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Fertilizing your plants may not be quite as simple as it would be if you used chemicals in your garden. Chemical fertilizers are certainly convenient. Most of them come in a form that only needs to be mixed with water and sprayed onto plants. But organic gardeners need a good, organic way of fertilizing their plants.

You need to pay careful attention to the package if you are going to purchase a pre-made organic fertilizer. Some of them are high in one of the major plant nutrients, but low in the other two. Plants generally need nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash. You should research which of these nutrients your particular plants need, so you can purchase the correct type.

Some common types of organic fertilizers include blood meal, fish emulsion, cottonseed meal, compost, manure, and seaweed fertilizer. Many of these can be purchased, but a lot of them can also be made at home.

You must be careful to fertilize when the ground is warm enough. Organic fertilizers need organisms in the soil to break them down and release the nutrients they contain. So the soil needs to be warm and moist so the organisms in the soil will be active.

1.Cottonseed Meal - Cottonseed meal is one common organic fertilizer. It is a byproduct of the cotton manufacturing process. It is great for acid-loving plants, because it has an acidic reaction in the soil. It generally contains about 7% nitrogen, 3% phosphorous, and 2% potash. Cottonseed meal is usually used for flowering plants like azaleas and rhododendrons.

2.Fish Emulsion - Fish emulsion is a very popular organic fertilizer. It is made of a blend of decomposed fish. It is a high-nitrogen fertilizer, and also contains a lot of trace elements than can be very beneficial for plants. Fish emulsion is a nice, balanced fertilizer.

3.Blood Meal - Blood meal is the blood of cattle that is collected from slaughterhouses and then dried and powdered. It is high in nitrogen, and care must be taken to ensure it does not burn plants. You should be very careful not to exceed the recommended dose, because this could really harm your plants. Blood meal is also high in several trace elements like iron.

4.Seaweed Fertilizer - Seaweed fertilizer in the form of a seaweed tea is often used by organic gardeners. Dried seaweed is added to water and steeped like tea, then applied to plants like other liquid fertilizers. This can be a very good fertilizer, and will not burn plants. It is very high in nutrients. Use a dried seaweed, and be sure it is not roasted or seasoned.

5.Sewer Sludge - Some people use sewer sludge for their fertilizer. It is made from recycled material from sewage treatment plants. You can purchase activated sludge, which is higher in nutrients, and you can buy composted sludge, which is not quite as good. It is generally found in a granular form. There is some concern over the safety of sewage sludge, because it can contain buildups of heavy metals like cadmium. This can build up in the soil in potentially harmful levels.

6.Manure - Manure is a well-balanced fertilizer, but it is relatively low in the nutrients it contains. It is a very popular fertilizer, but it just is not high enough in these important nutrients to make it a viable choice for home gardeners.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com

Dealing with pests is one of the biggest problem of organic gardeners. An infestation of aphids or cutworms can absolutely devastate a garden. An entire row of plants can be wiped out in a matter of days or even hours.

Hence, prevention of infestations rather than treating them as and when they occur is crucial. This can be done by spraying your plants with solutions that deter many of the most common garden pests. There are many organic solutions available. However, you can make your own by using recipes that can be found in most organic gardening books. Most of them are similar to tea and are concocted with ingredients like hot pepper sauce and garlic.

Organic or Biological Control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests including insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases that relies on predation, herbivory, parasitism or other natural mechanisms. Biological Control reduces pest populations by using natural enemies of the pests and typically involves active human participation. Classical Biological Control is the introduction of natural enemies to a new locale where they did not originate or do not occur naturally. One of the earliest success of biological control was with the cottony cushion scale, a pest that was devastating the California citrus industry in the late 1800s. The vedalia beetle, a predatory insect and a parasitoid fly were brought in from Australia. Within a few years, the cottony cushion scale was completely controlled by these introduced natural enemies.

Whenever possible, you should try to plant species that are native to the area where you reside as these plants have natural immunity to many common diseases in the area. There are also plants that are pest-resistant, and will not have as many problems with pests of other varieties.

You should also try planting early to avoid the worst part of the bug season. Insects have just a short period of each year in which they will be active and eating your plants. Thus if you plant early, you may just be able to harvest before those insects terrorize your plants.

One other method is to encourage natural insect predators like ladybugs, praying mantis, ground beetles, and birds to come into your garden. Plants like mint and rosemary can help attract many beneficial bugs that can help you keep the destroying insects under control.

It pays to keep a close eye on your plants as you will then be able to spot potential problems before they get out of control. If you see a hornworm on your tomato plant, pluck it off quickly and drown it in soapy water. By keeping a close watch on your plants daily, you have a chance to stop these problems before they become too difficult to handle.

If you are having trouble with a particular pest, you can take pictures and then try to identify the pest. Go online and try to search for it. If you cannot identify it, you can take your pictures to your local county extension office or library and ask for help identifying it.

Some pests can be prevented by installing netting over your plants. This is probably the last resort you would want to use to save your plants from utter devastation especially when you are experiencing a particularly bad season of beetles or other such bugs.

Just remember, netting will also prevent beneficial insects from reaching your plants, so if some pests make it through, it may be harder to detect them and for predator insects to control them.

Pest control is a very difficult part of organic gardening. If you lose a crop to insects, you may be tempted to abandon organic gardening and rush out to buy a chemical spray. A lot of organic gardeners experience this so do not feel bad. It can be frustrating dealing with pests especially when you have put in a lot of effort to take care of your plants all season.

But just remember, organic gardening has many benefits that is truly worth going through all that extra work. Your entire family will be rewarded with healthy foods that are safe to eat!

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at EarlyPlanet.com

Weeds compete with other crops and convert many productive land into unusable scrub. Weed is also often poisonous, distasteful and interfere with the use and management of desirable plants by contaminating your harvests.

Many weed control strategies have hence been developed in order to contain the growth and spread of weeds. One of the basic methods is ploughing which works by cutting the roots of annual weeds. Another commonly used technique is by using chemical weed killers known as herbicides. However, these cannot be used in an organic garden. So what can you do?

First and foremost, you will need to identify the kind of weeds that is found in your garden. You can then use the appropriate method to get rid of them. We will now look at a few of the most commonly found weeds and how to get rid of them.

You should always pull them up with a hoe before they flower. And you can spread corn gluten over the areas you wish to remain free from dandelions in the early spring. This will help keep a lot of the seedlings from growing.

Crabgrass is a major pest in many yards and gardens. It is very tough to pull up, and especially difficult to get rid of. You must pull up the entire plant, including all of its roots. To suppress further growth, you can spread corn gluten in the early spring. You can also mulch to prevent the seeds from germinating.

Poison ivy is one horrible plant that causes severe rashes even with a very mild exposure. You should always wear gloves when handling poison ivy and do not ever let in come in contact with any part of your skin.

To get rid of poison ivy, you must cut the plant at the base and then let it dry out completely. Bury the vines or throw them away in the trash. You must never ever burn them because even the smoke can be fatal! Do not compost poison ivy either.

Lamba Quarters is an edible wild green. There are some who grow these for food but most people think of them as common weeds. Removing them can be quite a task. You can hoe or pull up the plants when you seen them and then mulch heavily to suppress the seedlings.

Ragweed is one weed which many would want to extricate. It is a very common allergen, and its pollen is a major cause of hay fever. There are several ways to get rid of them. You can try to hoe up the seedlings, and use a mower to mow down the full-sized plants. You can also mulch to cover the areas where it grows. Thirdly, you can also compost ragweed if it has not yet gone to seed.

Purslane is an edible plant which can be removed by hoeing them individually. If you pull the plants, do not leave them lying on top of the soil because they can re-root themselves. Do not compost them either as the seeds of this plant can mature after the plant has been pulled. You can mulch to prevent them from growing.

Prickly lettuce is an annoying little plant which causes itching and burning if it comes in contact with skin. Always put on your gloves when you handle it. You can pull or hoe plants, or cut the taproot below the soil. You also might wish to leave it alone, as it can attract beneficial insects. However, be sure to keep it away from your lettuce patches as it can carry lettuce diseases.

Cocklebur is poisonous to livestock, so you should be sure to keep it away from your animals. You can hoe or pull plants beneath the soil line. You can compost it if it has not yet gone to seed.

Another method of weed control includes covering the ground area with several layers of wet recycled paper for several weeks. In the case of using the wet recycled paper, the multiple layers prevent light from reaching all plants beneath, which kills them. Saturating the recycled paper with water daily speeds the decomposition of the dead plants. Any weed seeds that start to sprout because of the water will also be deprived of sunlight. It will be killed and decomposed.

After several weeks, all the germinating weed seeds present in the ground will be dead. Then the recycled paper can be removed and the ground can be planted. The decomposed plants will help fertilise the plants or seeds planted later.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at EarlyPlanet.com

Organic Gardening is gardening without the use of man-made chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers. It is said by some of its supporters to be more in harmony with nature. An organic gardener strives to work in harmony with natural systems and to minimize and continually replenish any resources the garden consumes.

The organic revolution is a global phenomenon witnessed in every part of the world. Global organic food market was about USD36.7 billion in 2006 and over 30 percent or USD13.6 billion of the global demand stems from the US, according to Datamonitor.

Organic food refers to food items that are produced, processed and packaged without using chemicals. Organic food is increasingly becoming popular due to its perceived health benefits over conventional food.

The organic concept is not limited to food items. Due to excessive usage of harmful chemicals in cosmetics, people are turning towards organic cosmetics also . One can often see organic skin care products, organic shampoos, organic soaps, and organic make up products on the shelves of organic stores.

Droves of people are turning to organic produce as a way to feel safer about the foods they eat. People are worried about the foods they put into their bodies. With all of the reports of food poisoning from fruits and vegetables, many people are worried about what they are eating.

We now know just how dangerous all of those chemicals that we spray plants on can be, too. Many chemicals have been banned because they were shown to cause cancer! But some of these dangerous chemicals have not yet been banned, and there may be plenty of hidden dangers that have not yet been discovered.

When you garden organically, you can feel safer about the food you eat. You will know that the food you are feeding your family is safer and healthier than the questionable stuff you find in the grocery store. You and your family deserve to eat food that will not give you all cancer!

Organic gardening is also extremely beneficial to the environment for several reasons. For one thing, every time you spray your plants with chemicals, those chemicals wash off of your plants and onto the ground. From there, those chemicals wash down into the ground, and eventually make it into the groundwater!

When the insects on your plants are poisoned, they can be eaten by birds or other animals. These animals can then become sick and die. If the toxicity was high enough, any animals that eat those animals might also perish. This can have a very strong environmental impact.

By killing too many of a certain species of insect, you can also cause an imbalance in the local wildlife. If you and your neighbors kill off a large portion of the population of one insect, then anything that depends on that insect for food might also start to die off.

Then anything that depends on the second species for food might start to die. This could spin out of control if the problem became too widespread. This is unlikely, but it is not impossible. Organic produce is also known for its superior flavor.

For example, organic carrots are widely known for being much sweeter than traditionally-grown carrots. They do not have the same bitterness that other carrots can have. This is a very good reason to grow your produce organically, even if you aren not worried about the chemical effects to your body and the environment.

There are obviously a few drawbacks to gardening organically, too. You have to deal with pests differently, and it can be a longer and more complex process to rid your plants of certain pests. Instead of picking up some chemicals, you have to pick off insects by hand and drop them into soapy water.

You have to spray your plants with solutions made of things like hot peppers and garlic to prevent some bugs from eating them. It can be difficult. You also have to stick to organic fertilizers, rather than using easy chemical fertilizers.

But organic fertilizers can actually be cheaper, because you can make them yourself. Fish emulsion is a common organic fertilizer. It is a sort of tea made from dead fish. Seaweed fertilizer is another tea-like fertilizer that many organic gardeners swear by.

And of course there is natural compost that can help you make use of your kitchen waste! The benefits of organic gardening far outweigh the few drawbacks. It may be a bit more work, but it is so rewarding!

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at EarlyPlanet.com

Edible landscaping, especially when paired with organic gardening practices, enhances any yard, garden or landscape.There are hundreds of edible plants that would look perfectly lovely in a landscape, but some of them work better than others.

Many plants will not look very good later in the season.Some of these plants quickly turn dark and lose their leaves. You want plants that taste great, and at the same time keep their appearance long enough to be a practical part of your landscape. It is no good to build plants that lose their looks in late summer into your landscape design!

Here is a look at some of the best choices of edible plants for landscape design. We have included mostly plants that require minimal care and look attractive, while providing something very edible:

Golden Streaks is a kind of mustard that has heavily serrated leaves in a beautiful golden citron color. It has a very mild taste that is slightly sweet. This is a striking plant that has a wonderful flavor.

Hansel Hybrid eggplant is a stunning plant. It has a two-foot-tall plant that produces huge clusters of fingerling eggplants in a delightful deep purple hue.

Pesto Perpetuo basil is a one to two foot basil plant with absolutely gorgeous variegated leaves. The leaves are a rich green with a fringe of white. It tastes like Greek basil, but the appearance is wonderful in a landscape!

Purple Peacock broccoli is a hybrid cross between broccoli and two different types of kale. It has a purple stem and loose, purple head.

Violetta Hybrid pak choi is an amazing variety of this Chinese green. It has lovely purple leaves that are packed with more nutrients than many other types of greens!

Red Popper is a type of miniature bell pepper. The fruits are only about one to two inches in diameter and are very sweet and delicious. You will love the way these bright red peppers look against the rich, green foliage!

Sweet Lace grapes are a small, patio-sized variety of grape. They have very pretty leaves and produce pretty white grapes in September. These can be grown in containers, and they can also be trellised easily. They make a beautiful accent to a fence or wall.

Red Veined sorrel is a variety of this classic wild green. It has light green leaves with a truly spectacular series of red veins all throughout. The taste is very sharp, so it is best in salads with mild greens. This one is particularly striking in appearance.

Purple Mizuna is a fabulous type of greens. They have a very tangy flavor, and grow very quickly. Mizuna greens are already quite attractive, but this purple variety is particularly nice.

Mittistone is a summer-crisp lettuce of the loose-leaf variety. The leaves are green with red speckles. It is a sweet, crisp lettuce variety that tastes as amazing as it looks. It matures quickly, and looks just as beautiful in your yard as it does in a salad bowl.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com

Edible landscaping is the use of plants that produce food in place of more commonly used ornamental plants.More people these days have chosen to create natural landscapes including those that contain plants that are useful or can be consumed. Many of these vegetable plants are very attractive, and have ornamental varieties.

Most people who create edible landscapes use perennial vegetables, because they come back year after year, without the need to replant them each year. Once you have planted them, they will continue to provide you with beauty and food as long as you care for them.

Aside from the occasional weeding, pruning, or insect control, a little watering and feeding is all most of them need. There are plenty of varieties of vegetables that you can plant that will keep feeding you year after year.

These plants will usually die during the winter, but every spring they return and go through a growth cycle again. With the prices of fresh vegetables and fruits rising at an alarming rate, it is a very good idea to grow some of your own.

You might not want the responsibility of caring for a traditional garden. Traditional gardens require great efforts to maintain. You must constantly weed, rake, hoe, water, fertilize, and spray traditional gardens. But edible landscapes require little more effort than traditional landscapes!

You can use many different types of edible plants to replace various aspects of traditional landscaping. Standard trees can be replaced with fruit trees and many perennial herbs can be used to replace ground covers and shrubs. Ornamental vegetables can be used in place of flowers, borders, or other accents.

Edible plants can be mixed with other plants to form beautiful combinations. Some edible plants, especially herbs, make great additions to flower gardens. All kinds of plants can be mixed together for different looks.

Curly parsley looks beautiful with many different types of plants. You can plant it with pansies, lobelia, strawberries, dusty miller, or dianthus. Sage and oregano are very beautiful plants, and make great low shrubbery. They look fantastic as edging in front of larger bushes.

Leaf lettuces look lovely planted in beds as accent areas. You can plant a bed of different colors and varieties of leaf lettuce, and then edge it with a border grass. There are several types of plants that have edible flowers.

Many of these plants also have other edible parts. They can look very striking as part of a landscape while they are in bloom. Sugar snap peas have gorgeous white, pink, or purple flowers, and they produce delicious peas.

Fava beans produce white and red flowers. Chives have amazing purple globe-shaped flowers. Dill has lovely yellowish blossoms. Nasturtium blossoms are edible, and comes in red, yellow, and orange. Sage has blue and purple blossoms. And salvia also has blue and purple blooms.

Perennial herbs and vegetables are superb for planting in edible landscapes, because they require so little maintenance. You can try perennial broccoli, dandelions, sweet potatoes, rhubarb, sorrel, artichokes and Jerusalem artichokes, chives, fennel, garlic chives, ginger, and asparagus.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com