DOCSLIB.ORG

A Guide to Basic Organic Vegetable, Flower, and Herb Gardening for New Gardeners

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Guide to Basic Organic Vegetable, Flower, and Herb Gardening for New Gardeners up from the ground a guide to basic organic vegetable, flower, and herb gardening for new gardeners By Robin Mittenthal mittenth “at” gmail.com Version 1.1, March 2007 This work may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any purpose, either commercial or non-commercial. No credit need be given to the author. 2 Table of Contents Introduction to the guide How to use this book.................................................................................................................................................... 4 An important note for all users of this book.................................................................................................................. 4 Why write yet another guide for gardeners?................................................................................................................ 4 About the illustrations................................................................................................................................................... 5 Getting started as an organic gardener .................................................................................................................. 5 The absolute minimum amount you need to know ...................................................................................................... 6 Why garden?................................................................................................................................................................ 7 What does “organic” mean?......................................................................................................................................... 7 Why garden organically?.............................................................................................................................................. 9 Weeds .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Weeds – an introduction........................................................................................................................................ 9 Why are weeds such a problem? .......................................................................................................................... 9 What makes a plant a weed? ................................................................................................................................ 10 How to manage weeds .......................................................................................................................................... 10 Hand weeding........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Weeding with a hoe ............................................................................................................................................... 11 What to do with weeds once you’ve pulled them out ............................................................................................ 11 How obsessive should you be about weeding? .................................................................................................... 11 Grass weeds – a special case............................................................................................................................... 12 Weeds through the season.................................................................................................................................... 12 Perennial crops and weeds ................................................................................................................................... 12 Where should the garden be?...................................................................................................................................... 12 How big should the garden be? ................................................................................................................................... 12 Planning what to grow.................................................................................................................................................. 13 Your first few days in the garden ................................................................................................................................. 16 The garden through the season................................................................................................................................... 16 Spring and early summer – getting started with planting ...................................................................................... 16 Summer and early fall – planting and harvest ....................................................................................................... 16 Fall – preparing for frost and dealing with it when it comes .................................................................................. 17 Late fall -- preparing the garden for winter ............................................................................................................ 17 Winter and early spring – resting and planning ..................................................................................................... 18 Getting seeds and plants ............................................................................................................................................. 18 Getting seeds......................................................................................................................................................... 18 Getting transplants and other non-seed plant materials ....................................................................................... 19 Glossary Beds ............................................................................................................................................................................. 20 Compost....................................................................................................................................................................... 20 What is compost? .................................................................................................................................................. 22 Why compost?....................................................................................................................................................... 22 Conditions needed for composting........................................................................................................................ 22 Choosing ingredients for the compost pile ............................................................................................................ 23 Some materials for possible use in composting .................................................................................................... 24 Building a compost pile.......................................................................................................................................... 24 Fertilizer........................................................................................................................................................................ 25 An introduction to elements essential for plant growth.......................................................................................... 26 Why use organic fertilizers? .................................................................................................................................. 26 Buying organic fertilizers ....................................................................................................................................... 27 Applying organic fertilizers..................................................................................................................................... 28 Floating row covers ...................................................................................................................................................... 29 Garden plans................................................................................................................................................................ 31 Hybrid vs. open-pollinated plants................................................................................................................................. 32 Laying and removing plastic mulch.............................................................................................................................. 33 Mulch............................................................................................................................................................................ 32 Materials to use for mulch ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Pests ............................................................................................................................................................................ 36 Preparing a bed for planting......................................................................................................................................... 38 Why do any special preparation? .......................................................................................................................... 38 2 3 Timing of preparation............................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Reconnecting Rural Native Hawaiian Families to Food Through Aquaponics
    genealogy Article Reconnecting Rural Native Hawaiian Families to Food through Aquaponics Jazmine Kaleihua Beebe 1, Yvette Amshoff 1, Ilima Ho-Lastimosa 2,3,4, Ghazaleh Moayedi 1 , Asha L.C. Bradley 1, Inji N. Kim 1, Napua Casson 1, Robert Protzman 1, Danielle Espiritu 5, Michael S. Spencer 6 and Jane J. Chung-Do 1,2,3,* 1 Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa,¯ Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; [email protected] (J.K.B.); yamshoff@hawaii.edu (Y.A.); [email protected] (G.M.); [email protected] (A.L.C.B.); [email protected] (I.N.K.); [email protected] (N.C.); [email protected] (R.P.) 2 God’s Country Waimanalo,¯ Waimanalo,¯ HI 96795, USA; [email protected] 3 Ke Kula Nui O Waimanalo,¯ Waimanalo,¯ HI 96795, USA 4 College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources, University of Hawai’i at Manoa,¯ Waimanalo¯ Learning Center, Waimanalo,¯ HI 96795, USA 5 College of Education, University of Hawai’i at Manoa,¯ Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; [email protected] 6 School of Social Work, University of Washington, Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 30 November 2019; Accepted: 9 January 2020; Published: 15 January 2020 Abstract: Food insecurity is a pressing issue in Hawai‘i as the vast majority of available and accessible foods are imported. To address this issue, a backyard aquaponics program was implemented from 2010 to 2016 to offer additional avenues to food sovereignty in a rural predominantly Native Hawaiian community. Aquaponics provides a contained and sustainable food production system that models Native Hawaiian principles of land and water stewardship.
    [Show full text]
  • Horticulture Hints Winter Spring 2021 Northeast Region
    Horticulture Hints for Northeast Louisiana. Spring 2021 Horticulture Hints for NORTHEAST Louisiana Spring 2021 two viable eyes. Some sources recommend letting the Irish Potatoes cut ends of the pieces cure or dry for a few days before planting. Some sources also recommend coating the cut “I have yet to eat a bad arsh ‘tater!” edges with agricultural sulfur or other powdered fungicide, I once heard someone back home make that observation but this is not necessary if your soil has good drainage. and thought, “Gosh, that’s true!” Irish potatoes are hard Plant Irish potatoes in rows that are spaced 4 to 6 feet to screw up, even to the culinarily and horticulturally apart in soil that is acidic and friable, or easily dug. Each challenged. The prevailing thought is that potatoes should section of seed potato should be planted 3 to 4 inches be planted by Valentine’s Day. This depends on what deep at 12-inch intervals. As the plants grow, hilling soil up Mother Nature has planned, and in northern Louisiana around them periodically will be necessary to create more that could be most anything! In fact, if you didn’t get Irish underground space for tuber formation and to completely potatoes planted in February, you have plenty of time in cover tubers that have already been formed. For this March. reason, growing Irish potatoes in the ground is preferable to growing them in a raised bed or container situation. If you’re new to vegetable gardening, you’ll want to grow your own Irish potatoes for two reasons.
    [Show full text]
  • Democratic People's Republic of Korea
    DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (DPRK) FAO/WFP JOINT RAPID FOOD SECURITY ASSESSMENT May 2019 Required citation: FAO and WFP. 2019. FAO/WFP Joint Rapid Food Security Assessment, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Bangkok. 40 pp. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) or World Food Programme (WFP) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO or WFP in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO or WFP. © FAO and WFP, 2019 Some rights reserved. This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo/legalcode). Under the terms of this licence, this work may be copied, redistributed and adapted for non-commercial purposes, provided that the work is appropriately cited. In any use of this work, there should be no suggestion that FAO or WFP endorse any specific organization, products or services.
    [Show full text]
  • Sustainable Food Production Training Kundapur, India, 18 to 25 November 2018
    Sustainable Food Production Training Kundapur, India, 18 to 25 November 2018 1 IVS for Climate Justice Don’t just say it! Do it! Volunteering to Create a Network of Knowledge through Ecological & Sustainable Practice Sustainable Food Production Training Report Leyla Tarahomi Author Kate Curtis Editor Julia Perez Lema Layout and Design Training hosted by FSL-India in Kundapur, India, from 16 to 25 November 2018. Supported by the UNESCO Participation programme Project coordinator Partners Contents BASIC OVERVIEW 5 5 The Project 5 More information about the IVS for Justice programme 5 The project incorporates 5 phases: 5 Sustainable Food Production Training 6 The Programme of the activity 7 Profile of Participants INTRODUCTION 7 8 HASERA presentation 9 Food Production and related topics 9 Permaculture design: first steps Soil: colour, texture and porosity 10 10 Testing the soil 11 Crop families 12 The compost 14 Preparation of the beds 14 Participatory Guarantee Systems 15 CSA 15 Integrated Pest Management The Role of water 16 17 Raised, Lasagne or Hugelkultur beds 18 Using Contours 19 The banana circle Seeds – Deepika Kundaji’s presentation 20 21 Seed Conservation 21 Productivity 21 Vegetable Diversities and Productivity 23 Crop selection examples 24 Green Manure/ Cover Crops 24 Production and Preservation of Seeds on a Small Scale 25 Pollination 25 Germination 26 The natural farming approach 26 Permaculture and the natural farming approach: a comparison 27 Preparation of seed balls Pest management 28 28 The IPM 28 The P4 method: Pest Preventive
    [Show full text]
  • A Cottage Garden
    A Cottage Garden Traditionally, a cottage garden is informal, colourful, contains a random and often dense mix of ornamental and edible plants, and uses different heights and colours to add texture. Edible plants are likely to be those grown in any kitchen garden, as the toxicology of our native plants is often not well researched. Temperate climate Australian cottage gardens using local species are not uncommon. However, we live in the humid subtropics, which presents a challenge and an opportunity. Plant selection is the key and will be guided to some extent by your local vegetation and soil type e.g. rainforest, coastal heath and so on. Do not, however, feel constrained as many species are quite adaptable. Phebalium woombye Some native species from the temperate zone will grow well, others are best treated as annuals and will add seasonal colour to the garden. Some wallum plants will grow, and look healthy, in heavy clay soils. Punnets of native seedlings are very hard to find. Availability of water will be a key concern. Dense planting of many individual plants may not be possible so choose plants which sprawl across the ground or root from the stems, but are not excessively rampant. Spring will usually deliver the most vibrant colour “splash” but many species flower at other times so make sure those are included. A cottage garden should provide year round colour and interest. The daisy family is an excellent source of massed colour. Bracteantha, Helichrysum and Brachyscome species and named varieties can be sourced in several colours and heights. There are other genera which are equally free flowering.
    [Show full text]
  • Arbor, Trellis, Or Pergola—What's in Your Garden?
    ENH1171 Arbor, Trellis, or Pergola—What’s in Your Garden? A Mini-Dictionary of Garden Structures and Plant Forms1 Gail Hansen2 ANY OF THE garden features and planting Victorian era (mid-nineteenth century) included herbaceous forms in use today come from the long and rich borders, carpet bedding, greenswards, and strombrellas. M horticultural histories of countries around the world. The use of garden structures and intentional plant Although many early garden structures and plant forms forms originated in the gardens of ancient Mesopotamia, have changed little over time and are still popular today, Egypt, Persia, and China (ca. 2000–500 BC). The earliest they are not always easy to identify. Structures have been gardens were a utilitarian mix of flowering and fruiting misidentified and names have varied over time and by trees and shrubs with some herbaceous medicinal plants. region. Read below to find out more about what might be in Arbors and pergolas were used for vining plants, and your garden. Persian gardens often included reflecting pools and water features. Ancient Romans (ca. 100) were perhaps the first to Garden Structures for People plant primarily for ornamentation, with courtyard gardens that included trompe l’oeil, topiary, and small reflecting Arbor: A recessed or somewhat enclosed area shaded by pools. trees or shrubs that serves as a resting place in a wooded area. In a more formal garden, an arbor is a small structure The early medieval gardens of twelfth-century Europe with vines trained over latticework on a frame, providing returned to a more utilitarian role, with culinary and a shady place.
    [Show full text]
  • Garden Resource Guide SUPPORTING GARDEN INTERVENTION DESIGN and IMPLEMENTATION
    Garden Resource Guide SUPPORTING GARDEN INTERVENTION DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION Garden Resource Guide SUPPORTING GARDEN INTERVENTION DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION Editor: Valerie Rhoe Davis, Senior Technical Advisor, Agriculture ‑ Gender and Nutrition, Catholic Relief Services Layout and Design: Bang Magnusson Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the United States Catholic community. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. CRS eases suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. Copyright © 2019 Catholic Relief Services. Any reproduction, translation, derivation, distribution or other use of this work is prohibited without the express permission of Catholic Relief Services (“CRS”). Please obtain permission from [email protected] or write to: Catholic Relief Services 228 West Lexington Street Baltimore, MD 21201‑3443 USA 1.888.277.7575 crs.org Acknowledgements This toolkit—consisting of a Garden Resource Guide, Project Design Guide, Program Manager’s Guide, lesson plans and job aids—draws from the experience of field practitioners within Catholic Relief Services and beyond. It benefits from the wisdom of those working in agriculture, nutrition, gender, water resources, marketing, postharvest handling, behavior change, and monitoring and evaluation. Insights have been shared across countries and continents
    [Show full text]
  • Natural Farming Crusader Kanniappan, Kulai, Johor
    Minimising Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Successful Initiatives in Malaysia Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) Published by Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) 10, Jalan Masjid Negeri 11600 Pulau Pinang Malaysia Tel : 04-8299511 Fax: 04-8298109 Website : www.consumer.org.my email : [email protected] Printed by Jutaprint 2 Solok Sungai Pinang 3 Sungai Pinang 11600 Pulau Pinang Copyright © Consumers Association of Penang December 2014 ISBN : 978-967-5447-45-7 CONTENTS FOREWORD Knowledge of Integrated Pest Let’s Move Towards a Management (IPM) Vital for POPs Free Life 5 Chemical Free Agriculture 29 What Are Persistent Towards POPs-free Lifestyle Organic Pollutants (POPs) 7 Repel Pests Naturally 32 POPs In Your Daily Life 8 Repelling Fruit flies through Salted Fish Soaked Water 34 How POPs Travel 9 Repelling Household Pests - Persistent Organic Pollutants the Natural Way 35 Health Hazards 10 Creating Awareness of POPs 36 Protect Your Community from POPs 11 Plastic Perils 37 Advocating POPs-free Life Cloth Bags instead of Activities of the Consumers Plastic Bags 38 Association of Penang 12 Monoculture Vs Plant Diversity 40 Preparation of Various Types of Liquid Fertilisers,Growth Promoters Plants Experimented and and Pest Repellents by CAP in Harvested at CAP 41 Promoting Chemical Free Farming 14 Eliminating Toxic Chemicals in Avoid Burning : Compost Waste 20 Different Ways 42 Treating Soil Problems Naturally Instilling POPs-free Messages Marigold Plants Treat in Schools 43 Nematode Problems 23 Web Game : Understanding
    [Show full text]
  • 2019 OSMG Garden and Landscape Plan
    !1 “Its style and manners (are) very city-like and no place of the same size contains as many plants and flowers. In every window, yard, and garden you behold them and some of very beautiful and rare order. If a great fancy for flowers argues a corresponding taste for all that’s beautiful and lovely, then the people of Salem are unsurpassed.” The Carolina Watchman 1845 BACKGROUND Long before the landscape restoration program was begun, even before the restoration of the area known as Old Salem, the Garden Club Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County and a number of garden clubs planted and maintained gardens and planted trees in Salem. The most notable of these efforts was the 1963 project to remake the Miksch garden lot into the likeness of the 1761 Bethabara Medicinal Garden as the Emma Ormsby Griffith Memorial Garden. It wasn’t until 1972 when, thanks to the efforts of Flora Ann Bynum (and John Bivens Jr, then director of restoration for Old Salem, Inc.) that the Landscape Restoration committee was formed and a more dramatic restoration of the landscapes and gardens began. The Salt Street Family Gardens were the next gardens to be restored in the mid 1970s at the helm of Peter Hatch, Old Salem’s first staff horticulturist (who went on to restore the gardens and landscape of Monticello). Then, over the years more gardens and landscapes were recreated. Among these: The Anna Catherina lot behind the Vogler, the Volz lot for showcasing field crops, and the Eberhardt Lot across Salt from Miksch.
    [Show full text]
  • Indoor Kitchen Garden
    Ways to Manage Your Indoor Kitchen Garden Nothing beats fresh herbs and vegetables when cooking any meal. Developing your own indoor kitchen garden can improve your eating habits and supply you with continuous organic food products to promote a healthier living. While this may sound appetizing for many, how does one go about maintaining a garden such as this especially if you have children and pets that like to dig or eat sprouting plants? Here are 5 ways to manage your indoor kitchen garden, and they’re not as complicated as you might think! 1. Space and Heat First, you will need to devise a good plan for space. You don’t want the plants too low that children and animals would be tempted by them, but too high could wilt the plants as heat from your home rises. Placing shelving on your walls to grow your plants could provide the additional space you need. You could even turn a section of your walls to house internal planters using the frame work that is there. Just remove the drywall and build in some shelving. The best spot to set up a growing area is where you get 5 to 6 hours of bright light and good air circulation. A temperature fluctuation between 45 and 70 degrees is best. So watch out for drafty areas. 2. Pet Prevention For those who have cats, you know how difficult it is to keep plants living within the home. Cats are either eating or sleeping on them – which doesn’t bode well for your indoor garden! If you feel a bit crafty, you can buy a cheap roll of screen material to encase your kitchen garden area.
    [Show full text]
  • STORIES from OUR FOOD GARDENS Melveen Jackson
    STORIES FROM OUR FOOD GARDENS MElvEEN JAckson STORIES FROM OUR FOOD GARDENS MIDlands kwAzUlU-Natal, South AFRIcA 2012 MElvEEN JAckson for Mandie With ThANkS to The Saville Foundation African Conservation Trust Dovehouse Organic Farm and Training Centre Arauna Ark Ministry Zakhe Academy and Training Institute Baynesfield Estate Thatchers Practically Permaculture Photographs: Nikki Raw William Jackson Melveen Jackson June Smith Assistance in editing: William Jackson Robyn Jackson Glen Jager contents 1 FARMING FOR ThE FUTURE 7 NO NEED 7 WHAT WE DO 7 IT IS TEAM WORK 8 PERMACULTURE MAKES IT POSSIBLE ON POOR LAND 8 START WITH SOIL NUTRITION 9 SUPER COMPOST GROWS SUPER FOOD 9 FOR ONE HEAP 2m x 3m x 1.8m 10 TO MAKE BEST PRACTICE COMPOST 11 EFFECTIVE MICRO-ORGANISMS 13 TO MULTIPLY AND ENSURE YOUR OWN SUPPLY OF EMS STOCK 13 OThER wAYS TO IMPROvE SOIl NUTRITION 14 THE TRENCH COMPOST GARDEN 14 TO MAKE A TRENCH GARDEN 14 VERMICULTURE: WORMS WONDERFUL WORMS 14 TO MAKE A BUCKET OR BIN WORMERY 15 TO MAKE A TRENCH WORMERY 16 LIQUID MANURE 17 TO MAKE LIQUID MANURE 17 GREEN MANURE, GREEN MULCH 17 SOIL NUTRITION CONCLUSIONS 19 ENDNOTES 19 FURTHER READING 19 03 2 PERMAcUlTURE PRINcIPlES AND PRAcTIcES 21 WHY PERMACULTURE? WHAT IS PERMACULTURE? 21 PERMACULTURE RECYCLES SOLAR ENERGY 21 CULTIVATED PERMANENT AGRICULTURE 21 MAXIMISING EFFICIENCY: USING CONNECTIVITY 22 ELEMENTS OF DESIGN 22 ZONE PLAN 22 SLOPE PLAN 23 SECTOR PLAN 23 WATER HARVESTING 24 SUCCESSION AND PIONEER PLANTING REDUCE OUR WORK 26 TO CULTIVATE FOR SUCCESSION AND DIVERSITY 27 OBSERVATION AND INTUITION
    [Show full text]
  • History of Gardening
    Hist ory of Gardening 600-850 HE COLOR OF RIPE TOMATOES, the juicy tang of a peach, the Tgreen evenness of a lawn, the sweet scent of lilies and lilacs… Summer is the time for gardeners, and this exhibit celebrates the season with a select ion of books on several diff erent types of garden- ing. From antiquity to the present, interest in gardens has generated a steady supply of books on plants, planting advice, and landscape design. Th is exhibit focuses on gardening in the seventeenth, eigh- teenth, and nineteenth centuries, taking into account formal es- tate gardens, kitchen gardens, tree nurseries, and other plantings. Gardeners during this period ranged from aristocratic hobbyists and landowners to the more humbly born professional grounds- keepers hired to manage estates both great and small. Hybridizers and botanists introduced exciting new varieties of fruits, vegetables, and fl owers into gardens across the Europe and the Americas. In England, fi gures like “Capability” Brown and Humphry Repton made names for themselves as landscape architect s on a grand scale, while botanists and nurserymen like William Curtis and Leonard Meager contributed to the gardener’s stock of pract ical information on specifi c plants. From the proper way to prune fruit trees to the fashionable layout of a great estate, these books record how gardeners select ed, planned, and cared for their plantings. Viewers are invited to read, enjoy, and imagine the colors, fl avors, sights and smells of summers long past. e Kitchen Garden ITCHENITCHEN gardens were the heart of rural food produc- Ktion, wherewhere everythingeverything fromfrom the tenderesttenderest peaches and plums to the hardiest cabbage and kale were grown.
    [Show full text]