Help Save the Planet - Choose Organic!
Sep 9th, 2008 | By Keith Woolley | Category: Food and DrinksLeftover food, chipped bark, garden compost, leaf moulds and manure should be mixed together using a compost heap and spread throughout your garden so you are not solely relying on sunlight and water to make the crops grow. Manure is sold in stores so you don’t have to scoop this from the toilet so don’t feel queasy, also chickens are great to have - just let them roam around in the garden. Some people use dead animals or meat products but you can’t put these in the soil. Leave them in the bin for a fortnight and maggots will soon appear which is what you use to help fertilize your garden.
Because it digs deep into the ground and aerates the soil, the earthworm is another helpful creature as this brings various minerals to the surface and also provides better drainage. The casting left behind by this long pink colored creature is, according to experts, five times as rich in nitrogen phosphorous and potassium. You will be able to buy this from almost any gardening store or garden center.
Unwanted guests including army worms, crickets, gypsy moth caterpillars, slugs and squash bugs make organic gardening a challenge. In an organic setting the best weapon is the toad which is known to eat more almost every type of insect despite the fact that at one time people used fertilizer to kill them. If you have caterpillars or spiders lurking in the garden, get a bird because this is not in the toad’s diet.
A toad or a bird may come in to your home as long as you set the ideal environment for them so you don’t have to buy one from the pet store. Your garden will have some new occupants protecting it within days if you can put up a bird house or a small pond. Insect killers such as the preying mantis and the ladybug, mark their territory and eat anything that dares enter their domain so they will do the job.
For example, the rosemary, sage or thyme is an effective deterrent against butterflies whereas marigolds are effective against nematodes. The rotation of crops is seen as the best way to keep the soil fertile, despite all the flowers and creatures that nature has to offer. Change the kind of vegetable for this season with a different one and, after this one is harvested, return to the first one. you just have to be practice it so you can harvest the vegetables you have planted weeks ago.