How do you garden organically?

[Meowmie]

Is there a reason you avoid manure? I haven't used it yet because I don't want anything to attract more pests onto my crop. I have heard it's good and 'natural' but I don't know if I believe that entirely as it wouldn't be difficult to add something to the manure. As for the compost, I can see how that's a problem. I produce an overflow of compost because my family eats a lot of fruits and veggies but haven't used it in large scale on my garden as I haven't been able to purchase or build a composting bin. I have never heard of spraying aspirin, banana water or a mild soap spray on plants. I will definitely keep that in mind for next year! Thanks for the tip

Manure should be well composted before it is used in the garden, to avoid problems with bacteria. If you use fresh manure you risk e-colli and other things.

 

[Chuck]

Manure should be well composted before it is used in the garden, to avoid problems with bacteria. If you use fresh manure you risk e-colli and other things.

You are exactly right. If manure were going to kill us all we would already be dead

 

[headfullofbees]

I keep intending to incorporate compost tea. I've read (and seen video) that you can just stir some in a bucket without having to have a pump, etc., though you have to stir repeatedly and again just before use.

Indeed you can, but since it's anaerobic, there is a small possibility that you could do more harm than good, and you will not get the maximum possible benefit, as compost leachate is not the same rich microbial soup.

 

[ChanellG]

Manure should be well composted before it is used in the garden, to avoid problems with bacteria. If you use fresh manure you risk e-colli and other things.

It should be, but in this day and age of shortcuts and the quick, fast buck... then again, there's the smell...

You are exactly right. If manure were going to kill us all we would already be dead

It's not listeria.

Indeed you can, but since it's anaerobic, there is a small possibility that you could do more harm than good, and you will not get the maximum possible benefit, as compost leachate is not the same rich microbial soup.

I just remember watching this one guy on You Tube who said he did it manually, and did it that way for decades, and his plants were just fine. A long time ago I read a book or an article that said a good way to do it was to just put compost in a barrel or trash can, fill it with water and place a goldfish in it. I was all set to do that until I learned about people using a pump and why.

 

[Chuck]

It should be, but in this day and age of shortcuts and the quick, fast buck... then again, there's the smell...



It's not listeria.



I just remember watching this one guy on You Tube who said he did it manually, and did it that way for decades, and his plants were just fine. A long time ago I read a book or an article that said a good way to do it was to just put compost in a barrel or trash can, fill it with water and place a goldfish in it. I was all set to do that until I learned about people using a pump and why.

We are not saying to go out and get fresh, steaming, green, right out of the animal manure. Manure based composts are made with already composted manure not freshly splattered cow patties. THERE IS NO SMELL UNLESS YOU DO NOT AERATE IT. Even semi composted tree bark will have an odor if left in a bucket of water with no oxygen. Nothing can live without oxygen and that includes the microbes in manure or that goldfish in a barrel. Even if the bag of manure based compost you purchased at WalMart wasn't completely composted the air in aerated compost tea will allow the microbes to actually consume the harmful bacteria and therefore no smell will occur.

 

[ChanellG]

We are not saying to go out and get fresh, steaming, green, right out of the animal manure. Manure based composts are made with already composted manure not freshly splattered cow patties. THERE IS NO SMELL UNLESS YOU DO NOT AERATE IT. Even semi composted tree bark will have an odor if left in a bucket of water with no oxygen. Nothing can live without oxygen and that includes the microbes in manure or that goldfish in a barrel. Even if the bag of manure based compost you purchased at WalMart wasn't completely composted the air in aerated compost tea will allow the microbes to actually consume the harmful bacteria and therefore no smell will occur.

Well, that's interesting about the compost tea, but I was just having a similar conversation with someone who swore they walked past a bag of manure at the store that reeked. As I said before, I just choose not to use it. I compost my kitchen scraps and my plants do just fine.

 

[Little1]

Manure should be well composted before it is used in the garden, to avoid problems with bacteria. If you use fresh manure you risk e-colli and other things.

I have a horse and on the farm there are a variety of animals such as chickens, goats, llamas, sheep etc. we compost the manure for months and it is quite a process that we go through but in the end we have the most fertile soil you could imagine and we grow the most beautiful veggies. In my opinion the soil is the key to the crop so it has to be good. We live near the coast in Florida and our soil is so sandy without the composted manure we would never make it. Have you ever turned a pile of composted manure? The temperature is so hot and as long as it is processed right there are no bacteria issues. You can't speed up the process or get impatient in the end you will be very happy. Certain manures are "hot" and others you can throw right on your plants. Since I have a horse and have a constant supply I have been known to make a tea or just throw right on my plants and water for an extra boost. Honestly, I can't imagine gardening any other way. There are horse farms all over that I promise you are willing to give you a steady supply, just call and ask.

 

[Meowmie]

I have a horse and on the farm there are a variety of animals such as chickens, goats, llamas, sheep etc. we compost the manure for months and it is quite a process that we go through but in the end we have the most fertile soil you could imagine and we grow the most beautiful veggies. In my opinion the soil is the key to the crop so it has to be good. We live near the coast in Florida and our soil is so sandy without the composted manure we would never make it. Have you ever turned a pile of composted manure? The temperature is so hot and as long as it is processed right there are no bacteria issues. You can't speed up the process or get impatient in the end you will be very happy. Certain manures are "hot" and others you can throw right on your plants. Since I have a horse and have a constant supply I have been known to make a tea or just throw right on my plants and water for an extra boost. Honestly, I can't imagine gardening any other way. There are horse farms all over that I promise you are willing to give you a steady supply, just call and ask.

I have nothing against using composted manure in my garden, and I do use it. I think your reply was meant for someone that said they would not use it, yet you quoted me?

I have to admit, though, I don't go pick up the fresh manure for composting myself. Yard is too small and husband wouldn't let me put it in the car!

I simply pointed out that manure often needs to be well composted first. Fresh cow manure getting into the water for crops like spinach and lettuce have cause many recalls.

 

[Idaho_Kev]

I use organic compost that I make myself, but if you're a new gardener, I think store bought organic compost is just fine. But I think my secret sauce in growing organically is getting my cold hearty crops early in ground as soon as the ground can be worked. This way, by planting early when the weather is still cold, there are no bugs to ruin the plants. The cold normally would destroy the plants, but I place a plant cover over the plant to warm the air and soil. It acts as a miniature greenhouse, which protects the plant during the cold weather. Here is a video describing my process in growing organically.

http://www.growitnowgarden.com/organic-gardening-tip/

 

[cyborg]

use organic seeds and grow organically from the ground up. WWW.edenbrothers.com is my source.

 

[Mika]

I mostly buy non-GMO seeds. I'm not sure if I'm really worried about them or not, but the supplier I use is non-GMO so that's what I get.

I don't normally try to grow organically, but I suppose I do since I don't like wasting money on chemicals. I put lots of compost in my garden and give natural (aka leftovers) to the plants. For example, I save all of my egg shells in a container so I can put them with the plants that need extra calcium. I have tried bonemeal as well. Apparently we didn't have enough calcium in the ground for our tomatoes and peppers and we were loosing 95% of them every year so I had to do something.

I do use dawn soap + water if one of my indoor plants get infested with bugs - like my lemon tree - but other than that I mostly just let them do their own thing.

 

[Smartmom]

You just do not add chemical enhancers to help your garden grow. No one needs them. I grow a garden every year without the use of chemicals like miracle grow. I don't even use pesticides. I use natural pesticides if needed.

 

[headfullofbees]

I've just put another large batch on my allotment, and I'm stunned again at its effects.
In this part of the UK, we've had a late spring, and I am WEEKS ahead of everyone who hasn't started using our techniques.
We had three really cold nights in a row, for the time of year, 8th, 9th, 10th June, where, according to Blightwatch, the minimum temps were 3.8C, 2.5C and 3.7C (approx. 36.5 - 39.5F), during which, many of my fellow allotmenteers unfortunately losy a number of their crops (notably beans and sweetcorn); the extra resilience given by compost tea means that my beans are about to come into flower, and my other plants just shrugged off the cold.
Amazing!

 

[Fernsdaddy]

I stopped using chemical in my yard about 11 years ago,Most insects can be gotten rid of spraying the plant with water or my hand,I do a lot of green composting all season, come fall I add the leaves from the trees to all my flower and veggie bed and let them sit and rot all winter then in early spring I dig them in the the garden. If I get a change to get to the rabbit farm I bring back a load of rabbit manure. Adding composted leaves to a peony bed will make then happy and grow like crazy, I don't use and thing else in the peony bed.

 

[Corzhens]

Aside from compost that we get from the compost bin where we throw leftover vegetables, our main fertilizer for the plants is the water used to wash food stuff like meat and fish. That water has the nutrients washed off from the meat and especially of the fish. It makes citrus plants bear flowers. And what's good is it is for free and the only expense is the effort to bring it to the garden for the plants.