I see more and more people today turning to vegetable gardening as a means to save money and have organically grown vegetables. The labour you put into your vegetable garden will produce healthier and less expensive vegetables for your table.

We started vegetable gardening a few years ago. We didn’t save a whole lot of money the first couple of years as we started small but had to buy garden tools to make the tasks easier. After the first couple of years we increase our garden to a 16 foot by 4 foot veggie garden and once the gardening was done for this year I increase it a bit so now it’s more like 16×8 and come next spring I may just increase it by another 4 feet wider.

Home Grown Vegetables Just Taste Better

We tend to get used to buying vegetables and perhaps don’t pay enough attention to organically grown. I get bad headaches, to the point of migraines. It took me many years of suffering before I finally put it together. I was being affected by the poisons on the vegetables and fruits we purchase. Not any more though.

Our veggie garden isn’t big enough to provide all year long so we do buy vegetables but now we wash everything with special soap. By the way, I have not had any migraines since we started washing our vegetables.

Where To Plant Your Vegetable Garden

We started growing vegetable in containers so finding a location in the sun was easy because we just moved them if they didn’t seem to get enough. Once we decided on an in-ground vegetable garden we had to find the best spot to start it. One that had good drainage, although we modified the soil to fix that little problem, and also a lot of sun over the summer.

We live in the centre of Moncton so we don’t see too many wild animals in our garden, unless you are referring to our son. Okay that was a joke, sorry buddy. But seriously, we don’t get any deer or rabbits, but we do have to deal with neighbourhood cats.

The Need For Good Topsoil

Before we started planting anything in our garden we dug it up to about a foot deep and then ammended the soil with peatmoss and topsoils. This was because our soil is heavy dense clay that grows little more than ugly weeds.

Adding organic matter to the soil releases nitrogen, minerals, and other nutrients plants need to survive. The most popular and best type of mulch you can use is compost.

We have a compost bin that allows us to recycle our kitchen and yard waste giving us great top soil for our vegetable garden while cutting back on what we put into the landfill.

Planting Your Vegetable Garden

I have already mentioned the need for lots of sunlight. So you have a plot picked out and prepared. Now it’s time to plan your planting and that means making sure your vegetables get enough of that available sunlight by planting the tallest vegetables to the east end of the garden.

Your tall plants will get early sunlight but will not block your other veggies once the sun moves past high noon and starts heading west. I managed to get this in reverse my first year, as a result we didn’t get a huge harvest, but a great learning experience.

When To Plant Your Veggies

You have now done all your home work and preparation. The next important step is to be ready to plant at the right time and that’s going to depend on whether you start from seeds or plants that are already started.

We usually don’t plant here in New Brunswick Canada until the threat of frost has past which is usually early June.

I will plant things ahead of time so that we have starter plants for those veggies that require longer growing periods but for things like lettuce, radishes, carrots and potatoes to mention a few we plant directly in the garden.

We do plant some veggies a little earlier than we should but if there is a call for low temperatures we cover the areas of the garden that need protection from frost.

Vegetable gardening started out as an interest and way to get healthier produce but today, a few years later it’s now become a hobby and we look forward to it each year.

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A basic herb garden is not hard to create and it can be created in a remarkably small amount of space. no matter whether you live in a loft or you’ve got a yard that’s ideal for planting making a basic herb garden is straightforward.

There are 1 or 2 things that you’re going to need to start for making a basic herb garden. The first thing is to decide what type of basic herb garden you want. Do you want a container herb garden or are you looking for something a bit grander like a kitchen garden or a backyard herb garden.

Once you have decided the type of garden that you want to create you will need to decide if you want to create your garden from seeds or from already existing plants that you will transplant. When you have determined the kind of planting you would like to do for your basic herb garden.

There are a few supplies that you are going to need for your herb garden . Naturally, these supplies change dependent on which kind of herb garden you are making. The list includes all the supplies necessary for both gardens. Some of the supplies will be the same so that the list is mixed for being passing. The items you will need are: soil, fertilizer, seeds or herb plants, containers, and a spade.

If you happen to be using a container or boxes to make your herb garden, prepare the container by putting the soil in it. Then dependent on the sort of manure you are using add the manure to make the growing environment. You may or may not depending on the type of soil you get want to wet the soil down before planting. If you are, using seeds follow the planting instructions for the types of herbs you are planting. If you happen to use already established plants follow replanting instructions. These are typically listed with the plant, but can be discovered online if required.

For kitchen gardens weed and till the area to break up the soil and remove any large objects like rocks. Then add in the top soil and fertilizers and plant the seeds or transplant following the same as above instructions. Ensure that you glance at the lighting wishes of your herbs and put them in areas that receive the correct quantity of light and shade to guarantee correct expansion.

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Composting your kitchen, lawn and yard waste is a great solution to lessen the amount of garbage you put at the curb for pickup. By composting your waste it is possible to generate a totally free source of rich compost to assist boost your home and vegetable garden, and also assist to lessen global warming in the process.

How does composting lessen global warming?

When our kitchen and yard waste is sent to landfill it is compressed under tonnes and tonnes of other garbage. The organic waste materials consequently will not have sufficient access to air, which restricts the waste materials from getting to the state of decomposition properly. Instead of decomposing, methane gas is produced which contributes to global warming.

The Compost Bin

The initial step to start composting at residence should be to get a compost bin. You possibly can either invest in a compost bin or you can make your own. Compost bins can be bought from your majority of back garden centres. The government funded Recycle Now Household Composting Campaign also sells discounted compost bins.

The next essential step is always to decide where by to position the compost bin, which can affect the overall high quality in the compost which is produced. For best results spot the bin in a effectively drained region which has very good access to sunlight. The drainage will enable excess water to drain out from the compost and placing the bin in the sunny spot helps to speed up the composting process.

What spend products can I put in my compost bin?

There are lots of daily waste products from your lawn and kitchen that can go into your compost bin. These are broken down into ?Greens? and ?Browns?. Greens are the kind of things that provide moisture and nitrogen and are quick to rot. Objects classed as Greens consists of:

• Grass cuttings
• Vegetable peelings
• Leaves
• Fruit
• Tea bags
• Weeds

Browns are spend objects that carry longer to rot but present pockets of air, along with fibre and carbon. This consists of products for instance:

• Cardboard boxes
• Newspapers (scrunched up)
• Toilet roll tubes
• Egg shells (crushed)
• Shredded paper
• Twigs and hedge clippings

How do I make a fine top quality compost?

To produce a fine top quality compost it is essential to use a great mix of both ‘green’ and ‘brown’ wastes. It is basically a case of monitoring the compost and adding far more waste materials depending on the appearance from the compost. For instance, if it looks too dry include additional ?green? waste materials, and if it looks too wet include more ?brown? waste. Each so generally it is also a fine thought to mix or turn the contents of your compost bin to add air.

How lengthy will it take for my compost being ready to utilize?

This will differ based on the mixture of spend that may be placed into the compost bin, the surrounding conditions and also the weather. In general it ought to consider between 6 and 9 months for your finished compost to become prepared to use.

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Planning Organic Vegetable Gardening in New Brunswick

Have desire to grow your own vegetable garden? We went for many years before we were in a situation where we could have our own vegetable garden and now we do and I just double the size from last year.

Learning a few things about vegetable gardening will make the task more enjoyable, to the point where it may well become your favourite hobbies.

Follow a few steps before you plant anything and you will have a healthier vegetable garden with less work.

Steps To Planting Your First Garden

1. Location, Location, Location

Location is important. You need sunlight and good drainage. These are two vital components to a good veggie garden. Anything else you need for your garden can be added.

Steer clear of trees if possible as their roots can rob nutrients from the soil and in the summer their branches can over shade your garden, blocking that vital sunlight. Like our first vegetable garden.

2. Preparing The Soil

Our vegetable garden used to be part of our lawn and the soil beneath the turf was very dense clay that wouldn’t drain for days after a heavy rain. But we wanted a vegetable garden so that didn’t stop us.

First we removed the sod with as little dirt as possible. We even let it dry in the yard so we could pound the excess dirt off it.

Next I dug the entire plot to about a foot deep and mixed in fresh topsoil we have from composting and also added a few bags of peatmoss to help break the soil into something workable.

We tested the garden once we had added the compost and peatmoss to see how well it drained and found we had improved it considerable. So now it drains in hours instead of days.

3. Know Your Local Planting Zones

There are a lot of vegetables one can grow but you need to decide what you like the most, making sure it will grow in your growing zone. For this you can look up the growing zones for where you live.

We live in New Brunswick Canada so we looked that up along with the phrase ‘growing zone’ or ‘vegetable growing zone’.

Note: We decided we wanted to grow a few things that needed a longer growing periods, so I started those inside a couple of months early so they were well started before planting them outside.

4. How to Maintain Your Vegetable Garden

A vegetable garden doesn’t maintain itself very well and will soon be taken over by weeds if not watched. Keep a head of the weeds and it becomes rather easy to maintain. On the other hand leave it for a week or two and you may start to see the vegetable plants start to suffer.

We have our rows of vegetables running north to south for a couple of reasons.

I mentioned this but it’s important so I will mention it again. Your vegetable garden must drain well or your veggie roots will drown the plants.

We added compost and peatmoss but we also set the rows so the water would drain but not erode the garden.

5. Know Your Garden Pests

Take the time to learn about the pest that like what you grow so you can learn how to control pests organically.

Completing each task doesn’t take too long, especially when it’s planned. We on the other hand didn’t learn before we started our first vegetable garden. Instead I just started digging in so we ended up with a lot more work than we needed so learn from my mistakes and plan your vegetable garden before planting it and happy gardening.

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We have a friend that grows so much in their flower beds and vegetable gardens that we are amazed. We also try to learn new things from the each year. My wife was telling me that they even save their seeds each year and store them for the following season. That sounds like a challenge to me. I figure if I can save orange seeds and plant them later and actually grow an orange tree right in the house, well I think I just might be able to do, but where to start.

Preparing Your Seeds For Storage

Now that I have a variety of seeds from different plants I need to clean and dry them in an effort to preserve the seeds from any kind of molds, mildewing or dampness.

I took each seed and made sure that I keep only the seed and discard the rest of the plant.

The tomato seeds were the hardest to clean up because they had membrane around each seed. They kinda looked like frog eggs before I cleaned them up. If I hadn’t cleaned all that slim off them they would have just rotted I’m sure.

Once I have all but the seeds left I place them on an old screened window we have. This allows air to flow freely around the entire seed so that it dries faster, giving the seed a better chance of survival.

I even kept some potatoes for next years seed potatoes. This is a first for us so we will see how they survive.

Storing Your Garden Seeds

I keep the little containers or packages meant to absorb moisture for the heart medication I take but they come in asprin bottles and vitamin bottles, and use those to keep too much moisture from building in each container over the winter months. Even though I keep the seeds in a low temp area that is dry. Just a precaution.

I like to put the seeds, after I’ve dried them, in a paper bag or envelope, which also helps to absorb excess moisture. Then I put them in a large plastic contain with the little dry packs I talked about. They don’t come in contact with the seeds as they are on the outside of the paper bags or envelopes I use.

Now it’s just a matter of waiting until next year when I start my plants from seed.

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We love home gardening but I must say that nothing is more disgusting that sticking your fingers in a flower bed or veggie garden only to come out with cat poo on them. Yuk!!

Heck we don’t even have a cat.

They can get so bad that even the birds don’t want to hang around our yard much anymore. Something has to be done about it, without harming the culprits of course.

We aren’t cat haters, just not cat lovers. Not sure about our pitbull Honey though, she goes wild when a cat enters our property. Really not sure if she wants to play or if she is thinking about dinner.

The method we use has to be GREEN as we try to be organic gardeners and have no desire to harm anything.

Method One: Using Tin Pie Plates To Scare The Cats

My wife tried using tin pie plates to scare the cats off but I think the only one annoyed was me as I work from home and my office is facing the backyard where all the pie plates are. So that didn’t work so well.

Plus the plates are very reflective being made of shiny tin so every time the wind blew while the sun was up I would be blinded by the reflections.

That method didn’t work at all other than to keep me from open the window because of the noise and leaving the blinds down because of the reflections.

Cats 1 – Humans 0

So now I’m checking out Amazon for answers to our cat problems.

1. Shake Away 20-ounce Cat Repellent Coyote/Fox Urine

GREEN: 100% Organic and safe. Does not harm the cats you are repelling.

Shake Away Product Features

• Easy To Use – Just sprinkle on ground and watch it work
• Safe -Completely organic, safe around kids & pets
• Goes to work immediately, last for weeks
• Uses Animals’ Strongest Repellent – FEAR!
• It WORKS – Money Back Guarantee

The Shake Away granules have an odor that signals danger to all pest critters and are less messy than liquid. The think a predator is about and stay away. No one gets hurt, just scared.

You can be comforted knowing the patented formula won’t burn your plants, bushes or trees. Plus the heavy granules won’t wash away in rain so they last longer. They won’t evaporate or freeze like liquid either.

The 20oz container will put down a line of protection up to 600 feet long. Applying as instructed, this container will protect an area up to 20 by 30 feet for a month.

No more stinky fingers or pie plates.

2. Contech CatStop Ultrasonic Outdoor Cat Deterrent

Now you can protect your garden, plants even the sandbox while staying green. No chemicals. You won’t need fences to keep cats out now.

How The CatStop Works

When cats come within range, the CatStop automatic outdoor cat deterrent emits a sudden burst of ultrasonic sound. The sound startles cats, and teaches them to stay away.

Installing the CatStop is pretty easy. Just place the CatStop in the garden or outdoor area that you want to protect, and it’s ready to go. How simple is that?

The CatStop will work for about 3-4 months on just one 9 volt battery but you can purchase an adapter so the battery isn’t needed.

Everything esle is automatic.

It may only take one visit from a neighbourhood cat and you will not see them again. They learn that your yard or garden is a place they won’t have a good experience, without hurting them of course.

CatStop Specifications

• Infrared sensing angle: 80 degrees.
• Detection range: up to 20 feet (6 meters).
• Sensor warm-up time: 60 seconds.
• Water resistant.
• Includes two stakes – 1 stake for 4″ above ground and the other for 10″ above ground.

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An organic vegetable garden sounds ecological, rewarding and wholesome but challenging. The procedure could take a number of seasons, but once you finally see the results you’ll be able to appreciate homegrown veggies that aren’t only tasty but incredibly healthful for you as well. organic gardening in actuality is the oldest form of gardening, it isn’t very costly and it can be done by any one looking to improve on their health.

The actually size of your home garden is important just that’s it’s organic. What is important is that you start your garden with organic seeds, seeds that have not be subjected to any harmful agents. So look around your local area, at nurseries and garden centres and if that fails then your answer is just a few clicks away online. Just look for ‘organic seeds’.

Advantages to organic gardening

1. In my view the most important advantage of being organic in your home garden is the health benefits as we don’t consume harmful pesticides.
2. Your home garden soil should remain more beneficial to your garden plants as the poisons won’t leech into the soils from sprays.
3. A healthy, organic garden means you won’t be harming the environment or pets in your yard.

Use Organic Fertilizers

Natural organic fertilizers may smell a bit but once you mix them into your soil and compost you will find the odour dissipates quickly. It needs to be worked into the soil. Our neighbours tried using cattle manure and just spread it over their garden. Hopefully they know better for next year. Reminded me of living on the farm yet we live in the centre of our city.

Having everything organic, the seeds or plants, the compost and your soil, will give you a much healthier harvest.

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The positive aspects of herb gardening is the fact that it won’t call for a whole lot room to grow. Even some space on a windowsill that receives some sunshine on a daily basis should do the trick. Once you have found a little spot the rest will be rather simple.

After you found the best spot for your herb garden you will have to make a couple of choices.

1. Exactly what herbs will you grow. We made our decision based upon on the foods we like the most.
2. Will you grow the herb garden from seed? Maybe you might prefer to speed up the process by purchasing starter herbs.

It is really essential you use pots which have good drainage. The correct drainage can aid you to NOT over-water your herbs the way I did on the first attempt at herb gardening indoors.

We had to use small pots so we didn’t mix herbs together. Each herb has it’s own little pot as our windowsills are very narrow but they grow just fine that way too.

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