Garden Tips # 4 Grow Organic Vegetable Gardening

 Garden maintenance is very important to helping your plants thrive. You need to check your plants every day! There are enemies all around us in the form of insects, and weather. Go ahead and stick your finger in the soil and check for moisture. Check your leaves for signs of decay or insects chewing on your plant. Old dead leaves should always be removed so as to not cause bacterial fungus growth.

Gardening tips #3

Garden Harvest

The best thing about gardening is planting seeds and watching them grow. You need to feed the soil, and the soil will supply all of your plants nutritional needs. An example is you may notice yellowing leaves and want to know why ? The answer is your plant may be lacking all of the nitrogen in needs which is the first letter in the old NPK fertilizing chart. Visit our website to learn more!

Garden tips # 2 Gardening for the beginner

Raspberry Plant

 

 

 

 

Berry plants such as raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry produce new canes every season. Once fruit is produced on a singular vine or cane it will not bear fruit on the same vine any more. The old canes on these plants should be cut backed in the fall-winter season. This is so new canes will grow the following season.

Gardening tip # 1 Gardening for the beginner

Spring weather  Temperatures can go from cold and rainy to hot and dry in California. I protect my plants by being aware of weekly temperature changes. I also purchased Agribon Row covers. They are available in different weights depending on your need.

These covers can protect your plants if the temperature dips down below 40 degrees F all of a sudden. This is usually called a frost spell. They work great to keep your plants warmer than the outside temperatures. They allow various amounts of light thru the fabric 30 % to 70 %.

Grow Organic Vegetable Gardening

Hello Gardeners, It's spring 2016 time to start growing your vegetables for the up coming spring-summer season. In my garden i am growing a lettuce mixture and kale. I started my plants from seed which is economical and fun !!
You can check my past articles that describe the equipment and lighting needed. I use regular organic potting soil in which I add organic materials such as powdered fertilizer, earthworm casings, and chicken manure.

The idea is to feed the soil so that live organisms can feed your plants roots. They then can uptake all the nutrients avalilable . Please check out my blog articles on fertilizing and NPK soil balance. Healthy soil  nurtures healthy plants which tend to grow better, taste better, and store much better.

Vegetable Gardening:Garden Tips- Composting # 2

Decomposing Hot Compost Pile

Friends, Fertilizers are very important to feeding your plants. They add missing nutrients in the form of NPK ( Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium : read more at garden tips: part one fertilizers

Compost adds organic matter to your soil and improves the drainage capacity in tight soils. Air penetration is increased so that beneficial microbes can flourish . Your kitchen has lots of great items to add to your compost pile. Herbs, grains, cereal boxes, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags are just a few of the many items that will supply the green ingredients for your compost pile.

You can speed up the decomposition of your compost by covering it with black plastic. Heat will build up and increase the composting process. Do not forget to add a little moisture between the layering of brown and green materials as mentioned in part one of this series.

Vegetable Gardening:Garden Tips- Composting # 1

Black Gold Compost

Hi there, Do you Compost ? Well you should. Compost is broken down organic materials of the soil by microorganisms that give the sweet smelling rich, light, dark soil that feeds your soil. Have you heard the term (Black Gold) ? ]
Compost consists of two type of materials brown and green. The brown carbon rich matter are things such as dead leaves, straw, sawdust, paper and hay. Green nitrogen rich materials include grass clippings, manure, coffee grounds, and fruit and vegetable peels. You want to aim for a balance of brown and green material.

To Make a hot compost pile you can start with a area 3 ft. by 3ft. so that you are able to stick a pitch fork or shovel in and turn your pile over. Start layering the pile with the browns and green materials.( ie  one layer of brown material then on top of that another layer of green and the brown and so on.....) You want to add moisture between layers.

You will want to turn your compost pile every 3 days. You should also purchase a compost thermometer to check the temperature. It should start around 120 degrees and go up from there. If you stay up with your pile turning and adding more materials you will have rich compost in approximately 2-8 weeks !