Organic Vegetable Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide

Organic Vegetable Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide

Nov 30, 2020 | Gardening

There’s something quaint about gardening. And it isn’t just touching the earth; it’s the intimacy of tending to plant life. More and more people are gravitating towards starting their own gardens not just for hobby’s sake, but also for sustainability. Home gardening continues to rise in popularity as people cope and are forced to stay-at-home. If you’re contemplating starting your own vegetable garden, we have an even better idea for you. We’ll teach you how to start an organic vegetable garden with some simple beginner tips.

Organic Vegetable Gardening Beginner’s Tips

Organic vegetable gardens take sustainability up a notch by focusing on all-natural, organic, sustainable means of gardening. Here are some tips to note to jumpstart your organic garden.

  • Choose a place that gets 8 hours of sun a day.

Most fast-growing vegetables need full sun access for 8 hours a day. When choosing the plot for your organic vegetable garden, make sure the location allows at least 6 to 8 hours of sun a day.

  • Choose a small plot of land.

If you have a lot of room to spare, you may be tempted to start with a large plot, but 100 square feet is already enough. The reason for this is to make sure your crops don’t get overrun by weeds.

  • Make sure you start with good and healthy soil.

Good soil can be made by adding a few inches of quality compost on the top while keeping it moist. Soil is the foundation of gardening, which should be prioritized in gardening.

  • Buy plants as a beginner and sow seeds as you progress.

It’s easier to start with plants as a beginner instead of sowing seeds. Certain plants are available at $1 to $3.

  • Use liquid fertilizers to start your organic vegetable garden.

Fertilized soil takes time, and using liquid fertilizer is faster and beneficial at the same time. Some gardeners recommend ocean water and seaweed fertilizer as natural liquid fertilizers.

  • Water seeded areas daily.

A newly seeded vegetable garden has to be watered regularly. It may be challenging to keep up with watering habits, but it is crucial to your garden’s survival.

Want more gardening tips and hacks? Our friends from Garden Simply would be happy to help. Go to  www.gardensimply.com

The Benefits Of An Organic Garden

Going organic even in gardening provides many benefits for the garden, the gardener, and the environment. All it takes is a conscious choice to choose sustainability over an easy and fast process.

  • Organic fruits and vegetables are more delicious.

Fruits and vegetables harvested from an organic garden don’t look as appealing and uniform as supermarket produce but they are arguably better.

  • Organic fruits and vegetables are healthier.

The use of chemicals compromises the quality of fruits and vegetables. They may appear bigger, but they don’t have the same high content of vitamins and minerals as organic produce.

  • Growing an organic garden helps save money.

Organic produce bought in a farmer’s market or specialty food stores costs higher than those bought at the supermarket. Growing your organic garden is more affordable and accessible.

  • Organic gardening preserves the environment.

Organic gardening affects communities on a large scale by relieving landfills and preventing animals and birds from consuming toxins from chemicals.

Conclusion

An organic vegetable garden is beneficial and fulfilling. The pursuit for sustainability starts with us, through our choices, and in our homes. And now that gardening is becoming more popular, we should decide to do it the right way.

Pollinators: Nature’s Gardeners

Pollinators: Nature’s Gardeners

Nov 30, 2020 | Japanese Garden

As children, we’ve been fascinated by birds, bees, and flowers, knowing little about their interrelation in nature. But as we mature, our fascination evolves into deep admiration and respect for the complex yet beautiful part they take in pollination. Whether it’s the honest surprise of seeing a lone butterfly in the garden or intentionally attracting birds, pollinators are nature’s intuitive gardeners, and we are bystanders as they work wonders among other plant life.

Who Are The Pollinators

Nature has its own intuitive way of maintaining the ecological process of pollination through its agents. And although animals, humans, and even wind can be pollinators, insects and birds perform a bulk of pollination.

Hummingbirds And Their Wings

Hummingbirds seek sweet nectar while rapidly beating their wings. This pollen ends up on their feathers, which they inadvertently take with them to another plant. With their wings still beating rapidly, they shake the pollen loose, which floats to other plants nearby, aiding the pollination process.

Bees

  • Solitary bees – This species of bees is well known, stingless, and are not aggressive. They possess the anatomical structures essential to pollination, like hairs that collect and transfer pollen.
  • Bumblebees – These bees use buzz pollination, which involves grasping a flower and vibrating wing muscles to loosen pollen. Wildflowers and crops like peppers and tomatoes benefit from this type of pollination. They are essential pollinators that need to be protected.

Butterflies And Moths

Butterflies and moths are useful and valuable pollinators. As they flit from one flower to another to drink nectar, they take pollen with them and bring it to other plants.

Wasps

Although wasps are known for their aggressive behavior, they offer valuable service in balancing insect populations. They do not have the anatomical structure of bees to trap pollen with their hairs since they’re smooth-bodied, but they provide incidental pollination as they carry and drop pollen from flower to flower.

Beetles and Flies

Beetles and flies are said to be the insect pollinators of the late Jurassic era. Like wasps, they have smoother bodies making them minor but still important pollinators. There are some species of flies that are beneficial to pollination.

How To Attract Pollinators To Your Garden

Understanding the role of insects and birds in the ecological process makes us think twice about swatting a wasp. In the grander scheme of things, we need pollinators, and they need us. Here are some tips to attract nature’s gardeners to your space and encourage pollination.

  • Grow a wide selection of flowers that bloom all year long.

Different insects are attracted to different flower types. It’s fascinating how in the natural world, even compatibility is required.

  • Attract pollinators by growing a variety of colors.

Bees are attracted to yellow, blue, and purple, while butterflies are drawn to flat flowers that grow in clusters. Hummingbirds favor funnel-shaped flowers in orange, red, or pink.

  • Grow fragrant and aromatic flowers.

Pollinators love aromatic flowers, making herbs like sage, basil, and lavender attractive options.

  • Create a space where they can rest and nest.

Whether it’s providing a birdbath or large screening shrubs, attracting pollinators also means you have to create a safe ecological space for them. It’s like being landlords to your working tenants. 

Conclusion

Pollinators are essential to our ecosystem. 75 to 95 percent of flowering plants need help with pollination, and the intuitive nature of pollinators makes this possible. They are integral to our survival and help maintain balance in the world. This significant impact comes from small creatures. It’s fascinating, but most of all, it’s humbling.

Want more gardening tips and hacks? Our friends from Garden Simply would be happy to help. Go to  www.gardensimply.com.

Locally, please check out our Pollinators class January 12, 2021.