Home-Eco Friendly Gardening
Eco-friendly gardening, more commonly known as organic gardening has become frequently popular as more people have become aware of the dangers of pesticides and other practices in commercial farming. People grow their own food at home in backyard vegetable gardens by their garden swing seats to not only save on money but also to make sure they grow pesticide free, heirloom variety vegetables. For many who grow flowers rather than vegetables want to keep organic for the simple reason that they do not want to be poisoned by their own gardens. Read more about kettler furniture.
Starting an Organic Compost Pit
Creating your own compost pit is the first step to avoiding commercial fertilizers. You do not actually need a lot of compost to fertilize a good sized garden bed. In fact too much fertilizer is just as bad as too little. You can also buy organic fertilizer at your local nursery. To begin your home organic compost pit, take a large container, like a pail with a lid and dump all your rotting kitchen waste in there. Some people use a small drum, others simply dig a hole in the yard for kitchen waste and keep the hole covered with one inch dirt to keep flies away. Kitchen waste will compost within a few weeks.
Cultured Earthworms
Earthworms hasten composition and create breathing holes in the ground. This is all good for your plants. But did you know that earthworms are now sold by the pound in many nurseries and they are used by organic farmers for their compost pits. Buy your own earthworm helpers and your compost pit their new home.
Companion Gardening
This is an old agricultural technique that has been practiced since the day of the ancient aztecs. Certain plants are planted together to help protect them from pests and even improve their growth. An example would be planting herbs between vegetables to help keep some insects away and to improve taste. There are also some plants that should never be mixed in with other varieties because they stunt the growth of neighboring plants, such as fennel and papaya. These plant will stunt the growth of other nearby plants and even eradicate younger seedlings as a competitive mechanism.
Choosing Local Seeds
A lot of local seeds are more resistant to pests and diseases in your area more so than hybrid seeds or even other regular seeds that have been imported from other places. The best way to find local seeds is to ask for them from other gardeners or specifically request to buy them if they are available at your nursery. This is especially important for vegetable that are prone to disease or pests. For instance, whole crops of tomatoes can fall ill to blight and rust leaf if your area is infected and prone to those diseases. But resistant varieties will go on growing until harvest without any problems or need for pesticides at all. Some home remedies do well in small gardens and in the early stages of a pest infestation or first signs of disease.