Hello
Are you looking forward to harvest time?
The secret of gardening is to keep sowing and planting. Join my
Grow Organic Today - Harvest Organic Tomorrow Campaign.
A Quick Reminder
It's not too late to plant maincrop seed potatoes - they're still available here. See my website for advice on growing in containers.
Check Out My Seed Selection So Far
- Click here for Blog Entries - and see The Untidy Gardener for my seed selection so far.
Experienced gardeners continue to inform us that organic grown food has more taste. These are gardeners who have changed their methods for a reason. Because they know that excessive use of chemical fertilizers spoils flavour, texture and shape... ...
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Let me append a recent newspaper headline "Hands Off Our Peat" (the usual complaint from gardeners with attitude).
"Hands Off Our Peat - The Environment Belongs To Us All"
Along with the birds, bees and butterflies that are being destroyed by insensitive farming and fast gardening takeaways. I simply can't afford to buy those precious creatures that struggle to survive in our natural environment - so do take care not to destroy them.
Does Peat-Free Compost Grow?
It takes a little bit of extra care to blend your own composts from recycled materials that are free - plus organic fertilizers that you add. But that's what gardeners do. Follow my advice on problem composts
* Mix at least 50% garden loam (crumbly earth) into anything with stodgy high organic matter content like worm casts or wood mold,
* Avoid unreasonably cheap peat free recycled composts or alternatively,
* Dilute cheap recycled compost with 50% garden loam,
* Do make leaf mold - it's a good base for your seed and potting compost.
Peat Free Compost is available here - U.K.
For American Gardeners unfortunately - the soil mixes available on this link
 may include Canadian Peat. Most Americans know that dirt is free and you can improve it when you grow your own garden compost
with the help on this link.
Why Peat-Free?
Like our woodlands, wetlands, and heathlands - peat bogs are a natural habitat that is under threat of destruction by exploitation. But for gardeners it's all unnecessary.
Unlike farming where labour saving has been important - gardeners need to make friends with a garden to reap rewards in plenty. But we fall for bad habits imported from agriculture and sold by commercial horticulture.
Peat is a prime example. What is wrong with making your own compost? What is wrong with mixing in your own garden loam? It's free when you recycle!
Don't laugh - but sometimes I feel like I have an abnormality - a square head or something - all because I use stuff that is Not Made In A Factory.
Support Peat Free in Your Garden and please check this out.
More On The-Organic-Gardener.Com
Over the coming months I'll be providing new and clearer information on making garden compost, leaf mold, wood mold, worm casts, liquid manure and the like. It all starts with lawn grass. And my pages on growing lawns are set to be renewed in the next week or two.
All will become clear so do visit the-organic-gardener.com for more on how to make your garden grow.
Please don't let set-backs put you off. The key to success in organic gardening is to keep sowing and planting.
You'll find more advice on continuous cropping from my new page on organic crop rotation.
ENJOY FLOWER FRAGRANCE AROUND YOUR WINDOWS
You can easily grow your own fragrant plants for boxes, containers and hanging baskets, and path borders. And for U.K. gardeners - you can Grow The World In Your Garden. Find more at the bottom of these pages on: Flower Seeds
and Vegetable Seeds
For American Gardeners - growing on slopes can be tricky when rain washes your seeds away. Try this link for the answer.
LAWNS TREES AND HEDGES
The latest information has been posted by The Organic Gardener on garden machines here. Essentially it's all about getting the right tool for the job - and when you want a consistent even finish without a hard days work.
So take a look at my tips on lawn mowers.
Happy gardening.
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