Organic Fruits and Vegetables World

infection in cabbage

Means of controlling pests and diseases have turned from chemical to organic. People today have been opting chemical-free measures to eradicate these harmful substances from infesting their crops, as much as they prevent their children from harboring such harmful substances. Likewise, this also promotes the cultivation of purely organic vegetables while also preventing allergies and other unwanted reactions out of synthetic substances. Thus, through an organic system (a  non toxic pest control system), you are sure that you are growing healthy produce.

Five Easy Ways to control pests ORGANICALLY.

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Yesterday my friend Ryan visited to my place for lunch. After lunch, I went to show him my garden where I grow my fruits and vegetables. Then he saw my glass box placed in a dark corner, were I grow my own Mushrooms. He was wondering, how my mushroom are growing so beautifully ? how its bulb is so clear and flourishing? Then he mentioned that, Several times he tried to grow them but, could not succeed. Every time his mushrooms died. All his labor went in vain. He invested hundreds of dollars in buying mushroom growing kits and but none of them bring any success to him.

He wanted to grow them, but feared, as there was no one who can help him doing so. I offered him to support and asked to go to his place and find what the problem is.

At Ryan’s place, I saw the site was prefect, the way he explained the steps he followed for the cultivation was also correct. He mentioned that, He read some book or instructional booklet and follow the steps written there. I requested for the booklet he was following. The booklet has all the instructions written was proper. The only thing it missing was, the list of precautions which can stop contaminating the crop. I Promised Ryan to give him easy instructional steps to minimize the contamination which was killing his mushrooms. Few of those points I have explained here in the post. If you would like to receive complete instructions in detail, please request for free booklet of “Mushroom contaminations and steps to control it” by sending email to anand@enukkad.com. Please subscribe my newsletter to receive tips on mushroom growing and related topics.

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The word “organic” is used in gardening and framing means simply using only fertilizer and insecticides that come from plants or animals. Whether you grow fruits or vegetables, whether you got only 3 three square feet or 3 acre. Here I am going to explain about how to prepare and improve your soil to get the best results for your plants.

Strong, healthy plants requires fertile, healthy soil. Chemical fertilizers destroy the microorganisms and worms that are required to make your top soil rich and fertile.

Its myth that organically grown fruits and vegetables are smaller or have more insect or diseases. The truth is the healthy plant grown in healthy soil will ward of diseases’ and insects with very little help from us.

Organic gardeners feed their soil instead of their plants. Well-fed and cared for soil is full of tiny living organisms that feed your plants so you don’t have to. Plants growing in well-fed soil are also naturally problem resistant.

Guidelines for building healthy soil

1. Establish permanent walkways and don’t walk on planting areas.
2. Test and adjust the soil’s pH.
3. Add abundant amount of organic matter.
4. Add specific nutrients if soil test indicates
5. Till only when needed.
6. Don’t use Synthetic fertilizers of herbicides.

Adding organic Matter

Organic matter is anything that was once alive. In nature, plant and animal waste (organic matter) falls to the ground and breaks down slowly, providing nutrients for new plants and animals. Organic gardeners manage their gardens to mimic this natural nutrient recycling.

Spreading straw or shredded leaf milch around your plant is a good way to add some organic matter and slowly release nutrients to the soil. Growing a “green manure” or “cover crop” in the off season also adds organic matter and protects soil from corrosion. Winter cereal rye and buckwheat are two common choices.

But most gardeners count on compost and/or blended organic fertilizer for most of their organic matter. Compost is crumbly, sweet-smelling, perfect pre-planting fertilizer for vegetables.

To Add organic matter and nutrients, spread one of the following each spring before planting:

• 100 to 100 pounds of compost per 100 sq feet.
• 50 pounds of alfalfa, soybean or fish meal; plus 4 pounds of rock phosphate; plus 1 pound of kelp mean per 100 sq feet.

Adding specific nutrients.

If your soil is low in one particular nutrient, sprinkle a few hand full of one of the organic source below over each 100 square feet of soil.

Phosphorous. Granite meal (4% phosphorous) or rock Phosphate (30% phosphorous).

Potassium. Greensand (7 % potassium) or sul-po-Mag (22% magnesium).

Calcium: Bonemeal ( 24%calcium), Gypsum (22% calcium) limestone ( 50-80% calcium). Oystershell lime (96%calcium) or wood ashes (35 % calcium).

Magnesium. Epsom salts ( 10 % magnesium), limestone( 3-40% magnesium) or sul-po-mag (10% magnesium).

Working with soil

Soil should have a sponge like texture, with plenty of small air spaces. Frequent tilling or tilling when the soil is very wet or very dry, will harm the sponge. Squeeze a handful of soil in your hand before you start. If you can squeeze water out of it. The sol is too wet to till. Wait a few days and feel again. If you can’t feel any moisture, dot till. Give the area a good soaking, and feel it again the next day. A spreading fork is good for small gardens and permanent garden beds, Turn over the top 4 to 6 inches, break up the clods into ½ inch pieces , and remove any large rock. Loosen the lower soil by inserting the form as deeply as you can and rocking it back the forth every few inches. A power tiller is easier for large areas, at least for the first season.

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Growing Organic stuffs is easy.

Growing tasty, chemical-free vegetables isn’t hard. New vegetable gardeners and veteran gardeners, who want to reduce their use of toxic synthetic chemicals, will be delighted with their success if they follow steps discussed in posts available at this website.

I will elaborate each of such steps in several posts available on this blog. The first step required for growing organic fruits and vegetables is to choose a good garden site. If you already have some space in mind which you can use for gardening, take advantage of it. But, to decide the suitability of the space for farming, please consider the points I am going to put below. Here, I will explain the factors which is required to decide the quality of the good site.

why we need a good site?

So, first question is why we need a good site?  The answer is simple, farming on poor site will reduce your yield and cause headaches no matter how well you choose and care for plants. Good soil is nice, but almost all soils can be made into productive garden by adding lots of organic matter. Location is more important. Don’t hide your garden away; a garden you walk by every day will be better cared for, more attractive, and more productive then one at the far end of the yard where no one ever goes.

Which Location to choose ?

Choose a location which has
(1)  Full or nearly full exposure to sun and,
(2)  Has easy access to water.

So, you must be thinking what qualities (I mean the “bad one”) make a site poor.  They are following:
(1) Low areas where water puddles after rain.
(2) Area with steep slopes, where water doesn’t stay for a while.
(3) Shaded areas or area where tree roots will complete with your vegetables.
(4) Areas where wind blow very fast.
(5) And the most important, Site next to streets where fumes and runoff can cause problems.
Now, if you are in a situation where you have a site with any of above mentioned poor quality present or you are thinking that you don’t have an ideal site, then my advice is just don’t bother. We humans have quality to deal with most problems, just think of something to make such poor site to good site.

Few of my suggestions to make a poor site good are:
(1) Prune trees to increase sun exposure.
(2) Use raised beds to improve poor drainage or full them with purchased top  soil if your soil is contaminated.
(3) Build terraces to make steep slopes usable.
(4) Strong fances can deter corner-cutting kids, and hedges or vine-covered fences blocks strong winds and road pollution.
(5) You can even plant vegetables in planters on decks or paved areas if they are your only sunny space.

Anand Mallik.

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