organic_garden

growing garlic

eqfe wrote in organic_garden Nov 25, 2011 14:26

I'm about a 90% organic gardener. I use neither chemical fertilizers or pesticides on anything I grow, and buy organic plants when I can, including certified disease free organic seed potatoes. Two big exceptions are blueberries, I've never been able to grow them without adding iron sulphate to acidify the soil, and garlic. Organic seed garlic is ( Read more... )

Fall planting on onions plants?

eqfe wrote in organic_garden Aug 25, 2011 18:02

I've been reading a bit about the idea of planting onion transplants in the fall. I've never done this before. Has anyone had any luck with this in zone 6\7. I'm in Maryland.

the secret to awesome leeks

raven_albion wrote in organic_garden Aug 21, 2011 19:39

I read this tip in Eliot Coleman's Winter Harvest Handbook last winter, and decided to try it out this year ( Read more... )

Insect eggs?

eqfe wrote in organic_garden Aug 20, 2011 12:14

Thinning out a newly planted bed, seeded with beet, carrots, parsnips and rutabagas, I notice a great number of small round eggs. The were round, beige, and 1/8 to 3/16 in diameter. My first thought was that they must be cricket, wasp or grasshopper eggs since those were the only large insects that I've seen in the garden. I googled all three, ( Read more... )

li-lacking

banjololo wrote in organic_garden Aug 09, 2011 20:10

In search of kind gardener souls to offer a tip with these poor lilacs! They've had some bad prunes in their time. I'd like to help them out! The art of pruning is still pretty new to me, and I am a bit stumped (har har har) in this case ( Read more... )

Three Sisters Bed Update

sweetest_asylum wrote in organic_garden Aug 01, 2011 05:51

The corn in the mound is definitely richer in color and taller. i was in an accident and was not able to get the squash in, but i do have pumpkins planted around the base. and my beans aren't climbing beans. i planted sunflowers close, too.

( Read more... )

organic gardening

The Family Farm Defenders

cardweaver wrote in organic_garden Jul 11, 2011 12:02

The Summer 2011 issue of "Defender," the newsletter of the Family Farm Defenders is out: http://familyfarmers.org/?page_id=375!

Chicken manure?

eqfe wrote in organic_garden Jul 10, 2011 07:10

When I started gardening 40 years ago, dried chicken manure was widely available in garden centers, and home improvement stores. As I recall it was about twice the price of cow manure, and much richer. It had to be used sparingly, except in the compost pile, but was excellent to use with leaves when building a pile in the Fall. These days I ( Read more... )

Someone should ask this question once a year

eqfe wrote in organic_garden Jul 03, 2011 10:47

Usually once a year someone asks the community what there favorite gardening book is. I'm grateful for this question, since many of you introduced me to John Seymore last year ( Read more... )

Melons!

shmooisanut wrote in organic_garden Jul 03, 2011 04:49

Hey,
I grow watermelons. I've been growing them since April. I would like to know when do the melons come to be? What do I do when the flowers dry away?

Shmoo