Most of us think of planting in the Spring and harvesting in the Fall. And, for the majority of crops, that’s right. But species vary, climates vary and indoor container gardening often can be carried out year ’round.

In some cases, it’s actually very helpful for next year’s crop to plant in the Fall. Many of these are designed to be plowed under rather than harvested, in order to enrich the soil for next Spring. In other cases, like certain lettuce varieties, you can plant late in the Summer and still harvest before the frost.

When to plant depends on the species and your climate zone. Get the best estimate possible on when to expect the first frost. 30-day weather forecasts, Farmer’s Almanac and others are good sources of information.

Before planting new seeds or vegetables be sure to clear the area of any spring or summer crops. Leftovers decay and encourage bacteria growth. Spread a couple of inches of new compost or mulch over the area. Turn the top layer of soil up and water well, then let it rest for a day. Since in most areas, you’ll receive more rain (and sometimes snow) in the fall, be sure you have well draining soil.

There are many varieties that will thrive if you take these preliminary steps.

Beets do well if planted before the beginning of August. If you intend just to harvest the tops, the date can be extended to the beginning of September.

You can transplant broccoli until about mid-August. It will continue to thrive in most climates until Thanksgiving, when it can be harvested for a great addition to the holiday meal. In some warmer zones it may even last as late as Christmas. Italian broccoli can be planted over Winter in areas with no snow and will produce shoots until Spring.

Fall cabbage planting is common in various climate zones. Jersey Wakefield cabbage is often seeded in the first couple of weeks of September and survives throughout the winter to be harvested in late spring.

Carrots, since as a root vegetable the food actually grows under the ground, will last through just about anything. If you plant by mid-July or even in the Fall, you can harvest in Winter, provided there’s little snow on the surface. Very cold temperatures will freeze the ground, making digging almost impossible.

Endive does well if planted by mid-July. A light mulch will keep it protected from frost and it can be harvested in Winter (again, assuming at most only light snows). Make sure it doesn’t get drenched. Drainage in the Fall and Winter months is much slower than in Summer.

Romaine can be sown in July, then harvested in the Fall. Since it’s low to the ground and very leafy, it’s important to keep it from being excessively wet. Fungal growth is still possible in Fall, even though temperatures are cooler at night.

You can also plant some peas in early November and harvest them the following June. So with proper planning, you can enjoy fresh vegetables nearly year round.

Happy Gardening!

Source: Gardening

Organic gardening is not as difficult as many beginning gardeners believe it is. It is true there is a bit more work and increased attention levels to the details of an organic garden than a regular garden. However, with the proper guidance you will soon discover it’s not anywhere near as difficult as you thought it was. This guide will provide you with the basic steps you need to get you started.

Assuming you know little to nothing about organic gardening lets make certain you understand what it is. Quite simply it means you are going to plant your garden without using synthetic fertilizers, for making the plants grow and chemical pesticides to control the bugs.

To really maximize your garden, regardless if its going to be flowers, herbs, veggies or a mish mash of several plants it’s best to have a detailed plan. And the best time to formulate your plan is in the fall, right after the fall growing season ends. The reason for this is you will have time to prepare the ground before the spring planting season begins.

Related links:
Free Organic Vegetable Gardening At Home
Organic Gardening Secrets

Perhaps the most critical thing you must do before anything else is to select the optimum location for your organic garden or for that matter any garden. Your plants will do extremely well if they can receive about six hours of sunlight per day. In almost all cases positioning of your planting area in the southeast part of your ground will give more than adequate amounts of sunshine. Also make sure your ground has easy access to water and the ground has good drainage, to allow water run off and aeration of the ground.

Once the proper location has been determined the next step is preparing the ground where you will be planting. This means it’s time for the physical labor part. You are going to till the ground using a yard fork or a tiller, then get on your knees to start pulling weeds, grass and removing the rocks. To make the weed and grass removal successful you should perform the initial removal, then go back a couple of weeks later and remove any weeds and grass which have grown up in the meantime.

Now it?s time for you to actually determine what your selected ground is going to need, in the way of the proper nutrition to help your vegetation grow. You do need to have the soil tested for the proper ph level. If you?re not sure you would do an accurate job of this take a sample of your soil to your local nursery or garden center and they can do this for you.

Once the testing has been completed by the nursery folks they can tell you exactly what kind of natural fertilizers and pest control product you will need. While you are at the nursery or garden center you should ask their advice on the proper plants and vegetables which will grow best in your treated soil.

In conclusion this guide has given you the basic things you need to start your organic gardening project the right way. It has covered the location of the garden, the sunlight exposure, preparation of the ground prior to planting and the proper nutrition your ground will need. Organic gardening is not as complicated as it seems.

Related links:
Free Organic Vegetable Gardening At Home
Organic Gardening Secrets

Technorati tags: organic gardening planting location nursery difficult

Source: organic

Have this ever happened to you? Do you have thoughts of improving your home but you don’t really know where to start or what to look out for? In order to improve your home, you must know what exactly you want to achieve. Home improvement can do wonders. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you read on to find out more about home improvement?

Picture this; you come home after a long day at work and you don’t feel relaxed at your own home? If you can relate to this matter, I suggest that you need to do something about your home and make it to a place that is much more relaxing for you and even your love ones. You could do this with the help of Feng Shui.

First of all, let me share with you what Feng Shui is all about. The main goal of Feng Shui is to ensure that everything is connected together somehow. It is about the flow of energy that is always moving and balancing is the main objective. Feng Shui is influenced by the location of your home and the direction in which your house is pointing at.

You should consider home improvement if your home does not help you to feel relaxed. You should also consider improving your home if you feel that your home is too stuffy and hot. Well, this may sound ridiculous but juest read on. If you want to improve your love life to score more dates, Feng Shui will be able to help you with that too! Here are some ways you could do to improve your life with using Feng Shui.

By adding wind chimes, you can stop the energy from being stagnant. This is especially important if you want to improve your life . You should also get rid of sharp corners because this is considered bad. How can you counter this problem? You can try using plants to soften the corners. One thing to bear in mind; to never sit with your back facing the window. You should always sit in such a way that you are facing away from the walls.

Using fresh flowers will not only improve Feng Shui but also your love life! The fresh flowers should be placed near a west facing window. Energy level can also be improved with the help of a crystal in the room. The whole house should be kept clean at all times, particularly your home entrance.

Using mirrors in your home is also another good way to improve the energy level, but you can’t place them as you like. This is because you have to be very cautious about where the mirror is facing. Stagnant energy will be build up if there is an unused room and best to keep certain activities for certain room. With Feng Shui techniques you can easily improve your life and you will be amazed by the result it gives you.

So there you have it reasons to improve your home and ways for you to do it. Your goal is to start utilizing these into action. Remember, home improvement is especially important if you want to achieve more. So, what are you waiting for? Get to work!

Source: Home Improvement

Many consumers hear about organic farming, but they aren’t sure what that means and sometimes question what makes food organic and why it is more expensive than other options. They may be amazed of the typically higher cost of organic foods and may conclude that their perceived benefits are not worth the extra expense. When you truly consider the benefits of organic food, you will look past the rice cakes and organic vegetables, and realize that it is an actual change in your way of thinking (about health and the environment) and lifestyle.

Essentially, organic food can be determined as any food product that is grown in organically-certified land without any chemical treatments, either in the form of fertilizers or pesticides. All substances put on the ground or the plants must come from a natural source and there can be no chemical additives, even accidental ones.Even though the yield of a field may be reduced due to a lack of chemical fertilizer use, or that the crop has a higher price due to a low supply, it is important that we are assured that what is grown is truly organic food.

For many years, growers have used chemically enhanced fertilizers and pesticides because they were cheap and greatly improved their crop growth. Pesticides were used to keep many insect intruders at bay without regard for what is organic food and how these chemicals leached into the ground and surrounding water supplies.

Keeping Mother Nature On The Side Of Good Health

Before chemical products existed, farmers had no notion of what is organic food; they had to rely only on the natural products available. After years of consuming these chemicals, we are finally starting to recognize that they have a detrimental effect on our health and on the environment.

Similar to a leaf falling from a tree in an untouched forest, that leaf will slowly be turned into natural fertilizer and help the growth of the surrounding trees. Without any interference, natural predators control insect pests from destroying fresh shoots as they continue their growth. This could be a good example of how nature nurtures plant growth to produce a healthier organic food, and promotes the Earth in becoming a healthier planet.

Source: Food and Drink