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The Top Vegetable Gardening Questions Answered

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I try to keep myself involved with a number of gardening forums and pitch in with answer where I can or learn from others. Over the past few months there have been a number of questions I have come across about Vegetable Gardens, this post takes a look at those questions and what are the solutions.

Can I add vegetable/fruit peelings into my vegetable garden?

People often ask about whether it’s a good thing to let vegetable or fruit peelings compose in a vegetable garden, does it provide additional nutrients to the soil?

The simple answer is YES, peelings and fruit make excellent compost for the garden helping to nourish soil and feed the plants or whatever else you are growing.

Can I use rust instead of lime in a garden?

In a vegetable garden it is often advised to use lime to lower the acidity of the soil, would rust be able to do a similar job?

No, it can work in some cases but in general we wouldn’t advise using rust. Lime is used to add calcium and so Iron is not a substitute but can sometime be used alongside lime.

Is it possible to grow tomatoes from the seeds of a tomato that you buy from a supermarket?

Once you have bought a tomato or other fruit or vegetable from the supermarket, is it possible to grow fresh fruit from the left over seeds?

The answer is yes, if you have bought them fresh there is no real reason why they shouldn’t grow, I would recommend that you make sure that you have bought organic fresh vegetables as you can generally rule out any potential harmful chemical which may affect the growth of new plants. Also remember that environment is key, don’t expect something to grow which is imported and doesn’t really grow in your country.

What are your best organic vegetable gardening tips?

This is such an open question but still useful for many a budding new vegetable gardener.

Firstly the ingredients you will need are:

  • Organic fertilizer,
  • Compost
  • mulch
  • No pesticides.

When it comes to making your vegetable bed, start by mixing horse manure, peat moss and sifted dirt with a layer of top soil.

When planting your vegetables, add a mixture one or two tablespoons of fish emulsion and seaweed emulsion with a gallon of water.

Winter crops for vegetable garden?

So what vegetables should you try and grow over the winter?

The key is “what vegetables will grow if the temperature drops as low as -5C (23F)?” Well Tomatoes can often still survive at this temperature but other alternative vegetables which will have a better chance of survival are:

  • (red, white, green) cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Beetroot
  • black reddish
  • pumpkin
  • garlic
  • onion.

It’s also a good idea to cover your vegetable garden to keep some heat in but in general the above will grow during the winter in soil outside.

We hope you found this post useful, if you have any questions or comments please leave a note below.

Andrew Taylor is an avid garden enthusiast who works for Alfresia Garden Seat cushions. He writes for a number of blogs and other gardening publications.







The Benefits of Growing Your Own Organic Vegetable Garden

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More and more people are becoming so health conscious nowadays. They want healthy food on their table, and the best way to get healthy food is to choose organic food products. Organic food products are pretty expensive though. This is because the crops were cared for the old way. No pesticides, no insecticides, and no artificial methods of controlling pests. Just the old, time-consuming, back-breaking methods of taking care of your vegetable garden and seeing to it that they’re kept pest-free. However, the cost of organic food products doesn’t stop people from buying them though. In fact, organic food products have become all the more in-demand.

Growing your own organic vegetable garden may be very intensive, but the rewards are plenty.

Healthy Food

As mentioned earlier, no artificial means of pest control are used in growing your own vegetable garden. There are no chemicals used to make the crops healthier, tastier, and bigger. Only natural and organic methods are utilized in caring for the plants.

Because the plants are chemical-free, you can be assured of fresher and healthier vegetables. This also guarantees you of safer and tastier food crops. Vegetables grown organically may not be bigger though, but they more than make up for it in the health benefits they offer.

By eating healthy and chemical-free vegetables, you can improve your family’s health.

Save Money

Another benefit of growing your own organic vegetable garden is that you can save some money on groceries. After all, you no longer need to purchase vegetables in the supermarket because you only have to pick them in your garden.

You can preserve some of your food crops. You can can the tomatoes and preserve them for future use; you can dry your herbs and use them in your cooking; you can even keep the seeds for the next growing season. Having your own vegetable garden can tremendously help you save some money.

Reduce Stress

Tending to your own vegetable garden can also help reduce stress. Going to your garden, doing the mindless task of pulling weeds and picking pests, watering the plants, trimming the shrubberies, cleaning the garden – all these may be very repetitive and tiring, but there is something very meditative about gardening that pretty soon you’ll feel yourself relaxing and the stress leaving your body. After tending to your garden, you’ll feel more invigorated and more optimistic to face the day. After all, the task has given you time to calm down and think things over.

Gardening can help boost emotions, relax you, ease stress away, and make you feel more positive and optimistic.

Earn Money

You can also earn some money from your hobby. There are so many people looking for organic vegetable products, and through word of mouth advertisement, you can sell your products. This is a good way to increase your savings.

Growing your own vegetable garden is indeed very rewarding, but it can also become very tiring especially if the garden is infested with pests. If you have pest problems in your garden and you need the help of a professional pest control company, then always choose a contractor that offers eco-friendly, green pest control services. Their products won’t harm your organic vegetables and the environment.

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Jennifer Dallman writes for PreventivePestControl.com. Growing your own vegetable garden offers a lot of benefits, but you also have to protect them against pests.

 

Common Animals That Do Damage to Your Organic Vegetable Garden and Eco-Friendly Ways of Getting Rid of Them

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Organic vegetable gardens can give you a lot of benefits. One, it provides you the greens you need for your table. Not only are you assured of its freshness, but you are also assured of how they’re grown – no artificial fertilizes and no artificial pesticides. Two, you can sell your food produce for additional income. Three, the plants, especially those that produce flowers, will lend beauty to any garden. Four, gardening is a very relaxing hobby. It can ease away stress and tension from your body.

However, your vegetable garden does not just benefit you and your family, but it also benefits three types of animals that do significant damage to them.

Groundhogs

Groundhogs, also commonly called woodchucks, are one of the most common garden pests. These creatures burrow underground, creating tunnels and holes. The burrows can displace the soil, causing it to collapse and do damage to the vegetable plants above.

To get rid of groundhogs, you can set up traps. This will trap the animal, and you can simply relocate them to another place far from your vegetable garden. If traps are not enough to keep them away, you can install fences around your garden. Of note though; if you’re going to put up fences, see to it that you bury a portion of the fence deep below the ground to prevent them from digging under the fence and getting to your plants.

Skunks

Skunks are also considered as garden pests. They usually forage for food at night and could easily eat through your vegetable garden. Not only do they eat vegetables and fruits, but they also eat insects that are beneficial to your garden.

Getting rid of skunks is easier than getting rid of groundhogs. The first step that you need to do is to make sure that your trash cans are located far from your vegetable garden and that they also have covers. As food scavengers, skunks will also forage for food in the trash bin, and giving them easy access to food will make them loiter around your home. Installing chicken write as well as bright lighting around your garden will also help in keeping them away.

Rabbits

It isn’t just carrots that rabbits love, but they will also eat anything that they can find in your garden. They can go through your cabbage patch in one night and leave bite marks on your fruits. Since they breed quickly and easily, your garden will soon be overrun by these pesky animals.

To control rabbit population, you can also install fences along the perimeter of your garden. This can keep the rabbits out. However, because they can also easily dig under the fence, you have to see to it that the fence is buried deeper underground. In addition to fencing, you can also try rabbit repellants. Some of these include crushed garlic placed around the vegetable crops as well as cat hair or cat litter scattered around the garden.

These pesky animals can cause a lot of damage to your organic vegetable garden; however, their population can be controlled. If you can’t control their population, then hire a pest control provider to get rid of them for you the humane yet effective way.

Jennifer Dallman writes for an Anaheim pest control provider. If you’re having problems with pesky animals damaging your vegetable garden, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local pest control company.

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