Kali
Archive for February 3rd, 2010
Bud Smokers Wanted
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010Crab Compost?
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Organic Garden Fertilizers Made From Seafood Products
Author: John C. Banks
Organic gardening can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors and grow beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables. An important step in organic gardening is soil preparation. Experienced gardeners know that nothing beats rich, organic soil for growing a lush and productive garden. Although organic gardeners may choose to skip chemical fertilizers, most experienced gardening enthusiasts know that there are excellent organic solutions to make your vegetables thrive.
Among the most beneficial additives to an organic garden are items from the ocean and its tributaries. These include leftover portions of crabs, fish, lobsters, shrimp, and even seaweed. These valuable sources of nutrients and minerals can be collected in a number of ways.
Crustaceans are a favorite source of minerals for organic gardening. Lobsters, crabs and shrimp all have hard shells which contain limestone, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and other important minerals. Buying fresh seafood is a great way to obtain these wonderful shells. Using crustacean shells is very easy. After preparing a meal, the shells and other scraps are simply put in the compost pile or dried in the sun. The dried shells and other parts provide an excellent source of minerals which are dispersed over a period of months, helping to prevent runoff problems and lowering the need to re-apply nutrients during the season.
Fish scraps are another excellent contribution to your organic garden. Fish have been used to nourish crops for thousands of years as they are excellent sources of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other important minerals. Fish heads, scales, skin and bones all make great additions to a garden. Fish parts can be laid in a sunny area to dry, then added to a compost pile or buried in a fallow section of the garden. Like crustacean shells, fish scales, bones and skin release nutrients slowly, providing plants with a natural, steady dispersion.
Seaweed is another excellent additive. Seaweed needs to be rinsed or set out in an open area until rainfall removes the excess salt. Once the seaweed has been desalinated, it can be used as mulch, added to a compost pile or worked into the soil. East Coast and Gulf Coast gardeners can find many types of seaweed that gets washed onto beaches while West Coast residents have several types of very large kelps available. Check with local regulations before harvesting these plants.
Even sea shells can find uses in an organic garden. They also release trace amounts of limestone and other minerals and make useful tools such in decorative borders or to anchor mulch in place.
Almost all flowers and vegetables will respond to organic additives. Flowers such as marigolds, sunflowers, zinnias and others will thrive when grown in soil that has been fortified with fish or shellfish.
Vegetable gardeners will find that nutrient hungry plants such as tomatoes, peppers, corn, peas, beans melons, and squash will also show a big difference when given these important additives.
Fruit growers will also find uses for seafood scraps as they can be composted and added around bushes or vine crops such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and grapes.
Fruit trees such as apples, peaches, pears, and others will also benefit from organic composts which contain these natural nutrients and minerals.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/organic-garden-fertilizers-made-from-seafood-products-485427.html
About the Author
The author maintains several seafood related websites including Fresh-Seafood and Chesapeake Bay News.
Rocksteady History
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Room for Squares
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Growing Vegetables in Small Gardens – Space Saving Techniques
Author: Jane Thomas
You don’t need a large area to have a vegetable garden. All you do need is good soil, plenty of sunshine, a water source and probably a fence. Limited gardening space doesn’t necessary need to be an obstacle for growing vegetables. A well-planned and organized garden can make planting go quickly and efficiently for maximum yields in minimum space. If space is limited use the land twice, or try these intensive cropping techniques.
Space Saving Techniques in Small Vegetable Gardens
Companion crops – This can be accomplished by sowing the seeds of a fast and slow growing vegetable together in the same row. For example, radishes (fast maturing) and carrots (slow maturing) can be sown together. Mix radish and carrot seeds and plant together. Radishes are a short-season crop so will be harvested before the carrots need room to grow. This is also a good method of thinning the carrots. Another method is to alternate rows of fast and slow maturing vegetables. An example would be a row of leaf lettuce between two rows of tomatoes.
Succession planting – As soon as one crop is finished, plant another. After short-season crops such as lettuce, spinach, radishes and peas have stopped bearing, they can be removed. Plant carrots, beets, Swiss chard, turnips or green beans for a later crop.
Interplanting – Grow two or more vegetables in one area by planting slow (long season) and fast maturing (short season) crops. The fast maturing vegetables will be harvested before the crops begin to crowd each other. Harvesting the short season crop also provides additional space for the later maturing vegetables. Slow starting, late-planted crops, such as tomatoes, peppers, bush squash, and cucumbers, may be transplanted between rows of peas, spinach, and other short-season crops. The short-season vegetables will stop producing when hot weather begins and can then be removed.
Bush varieties – Plant “bush” varieties of cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, peppers and squash that produce fruit on much shorter vines. “Bush” refers to growing habit. These plants take up less space in the garden than standard varieties.
Use vertical space by staking and trellising – Some crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and pole beans may be supported by stakes, poles, trellises, or fences and grown upright rather than on the ground. Use a trellis or fence to support pole beans, cucumbers, and squash; cage or stake tomatoes, they will take much less room this way.
Square foot gardening – This is a form of intensive gardening in which the garden is marked off into squares of space for crops rather than planting in straight rows. The name comes from partitioning blocks of garden space that are 1 ft. x 1 ft. A common arrangement is to mark off squares that are 4 ft. x 4 ft. (16 sq. ft.). This area is then divided into four parts that are 2 ft. x 2 ft. One tomato plant or equally spaced seeds are then planted in these square areas, depending on the space needs of the plant.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/growing-vegetables-in-small-gardens-space-saving-techniques-907587.html
About the Author
Jane Thomas is experienced and respected vegetable grower, hobbyist gardener with more than 15 years of experience in organic vegetables gardening. Among other projects, she is co-owner of Laminated Garden Guides, your one-stop resource to learn how to start a vegetable garden with subjects like: Home Vegetable Gardens, Container and Raised Beds Gardening, Growing Tomatoes, Herb Gardening and many more.
Ras Attitude
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
