

and know...that...you must have good soil...
start composting....its fun

you should probably start out on a small scale
its amazing how much you can get out of a
little space...and succession planting...if its
too big...could get overwhelming...
with all the work...consider it exercise.

& read...there are so many good ideas, inspiring stories
and tips....garden lore...and beautiful pictures

if you should have a specific question....
it would be my pleasure ...

Have fun.....its so rewarding ....its life.

Namaste......Freedom

[HORIZONS]

Last year I moved out to a farm and am going to grow a new garden this year. The first thing I am doing is growing my dirt! Last fall I scraped up the bull pin of all the livestock goodies (mostly old hay and manure) and piled it up to sit all winter. Last week I brought all that good smelly stuff over to the garden plot and spread it out. I have tilled it in one time so far but will till it again. The first secret to a quality garden is the soil. You might want to read up on that one. I have clay soil so I need lots of organic matter -- I want to have loam. I also have some sand to add to the mix. And I will be composting all year round and add this as well. I have garlic up and growing in another bed, and the lettuce has sprouted. I will plant the onions in a separate bed this week, asap, and will plant in yet another bed the potatoes. I have started some seeds in trays and will plant the big garden in early to mid April - after the last chance of freezing temps. I purchased some "organic" seeds I found and also a friend gave me some heirloom seeds she has had for many years. I am going to try and stay all organic, but a first year garden is not always an easy thing to do. Like I said, you have to grow your soil unless you are very blessed with great soil. I have also started to save rainwater to use in-between rains, that will keep the city water down to a minimum; I also have a well set up, but needs some work, that will be handy as well.

[Holly Lindin]

Thanks for all your advice, Tone! I really appreciate it, and I'll definitely take it into account. We're thinking of starting really small and, instead of digging into the earth, we're probably going to plant little plants (peppers, tomato, etc.) in pots and set them in our backyard. Have you any thoughts on this process as well? Are there any veggies you would NOT recommend putting in the smaller space of a pot?

Freedom, thank you so much for your thoughts. They were beautiful and definitely helpful. We've been composting for years (we stick it in the freezer when we don't need it so it doesn't attract bugs in the summertime. :)) - my partner's grandmother has a compost heap and lives nearby so we're always emptying it over there. :) What are your thoughts on compost? Like, how long should/will it take to break down enough that one could use it? And if I decide to plant veggies in pots instead of the ground for now (this is convenient, too, as we live in a townhouse with only an 8 x 8 backyard. :)), can compost still be used in that situation?

Thank you for your response, too, Horizon! You bring up some great points about soil and the like. I will definitely be reading A LOT; I just wanted to see if my fellow Avalonians had some ideas - and you do! :D Have you grown in the ground or just beds?

What are your favourite things to plant and grow?

Love to all you guys. You are fabulous for writing me so quickly!

<3

[Nenuphar]

Hi Holly,

Your thread made me smile, it's fun to encounter others who are just getting into gardening. The more you learn, the more you want to learn!

One of the most helpful tips I learned about gardening - growing tomatoes, specifically - was to plant marigolds and/or basil nearby to stave off pesky insects that might damage the tomatoes. Works like a charm, and looks lovely.

There are so many wonderful businesses that sell heritage seeds. Two Canadian ones that I like - excellent customer service and nice selection - are The Cottage Gardener http://www.cottagegardener.com/ and Salt Spring Seeds http://www.saltspringseeds.com/

Have fun with your garden!

Nenuphar

[Holly Lindin]

Thanks so much for the links, Nenuphar! I've checked them out and absolutely love them. I'm only sad that the Cottage Gardener's actual location is three hours and some change from me! Otherwise, I'd be visiting pretty fast. :)

I would love to see anyone's photos of their garden, if they don't mind. I figure this would be a great place to put up the pictures of the beautiful plants/veggies/fruits/herbs we've grown recently or in the past. So please, feel free to post some photos of your lovely gardens! :) As soon as I get a garden going, I'm sure I'll be posting photos everywhere. :D

<3

[Freedom]

Hi Holly...

I tried to upload some pictures but failed at my first attempt..will try again...

Compost is a formula with variations....it needs heat, moisture and air.....2/3 carbon (dead leaves) 1/3 nitrogen (grass clippings and kitchen refuse)....

Usually the more you turn over your compost pile the faster she will break down...the hotter it gets it will then kill those nasty weed seeds that get into it....I have several composting areas because the gardens are so big...my favorite is something I invested in years ago when I thought that l will still be composting into my elder years and didn't want to work so hard at turning over huge piles...so I got me one of those "compost tumblers" and its a dream...can get a load in about three weeks with the right conditions....there is a great book if you can get your hands on..."Ruth Stout's I Hate To Work Garden Book" a little old lady (80's) who composts as she goes (putting your scraps right in the soil) and mulches....mulches....mulchers...she has age old workable technics....and she's funny...gardens in the nude or did :shocked: :crazy:

I have several garden areas because in my mind you just can't have one ...some raised.... some in the ground...lots of containers (some plants are invasive like mints and herbs) the raised beds are nice if you have free/found materials to make a box....in the ground is best...if you have soil that you can dig in...some areas...too rocky..too much clay or sand...all variables. We have to fence gardens in around here...or loose them to intruders...deer..raccoon...rabbits.

We put up enough food harvested to last a year...always have more than enough
and give some of it away.....

My son is an organic farmer on a much larger scale...growing thirty varieties of garlic alone and many varieties of spuds and onions...now I don't need to grow those items anymore...

I start all my own seeds because you can get what is right for your growing season and your personal tastes that way...not enough variety IMO in nursery/greenhouse plants...but they are great for beginners. Choose heirloom seeds if you can...and start this year learning about saving seeds from your garden....helps to be more self sufficent and the costs of a package of seeds these days is high and getting higher all the time...lots of seed trading going on though...we should start one here at Avalon.

I'm sure you will do well...as long as you have an interest in it...its a life long learning program but oh so rewarding and life giving.

Best of Luck.....Blessings to you and your plants.....:thumb:

Namaste......Freedom

[MorningSong]

I would highly recommend vertical gardening...you can get a lot of produce out of a small space: tomatoes, cukes, beans, melons and pumpkins are my favorites for this method.

http://survivingthemiddleclasscrash.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/vertical-gardening-101/

I just ran across this....thought it was great! http://www.instructables.com/id/VERTICAL-VEGETABLES-quotGrow-upquot-in-a-smal/http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/vertical/

It would be better to design something similar with terracotta pots so it'd last longer than a few seasons, though.

[Holly Lindin]

Thanks so much, MorningSong and Freedom! Your advice has REALLY helped me. And what you said, Freedom, really answered some questions I've had about composting, so I really appreciate that. :)

I just found this FABULOUS video. It would be work, but man, if I could aspire to this . . . it would just be fabulous!

mCPEBM5ol0Q

(Homegrown Revolution - Radical Change Taking Root)

<3

[Holly Lindin]

I've also found this great list of edible flowers! The video above reminded me that I could grow flowers to put in salads and so on, which is something I've wanted to do.

http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm

<3

[Nenuphar]

Just popping in for a minute... :wave:

I really like how this thread is developing!


I haven't tried this method yet, but would like to. It's an easy way to grow lots of mushrooms:

http://www.youtube.com/user/VeggieGardeningTips


...and here is a company that sells the plug spawn that is used in the method shown in the YouTube clip:

http://fungi.com/plugs/index.html


Edit: Hey, Holly, I just spotted your post about edible flowers - thanks for this! I want to try growing some nasturtiums this summer.

Also, if you do a search for "herb spirals", these look like a great garden project, too. YouTube has a few nice instructional videos.


.


.

[HORIZONS]

Loved the vid Holly, it was great!!!

[yiolas]

Hi Guys, I've been gardening organically for over 20 years. One of the basics of organic gardening is "Companion Planting". The theory is that companions help each other grow
—Tall plants, for example, provide shade for sun-sensitive shorter plants.
• Companions use garden space efficiently—Vining plants cover the ground, upright plants grow up. Two plants in one patch.
• Companions prevent pest problems—Plants like onions repel some pests.
Other plants can lure pests away from more desirable plants.
• Companions attract beneficial insects—Every successful garden needs plants that attract the predators of pests.

This is a list of different companion combinations that compiled for my Dad.
It really works.

Another organic gardening basic is to mulch, mulch and mulch again. Once the whether warms up you should have at least 6 inches of mulch spread all over your garden. It can be in the form of hay, grass clippings / leaves or compost. If you do this religiously over the planting season, it will cut down on you watering and weeding by half, continuously enrich your soil with nutrients and increase the amounts of earth worms. Its a win win situation all the way around

[Freedom]

Hi Holly....

Look what I found....Ruth Stout herself....

PART 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ReIotPNVM
PART 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyyVVdg_1Z0
PART 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQv6KX7h0QM

Lasagna Gardening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqIgmWfi4pw

[sunflower]

I am posting before having read all the threads. So much to check out including Ruth Stout's methods which I had read about years ago.

I began growing my own plants last year using heirloom seeds. My husband made me a raised 16 x 4 foot raised garden using cement blocks and filled it with organic soil. We also have a compost heap and began another last year. It was a great learning experience; most of my seedlings made it into the garden which was problem #1. I didn't want to discard any so I had way too many. The tomatoes (indeterminate) took over and the whole thing looked like a jungle.At the end of the season I collected seeds for this year's crop and dried herbs for the first time.

We are adding a second small area this year and I want to focus on companion planting etc. Still a lot to learn....but I certainly enjoyed the experience. Will try to post before and after pictures.

Looking forward to reading and viewing all the info in the above posts. Oh I also wanted to mention that I got my seeds from the Cottage Gardener. Great site!!!

[Holly Lindin]

Hey, everyone! I am SO SORRY I haven't written in quite some time, but I would love to keep this thread alive! :) I appreciated all your bits of information - they are so valuable to what I am learning and will be learning.

Nenuphar: Searching "Herb Spirals" turns up some VERY BEAUTIFUL land designs! It's incredible that people have gone to this length. I'm gonna bookmark these for when we have a huge backyard and more than likely put one together. It's absolutely incredible what we humans come up with, eh? We're a very special species! :)

Yiolas: This PDF is BRILLIANT. I've already heard from a friend that putting a short with a tall in the same container is a great way to preserve space and for the plants to help one another, so it was already in my mind, but my God, when you put together a comprehensive LIST . . . ! It's wonderful; thank you so much for posting this.

Freedom: I have not yet had the chance to check out these videos, but seeing as this thread is only going to grow like a beautiful vine of grapes :D (it's 1.11 as I say this, so perhaps I'm onto something. :)), we'll all be watching it soon. Your love of Ruth Stoat interests me, so watching her videos and reading up on her are DEFINITELY on my to-do list!

Sunflower: Your advice, of course, is wonderfully received. I'm very interested in ordering from the Cottage Gardener (or taking a day trip up there - they're only three hours away from me.) - their mixed bag of carrots (is it hard/easy to plant root vegetables in containers? What do you all think?) REALLY interests me! Actually, I was in a farmer's market here in St. Thomas yesterday, checking up on their seeds. They had some fabulous "100% certified organic" seeds in a variety of vegetables and flowers, but nothing heritage or heirloom! Considering the Cottage Gardener is NOT much more expensive (maybe $2 at the farmer's market compared to $3 to up to $12 at the Cottage Gardener, I've so far seen.), I think I'm still gonna order from them. I love the idea of getting seeds for veggies that aren't sold in mass quantities to the grocery store-shopping populace! Is it weird that that excites me?! :D

The weather's just starting to perk up here and, though I hardly trust what the weathermen say, I hope they're right 'cause, apparently, we have some warmer, warmer, and even warmer days ahead of us! I may start planting in pots in mid-April and keep them inside near a window then transfer everything outside. Have any of you done this?

I hope you're all doing wonderfully, and I love you all for your great advice, helpfulness, and just plain being "there" for me during this brand new process! Keep diggin', guys and gals!

<3
Holly.

[mike1414]

hey Holly...you prob already have read it but i thought i would mention the Anastasia book...it contains really interesting material regarding organically growing fruit and veg and has some wonderful messages. i made a thread on the book and suggest you hunt down a copy if you havent read it yet. could be right up your street - http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?585-Anastasia-and-the-Ringing-Cedars

just a thought

peace always
mike

[Holly Lindin]

No, I haven't yet read this, Mike! Thanks so much for the tip. :)

<3

[Moxie]

Hi Yiolas! I really appreciate you sharing that list of companion plantings... you get a flower for that, oriental poppy & yours truly!

I sent your pdf to my husband's computer. I agree with you about the mulch being that deep... fortunately we now have a chipper/shredder and are making copious amts of mulch from all the trees that came down from the horrendous ice storm January '09.

[Victoria Tintagel]

Hi Holly Lindin, good for you, starting an organic garden! I myself hope to have some space to grow my own vegetables and herbs, when I have the time, in a couple of years. Here's an interesting website for you. Just to get some ideas, like creating pieces of garden on top of the pavement in the garden. Just check out www.cultivo.be Good luck!

[Freedom]

Greetings...just checking on your progress...maybe your up to your elbows in dirt or a few veggies by now...I hope it has been a success...
I wanted to add to the thread to keep it alive...so with that in mind....

Another favorite comes to mind...the Perelandra gardens...Machaella Small Wright...she has a wonderful web site and has written much in favor of the organic garden...one of my favorite books of hers is the "BEHAVING AS IF THE GOD IN ALL LIFE MATTERED"....Personally I think this should be a must read for everyone. By now you should be reaping some of the seeds you have sown. I hope it has produced much joy and happiness for you. Wishing you continued success and many more vegetables....abundance...and wonderful eating and a new found passion....happy digging...
Namaste....Freedom

[Aniusia]

This post is amazing, I really enjoyed watching the first video, I also have something inspirational to share, and I recommend Anastasia books as well <if anynone doesn't like the 1st part try the 4th! amazing>

A inspirational movie of how our lifes could be if we would be self-sufficient:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5CmMm_SRpM

And movie about eating right

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=6169050139483021263&hl=pl&fs=application/x-shockwave-flash

And last but not least I recommend watching movie http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Let me know what You think,
have an amazing day and don't forget to be happy and love our Father as he loves us the most ! :)

[Victoria Tintagel]

Hi there, Avalonians, I recommend also the introduction film of the Transition Network England, with lots of positive contributions and initiatives on living sustainable and green, even green business. www. transitionnetwork.org

Also check the work of Fritz Haeg, an American artist and pioneer in green initiatives, on www.edibleestates.org and www.animalestates.org Take care and be well!

[Celine]

Great links! thank you

i spent the day at the market yesterday... bought some fabulous "organic" basil and made pesto.

And this morning i have enjoyed the fruits on my labor ...duck eggs with a dab of pesto... MMmmm


i am anxious to have a garden once again

[nomadguy]

I am VERY pleased to see this topic in the forum!
It is my view that Organic Gardening starts within the soil.

> Imagine, suburbia... as a huge botanical garden...

~ Info ~


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOaPFt_ajvU&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpyocn1Vc5U


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lff1oNBUbvM&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUEtHY1xeZI&feature=related

_____________________________________________________________________

Soil > Mycology
Paul Stamets on Mycological Bioremediation (http://alphadominance.com/?p=870)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmtcfTh9mn8&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8CMsB4jLLc&feature=related

Google links (http://www.google.com/search?q=Mycology,+stamets&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=HSX&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=v&source=univ&tbs=vid:1&tbo=u&ei=Lch_TPbzF4uesQO_5un0Cg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CEcQqwQwAw)

Bokashi ~
At home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCP6ZuYsWVQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxrR9l44KT0

refined approach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96fSXccQx9Q

_____________________________________________________________________

Basis and principles
http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums

http://forums.permaculture.org.au/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X0H7V6dDi8&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugFd1JdFaE0&feature=related

_____________________________________________________________________

Personal photo log 1 (http://renderosity.com/mod/gallery/browse.php?user_id=46850)
Personal photo log 2 (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=199007&id=1534956715&l=b3358b1864)
(There is truly a huge blizzard of material on youtube about this, feel free to search for more specific arena's of "permaculture on your own)

Cheers, I welcome comments on this :)
Free Thinkers Born outside the box FB blog (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Thinkers-Born-outside-the-box/120691091298116?ref=ts)

[Mu2143]

MYCORRHIZA

Already found another good way to improve your soil ..... I already ordered some ..

The word "mycorrhiza" is built from classical Greek roots. Myco means "fungus" and rhiza means "root," so the word mycorrhiza literally means "fungus-root." When the hyphae of certain fungi form specialized sheaths around the roots of certain plants, that fungal root-coating is the mycorrhiza.

Having mycorrhiza on its roots improves a plant's ability to deal with droughts, to acquire mineral nutrients, to store carbohydrates, and more. These benefits are further discussed below.

http://www.backyardnature.net/f/mycorhza.htm

[Mu2143]

Here you can buy the mycorrhiza to improve your soil

http://www.fungi.com/mycogrow/index.html

http://www.bio-sannie.com/en/humboldt-nutrients/myco-madness.html

http://www.dampkring.nl/18670/advanced-nutrients-piranha.html

[nomadguy]

One way to help nutrition lacking or spent soil, say at the end of a harvest or in the middle of the growth stage after bloom. ~ Is to sprinkle sea salt(un refined) in those areas, this gives a time release and works with existing trapped nitrogen, after watering a few times the trapped nitrogen begins to release itself and feed the plants and the surrounding enviro. ref - http://www.ratical.org/ratville/SEA.html#Pref

[Beth]

Great tip nomadguy, thank you. I've also heard it's good to mulch the fallen leaves and place them on the beds.

[John Parslow]

Hello Holly Linden

My wife and I recently moved house to where the garden area was just lawn all around the house so I adopted the following to get some growth going before digging up lawns proper: I use plastic bottled water and having plenty of empties decided to drill a hole in the cap cut-off the bottoms and filled the ‘tubes’ with compost, these I place in folding plastic trays such that I had 12 upside down bottles in each tray. Standing all these trays on the patio I seeded them with carrots; parsnips; onions; beetroots; salad etc.

You have to water fairly regularly and feed with a liquid feed once a week but we were very successful for our first try – so successful in fact that I shall be growing a lot more stuff this year. An added bonus of growing food in this way is that when harvested the compost may be sieved and use over again to keep the cost down. Note: When harvested the root crops can be topped and tailed and kept in peat/compost until ready for use.

I would recommend anyone to try this if you don’t have access to large pots, it takes up very little space and of course the crates can easily be lifted to follow the sun around the garden …

Happy growing all – Now the big pharma are scoring big points let’s all dig for victory!

Love and peace to all budding eco-growers! JP

[Nenuphar]

Hi everyone,

A few days ago, I found a seed-exchange group that is active and well organized. :thumb: The members are friendly and I have already made some contacts to trade seeds and/or receive new ones for just a SASE. Many are heirloom varieties. A fun way to build your seed collection and obtain unusual varieties!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the-gr...seed-exchange/


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[TigaHawk]

I suck at growing stuff.

I'm trying to grow my own lettuce/tomato's - a venture ive recently set out on.

So far i've got an Earthbox, organic seeds and peat pellets.

8 peat pellets were used,about 4 seeds in each pellet - so far only 1 single seed has started to sprout.


I'm a tad dishartend - as ive tried growing a plant before... and the seeds wernt picked and stored carefully for later use - the seeds that i managed to get growing on a bed of cotton bud had been thrown around, and put thru a dehydraing machine... so its a wonder how i can get stuff that shuoldent grow, growing, and stfuff that shuld grow, not growing :(


what i do wrong? :faint2:


I've added 2 more pellets to teh collection - when planting them i specificly sent thoughts of love and told the plants i suck at raising them but i was going to try my hardest - waiting to see if those germinate. (just a litte test by me, and because i rememberd plants have feelings too - so was hoping it'd give them a nudge to say hi)