Free Mulch
Free stuff is always welcome, especially when it comes to gardening. Utilize this week's tip for finding free stuff to cover your pathways.
HR 875 – Organic Consumers Association’s take on it
In an effort to read more into the recent rumor (or 'myth' as the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has put it) about HR 875 and the idea that it would ban organic farming, I found that the OCA website has been either hacked or blocked by every major search engine out there. It smells of conspiracy, since they are the voice of the people when it comes to organic standards and food safety. Not that I'm a conspiracy theorist, but I thought it was uncanny that while e-mails are flying around about this bill, the ...
Roly Poly Rascals
You could kill them, but why bother when you can put them to good use instead. Check out this week's tip of the week for a great idea for making pillbugs work for you.
Starting Seeds to Perfection
There seems to be a theme this week about seed-starting: I have tried to grow vegetable plants from seed indoors, then plant them outdoors and usually end up with a small sprout then they die and I never even get to introduce them to the great outdoors. Do you have any sure fire ways to make sure seeds sprout?
Organic vs. Non-organic seeds
Another great question came in to Ask Gardenerd:
"I don't understand what the difference is between organic seeds and
regular seed packets. Are there any benefits of purchasing organic
seeds? Can I buy regular seeds and just grow them organically with the
same results?"
The short answer to your question is yes, you can essentially get the same results with regular seeds as with organically grown seeds. Here, for the record, is the difference:
Organic seeds are just that - organically grown. In other words, grown using sustainable methods from start to finish. No pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, all on land ...
Seed-starting Dilemma
Some great questions have been coming in over the last couple of weeks. Here's one now: "Some of our sprouted seeds are dying and all of the ones we put in pots didn't make it. What do you suggest?"
Gardenerd appears on Nature in Us Blog
An article that I wrote for Low Impact Living.com has surfaced on a great health and wellness blog recently. Nature in Us focuses on all aspects of self-care and green living. Check out the article and the blog:
http://www.thenatureinus.com/2009/03/vegetable-gardening-this-is-year.html
...
White House to Install a Vegetable Garden
Got some exciting news today. It's official, the White House is going to install a vegetable garden on March 20th, the first day of spring!
For those who have been following the push to get the Obamas to plant a victory garden, www.eattheview.org has been a major influence in making this happen, along with Alice Waters and many others. Petitions were signed, letters were sent, and the new administration listened. Here is the article from the New York Times today:
Obamas Prepare to Plant White House Vegetable Garden
...
Kelp Meal
When planning out your garden this spring, don't forget about the soil. Learn how to use this handy amendment to boost yield in the garden.
White Fly Control
The questions have really been coming in lately. Here's one selected for this week's post:
"How do I control white flies? I tried using bugs that would eat them,
but they arrived in the mail dead. Is there anything else I can do? All of my plants died last summer and we had clouds of white flies all over
the place."
Such a bummer about those white fly predators showing up dead. Take solace in knowing that you are not alone. Others have suffered the curse of the white fly. In fact, you might even check out a previous blog entry about ...