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Volume 2, Number 43, November 1, 2007 (Read It Online) We have a shorter than normal gardening newsletter this week. We are dealing with some server problems so we are concentrating on that. We should have a normal issue next week. In the meantime, if you have any tips for protecting your plants during the winter, feel free to share them on the contest page. Thanks for reading, Susan
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Growing Organic Vegetables At Home I love to grow organic vegetables they taste so much better than chemically grown. If you think that it is hard to do you are so wrong. It is actually easier once you get established.First thing you need to do is decide if you are going truly organic or semi organic. If the thought of any bugs in your garden just makes you cringe, well you may be the semi organic type, but you need to realize bugs are a gardener's best friends. So spraying or dusting every bug you see is more harmful then helpful because the good bugs will get killed off and the bad bugs will just multiply like dust bunnies. Before you know it, your lettuce looks like lace and your carrots have tunnels. Spiders, Ladybugs, Praying Mantis, even wasps eat the weevils, caterpillars and flies. I have planted marigolds and other flowers around my beds and the spiders who live there do a great job as the guards keeping the perimeter safe. And birds are so much fun to watch as they hop around eating those fat worms that want to munch on your veggies. I've even watched a cardinal work it's way around a tomato cage to get at a fat tomato worm! Second, the more organic material you put in the garden will make it easier to till. It will also hold water better, won't burn your plants like chemicals and will encourage the microscopic organisms in your soil to break down the organic matter to make it easier for your plants to get their daily nutrients. I also noticed that the more organic material is in the garden, the less fire ants I see. Seems they don't like the good stuff, mostly go for the "fast food diet". Third, you need to consider starting to compost all your fruit, vegetable and yard scraps/clippings. You will be making the "black gold" that you can add to your garden or even your potted plants. Just don't use any clippings that you have applied chemical weed and feed, it tends to weed the vegetables too. I could go on and on but make the effort to go organic, your carrots will be sweet, your broccoli will make your kids ask for seconds and the tomatoes will taste like tomatoes. Check out your local library for books on gardening, google organic gardening on the web and check out this website: http://www.gardensalive.com for great organic products and tips. I have been using their products for years and have seen great results especially when using their Tomatoes Alive and the WOW- (with out weeds) which really works to keep the weeds in check which makes the weeding chore much easier. Don't get discouraged it takes longer for the effects of organic gardening to show but the benefits are far reaching,and knowing that you are not eating the chemicals that you used to "KILL" the bugs with should make you much happier. I have shared my garden abundance with friends and they are the best advertisement for going organic when they say they have never tasted 'sweet' broccoli or really sweet carrots that come from the grocery store. And by the way, don't be surprised if you have bigger, brighter and healthier plants. Take a look at the photo, this is what organic gardening and soaker hoses on timers can do for Broccoli. I picked these after Thanksgiving last year. Each head was about the size of a dinner plate and I wasn't trying to enter any contest! By piki viki from Abbeville, AL
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Rate It: For garden parties in the fall, try using hay bales as seats and placing mums along side. Have a bonfire and snuggle around on fluffy bales of hay (you could even throw a quilt on top) By Diana from Greensboro, NC Editor's Note: Hay is extremely flammable and should be kept well away from any fire source. Use caution and have a hose or fire extinguisher handy whenever burning in the backyard.
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Rate It: Just a picture of my favorite Hibiscus Bush. By Denise from South West Florida
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Rate It: Create an affordable autumn fountain by using any container filled with water a pump and decoration that water can pass through. Adorn with mums, pine cones and place apples inside fountain. By Diana from Greensboro, NC
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Indoor Lighted Greenhouse For Winter Months When the winter months enable us to do our gardening outside, I decided to bring much of my garden inside. We cleaned out under our basement steps. Insulated the outside walls.Then many small florescent lights up.We staggered the size of the new shelves, lining the bottoms with heavy duty foil. Using a long surge protector for the electric, just a simple switch on in the am. and off in the pm. My plants are as happy as outside. It's a great way to start new seeds for the forthcoming spring as well.I so love to go down there and see my winter garden flowers. It's great therapy for the mind and soul. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf62710097.tip.html
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Rate It: I now live where my perennials do well all winter and do not need much special preparation in the fall. When I lived in a colder clime, I found that they would come back the next spring if I took certain steps. I always made sure the flowers were removed before the first frost. Many did not make it if the frost got them while there were flowers on the plant. At the same time, I would remove most of the above ground plant. This varies by species, but many need to be hard pruned to endure cold winters. I like to put pine straw or other type of mulch to prevent the frost from freezing the roots. Most of them would survive given this kind of treatment. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93386210.tip.html
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Rate It: If you have bird feeders and like to attract goldfinches here's a cheap way to do it. No need to buy special seeds! Just sort out some sunflower seeds from the mixed seed or keep a handful from a bag of sunflower seed. Store over winter in a cool, dry, dark place. Plant them after the ground warms up where they can be seen from you windows. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf70680349.tip.html
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Looking for a hand-push low-grass mower with a 16" bar with about 12 vertical, inter-meshing, rotating gears that cut the grass! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf37349047.tip.html
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Rate It: Can you grow an avocado from cuttings? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94549603.tip.html
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Rate It: I have some pine cones that I dried out to get the seeds. I believe they are white pine seeds. How do I store them? When should I plant them, and how to I plant them? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf99943048.tip.html
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Rate It: Due to landlord's remodeling, I am going to have a nice new apartment but no more garden or back yard! Recently, I purchased three tomato plants to be planted in two plastic hanging bags. Does anyone have any other ideas about planting in a limited space? I know about the potted plants and I don't know if I'll even have a patio for a raised bed. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf82938960.tip.html
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Rate It: Help With Planting a Peach Tree I heard that you can plant a peach tree in a pot, anyway you can plant it and it will grow. What I need to know is, can you just plant it as it is, or do you have to freeze it or HOW DO YOU DO THIS, PLEASE help me. I want to plant apple seeds also. How do I do this stuff. I am a city girl planted in the country and don't really know what I am doing, but I want to learn. Thanks so much for whoever is coming to my rescue. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93376921.tip.html
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Rate It: I've been using soaker hoses for many years and they worked great. Recently I've started new beds and found the hoses to be very frustrating to use, they either won't work or sprout "geysers" which I have to repair, and the parts are getting expensive. Has anyone found a better alternative to soaker hoses? I've heard of using PVC piping and making small holes. I vegetable garden in a very drought prone area and need a reliable system when I am not home to fix the leaks. I use timers for everything already. The old soaker hoses still work great but the new ones must be made so cheaply and always notice they are made in China. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf21239021.tip.html
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Rate It: Why Are Coffee Grounds Good For Plants Why are coffee grounds supposedly good for plants? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47047776.tip.html
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Rate It: Caring For Torn Orange Tree Branch A mature orange tree came with the property I just bought. It looks to be from 15 to 25 years old. The oranges were great Nov. - Feb. Just this September one of the main branches tore away from the trunk under the weight of the fruit (I believe) but is still attached. There is a large open tear and ants are attracted to it. Question one) What should I do to protect the tree? The branch is about 6 inches in diameter and about 1/6 of the tree's foliage (and fruit before I pruned most of this). I cut away much of the foliage and oranges to relieve the weight and it still seems to be getting nutrients - the remaining leaves and oranges seem fine - but do I need to treat the tear? Question two, what can I do with green oranges? They are tart but I don't want to waste them. Thanks! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93659625.tip.html
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Rate It: White Spider Like Web On House Plants What bug leaves a white spider like web on house plants? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf30042234.tip.html
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Rate It: I had sod laid this past spring and now it is brown I did water regularly. Help! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf71378214.tip.html
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If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish. More Information:
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