Thursday, June 21, 2012

10 short/ easy Steps to Organic Gardening

 Step 1: Buy organic seeds or starter plants. 
I bought my seeds at Target, the plants are from Whole Foods OR buy them on line at these wonderful sites. www.gardeners.com (if you need above ground boxes,small growing boxes for on your deck, they have all sizes and shapes) or go to www.burpee.com


Step 2: Buy organic potting soil for your starter  plants. Here are lettuce and carrots. 
Step 3: While your seedlings are growing get your garden area started. Organic soil or your own from composting.(I will blog how to compost later, easy AND I got mine for free!)





Step 4: 
 Amend the soil with organic Bone meal and Blood meal. Sprinkle it in and mix around. Water and let it settle for a few days.


Step 5:  Planting. 
Every year I rotate my planting, make sure you have a chart for next year. You can also research which plants grow best next to each other.
 I use hoops for the tomatoes, and trellises for vine plants. You can buy or make your own with twigs. I made a trellis for my pumpkins.(above,see it at the top?)
Step 6: As the plants grow make sure you weed!
Step 7: Do not use pesticides. Natural is the best. This is not organic....but helps with pests.
Here is a recipe -1 gallon of water
                            2 cups of Dawn soap
                            2 cups of plain listerine type mouthwash
                            1 tsp cayenne pepper
Mix together, put in a spray bottle.



Marigolds have a pungent odor that keeps insects at bay.
Step 8: Make sure you water A LOT!
Step 9:  Take off the dead leaves.The tomato

plants need a "hair cut" now and then. The stems with just leaves that don't have flowers can be cut back. They steal energy away from the whole plant. You can cut back on the zucchini plants too.
Step 10: Harvest!!
 Eat fresh organic veggies from the garden to the table. Cost is low and worth every penny!
Romaine lettuce

Green Pepper

Green Beans

I have two boxes in my back yard.
ENJOY!
Love feedback!  
Thanks for coming by! 
Subscribe!!
Avah


48 comments:

Unknown said...

Any advice for weak stems on a sorrel plant? Or why only one of my dill herb plants is turning brown. Or why is my red leaf lettuce wilting?

Anonymous said...

Seriously 2 cups of dawn? For a gallon?

Avah Ham said...

Hi, 2 cups of Dawn is what I have been using. I guess the bugs hate Dawn!!

Avah Ham said...

Hi Mel, I really don't know why the sorrel plant has weak stems. The dill may be in the wrong place and doesn't like the heat or sun. The wilting lettuce , not enough water, too much water?? Not sure about that ...sorry I can't help more. Sometimes gardening is just trial and error. My cucumber just didn't take hold this year...but I am buying more , moving them and trying again!

Anonymous said...

U can spray this on your plants?

Avah Ham said...

I have sprayed on my plants. It's better than pesticides.
Bugs HATE the taste and smell!!

Anonymous said...

Will this bug spray work on fleas?

Avah Ham said...

I don't know if this will work on fleas. That would be great if it did!!!

Anonymous said...

Baking soda mixed with water works really well too, like for lettuce, that YOU are going to be eating. It also works on roses and grapes.

Unknown said...

Would this mixture help with deer and bunnies???

Starfall said...

I hope this work on fleas. I will do this weekends.

Unknown said...

If you are having a flea problem in your house sprinkle table salt in your carpet and leave for 8 days (make sure it doe snot get wet). I lived in Texas and my house sitter forgot to put flea meds on my dogs, and when i came home I had fleas in my house. This really works. You will see the fleas crawl up out of your carpet to get away from the salt, and the salt drys out the eggs too.

BettyBoopnhs said...

Hi, Any suggestions on keeping bunnies away from my garden.

Avah Ham said...

I don't have a bunnie problem where I live! Sorry
The bugs are my biggest problem.

Anonymous said...

Marigold keep bunnies away that's why she don't have a problem with them .I seen them in her picture off her garden.

Anonymous said...

Anyone know what works (besides non organic remedies)on whatever causes the rot a the base of Zucchini plants and some other squash?? It occurs about a month in to the season.

Nichole said...

You said: ep 7: Do not use pesticides. Natural is the best. This is not organic....but helps with pests.
Here is a recipe -1 gallon of water
2 cups of Dawn soap
2 cups of plain listerine type mouthwash
1 tsp cayenne pepper
------------------------/-/--///---------

NONE of those things are organic. Not even close. Very irresponsible advice.

Anonymous said...

She did say it wasn't organic. People can choose to use it or not. If you don't want to then move on to the next site and keep your bad comments to yourself. Guess!

jennie said...

Isn't Dawn toxic?

Anonymous said...

Regarding an organic pest spray, grind up a dozen hot peppers, a tablespoon of vegetable oil and a cup of water in a blender, be careful to wear gloves and eye protection while doing this and spraying. Add that mixture to gallon of water and spray plants at dusk. Also that rot on the zucchini plants is probably vine borers if it looks like wet sawdust, use row covers to cover plants right after they sprout and leave on until they bloom.

Sheryl said...

Squash borers,horrible. I've been doing a lot of reading about this. Neem oil mixed with water and a little Dish liquid or insecticide soap helps, also grinding up bay leaves and putting in the dirt when you plant. Marigolds, scotch tape to take eggs off underside of leaves and the last resort is when the leaves start to wilt, find the hole in the stem, use a razor to make a vertical slit, and pull out the worm. Then pile up more dirt around the cut and new roots will help the plant draw nutrients again.

Anonymous said...

Listerine is pretty close to being organic. The thymol is actually thyme oil. If Dawn makes you nervous, try one of the natural dish soaps, such as 7th generation, or that Dr. somebody's castile soap that you can use for anything.

tinamthiel said...

Does anyone have help with getting rid of slugs and snails?

Anonymous said...

Leave out a dish of beer. Slugs LOVE it. They crawl in and drow.

Anastasia said...

Would this work on cinch bugs in my lawn?

Anonymous said...

I used the natural bug spray. Followed the directions completely and it killed my garden. I am very upset about this. At least I found a good weed killer. Do not use the bug spray on any part of your garden. I wish I could post a picture of just how bad it is.

Anonymous said...

Do not use this recipe, it killed my plants also. Too much soap Goggle how to make organic pesticide and they say use like a teaspoon of soap not 2 cups per gallon.

Anonymous said...

The bug spray killed my plants and burned leaves on others...I dont recommend it

Unknown said...

My local master gardners say they won't crawl on dry dirt so make sure soil is not damp at night when slugs roam. Water with a programmed timer in the wee dawn hours when first lights comes. The beer gets some, but not a cure by any means.

Anonymous said...

Will this work on roses? I have a real pest this year, not afids.
10c

Sarah said...

If it's for suppressing weeds or bugs (i.e.) pests, it *is* a pesticide, regardless of how "natural" or "organic" it is. That is literally exactly what it is. Only your advice is worse than commercial products which at least are tested, clearly list the target species, give directions on how to use the product, include toxicity information, etc. I have absolutely no idea based on your list what your homemade concoction is for, how I'm supposed to use it, what the active ingredient is -- nothing.

People think that homemade concoctions like this are completely neutral and benign but miss the whole point that just like their synthetic counterparts, they are intended to kill things, and you need to take care with them too! These are not trivial details. You're lucky if the worst that happens is your brew kills the plants you're trying to protect (see above commenter).

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have an Organic Bug spray for squash bugs?

Unknown said...

I doubt Dawn is harmful. It is the only detergent used for wildlife rescue during the oil spills. I believe it has to be biodegradable as well as harmless to animals. I use Dawn all the time, just be sure to wash your produce before eating it.
Thank you for this garden remedy for insects. I am going to try it.

Unknown said...

When trying to keep out bunnies, deer and such go to a barber or salon ask if they will keep a bag of hair for you with out neck strip in it and then take it home sprinkle it all around your garden on the out side perimeter. This should work for about a week or two. Then do it again. I do this every year and also work in a salon so we are use to being asked to save hair for this every year.

Unknown said...

That's a lot of both soap and listerine. Listerine is pretty harsh. But I would actually tell the people who have never used soap sprays that you need to spray at night, not in the sun when the sun will heat the soap and listerine and burn it. A lot of people will rate your blog poorly for the fact that you failed to be complete with your directions and it killed their gardens. Happy growing ^_^ ohh and I use just 2 quarts of water, let a table spoon of cayenne sit for about a day then filter the water through a wash cloth and then add 1 1/2 teaspoon of soap and mix it in a tall squirt bottle and spray. Kills earwigs, aphids, beetles, slugs, etc. I use as soon as the sun is completely down. I also sprinkle crushed eggshells around my plants to prevent slugs and caterpillars as well as many insects. For chalky fungus I can't remember what it's called, I use 2 cups of water and 1 cup of milk. For every plant disease I use 2 up coated aspirins in a gallon of water. Blossom rot which occurs at the bottoms of squash, tomatoes etc, can be a number of reason but usually ends up being lack of nutrients in soil. Making compost tea or providing calcium helps rid of that. In all veggie and fruits do not let them sit on the ground once they sprout up. A squash should never sit on moist ground.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Cayenne pepper* and 2 uncoated aspirins*

Unknown said...

This solution killed/my plants

Anonymous said...

I sprayed this solution on my plants and by the next day all the leaves had either turned brown or had fallen off!!! I hope I can bring them out of it. I am extremely disappointed that something I thought would help with bugs ended up killing my plants!!!!

Anonymous said...

Salt. 48 hrs & use a bunch. It's cheap & just vacuum afterwards. It works better than fogging. If indoors wear shoes. It's a little inconvenient but it works well & won't your kids, dog, cat.

Laurie Kantner said...

I've been using a dry mixture of Cayenne pepper, powdered garlic, powdered dry mustard and flour for years. I think I got the idea from Organic Garden magazine. Just mix 1T of the seasonings to each 1 cup of flour. I buy the seasonings in the cheapest, largest sizes I can & cheap flour. Just dust the plants as needed. It won't hurt you, pets, or other animals but bunnies and such don't like it so stay away.

Unknown said...

I use Dawn blue in the yard to kill weeds(32oz white vinegar,1/4# salt, 2T Dawn) in the garden for bugs and mixed with water on the roses! It works great!

Unknown said...

That's a quarter cup salt.

Unknown said...

That's a quarter cup salt.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I use an organic recipe that works well for aphids: 2 cups boiling water, add the peel of one orange, let that sit overnight, strain, pour into pistol grip sprayer and 1/4 tsp. organic dish soap. Too much spraying or too much soap will kill the plant too. Soap is used as a "sticker" to hold the liquid on the place.

Unknown said...

I am HUGELY disappointed in this recipe!I tried being smart in applying it and waited until the sun went down before spraying. The next day it was humid and rained, then TODAY, when my husband came home from work, he discovered things were burned and wilting!After only one application!It wouldn't be such a big deal except we had a rainy spring and had to do a second planting! Things have been hectic, but my husband has been diligently tending and watering it all. My heart is sick to see him so upset! The directions you gave made it seem so simple! You left out ALOT! Not only are we out our time and sweat, but we will now not have the food we were counting on to feed our family over the winter! Lesson learned for me! I won't be trusting anything on here unless a friend has done it and I can see it with my own eyes!

Sello Mathakhoe said...

Very informative blog posts regarding how to grow organic garden correctly.
Thanks for your efforts!

Kind Regards
Sello Mathakhoe

             I love having flowers in my gardens. They attract bees, butterflies, other pollinators and some flowers actually repel the unwa...