Organic Gardening And Your Greenhouse Introduction Now is a great time to get into organic greenhouse gardening. The reason is that the price of food, especially vegetables, is high and going higher. The reason is simple economics called the Law of Supply and Demand. There is more demand for food and vegetables because of emerging world markets whose population demand a better diet. There is also the US government which wants to turn our food supply, such as corn, into fuel. The government has passed a law regulating that our gasolines contain a specific amount of ethanol from corn. So these are two reasons why our food costs are high and you can see they are going higher. So now is a good time to start growing your own organic vegetables in a greenhouse. What Is Organic Gardening There are many definitions for what organic gardening is. In terms of this article, I will define it as using all natural products to grow plants without the use of chemicals. For example, I use a compost which is fertilizers that come from living items and natural mulch. There are many natural fertilizers out there that are free of chemicals. Also natural pesticides can also be found in nicotine that is great and has been found to be a stronger pesticide than man-made chemicals used for pest control. Greenhouse and Organic Gardening Using a greenhouse to perform organic gardening is much easier than trying to grow one without a greenhouse. Once you have your greenhouse located and built, then you need to prepare it for growing. Here is what you need to do: Soil - Select your soil carefully. You may want to take out of your yard if you can, but if you buy it, read the label carefully to ensure it is truly organic, with no added chemicals. Earthworms- Adding earthworms to your greenhouse soil is a good touch. They help the soil by breaking it down and adding natural nutrients. Ladybugs- Ladybugs are an excellent form of controlling pests in your garden, because they eat mainly aphids and other insects that eat your plants. You can usually get these from your local garden store or order them off the Internet. Fertilizer- I built a compost bin in my yard where I put my grass clippings and organic garbage such as coffee grinds, vegetable left overs and the like. Then before I start my spring planting, I mix the compost I created last year and mix it with the soil in the greenhouse. The earthworms then go to work and break it down further. Conclusion Starting an organic greenhouse now is going to save you money on your food bill and you can have your own fresh vegetables. I have been growing vegetables for over 30 years. My proudest season was when I grew a cabbage that was over 35 pounds. I have placed a picture of my greenhouse and a picture of a cabbage I grew in my greenhouse in Alaska at this site Greenhouse.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 20:47:44 +0000
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