The best thing you can do for your yearly harvest of produce, or for the best looking ornamental plants, is to construct the best growing space for them before you begin seeding and planting. Different plants have different needs, but there is a generalized type of garden bed that will grow most all popular and commonly available plants beautifully. And, preparing the best garden bed isn’t a terribly difficult task. Here is a simple method to prepare the ideal garden bed, suitable for most ornamentals and produce gardening.

Most plants require deep, very well-draining soil comprised heavily of broken down organic material. A good, basic way to accomplish this without much work is to create a raised garden bed and fill it with ideal soil right off the bat. This requires no digging or removal of sod, no tilling, and can be done on hard clay soils and improve on ground soils that are less than ideal for planting.

There are many kinds of raised garden beds. Commonly, frames made out of wood or any other available material in the shape of boxes set on the ground is a popular starting point for a raised garden bed, to be filled with soil later. You can use landscape block, bales of hay or straw, old tires, rocks, or whatever you have to frame a bed. Another method of raised bed gardening is called lasagna gardening, and similar in nature is a method called hegelkultur gardening. Both of these methods can be done in a frame, but are typically done without permanent borders. Both employ the strategic layering of different raw materials and are allowed to compost themselves over time.

Soil best for filling typical framed raised beds consists of ready to use fully rotted down compost. You can make this on your own or more commonly purchase it in bags from your local garden center. Make your raised bed at least 6 inches deep, and you can lay the compost into the raised bed right on the ground and the volume of the soil will kill the weeds and sod underneath. You can work in some manure or fertiliser of choice into the compost as well at the time of filling the bed. Beds constructed this way are ready to be planted in right away. A deep layer of compost will drain perfectly yet retain moisture well, and with mixed in fertilizer, the plants will be fed sufficiently for a long time.

Every fall or end of the growing season, work more compost and manure/choice of fertiliser into the raised bed, or mulch your bed well if you’ve constructed a permanent bed for ornamentals. The addition of mycorrhizae is helpful also. Good mulches break back down into the raised bed quickly, such as wood shavings, grass clippings, and shredded fallen tree leaves.

We hope this guide helps you prepare the ideal garden bed with the raised bed method. Raised beds are a fast, simple way to make instant space for plants and will help them thrive for years and produce heavy food crops.

More and more home gardeners are using organic practices with excellent results.  The next logical step in gardening is to strive for sustainability.  This is a philosophy aimed at the preservation of both healthy soil and precious resources. You want to grow organic crops that are good for your family, but you also want to take responsibility for the wellbeing of your land, whether it is the soil in a tiny container garden, a series of raised beds, a large stand alone garden, or even several acres that you may have under cultivation.

Here are some simple practices that you should follow in an effort to become more sustainable.

Water Conservation

One cannot overemphasize the importance of water preservation around the world.  It is a dwindling commodity and every bit of conservation at the local level is very helpful.  Get involved by utilizing rain barrels at home.  Rainwater caught from your roof will fill a 50 gallon barrel very quickly during a mild rainstorm.  Try to hand water in order to avoid waste.

Compost

Everyone should be composting!  It is easy and inexpensive, but above all it is highly beneficial to the health of your soil.  Site your compost pile in a sunny location and simply begin by piling

up leaves, grass clippings, garden waste,etc.

 You should also be adding kitchen scraps and most leftovers (no meat products), and do this throughout the year.  Occasionally you will have to turn your pile over with a pitchfork in order to aerate it and allow the soil to really “cook” in the sunlight.  Before you know it you will have buckets of compost for spreading nutrients back into the soil.  If you live near the ocean, gather up some seaweed and add this to the pile.  As it breaks down, it also serves as a great way to aerate your soil allowing tender plant roots to really take hold.

Compost bins are also worth considering.  They are available at any good garden center or home
improvement store and make composting easy and neat.

Spread the Word

Sustainable practicing gardeners (especially old ones!) are a wonderful source of knowledge.  Most love to talk about their successes and failures and what they have learned along the way.  As you learn about composting, crop rotation, pest and weed control and many other sustainable techniques, it is up to you to pass this knowledge on.  Join the locally grown organic and sustainable movement and we will all be better off in the long run.

As urban sprawl continues more and more people are coming into contact with snakes. People living in rural areas are not normally that concerned as they have encounter a variety of snake over their lifetime their lifetime so not normally a concern. Some snakes are poisonous and can be fatal so it is no surprise to see people living in fear and are susceptible to snake oil salesman (couldn’t help the pun) selling pseudo-science. Many companies have grown around this phobia to offer sophisticated solutions to repel snakes from their premises or surrounding. Solar snake repellers don’t have a great reputation as honest/scientific tools as determined from experts in the field as can be seen at https://www.facebook.com/SnakeRepellentInvestigators . They are making millions so why don’t they get them tested by real independent testing authority? We some tips and tricks to keep the snakes away from your surroundings and make it a safe place to live for you and your loved ones.

 

What can you can do to prevent snakes from entering your backyard:

• Eliminate as many hidden or covered places as possible.
• Remove any area that you suspect might be a snake heaven in your backyard. Snakes love ponds or water sources.
• Remove tall grasses, shrubs, wood or rock piles, boards, logs or anything that you think will allow snakes to crawl under.
• Keep away/control rats, mice, frogs, lizards or anything that serves as a staple diet.
• If you spot a snake in your backyard, do not attempt to chase it away yourself. If they sense a threat, they may turn defensive and attack. Instead call up professionals (snake catcher).

 

Some natural ways to ward off snakes from your backyard by planting some commonly available plants (not scientifically tested but cheaper than wasting money on solar repellers):

 

Wormwood (Artemisia)

It is commonly known as Felon Herb, Wild Wormwood, Henry, Sailor’s Tobacco, Old Man, St. John’s Plant, Naughty Man, Old uncle or Chrysanthemum Weed. Wormwood is considered invasive at few places. This plant can be very commonly found growing on nitrogenous soil, like waste land or road side. It’s a tall herbaceous perennial plant with woody root. The only downside of this plant is that it is very invasive, that means it takes over wherever it is planted and throws up another issue of management control.

 

Tulbaghia Violacea

This is a popular garden plant and is good for even most difficult part of the garden since it can stand prolonged drought. The plant also makes an ideal candidate for herb garden since both its leaves and flowers can be used in salads and other dishes. It is also considered as a medicinal plant since it finds use in curing many diseases such as sinus, headaches. The plant is also good snake repellent and it is this reason Zulus plants it around their homes.

 

West Indian Lemon Grass

Believe it or not, snakes don’t like citrus smell from the leaves. The good part is that this plant requires very minimal care and would do just fine on its own.

 

Sarpgandha (Rauwolfia serpentina)

This plant is known by variety of local names and is commonly found in Asian countries mainly India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Nepal and Bhutan. The plant is known for its ability to repel snakes away.

 

Andrographis paniculata

This herbaceous plant is commonly found in India and Sri Lanka and is widely cultivated for the treatment of some infectious disease. In Malaysia, it is known as ‘Hempedu Bumi’ which literally means bile of earth since it is one of the most bitter medicinal plants.

We live in a technologically advanced world where we have a number of machines to do our household chores. When you need food, you can easily cook it in a microwave oven; when you need clean clothes, a washing machine can do the deed and when you need entertainment, television, laptops and smartphones can assist you. But have you ever wondered that these little things that save your time and keep you happy may be having some side effects.

 

How EMF is a danger to your family?

If not, then do brush up your knowledge on EMF over here. Every electronic device, whether it has a wire or not eminates electromagnetic fields that are very harmful for you and your loved ones. The EMF can be a very dangerous source of stress in human beings and can also harm their immune system. It can further lead to vulnerability of a human to chronic diseases. Researchers have also claimed that too much exposure of EMF to small children can lead to deadly diseases like cancer.

 

How to deal with EMF related risks?

Well the simplest solution would be to do away with all the electronic devices at your home and start living a technology free life. But we all know that it’s not a viable option so have a look at some of the most viable options that can assist you in keeping your family safe from EMF.

• Minimizing the unnecessary uses of technology like cooking every dish in a microwave oven can be a feasible option.
• Removing the plugs when the device is not in use should be adopted as your new good habit.
• Not using electronic devices like smartphones when they are charging or have low battery should be considered by you.
• Last but simply the most important option is to buy a high quality EMF meter that can track the intensity of EMF on a person or in a household can help to to get alerts whenever your exposure to EMF level is too high.

People always worry that putting up an EMF Meter can make them feel stupid but they are not aware that there are many types of EMF meters that can easily be put on your body. They are usually in the form of key chains and even bracelets which would help you to preserve your image in front of others.

How often have you brought fruits or vegetables that looked great but turned out to be floury? Well, outer appearance might not always offer a great way to determine the quality. Many wholesale agricultural buyers are often plagued with the same challenge of determining fruit and vegetable quality objectively. The challenge for farmers is to figure out the optimum time to pick fruits and vegetables to deliver maximum taste and nutritional value. The BrixMeter™ brings solves these issues in an objective way. It is an easy to use tool that quickly presents objective information to solve the above problems. In simple terms, the BrixMeter™ is a professional refractometer that measures the amount of dissolved solids in fruits, vegetables and grasses. It helps the customer/wholesaler/farmer to arrive at sugar level content or minerals (nutrient density) in fruits or vegetables.

 

BrixMeter™ equips you with a scientific method to determine quality produce. The higher the refractometer reads, the better will be the taste and higher will be the mineral content.

 

Benefits for Growers/Farmers

• Find out the best time for the harvest. For example farmers can measure the readiness of the hay or the best time to pick fruit from their orchard.
• Helps you to ensure your customers get the best tasting fruits and vegetables.
• Enables you to offer most delicious ripe fruit when someone visits your orchard/farm.
• Offers you a chance to regulate water and fertiliser supply to the plant by monitoring the sugar content of the growing plant.
• Provides useful information while grading fruits and vegetables.
• It is a much helpful tool for any Agricultural Cooperative Association and Agricultural Research Institutes.

 

Benefits for Fruit Wholesalers and Retail Customers

• Sugar content reveals the sweetness of the fruit. At wholesale market a buyer can easily determine how fresh (sweet) the fruits and vegetables are.
• If the sugar content of the fruit and vegetables are displayed on their bin, it will help the buyers know the quality of the product they are about the buy.

 

According to a recent estimate, 80 percent of the quality indicators in fruit and vegetables are represented by the natural sugar that correlate to great flavour and goodness. It is by far one of the best indicators of quality available in the market that can be obtained by one simple and quick in-field test. BrixMeter™ is a standard piece of tool for many agronomist and widely used in fruit and citrus industry. Currently juice factories and vineyards actively use brix meters to determine the level of flavour in juice and blend them accordingly but more agriculture operations are finding this tools useful . It has recently been observed as a trend adopted by several agricultural processing companies to offer some sort of bonus to incentivize farmers with fruits and vegetable of high brix readings. There is always a need for high quality produce and with this high quality a premium is expected to be reflected in the price. Determining quality produce in an easy/scientific way benefits everyone.

 

If you have ever enjoyed the shade of a tree or have admired a beauty of a flower or have eaten berries, you have benefited from the hidden world of mycorrhizal fungi. More than 95 percent of the world’s plants have some form of dependency on mycorrhizal fungi. This relationship occurred over 450 million years ago and will stay with us for many years to come.  When mycorrhizae fungi colonize the plant root system, they form a network that enhances the capabilities of plant to absorb more water and nutrients like phosphorus, copper and zinc. This enhances the growth and favours rapid development of roots and vegetative growth.

 

The term mycorrhiza refers to a group of fungi that form mutually benefiting relationship with many plants. These fungi either grow inside of a plant root or attach themselves with surface of the root. The fungi benefits from the food and nutrients of the plant and in turn spread their hyphae out in the surrounding soil to absorb water and nutrients and make them available to the plant. In this way they enhance the plant’s ability to take up the nutrient and the water. There is a mountain of research out there that shows that prevalence of mycorrhizae helps plants deal with drought and bio-balancing disease. No wonder why more than 95 percent of the plant kingdom has some sort of association or dependency on mycorrhizae. These benefits are not always immediately evident, especially in the case of short term crops unless they are planted where access to water or nutrient is restricted.

 

Some of the known benefits of mycorrhizae are:

• 2X faster growth

Roots with mycorrhizae spread over the available space more quickly owing to its spectacular extension. Mycorrhizae can increase the root capacity of a plant by 700 times in a matter of few months.

• Reduced water need by 30 percent

Since roots with mycorrhizae have more surface area to absorb water there is a reduced need of watering.

• Increase in survival rate by 75 percent

Roots with mycorrhizae enjoy greater capacity to absorb nutrients from the soil. This results in healthier and more vigorous plant that are even more resistant to stress.

• Improved soil structure

Mycorrhizae spread out their hyphae in all available space, inadvertently holding the soil particles together. Furthermore mycorrhizae improves soil structure allowing better water penetration by 25 percent and slowing down the erosion while stabilizing the soil.

• Increased nutrient supply

Mycorrhizae increases plant’s nutrient supply by acquiring nutrient forms that otherwise will not be normally available to the plants.

• Bio-Balancing nematodes and parasitic fungi

Root colonization by ECM and VAM fungi bio-balances plants from parasitic fungi and nematodes.

• Regulates carbon storage in soil

Mycorrhizae fungi enhance carbon storage in soil by fiddling with the quality and quantity of soil’s organic matter.

 

Due to residential construction or intensive cropping practice like application of fertilizer with pesticide content has resulted in considerable reduction of mycorrhizae content and have become reduced significantly. Supplementing VAM is the best way to correct these areas with low mycorrhizae content as well as adding a good quality carbon source like compost.

There are numerous reasons why cover crops are helping farmers all around the world to achieve better yields and fight weeds without any adverse impact on our ecosystem but we will cover the 10 most common. Farmers are not just chasing direct yield increases but also increases in soil fertility and improve soil structure besides reducing off farm environmental effects. They also promote biodiversity and the agro-ecosystem. If you have not considered using cover crops on your farm we have 10 reasons that may change your mind.

 

1   Improves Soil Fertility

Legume crops have the ability to fix nitrogen for the subsequent crop. It is a common practice among organic growers to include such crop to produce nitrogen for the rest of the crop rotation. Some cover crops are known for their ability to make more phosphorus available to other crops. Deep rooted cover crops bring nutrients up from deep in the soil profile.

 

2   Reduce Soil Erosion

Bare soil is easily washed away by rain. Cover crops tight canopy protects the soil from drying and scouring effects of wind and harsh impact of heavy rain. The loosened soil structure as a result of cover crop allows rapid absorption of rain and prevents runoff.

 

3   Organic Matter

Cover crops add organic matter to the soil. However the amount of organic matter they contribute depends on the cover crop species selected and the condition under which they are grown. While looking at organic matter return, it is important to consider climatic differences and how cover crop has been incorporated into the crop rotation as well. Cover crops help in maintaining organic matter. If no effort is made to maintain organic matter in the soil while continuing cropping, the level of organic matter in the soil will continue dropping.

 

4   Checks Nutrient Loss

Cover crops that take up nitrogen help to reduce nitrogen loss due to leaching. Indirectly it also helps to reduce the potential of contamination by nitrates in shallow aquifers. When cover crop is killed, nutrients held in the plant tissues return to the soil and are used by the following crop.

 

5  Fights Pest

Not all cover crop species are host for all pests. That means certain cover crops are non host for certain pests. Some cover crops even release toxic material to fight targeted pest. There are many common examples of cover crops that fight nematode population. One such example is marigold that restricts nematode’s reproduction.

 

6   Controls Weed growth

Many people believe actively pulling weeds will eliminate future weed from plaguing their garden. What they don’t seem to understand is that there is an endless supply of dormant weed seeds waiting to germinate. Cover crops play the most effective role of limiting the weeds by presenting tough competition for resources for them. Cover crops limit the sunlight that reaches weeds by rapidly creating a canopy cover and preventing weed from either germinating or surviving.

 

7   Improves Soil Structure

Cover crops enhances soil structure and increase soil biota activity. They also reduce soil compaction by making it porous. This enhances water percolation and retention. The dense root masses of the cover crops loosen soil structure as they decompose.

 

8   Emergency Forages

Cover crops can be grazed by ruminant animals during early spring before row crops are planted. They can also be used as a forage crop and feed source.

 

9   Soil Moisture

Organic matter contributed by cover crops acts like a sponge in the soil. They hold rain water and gradually release them to plant roots.

 

10   Cost Benefit

There are many cover crops to choose from to suit specific situation. They are much cheaper compared to vegetable seeds or seedlings. The other biggest benefit is their low maintenance. Majority of the variety can be planed and left alone.

 

While there are enough reasons why cover crops should be an integral part of overall sustainable agricultural farm strategy, it requires proactive and timely management for several reasons. Cover crops grow vigorously and if they are left as is in the spring, they will exhaust water needed for the subsequent crops. They will also serve as an alternate host or refuge for insect pest and disease. Residues from dead cover crop in the spring can delay soil warming and subsequent seed bed preparation. However these issues can be appropriately handled with timely management and the understanding of plant growth habits that are used as cover crops.

Beside classical fertilisers (N, P, K), plants need other micro elements such as Mn, Mg, Na, Ca, Mg, Co etc. to promote development and to develop resistance against stress factors such as drought, disease and pest. Many agricultural scientists claim that plant roots do not benefit substantially from classical method of fertilizer application since it is applied on the surface of the soil. This is the reason in the last decade there has been a rapid growth in the use of foliar fertilisers containing macro-elements and micro-elements. But are they really effective?

 

Before we get carried away with all of the benefits of the foliar fertiliser, we need to get the basics right. Foliar fertiliser is not the substitute to soil fertiliser application. Plants are designed to absorb nutrients through their roots. Leaves have waxy cuticle preventing water, nutrients and other substance to enter into the plant. When liquid fertiliser is sprayed on foliage, some of the nutrients get absorbed through the leaves. Heavy spraying will lead to considerable runoff from the foliage and the liquid fertiliser will soak into the soil. In this case some nutrients get absorbed through leaves but the majority of the nutrients are picked up by the plants through its roots. In some cases foliar application in high concentration can lead to leaf burn as the water evaporates leaving behind fertiliser salt.

 

Foliar fertiliser is effective when used in conjunction with soil fertiliser application. Foliar fertiliser is used to meet specific plant nutrient needs such as micro elements. Since micro elements are required in relatively small quantities by the plant, foliar fertiliser turns out to be the best proposition. Researchers are often seen citing the argument that the foliar feeding is up to 20 times more effective which is true. There is no doubt that leaf is highly efficient method of application, but they can absorb only relatively small portion, hence their ‘20 times effectiveness’ gets greatly over sold.

 

Many scientists often say classical fertilisers deliver additional production per hectare but the cost is also relatively high. What they don’t tend to realize is that minerals applied to the leaf do not travel throughout the plant and so foliar fertiliser application will never be able to replace soil fertiliser application. In classical fertiliser application the nutrients are taken to every corner of the plant through root uptake. Nutrients applied through foliar application travel max to max adjoining tissues, but no further. So even though foliar fertiliser application turns out to be cheaper, it is not beneficial for the entire plant.

 

In foliar fertiliser application, fruits as adjoining tissues get benefit from foliar application as it helps combat fruit disorder. Yet this is localised application and does not benefit trunk and root. So this cannot be construed as an effective method to handle soil imbalance. Foliar fertiliser application is just a temporary solution to meet the fruit and leaf deficiencies, but it can never be used as a replacement of soil fertiliser application. Though foliar application provides almost immediate way to feed the pant, macro and micro-elements are better absorbed through roots.

You won’t believe it, but you reading this statement correctly. Yes, organic and agro ecological farming can help the world feed itself says the United Nations report.  According to a report published by United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, current food production is sufficient to sustain the world food needs including the 8 billion people projected to inhibit the planet by 2030. This takes into account anticipated increase in the meat consumption and without adding genetically modified crop in the system. The report outlines that hungry is not primarily because of lack of food but because hungry people are too poor to buy them.

No one seems to believe that organic farming can feed the increasingly hungry world. Instead, organic farming is perceived as something for health conscious western middle class. There are enough studies to show the truth is counter intuitive. In fact organic and agro ecological techniques can result in much more food production per acre than conventional chemical based agriculture. A report published by ‘United Nations Environment Programme’ and ‘UN Conference on Trade and Development’ observed in 114 projects, two million African farmers doubled their yield by introducing organic or near organic practice.

 

Internationally experts agree that agro ecological farming such as organic farming is best at meeting the needs of the poorest people, while reversing the environmental degradation in the process.

 

World’s longest study that lasted 21 years and studied organic vs. conventional farming concluded that organic farming practices are much efficient, saves energy and helps to maintain biodiversity along with maintaining soil health for the future generation. Organic farming can produce about as much food as conventional farms and in some settings even more. This means no extra land is required in organic farming to produce the same amount of conventional farming.  However there is no doubt that there are yield gaps and it seems to be widest in the wealthy nations where farmers are using copious amount of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to drive maximum yield. It is also true that farmers moving to organic production observe low production in the first few years during which the soil and the surrounding biodiversity recovers from the years of chemical assault.

 

For years, family farmers have resisted corporate control and have worked relentlessly to diversify crops, protect soil, native seeds and conserve the nature. They have established local gardens and business along with establishing community based food system. These strategies have worked well and have been effective so far and so deserve a fair chance.

 

Again coming back to the question of ‘can organic agriculture feed the world?’, the answer is increased yield is not going to solve the problem and is just a straw man argument. The agricultural community is already producing enough food to feed 12 billion people, yet a billion go hungry each day. We are already out of water, fossil fuel, potash and phosphorus. The soil is depleting at an alarming rate and we have massive health and environmental problem standing in front of us as a result of GMOs, irresponsible pesticide use and industrial monocultures. This is where the real argument for organic farming lies.

 

Every year several farmers get badly hammered by Queensland Fruit Fly as they devastate their crops. Sometime they attack crop even at a very early stage when fruits are very small. Once few maggots enter the fruit, the plant drops the green pod and the crop is ruined. Adult fly lays eggs in the fruit. The larva then feeds on the flesh. Affected fruits are easily recognizable since the infected portion starts to develop rots and the skin around the stink mark turns discolored. It is a very grim situation for any farmer. The damage is very severe around mid and late summer compared to other times.

 

Every year fruit production industry suffers loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in damaged crops. Substantial amount of money is also spent each year to manage and control Queensland Fruit Fly. This results in reduction of fresh produce from valuable interstate and overseas markets. This in turn diminishes income and job opportunities in the affected regions. This also leads to rise in price of the produce and limits the availability.

 

There are many organic ways to control the damage caused by Queensland Fruit Fly. Most popular of them is the fruit fly lure that attracts and kills range of male flies. These male lure traps are hanged under the shady canopy where male flies tend to rest. But there is a serious problem with male only lure traps for two reasons:

1 – It only takes one male to fertilize hundreds of females. Can any trap guarantee 100% annihilation of male Queensland Fruit Fly? It outright sounds impossible, isn’t it?

2 – Males do not lay eggs in the fruit, it is female flies that do so. So it’s the females that need to be actually controlled.

Controlling only the males would mean every farmer in the district literally has to use this lure to be effective.

 

An ideal lure should be such that is equally effective on both male and female flies, for example Eco-Naturalure from OCP. The lure attracts both male and female fruit flies. It uses specific food based attractants and bacteria-derived insecticide called Spinosad.  Both male and female fruit flies are attracted by the lure and consume the bait, killing them by the organic insecticide.

 

The best thing about Eco-Naturalure is that it only targets fruit fly and does not harm beneficial insects that protects our eco system. Eco-Naturalure is not required to be applied throughout the whole tree. It just needs to be applied as a spot spray in 30cm patches around the plant foliage. It needs to be applied weekly and specially after the rain.

 

It is important to start protection measures early in the season as the female fruit flies can sting the fruit at a very early stage when they are just as small as a marble. Early application of Eco-Naturalure will prevent their number to explode later in the season. Since the lure uses organic insecticide, there is no withholding period even if it gets on the fruit. The product is registered with ‘Australian Organic Registered Garden Product’ and so you can be rest assured about the product in every way.