Consider Growing Your Own Organic Vitamins and Herbs!
June 29th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Organic vitamins and herbs are all the rage right now with those who are concerned about their health. Organic herbs and vitamins are those that are grown without the use of chemicals, either pesticides or non-organic fertilizers. They are free from harmful side effects associated with such materials, and you can grow your own organic vitamins and herbs right in your own garden!
Why Should You Choose Organic?
Perhaps you are wondering what all the fuss is about organic vitamins and herbs. When you grow organic foods in your garden, you can partake of their bounty without washing the food. For example, if you want to taste your onion plant, you can break off a stem and take a bite! There is no need to wash off harmful chemicals first!
Also, when you are growing these plants, you do not have to wear gloves when handling chemicals, because there are no dangerous chemicals involved with organic growing! There are more vitamins in those foods grown organically, and many feel that they taste better. Also, the environment is protected when you do not place those harmful toxic chemicals in it.
Why Grow Organic Yourself?
There are many reasons to delve into the world of organic vitamin and herb gardening. First, there are many physical and emotional rewards around growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Not only do you get physical exercise, but you also reap the psychological benefit of seeing fruit from your labor.
Another reason to consider consuming organic vitamins and herbs that you grow yourself is the cost involved. There is no denying the fact that organic foods in the grocery store are expensive. Also, because organic foods are not treated with the harmful chemicals that you are trying to avoid, they do not ship as nicely as non-organic food. This is why the organic food looks less appetizing than the organic. When you grow it yourself, you can eat healthy organic vitamins and herbs that never need to see the inside of a shipping container. There is far less cost involved as well.
Is It Hard?
Organic gardening is not hard; in fact, it is little different than standard gardening. The main difference is organic gardening uses no pesticides and chemical fertilizer. For example, if you find your organic vitamin and herb plants are infested with a pest, instead of spraying them with chemicals, you introduce another bug that eats the pest, such as ladybugs to eat aphids. Another aspect of organic gardening is keeping the pests away in the first place. The result is a healthy product you can be proud and confident to feed to your family.
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Organic Flowers: An Earth-Friendly Solution for Your Flower Needs
June 27th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
When a person grows organic flowers, he or she reduces or eliminates the use of any chemicals. As a result, it nourishes soil naturally, avoids chemical poisoning for the gardener and saves the environment.
Although you may think that organic flowers are just types of fancy flowers, you should understand how chemicals you use for gardening can destroy nature and be a danger to people’s health. The main problem with chemicals like pesticides is that they do not stay on soil; they drift and contaminate water supplies, gardens, homes and eventually, people’s health.
The use of chemicals, especially pesticides, in gardening has always been associated with ozone depletion and the increase of cancer rate. For this reason, growing or buying organic flowers can help and support the environment as well as prevent serious health risks.
Reasons to Buy or Plant Organic Flowers
Planting organic flowers allow you to enjoy gardening while enriching the soil naturally. It encourages gardeners to use organic products and follow natural practices that help in reducing toxic chemicals that causes disease and pollution.
If you’re fond of buying flowers for your loved ones, choosing organic flowers can support your farmers and organizations that practice organic farming. These organizations and farmers that grow organic products usually sell their items for humanitarian or charitable causes.
When you wish to grow organic flowers on your own, you don’t have to worry about toxic chemicals affecting your health. Be aware that having no protection from harmful chemicals while gardening automatically allows toxic chemicals to spread onto your clothes and body, which in turn affects the health of children and other people close to you. Dermatitis is one of the most common problems with gardeners and farmers who use chemicals in their planting process. Planting organic flowers can help you avoid the dermatitis on your hands.
If you care for the environment, you may want to switch from chemical gardening to planting organic flowers. Using toxic chemicals for gardening poisons the soil and groundwater. As the chemicals sink into the soil, the poisoned plants become part of the food chain, making it dangerous for small animals to eat. In addition, the chemicals you use evaporate into the air and become part of rain or snow.
Promoting and supporting organic gardening or farming not only prevents the occurrence of serious health conditions, it also saves the environment from pollution. With the same costs of chemically grown flowers, choosing to buy or plant the organic way is the best choice.
The Benefits of an Organic Vegetable Garden
June 7th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
The Benefits of an Organic Vegetable Garden
We all know the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables; they are good for our immune system and metabolism. They provide the essential nutrients that our bodies need to do the things that we do, and to keep living our lives to the fullest. We all agree that vegetables are crucial to a healthy diet; however, did you know that where you get your vegetables from is just as important?
Benefits of Organic
There are many places that you can get your vegetables from; however, some are better than others. An organic vegetable garden is going to provide you with the best vegetables for your needs, and is going to make sure that you are eating only the best things for your body. An organic vegetable garden is much better than going to a regular supermarket, unless you know for a fact that the food grown and sold to the supermarket has been grown completely organically. If you can buy foods that you know were grown in an organic vegetable garden you are not only going to be safeguarding your own health, but you are going to be doing great things for the environment as well.
You might be wondering what exactly an organic vegetable garden is. Basically, when something is grown organically, that means that there are no chemicals or other preservatives that have been used in the growing process. This means that there was nothing used either to get rid of bugs, or to fertilize the soil, or for any other reason, that was not completely natural.
Why Buy Organic?
Even if you don’t think that the chemicals used to treat non-organic vegetables aren’t harmful to you, they are still harmful to the environment. Buying food grown in an organic vegetable garden is a good way to keep the environment clean and healthy, at least in one small way. Whenever possible, you should try to use foods that were grown in an organic vegetable garden because you know that they weren’t treated with any chemicals.
That means that you can safely know that the chemicals weren’t used in your food and won’t end up in your body. It is impossible to get everything off of a vegetable when you wash it, so by using organic foods you can be sure that you aren’t digesting anything that might be harmful to you.
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Why Use Organic Herbs and Vitamins
June 5th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Organic herbs and vitamins mean that there are no chemicals involved in the process of making them and therefore no side effects to worry about. Organic vitamins and herbs originate mostly from Asia with the main sources from countries such as, China and India. These countries continue to use age-old ingredients to prevent and cure diseases as well as boost the immune system and provide energy. Today’s technology has made us look for better and improved products in all fields of life including food and vitamins. It the attempt of trying to get everything to taste, look and produce better results, many herbs and vitamins have been severely modified from their original version. They end up providing us with chemicals, which may bring desired results but not without side effects. Organic vitamins and herbs don’t have any side effects even if they may not provide the desired results and that is the main reason why more people turn to the organic way of life every day.
Where to Shop for Organic Herbs and Vitamins
Organic stores are the best place to shop for both organic herbs and vitamins; you can find organic stores both online and locally. When shopping online ensure you research the company first because there are many fraudulent companies on the internet who will sale fake organic products at cheaper prices than found in the market.
Organic products work with your own immune system to boost it from within and thus it may at times take longer than traditional products to produce desired results. In order for you to make a fair judgment as to whether the product you are trying works or not ensure you complete the entire treatment as indicated on the package or by your doctor.
Organic herbs and vitamins don’t have any side effects but they may interact with other medications you may be taking or a present health condition due to which you should consult your doctor before you start administering them. If you have any adverse reactions from the organic herbs and vitamins stop them immediately and consult a doctor. You can start living a healthy life today by using organic herbs and vitamins. However, don’t just stop there, buy organic vegetables, food products and even beauty products that are now widely available to help you get back to nature and reap the benefits.
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Is Organic Hydroponic Gardening Organic?
May 31st, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Hydroponic gardening can be organic. You don’t get to play in the dirt, which is the part many organic gardeners love, but you do get to grow healthy, sustainable, organic food with organic hydroponic gardening however some organic gardeners believe that hydroponic gardening can’t be organic because you don’t use soil. How can you have an organic garden without rich, loamy soil? Good soil is at the heart of organic gardening. Organic hydroponic gardening does exist, however, and has some advantages over conventional organic gardening.
Soil-less Gardening
Organic hydroponic gardening is organic gardening without the soil. Organic hydroponic gardening relies on water to provide the nutrients needed for plant growth. Organic hydroponic gardening still requires a growing medium; most plants won’t grow without something solid to put their roots into. The growing medium is not the source of nutrients, however; it’s as sterile as a chemically fertilized monoculture wheat field. The growing medium is simply a structure to root the plants into and to hold the nutrient-filled water.
Organic hydroponic gardening growing medium can be any organic material. Vermiculite and perilte are often used. (Be careful when handling vermiculite, as it is a source of asbestos.) Straw, cotton, plant fiber or any other organic material can be used.
The Secret is in the Water
Organic hydroponic gardening relies on dissolving substances in water to provide nutrients for the plants. Because it is organic, anything that goes into the water must be organic. Compost tea is frequently used in organic hydroponic gardening. It is made by soaking compost in water and straining out the solid material. The rich nutrients dissolve in the water and are used to feed the plants.
Manure tea is also used in hydroponic gardening. Manure tea can be a source of bacterial contamination of the produce, including contamination with lethal varieties of E. coli. Manure should be well-composted or sterilized before making manure tea. You make it the same way you make compost tea; by dissolving the manure in water and straining out the solid material.
Other organic additives that can be used are seaweed and fish emulsion. There are no special fertilizers because you continually circulate and refresh the nutrient mixture.
Special Uses
Organic hydroponic gardening has a niche in the organic gardening landscape. It fits anywhere that there is no soil available or the soil won’t support plant growth.
Organic hydroponic gardening is used to grow crops in parts of the world where the soil has been over-farmed and is too depleted to grow food. Organic hydroponic gardening is used in outer space living and will almost certainly be part of any attempt to colonize the moon or another planet. Organic hydroponic gardening is being used for urban gardens on rooftops. This enables urbanites to grow healthy food in wasted space. Rooftops can’t always support the weight of soil for traditional organic gardening.
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The Top Five Organic Garden Tips for Beginners
May 30th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
If you’re just getting started in organic gardening, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with information. They key to success is KISS—keep it slow and simple. Like all living processes, there is a rhythm to organic gardening. You don’t do everything at once. Start out slow and learn as you go, and you will be successful. These five simple organic garden tips will help you get started.
Organic Garden Tip #1: Start with the Soil.
The soil is the source of life for an organic gardener. Indeed, one of the problems with chemical gardening is that it sterilizes the soil, stealing the life from it. Organic soil is living, and has lots of living matter in it. Here’s an organic garden tip specific to soil: The most important word in organic gardening is compost. Buy it until you can make it.
Compost is created out of living vegetable matter. You just save all your vegetable scraps, lawn clippings and other fresh vegetable matter (green material) and mix it with dead grass and leaves (brown material) and let it decompose. You want a compost heap to generate heat, because it decomposes faster that way. It needs to be at least 3’x 3’x 3’ to get good and hot. A hot compost heap that is turned frequently (so that it gets air into it) will make compost in a matter of weeks. If your compost pile isn’t that big or doesn’t get very warm, it will still create good compost; it’ll just take longer.
Add compost to the soil at least twice a year and dig it into the top six inches of soil, and you’ll have rich, dark, productive soil within a couple of years—even if you started out with sterile, gray, chemically treated dirt.
Organic Garden Tip #2: Biodiversity
When you grow the same crop in the same soil over and over again, it depletes the soil of specific nutrients. Monoculture farming has caused serious damage to the soil over much of America’s farmland. Monoculture farming also tends to gather the bugs and weeds that prey on that particular crop.
Biodiversity, on the other hand, means growing lots of different things. This protects the soil and the crops. Companion plants provide nutrients and pest protection for each other. Crop rotation keeps the soil rich, you don’t attract as many insects and you have a greater variety of produce for your table or for sale.
Organic Garden Tip #3: Water Carefully
Indiscriminate watering practices waste water and wash soil components into the water supply. Using water carefully prevents waste and discourages weeds. Water early in the morning and use a soaker hose to keep water on the plants and nowhere else.
Organic Garden Tip #4: Control Weeds
Controlling weeds with organic gardening is easy if you follow a few simple practices.
It is important to mulch around your plants to keep weeds out and water in and to give them extra nutrients. Compost is great mulch. Use plastic barriers during growing season to keep weeds out of your crops. Cover the entire area with plastic during the winter season to kill off weed seeds. Weed often so that the weeds don’t develop root systems or go to seed.
Organic Garden Tip #5: Control Pests
Pest control in organic gardens is a step-wise process. You start with the least toxic intervention and proceed from there.
The first step is to plant wisely; use companion planting and crop rotation to discourage pests before they arrive. The next step is to remove the pests by hand, if possible. Tomato hornworms, potato bugs and other larger insects can be controlled by hand.
Use barriers, like diatomaceous earth, coffee cans or netting. Use insect controls and then release ladybugs, lacewings or praying mantises into your garden. If all else fails, use an organic insecticide, such as soap.
If you start out with these five simple organic garden tips, you will have a successful first year of organic gardening. Next year, you’ll be an experienced organic gardener, and you can try some different approaches. These organic garden tips will, however, get you started and ensure that your first organic garden is productive.
