Raised bed Gardening Ideas

Today, let us learn Raised bed Gardening Ideas and Tips. Planting on the raised bed has a number of advantages when compared to planting which is done on the ground. Raised bed gardening construction can be done on your own by using several tips available on the internet. You can also go through the raised bed gardening images available in the respective websites which provide you with a lot of raised bed gardening ideas. So, if you are planning for gardening, think and learn raised bed gardening ideas.

Raised buds which are built-in:

Raised bed gardening helps to raise the plants in the soil which is higher than the ground level. Mostly, this will be done with few types of frames made up of wood, hay or any material which is repurposed. The starting cost to set up your raised bed will be completely based on the elaboration you make, but once it is in place, raised beds are inexpensive for maintenance than the traditional gardens, and they also have a lot of advantages.

The primary advantage of raised bed gardening is that it will be able to keep your garden at any place which makes it portable. Plants are mostly healthy and also very productive in a raised bed as the soil quality and drainage will be in your control. If the sides of the raised bed garden build with sufficient width, you can even have a place to sit in it.

It is common to include the plants in a container on a patio, but you should be able to include a raised bed into the patio structure with lumber and bricks easily. This will give a permanent place for perennial plants to get established and also mature.

Raised beds made of sheet metals:

One more greatest benefit of the raised bed gardens is they will sit above the underground frost line. This will make the soil to get warmed up rapidly at the time of spring and you can even start the planting early. If you are interested to keep the soil in a toasty way for the entire summer, try to take into consideration, building the walls for the sake of your raised beds out of some metal type like a sheet metal raised bed. Metal will make sure that all the heat which is coming from the sun is restored in the soil, Sheet metal is simple for the formation into shapes and a fantastic way for giving the heat which is required to grow Mediterranean plants like lavender or sage.

Beds raised in the square foot:

Making use of a raised bed in vegetable growing will let you control the quality of soil and helps in the prevention of getting compacted. The roots of vegetables can grow without any obstructions. The beds will not have a great benefit from being a part of raised bed gardening. Even the 8 inches of these beds will be sufficient for the improvement in the drainage.

Herbal spiral gardens:

Spiral gardens are considered to be a well-known technique of permaculture. They will improve the amount of planting area which is usable without even making use of more amount of space in your raised bed garden. These can be built easily with stone, wood, brick or you can even build it by piling up the soil. The shape which is not usual and the plant swirl will make prepare an attractive focal point in your respective garden. Herbs are the plants of your own choice, but you can grow any type of plants when you are choosing a spiral garden. All the plants will be reachable.

Read: Herb Gardening Design Ideas.

Raised bed with Hoop-house structure:

With a little amount of prior planning, you will be able to create a vegetable garden which longs for multiple seasons. Raised beds will allow you to regulate the conditions of growing in your garden and will put the vegetables invisible to the animals. If you are constructing a hoop house on the top surface of the raised bed, you can be prepared for any type of weather which gives you a good head start at the time of spring and a garden which can even handle the frost.

Border of the Raised beds:

Raised are the great options for yards which have steep slopes. By the construction of beds at their lowest surfaces, you will be able to create an illusion of a garden which is levelled. You can also see that raised bed gardening will not reduce your choices. Prepare your beds with sufficient width so that you will still have a flower garden which is layered and with a border which has shrubs framing the garden’s back and give a lot of room for perennials which will give colors, textures and also drapes which soften the edges.

Trough gardens:

The trough gardens will help us know the simplest ways for the creation of raised bed gardens. You can just fill the troughs use for feeding animals with some good quality soil and start the plantation. There is no requirement of any assembly. You will need to just make sure that you are drilling a few holes for drainage at the bottom before adding the soil. This metal will provide the garden with an industrial look and also helps to warm up the soil at the time of spring. Based on what type of plants you are interested to raise, the beds will require extra care at the time of summer.

Raised beds which are custom designed according to your space:

The design of raised bed gardens can be done in order to fit in any amount of space. With some amount of creativity, you can start creating a complete garden area. This raised bed which is multi-leveled can be constructed by using simple straight lines and it completes with a potting shed and arrangement of night lighting. You will need to add a section of the bench, and you will also have seating to plan for outdoor dining. Once the [plants are filled, this customized garden will give a rustic and completely natural look.

Raised bed Arbour:

Gardening which is done on an Arbor or trellis in a raised bed will make it even more easy for the harvesting of vegetables and will keep them cleaner than when they keep spreading on the ground. Vegetable gardening will let you raise more amount of plants without occupying much space. Food gardens specifically designed for the family will show that irrespective of what you are growing if it is either vines or vegetables which are sprawling, this garden will create a living arbor which will provide the vines with a lot of access to sunlight without taking plants into the shades in raised beds beneath. You can start creating an A-frame by attaching two bamboo poles and tether them and stretch the netting of the garden across.

Read: Garden Permaculture in India.

Space defining in a raised bed:

Gardens built in small spaces will frequently feel cluttered and not care. In contrast to this, the raised beds which are lining this garden will give architecture and structure for four seasons to this little garden. You will be able to create these buds for gardens with any shape from pavers, bricks or even decking material which is a composite one. They will not only define space but also make it look larger by breaking the view. They will also provide some additional seating area in the garden area which has shade.

Raised bed gardening with cinder blocks:

There are several ways to construct raised beds from the materials which are recycled. Raised bed gardening with Concrete blocks is one of the famous methods. Cinder blocks which are old will consist of fly ash, which will remain after burning the coal. Using it around edible plants is still in debate. Anyways, new blocks are prepared from concrete. They will also feel heavier than the cinder blocks which are old and are considered to be acceptable for a vegetable garden. You should be careful because they may leech lime which will increase the pH of the soil.

The raised bed which is Tiered:

Raised beds will not have any sort of limits. Once the raised bed is filled completely with flowers, it will be difficult to see the wood frame which is offering support to them. But it will look better all along the year. However, you can also decorate it with several greens all along your holidays and also across the year. You can construct your own wooden frames or you can layer successively in large containers just by passing metal pipe across the holes of drainage and then isolate them with washers.

Raised bed gardening wood type:

If you have a look around your areas of storage or if you go across few salvage shops in order to get the items which will make the raised beds attractive or easy for assembling, you will be able to create a raised bed garden on your own. This will not only look attractive but also less expensive and requires less maintenance. This will not need painting or even waterproofing. This will have longer durability than most of the products made of wood.

The raised bed gardening on a slope:

Instead of terracing the complete area of a sloping yard, you can start creating a garden at the level of the eye. A patio made of stone and retaining walls will help in the creation of a garden room which will be surrounded by raised beds making it more perfect for relaxation with a beautiful view. This will need a good amount of work in terms of removal of soil and stonework, but you will enjoy the fruits of this hard work for many years.

Milk crate garden:

This can be converted into any shape and this is also portable. You will just need to select a crate and move it more close to the kitchen. There is no requirement to drill the holes for drainage and if you want to change the soil, you can simply lift the crate and throw it in the pile of compost.

That’s all folks about “Raised bed Gardening Ideas and Techniques”.

Read: Impact of Soil Acidity in Agriculture.

Garden Permaculture Benefits, Principles in India

Today, we learn the topic of “Garden Permaculture Benefits”. Permaculture is a gardening movement that is spreading into modern agriculture. It is made up of two words – permanent and agriculture. We tend to think of agriculture, farming, and gardening as backbreaking labor that wrestles the fruits of the earth from the clutches of plant disease, infertile earth, and a multitude of different problems that can threaten our crops and risk yields.

Permaculture was developed with sustainability in mind. In a way, it sounds too good to be true – it’s a way of gardening that doesn’t pollute, feeds into itself, and doesn’t let anything go to waste. It is a relatively new method, conceived in Australia in the 1970s.

The major benefit is that it excludes outside fertilizers that can eventually harm the soil and pollute the land around the fields. This is because it mimics the natural ecosystem, and aims to recreate natural dependence and codependence based relationships that clearly work very well without human interference.

Read: Raised Bed Gardening Setup Guide.

We are only beginning to understand the fact that some chemicals used in industrial agriculture as well as small garden farming, can have a long-lasting effect on the ecosystem, and us, our neighbors and our families for generations to come.

A hallmark of a permaculture garden is actually doing less work. Farmers and gardeners depend on natural processes so much that most of the work that their modern counterparts do like weeding and control management is made null and void. One should know garden permaculture benefits as more interesting things are happing in this field.

The Principals of Permaculture

There are many principals of permaculture – some people say it’s three, some say there’s as many as twelve. But the main principles will always be renewability, integration, recycling, responding to changes.

Seeing the garden as a living thing that goes through cycles, and affects everything around it is key to understanding permaculture. Although gardening is the most popular form of starting permaculture, it’s worth it to look at the role greenhouses can play in permaculture in order to yield more crops and extend the growing period. Greenhouse gardening can be adjusted to reflect your needs as a gardener, and they introduce a great opportunity for control without pesticides, herbicides, and dangers that come with hail, flooding or larger pests. 

How to Run a Permaculture Greenhouse

• Greenhouses are tricky because they are closed environments. While permaculture mostly deals with an open natural environment, operating a greenhouse with permaculture principles is entirely possible.
• Solar Energy – the process of irrigation, cooling, and any other processes that require electricity should be powered by sustainable energy sources.

• Compost inside – in large greenhouses, bringing the composting inside not only feeds the crops with renewable nutrient-rich material but let’s not forget that composting generates heat. This will actually help to keep a greenhouse hot and help with managing resources.

• Bring in the farm animals – sometimes livestock like chickens are brought into a greenhouse in order to generate CO2 for the plants as well as a valuable fertilizer. In fact, the Polydome, a new concept urban greenhouse in the Netherlands brings in bees, chickens, fish, decomposers like mushrooms, over 50 different crops all together into a sustainable package of crops. Their goal is to show how cities can meet all their food needs while growing food inside their borders.

• Mix it up – one of the most important principles of permaculture is that monoculture is bad and depletes the soil very quickly. It also puts farmers at risk of one crop failure and being unable to use their resources later on. Like stated above, diversity is key to the success of permaculture.

• Using bees for pollination – bumblebees can be introduced to a large greenhouse in special boxes. They are less aggressive than honeybees and tend to work better with their human colleagues. The crops pollinated by them will be healthier, look better and yield more. Of course, if introduced properly, honeybees can also work great and produce harvestable honey as well.

• Think about your community – does your community need 3,000 tonnes of cucumbers? Tomatoes? Whatever single crop that commercial greenhouses grow? If not, maybe it’s time to rethink the concept of who you are benefiting and concentrate on community – permaculture gardens and farms tend to be the main source of all vegetables and a wide variety of resources for their local communities – especially if put in an urban setting.

• Water management – using as much water from rain collection as you can is good for plants. Managing it well is another secret – instead of traditional irrigation, special high beds can be made that supply water from the bottom – that way nothing is lost to evaporation.

Successful Large Scale Permaculture in India

The Dangers of Green Revolution

Permaculture gardens are successful in countries like the United States, Costa Rica, South Africa, Australia, Netherlands – everywhere in the world.

The idea of permaculture was first introduced in India in the late 1980s by India is an agricultural giant. However, small farmers often struggle and are preyed upon large corporations who control seeds, crops (such as potatoes) and are simply bad for small communities and community scale farming.

Even with monoculture farming and large agribusiness becoming bigger and bigger, India is in a unique position in the word to steer in a different direction and be financially smarter than countries that have bet their economies on products like soybeans, corn, potatoes and other large monoculture crops that are owned by large scale corporations and were part of the “Green Revolution” movement that got started in the 1960s and 1970s.

Of course, the “Green Revolution” helped India to become a grain exporter and adopted “modern” methods of farming from the US, like chemical farming and using large scale irrigation. But all signs point to the fact that it is not sustainable in the long run.

The incessant need for too much water makes farmers look for water deep underground – an expensive endeavor, which sometimes taps into deep salty water and makes the soil unusable for years and years. Because the soil is becoming poorer in nutrients, higher amounts of fertilizers are needed to sustain it – also a steadily rising cost to the farmers. 

Concentrating on Community

Indian farming is mostly compromised of small farms, and the idea of permaculture mostly centers around small farmers.

Today, there are many small farms that are starting to practice and experiment with permaculture. “Agriculture is not just agriculture – it’s a social responsibility,” says Narsanna Koppula, who is a well known Indian permaculturist.

Their elimination of gigantic farms and agribusinesses in favor of small sustainable farms seems almost unimaginable now, but as the climate changes and the demand for community-centered farms continues to grow, it can be beneficial to think about small steps to take in order to make these changes happen.

We don’t have to switch overnight, but living more in tune with the nature that surrounds us and learns how we can live in tune with natural systems that already exist will help us plant a wide variety of crops the whole community can use.

That’s all folks about Garden Permaculture Benefits. Keep growing.

Read: Soil Acidy and Alkalinity Impact on Crop Yield.

Setting up a raised bed gardening

Today, we talk about how to build or setup a raised bed gardening. Raised garden beds are easy to build and also maintain. They offer gardeners as well as a garden with lots of benefits. In this article, we will discuss how to build a raised bed garden on your own as well as some tips to use perfect wood and also soil. Raised beds are considered to be a simple way to get involved in gardening. Irrespective of you purchasing the kit or building your own raised bed garden, there are many best reasons to use raised bed gardening.

Raised bed garden:

A Raised bed garden can also be termed as a Raised bed. This is a large container for planting which will sit on the top surface of the ground and is also filled with plants and soil. This can be also considered as a box which has no top or bottom and is placed in a sunny location. This will be filled with the soil of good quality in order to become a source of pleasure and an attraction to the garden.

Building a Raised wood garden:

Selection of right wood:

Most of the people will be particular about their wood frame safety. In order to make sure that the wood lasts for a long time, there are many options:

• Lumber which is pressure treated on a regular basis today will have a combination of chemicals which is applied for the prevention of the soil to get moist and the weather from getting rot. Though the wood which is treated with pressure is considered to be safe for organic growing of plants, few people have some restrictions in using it and there are several alternatives which are environmentally friendly.
• The woods which are expensive like cedar will consist of natural oils. These will help in the prevention of rotting and will make them last longer. They are very expensive for buying, but they are more durable.
• Selecting the boards which are thicker will help the wood to last longer. For instance, larch which is thick of 2 inches and is sourced locally should be able to last for at least 10 years without any sort of treatment.
• Always make sure that you are not using any railroad ties as there is a chance that they are treated with creosote which is considered to be toxic.

Other alternatives to wood are concrete blocks. Anyways, always remember that the concrete will improve the ph of the soil with time and you will need to take care of the soil amendment accordingly in order to grow the best-raised bed garden.

Size of the raised bed:

• In the first place, you will require a place with its ground levelled and also gets a good amount of sunlight. It should be able to receive sunlight for at least 8 hours a day. This will reduce your options to some extent.
• When coming to bed size, the width of 4 feet should be common. Lumber is cut more frequently in the increments of 4 foot and you should also access the garden without stepping on to the raised bed. If you make the bed with too much width, then it will make it tough for you to reach the center. This will affect your weeding and harvesting.
• Length of the bed is very much important. Typical pots mostly have a width of 4 feet and length of 9 feet. You will need to prepare your bed as long as possible or you should build many raised beds for varied crops.
• The bed’s depth can differ, but soil depth should be the minimum depth. Most of the plants grown in the garden will require 8 to 12 inches for the sake of their roots, so 12 inches would be fine.

Read: Water Culture Hydroponic System.

Preparation of the site for a raised bed:

• Prior to the establishment of the bed, break up and also loosen the soil below by making use of a garden fork so that the soil will not become compact. You will need to go to a depth of a minimum of 8 inches. For the improvement in rooting, few gardeners would like to cut the top layer, dig down one more layer and then come back to the top layer and combine the layers of the soil together.
• If you are in a plan to keep your raised bed in a space which is occupied by a lawn, put a cardboard sheet, a tarp, a small piece of fabric which is used for landscaping in order to kill the grass in the first place. After almost 45 days the grass will be dead and can be moved easily.

Build a Raised Garden Bed:

• Building raised bed garden boxes is a simple method.
• As support for timber beds, you will need to keep wooden stakes at each and every corner. Keep them inside the bed in such a way that the stakes are not that much visible.
• You will need to drive the stakes till 2 feet into the ground and should leave the remaining stakes above the ground exposed to air.
• Also, make sure that the stakes are levelled so that they are present in the ground at a similar height or you will have beds which are not even.
• The lowest boards should be kept 2 inches below the level of the ground. Also, check that they are levelled.
• Use the nails which are galvanized for fixing the boards to the stakes.
• You can also add more rows of boards by fixing them to the stakes.

Raised bed garden soil:

The blend of the soil which you keep into your raised bed is the most important one. Most of the gardeners will fail because of the soil which is poor rather than anything else.

• The beds should be filled with a topsoil mix, compost and other types of organic material like manure in order to provide the plants with an environment which is rich in nutrients.
• Also, remember that the raised bed soil will get dried more rapidly. At the time of spring and winter, this will be good, but at the time of summer, you will need to add straw, hay or mulch on the soil’s top so that they would help to restore the moisture.
• Watering should be done more often as this is very important for the raised beds mainly in the starting stages of growth of plants. After they are established, there will be no requirement of too much maintenance.

Requirements to prepare raised bed garden soil:

Below are the requirements of 4×8 foot raised bed:

• Topsoil: 4 bags. Make sure that you are not collecting the topsoil from your backyard as there may be chances of weeds and pests in it.
• Peat moss: 2 buckets.
• Compost: 2 bags
• Grass clippings or leaves which are shredded: 2-inch layer. Make sure that the grass clippings are herbicides and also free from fertilizers.

That’s all folks about “Raised Bed Gardening”.

Read: Techniques for Soil Sterilization.

Jeevamrutham preparation for Home gardening

Today we learn the Jeevamrutham preparation steps. The microorganisms of the soil are the ones which are responsible for the increase in soil fertility of your home garden. For increasing the beneficial microorganisms in the soil, usage of Jeevamrutham is encouraged in organic gardening.

Jeevamrutham includes two words “Jeeva” and “Amrutham” which are derived from Sanskrit and are the most used by Hindus. The word “Jeeva” means a living organism and the word “Amrutham” stands for an elixir of life which has the capability to extend the life of any living organism. In this article, we will discuss how Jeevamrutham can be applied to the life of a crop. It is one of the best ways for the improvement of the number of microorganisms.

For the first 2 years, you can provide as much Jeevamrutham as possible. More culture you add gives you the best results. The environment which is ideal for the microorganisms to survive is that the soil temperature which is in between 24°C to 30°C, the humidity of 88%, and maintaining moisture in the soil. This type of climate is available only in the monsoons. You can also make this happen through mulching. Mulching will help in the creation of micro-environment which will help in the improvement of microorganisms, which will, in turn, result in the formation of humus.

Ingredients required for preparation of Jeevamrutham:

• Cow urine – ½ liter
• Cow dung – ½ kg
• Jaggery – 100 gms
• Basin powder – 100 gms
• Topsoil – 2 tablespoons

Jeevamrutham Preparation:

• In about 3 liters of water, you will need to add cow dung, cow urine, Jaggery, and besan powder.
• After that, stir all the contents with the stick. The stirring should be done in such a way that there are no lumps in the liquid.
• In this mixture, you will need to add 7 liters of water so that the solution will become up to 10 liters.
• This container should be kept in the shade in outdoors or it can also be kept under a tree. Now cover the container with a cloth.
• The liquid present in the container should be stirred every day in the morning and evening times for about 15 minutes.
• The preparation of Jeevamrutham will be done in 2 days. This can be applied to plants directly.
• Jeevamrutham can be sprayed on the plants. This solution will work as an antifungal, anti harmful bacteria spray.

  

Read: Homemade Organic Fungicides.

Jeevamrutham types:

Liquid state Jeevamrutham:

This is the one which is explained above.

Semi-solid state Jeevamrutham:

If you are provided with an excess amount of cow dung, then you can use it in the preparation of semi-solid Jeevamrutham.

For the preparation of semi-solid state Jeevamrutham, you will require

• Cow dung – 50 kg
• Cow urine – 2 liters
• Jaggery – ½ kg.
• Pulses flour – ½ kg
• One handful of soil which is fertile

You will need to mix all the above ingredients by using little quantity of water. After that, start making small balls from the mixture. These balls must be kept in full sun in order to dry them. After that, these dry balls should be kept near the mouth of the sprinkler. When the water will fall on the semi-solid Jeevamrutham, the beneficial microbes will get activated.

Dry Jeevamrutham:

This Jeevamrutham can also be called as Ghana Jeevamrutham. This can be prepared when there is no water available for the preparation of Jeevamrutham. If there is no labor available to prepare Jeevamrutham, you can prepare it all at once and make use of it later by storing it.

For the preparation of Ghana Jeevamrutham, you will need up to 50 kgs of cow dung. Spread all of this cow dung on the ground evenly for the formation of a layer. After that, add 5 liters liquid Jeevamrutham on this manure. Mix it completely. Now prepare the heaps of the cow dung and cover it by making use of a jute bag. This should be kept covered for 2 days for fermentation. Then, you should spread this mixture on the floor and let it dry in the sunlight.

After this is dried completely, you will need to store it in jute bags in the room. Air should be kept flowing. The storage of Ghana Jeevamrutham can be done for 6 months. At the time of sowing, you can use ghana Jeevamrutham. For each seed, you will need to use 2 handfuls of Ghana Jeevamrutham. At the time of flowering, you will need to add ghana Jeevamrutham between the lines of the plants on the soil. You can expect amazing growth of plants by using this.

Read: How to Beat Heat in Your Home Gardening.

Jeevamrutham application schedule:

The first spray of Jeevamrutham should be done after one month of sowing seeds in your garden. You will need to take 50 liters of water and add 2 ½ liters of Jeevamrutham which is filtered. This mixture should be stirred very well and should be used for vegetable plants. In the time of summer, the spraying should be done early in the morning or evenings. In the time of winters, spraying can be done at any time of the day.

When you see fruits, flowers and vegetables begin growing, you can use 50 liters of water along with 2 liters of sour buttermilk.

Manual application of Jeevamrutham:

When there is less water available and there is not even a sprayer, you can still apply Jeevamrutham to your plants.

In the first month after the seed sowing, you can add 1 cup of Jeevamrutham in between two vegetable plants on the soil surface. This should be repeated twice or thrice in a month.

That’s all about Process of Jeevamrutham making for your organic garden. Keep gardening!.

Read: Planting Techniques for Profitable Farming.

Homemade Organic Fungicides for Plants

Let us learn today about “Homemade Organic Fungicides”. Fungal diseases are the most common diseases caused by garden plants. Most of the fungal diseases spread through air and water i.e., airborne, waterborne and soil borne. Fungal plant diseases are the most common urban garden problems. In addition, to fungal diseases, the garden plants also suffer from diseases caused by the Bacterial and the Virus pests. However, most of the Viruses are transmitted by Insects and bacterial diseases transmitted by natural and artificial wounds on garden plants. Even though, most of the home gardeners have problems related to the diseases caused by fungal pathogens than others in their home gardens. Commonly seen diseases on Kitchen garden or home garden plants are Leaf spots, Downey mildews, powdery mildews, leaf blights and rusts, etc.

Most of the home gardeners wish to control the diseases caused by the plant pathogens using organic methods or organic procedures to control the fungal disease at their home gardens. However, they are unaware of information and knowledge of the Organic fungicides to control diseases at home gardens. Many of the home gardeners have doubts like which organic fungicides are available and prepared easily at home, how to use homemade organic fungicides, adverse effects of this homemade organic fungicide, etc. Therefore, we have come up with this post on all the information about Homemade Organic Fungicides to Control home garden diseases.

What is Organic Homemade Fungicides:

Homemade organic Fungicide is nothing but a fungicide that I prepared from the available organic of natural ingredients that we commonly use at our home daily.

How do homemade Fungicides work:

Cost of the homemade natural fungicides are preventive fungicides, however, they are also curative in function. We should apply those natural fungicides either before or incidence of the plant pathogenic diseases. Sometimes, we can see some fungal spores on the infested diseases home garden plant. When we apply these natural fungicides they act on the fungal cell wall leading to their death and the preventive natural fungicides help in avoiding the plant pathogen to harbor the garden plant.

How to apply homemade natural fungicides to Kitchen garden plants:

Most of the prepared natural organic fungicides are mixed with oils or soap solution before spraying to the kitchen garden plants at specific concentrations. Avoid spraying high concentrations as it leads to the death of the plants as heavy concentrations are phytotoxic to plants. Always use hand gloves and nose mask while spraying organic fungicides.

When to apply natural organic fungicides to Kitchen garden plants:

It is better or profitable only if we apply those prepared organic fungicides either in the morning before 9 and evening between 4 to 6 PM.

List of Organic Homemade Natural Fungicides for Home Gardens:

There is various type of Organic Fungicides to control home garden plant disease. Most of them are also available online and in the regional markets also. However, it is better to prepare those Natural fungicides at home which we have described below.

Baking Soda Spray:

• Baking soda is the commonly available household ingredient. It helps in preventing the entry of diseases or plant pathogen to cause diseases to the home garden plants. Mix 5 to 7 gm of baking soda with 1 ml of vegetable oil in a jar and makeup with 1000 ml or 1 lit of distilled or sterile water. Mix the mixture only in glass or ceramic container. Spray the soda mixture on the plants showing diseases symptoms.

Neem Spray:

• take 100gm of neem leaves and wash thoroughly in running tap water. Sundry those leaves and ground into powder using a grinder. Dissolve 100 gm of the prepared powder in 1000 ml of water and spray the mixture on plants whenever necessary. Neem leaf extract spray is effective against various plant pathogens especially leaf spots.

Read: Techniques of Modern Gardening.

Garlic and Ginger spray:

• Garlic and Ginger spray is also prepared in the same way as mentioned earlier like Neem oil spray and used at regular intervals whenever necessary.

• 

Tea compost Spray:

• The tea that is remained after making tea is mixed with water in equal proportions and sprayed on to the plants for better performance of the garden plants.

Clove oil spray:

• Purchase the clove oil from any nearest supermarket t and dissolve 100 ml of Clove oil in 100 ml of soap water and makeup with sterile distilled water and spray on the kitchen garden plants for better results. Clove oil spray arrests the growth of the fungal spore for further germination.

Cinnamon Oil:

• It is also prepared in the same way as Clove oil spray and sprayed on the kitchen garden plants. Cinnamon acts have antimicrobial properties.

Papaya leaf spray:

• Cut the young and mature papaya leaves and ground into a fine powder. Mix 100 gm of the Papaya leaf powder in 100 ml of water and spray on the kitchen garden plants.

Cow Urine:

• Cow urine acts as an effective fungicide both in Kitchen garden as well as on commercial agriculture fields. Apply 20% to 30% of Cow urine by mixing with half soap water and half sterile water and spray on the plants which act very effectively to control various plant pathogens.

Bougainvillaea oil:

• Mix 200 gm of fresh Bougainvillea leaves in 1 lit water. Blend the mixture and apply on the garden plants. It helps in controlling various insects that spread various types of viral diseases from plant to plants.

Other chemical fungicides for garden plants:

If you are unable to prepare these homemade fungicides at home, you can also go for purchasing some synthetic fungicides like Potassium Bicarbonate, Sodium lauryl sulfate, sulfur fungicides that are sprayed at the lower concentration on the garden plants.

Bio Fungicides Spray:

Bio fungicides are the beneficial fungus that attacks the plant pathogenic fungus of garden plants. Bio fungicides also are known as Bio-Control Agents. Most of those biocontrol agents can be mass produced at a home kitchen garden easily. Biocontrol agents include Trichoderma sp. and Pseudomonas sp. However, in order to produce these bio fungicides at our own urban garden, aseptic environment conditions are required.

Conclusion: These are all about the information and guide to controlling various diseases of kitchen garden plants at home organically. Comment below if you have any queries and doubts.

Read: Mushroom Training Centers in India.

Pest repellent plants guide

Today, we learn natural pest repellent plants for gardening. One easy method of keeping pests away is to strategically place insect-repelling plants in the garden or inside your home. Insects tend to avoid these plants because of the essential oils in their effort as a natural bug repellent. Pests are very dangerous; they are great threats to the success of any farm business. Chemical pesticides have been the usual method to control pests on farms; however, its cause of human health has waged a huge campaign against its use. Many of these pesticides are poisonous in nature; this is what exactly eradicates the pest. But, at times, these pesticides do have residual effects on human as an effect of the contamination of the crops during its application.

Preventing insects and rodents from invading the home garden can be tricky at times. While commercial sprays and exterminators provide quick solutions, many of the sprays have harsh chemicals that are toxic to humans and pets. One green solution that decreases household pests is to place certain plants during the home that are known to repel them.

Some examples of pest management techniques being adopted by gardeners/farmers are;

Crop rotation:

Crop rotation is an efficient process of preventing pests from getting used to the types of plants that are being cultivated. The process uses alternating the species of crops that are grown every year. In addition to managing pests, this farming technique also increases the fertility of the soil.

Intercropping:

Intercropping involves simultaneous cultivation of two or more crops on a similar field. When different species of plants are cultivated in the same field, there is a definite distance among crops of the same species. So, it is capable of attracting pests away from their target host plant.

Organic Pesticides:

Another prime cause to switch to organic pesticides is how it allows farmers to turn agricultural outputs into natural pesticides and does not change their health or damage the crops.

There are several measures that can be implemented to control pests on the farm, without the use of chemicals; they are:

Proper Soil Preparation:

If you adopt a conventional tillage system, where the soil is heavily pulverized to expose pests and their habitat to desiccation, you will experience a pest-free condition of your farm.

Read: Polyhouse Vegetable Gardening.

Timely cultivation:

This absorbs studying the reproductive cycle of the prevailing pest, such that, planting is done when the pests are less populated. Also, pests are more active through the dry season, thus, planting during the rainy season is another way to boycott pest.

Though, taking preventive measure is better than controlling. As you plant your crop, there are some plants you can as well plant simultaneously; these plants are called companion and pest repellant plants.

They help to reduce pest population and serve some beneficial purposes like proper utilization of space and enhance crop safety through the provision of habitat for useful plants, the companion plants. These types of plants can be harvested and consumed too. If you are looking for plants that repel flies; or plants that repel aphids; or plants that repel bugs; you can plant any of the below plants alongside your crops and get them protected.

Instead of spending more on chemical pesticides, that is detrimental and expensive, you can invest in the edible pest repellant plants. These are;

Pest Repellent Plants for your Garden:

Beans

Growing beans among eggplant will help repel the Colorado potato beetle.

Parsley

Mix parsley into carrot rows to help repel the carrot fly.

Tomato

Put tomato plants in the asparagus bed after the early spears have been harvested to keep the asparagus beetles away.

Sage

Sage is helpful to all brassicas by protecting them from the white cabbage butterfly. It is helpful to carrots since it protects them from the carrot fly.

Calendula

Add calendula to tomatoes and asparagus to repel tomato hornworm and asparagus beetles.

Basil

Make sure that your garden has tubs of tulsi. The essential oils of the basil plant repel mosquitoes, flies, asparagus beetles and whiteflies. The plant emits compounds that repel a variety of insects.

Neem

The leaves of the neem tree are used to drive away insects like fleas, bugs, and mosquitoes and treat microbial infections as well. A compound known as Azadirachtin in Neem leaves is responsible for its insect banishing powers.

Mint

The fragrant mint herb comes in many varieties and the thing is that they all repel all kinds of insects.

Catnip

The catnip plant contains nepetalactone, a natural cockroach deterrent. The plant is nontoxic to humans and pets and works best when small amounts of catnip are placed in areas where pests have congregated. A spray repellant can be prepared by simmering small amounts of catnip in water and then filling up spray bottles with the liquid. Spray the repellent in corners and at baseboards & doorways. Keep in mind that this bug repellent will attract cats.

Eucalyptus

Plant a eucalyptus tree in your garden. The fragrant oil from this tree drives away all kinds of insects from mosquitoes, sand flies, ticks, midges, stable flies and more. This plant repels aphids, cabbage loopers, and Colorado potato beetle.

Citronella

Citronella grass has essential oils that mosquitoes don’t like. It’s also a good natural repellent for insects which are annoyed by its smell. This citronella plant can grow up to four feet tall in just one season. It does well in a pot, or in the ground in a sunny and well-drained place.

Lettuce

Lettuce plant is a good companion and a pest repellant plant for the carrot. It repels the pest carrot flies.

Mexican Marigold

This Mexican marigold ornamental plant can be used as a pest repellant; it repels insect and rabbits.

Onion

The onion plant is another spice plant that can be used as a pest repellant. It repels pests like rabbits and cabbage hooper.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum helps to repel a lot of pests, including spider mites, ticks, and roaches, lice, and fleas aphids. It’s been used to protect other plants from insects, but can also use it as a plant for pest control. The ingredient in these flowers that keeps the pests away is pyrethrum. This ingredient is used in indoor sprays and pet shampoos.

Radish

If you plant cabbage and cucumber, radish plant will repel cabbage maggot and cucumber beetles; it will improve the quality and quantity of your crop. You can as well consume the radish since it is an edible root vegetable.

Petunias

Petunias are sometimes called a natural pesticide because they repel a variety of insects and bugs. They are simple to maintain and are available in a variety of vibrant colors. You can plant them in sunny areas near herbs or vegetables.

Garlic

Garlic plants deter Japanese beetles, root maggots, carrot root flies, codling moths, and can be planted near roses to repel aphids from eating the flowers.

Rosemary

Rosemary will protect some vegetable plants by repelling a wide variety of bugs that will want to feed on the plants you’re growing and plan to eat.

Crown imperial

Crown imperial is a flowering plant from the lily family. This plant repels pests like a rabbit, mice, moles, and ground squirrel.

Tobacco

Tobacco is an annual herbaceous plant. This crop repels pests like carrot flies and flea beetles.

Citronella grass or lemon grass

This originates from tropical Asia; it is from the family of Poaceae. This lemongrass repels insects and even cats.

You can plant more than one of these above plants on your farm, depending on the prevailing pests. This is a natural method of controlling pests. With this preventive measure, you can make quality and organic crop for the populace.

That’s all folks about “Pest Repellent Plants”.

Introduction to Surprising Gardening Tricks:

Today, we learn surprising gardening tricks. If you love to garden, you can be sure that there are people like you in every single country in the world. Europe, Africa, South America, North America – you name the location, and there is a 100% chance that there are people there that cultivate plants as a hobby or as a means of supplementing their diet.

Throughout ages, there are different tricks that people have developed to help their plants grow and to scare off pests. Sometimes, these are time-honored traditions and other times they come from modernity and immediate necessity.

Urban farming has gained in popularity and often, a city dweller will have completely different methods from someone who grew up in the countryside. If you are into gardening you must know these surprising gardening tricks around the globe.

Here are some interesting, surprising and sometimes a bit strange gardening tips from around the world, from the cities and from the country:

Old Coffee – a City Slicker’s Classic

If you’re like me and find old coffee lying around your office (or worse, you car!) at the end of the day, trapped in soggy to-go cups and totally forgotten, don’t despair. You can actually use it to water your windowsill plants or your rose bushes if you have them.

Don’t use this trick more than about once a month if you have plants that like neutral soil. It adds acidity and is nitrogen rich. A great booster, not only for you. This tip is brought to you by office workers of cities big and small. So don’t pour your coffee down the drain, and stop feeling bad about yourself!.

Read: Techniques for Bonsai Gardening.

Pflanzensoziologie and Sichtungsgarten  – Welcome to Germany

The Germans are known for order, and when it comes to gardening, this is something we could all learn. A Sichtungsgarten is a “viewing garden” developed for enthusiasts to come and take note of what plants grow well together how they look. These gardens are often attached to institutions that study them, and at the end of the year, you can look at a report of how much maintenance went into taking care of your favorite part of that garden. This includes man-hours, water, and other resources.

If you think that’s too much for you, you don’t have to garden with a stopwatch and a ruler. Simply keep a gardening journal at hand, and take notes of your progress. You will see that it will help you plan a better year to year.

Sack Gardens from Nairobi, Kenya

Listen up if you’re an apartment dweller and move around a lot, or if you just like to rearrange your plants from place to place. The sack garden initiative has started in the poorer areas of Nairobi, where people don’t have enough room to actually farm but need help supplementing their nutritional needs.

The idea is simple – you need a large industrial sack full of good earth mixed with compost and other nutrients. Because they are so much larger than a garden pot, you can use it to grow bigger plants like tomatoes or even tubers like yams, potatoes or Jerusalem artichokes. If you cut holes in the sides of the sack you can make a strawberry pyramid as well!.

In addition, this might help gardeners that are struggling with soil quality, irrigation or have a limited amount of space to grow some serious crops. It’s best to use a jute sack if possible – it breathes better and it can be recycled or composted.

From London With a Victorian Greenhouse

Although Greenhouses can be seen in every major city (the municipal kind or the kind attached to an educational institution) it all started in England during the Victorian era. Today, the creme de la creme of society competed for the most impressive plant collections from overseas – and not only the kind you can plant in your garden – a lot of the plants they collected could not survive the harsher British climate, so they were placed in greenhouses.

These little gems of architecture were usually heated, and some can still be admired to this day in the likes of Kew Gardens. Greenhouses have become absolutely necessary in modern farming and vegetable cultivation. Of course, the industrial greenhouses are a lot different than the classic Victorian buildings.

If you are planning a greenhouse, it’s worth to think about making it a little bit more decorative and thought through than just a plain old metal and glass geometric structure. Wooden greenhouses can be built in a variety of styles, and you can get a little Victorian gem in your garden installation and all if you look around on the internet.

Of course, you don’t have to make it into a tropical garden paradise – use it to jump-start your vegetables early, using a greenhouse vegetable growing guide.

Three Native American Sisters

This is a tradition going back 5,000 to 6,000 of years among the Indian Tribes of North America. The three sisters are actually corn, winter squash, and climbing beans.

Why those three? They are the staple food of these native people and have been a part of their culture for generations. They are always planted together because they are perfect companion plants.

As gardeners, we should think very carefully about companion planting and learn from this great Native American tradition. What they have developed is actually a perfect system of companion planting, even if they didn’t realize the chemistry behind it.

The corn provides a structure for the climbing beans to climb – no need for poles or a lattice. The beans provide nitrogen for the soil and help other plants grow. The squash creeps along the ground, and shades the soil with its wide leaves, helping to eliminate weeds and keep her companion plants happy.

In modern gardening, there are many more of these companion plants, and they include carrots and tomatoes, onions and cabbages, basil and tomatoes.

Learning Gardening Traditions

Sometimes it’s good to look outside of your own growing neighborhood to see what other people are doing, and what good ideas they came up with. An age-old tradition in one place may turn into a new growing trend in another part of the world in a season!.

That’s all folks about surprising gardening tricks.

Read: Bee Pollination Importance.

Bonsai Gardening Techniques, Ideas, and Tips

Today, let us learn Bonsai Gardening Techniques and Tips. A bonsai tree is a Potted plant. This is a Japanese wort. The traditional art of growing bonsai trees is introduced in Asia and is being practiced for centuries. Bonsai gardening is an art of horticulture which will involve the growth and training of small trees into tiny ones which are termed as Bonsai trees. When it comes to Bonsai trees, only gardening does not matter. It is more than that. It is a therapeutic value as it is a very good activity for the purpose of relaxation. When you are growing a bonsai or training it, it means that you are also training your mind which makes you a calm person.  Chinese believe that the people who take care of Bonsai will get eternity granted. They also have a belief that there is a connection between the human body and the holy spirit, just like heaven and earth.

Though Bonsai gardening is the one belonging to Japan, it basically started in China where the trees got associated with Zen Buddhism. In the initial days, only the Top ranked people in Chinese society learned this art form. After that, Bonsai has become a well-known hobby in Japan. In recent days, Bonsai is popular in the west and is mainly used for the purpose of decoration and recreation.

Bonsai is a mystery and involves a lot of curiosity when you look at it for the first time. Some people believe that the Bonsais are dwarf plants from their genetics. The actual truth is that the gardeners will use a few techniques of growing for this growth to happen and maintains the Bonsais small. If proper methods of growing are followed, the Bonsai will live for a long time just like the original species. For the creation of healthy Bonsai, you will need a lot of time and patience. So make sure you are considering this before you start growing Bonsai on your own.

Taking care of a bonsai will give an opportunity to take a prolonged thought regarding the growth of natural beauty. Basically, any type of tree can be grown as a bonsai. But, in order to grow a real bonsai, you are required to dig deeper and also need to know more about the techniques of gardening this beautiful plant. It is not that tough to follow these techniques once you grasp them. In this article, we will help you in learning how to make a bonsai tree and how to take care of a bonsai tree so that it grows in a healthy way so that it lives for years. As a successful gardener, one must be knowing the Bonsai Gardening Techniques.

Read: Ideas for Greenhouse Gardening.

Selecting the right species of Bonsai:

When you are about to select the species, it is very essential to consider the climate of your locality and the environment at your home. For instance, few trees will die in freezing conditions while few others are required to freeze to get into a dormant state and to start preparing for the spring. So, be ensured that you are selecting Bonsai tree types which will fit well in the climate you want to put them. A safe thing is to select the species of an indigenous tree or you can also consult the local garden supply staff for any sort of recommendation of what to grow.

The types of bonsai trees which are considered to grow are shrubs, plants which flower, climbers which are popular among Gardenia, Wisteria, Azaleas.

If you are a gardener who has no or less experience, juniper is the best way to go as it is easy for growing and also responds very well for pruning and other techniques of training. Anyways, it is very slow when it comes to growing. If you want other options, then you can go for Japanese black pine or the Chinese elm.

Growing Bonsai indoor or outdoors:

Most of the gardeners will have a misconception about Bonsai trees that they have to be grown in indoor environments. Most of the species of Bonsai, involving all the plants native to the climates which are temperate have to be placed in the outdoors so that they can get sufficient light and experience the changes which occur seasonally in terms of temperature and light just like other trees are. If you are planning to put the trees in the indoor environment, you have to select the tropical and subtropical plants which can thrive in indoor environments where the temperatures will be high and also stable. Even when growing indoors, there is a chance that these trees will suffer insufficient light. If you have enough space to keep the tree in an outdoor environment, there are bonsai plants which are suitable for any type of environment.

If you want to grow your bonsai trees in the outdoor environment, the species which are deciduous like Chinese or Japanese elms, magnolias are very good ones to select.

If you want to grow your Bonsai tree in the indoor environment, you will need to take into consideration the Bonsai trees like Crassula, the Carmona, etc. These are the best indoor Bonsai.

Tree Size role in Bonsai Gardening Techniques:

Bonsai size is very much important as if everything goes in the right way, this Bonsai lives for many years. If you are growing a Bonsai tree which is large, it will need much amount of care from you for the sake of pruning, a large amount of water, abundant sunlight. So you will need to take the size of the Bonsai into consideration before selecting your tree.

There is a guide choose bonsai size, but most of the trees which are grown fully will be small as 5 to 6 inches and tall at 3 feet based on the species. If you have chosen to grow a Bonsai tree from a cutting from another tree, you can start them off even in a smaller way.

Growing Bonsai from seed:

Growing Bonsai from seed is also an essential thing which has to be thought of about when you have a plan to grow. You have to start it from seeds by purchasing them from a store or collecting them from the nearby trees which you would like your Bonsai to be in the near future. The seed from which you attain Bonsai is a seed which has come naturally, creation of Bonsai happens from that, after that, the process of germination takes place by making use of several types of growing techniques.

To grow a Bonsai tree from a seed is a very slow process which requires hard work. It will take several years and there is a chance for you to fail at first but if you keep trying, you will be thrilled by the results you see.

If you are a beginner or if you do not have enough time to grow Bonsai from seed, you can buy a pre-bonsai. You can find Bonsai trees for sale or you can also find one in a forest which is located near to your home. If you have chosen to find the Bonsai in the forest, always keep in mind to ask the owner of the land for the sake of permission and also be very careful that you are not causing any damage to the roots while digging. Also, remember that you will have to select a tree which has small leaves as it would be easier for modelling.

Read: Ideas for Window Gardening.

Bonsai Gardening:

Bonsai are grown indoor:

Ensure that you are keeping your Bonsai in a spot which is bright. If the intensity of light is low, then the growth of the bonsai will also decrease which will weaken your tree. If you are keeping the tree in a window which is south facing one, there are chances that there is less light intensity. Your bonsai tree gets benefited from the lighting which is artificial or from the lighting which is emitted from a light-emitting diode for at least ten hours a day.

Bonsai are grown outdoor:

Most of the Bonsai trees which are grown outdoor will require sunlight for at least six hours a day. Most of the conifers should be kept in full sun for their growth to happen. At the time of summer, you will need to bring your tree to indoors at nights when the temperatures go below 40 degrees.

Watering Bonsai plant:

Watering is the most essential part of Bonsai tree care. This should be done once in a span of three days at the time of winter or you can apply a small amount of water on a daily basis at the time of summer. The frequency of watering Bonsai plants will be based on the factors like species, season, climate, soil and size of the tree. So it is very difficult to conclude the amount of water you need or how many times you need to water a Bonsai. Anyways, you will need to understand the guidelines of watering Bonsai plants which are listed below to know about the watering:

• Please make sure that you are not watering them too much on a daily basis.
• Keep monitoring your Bonsai plant and make sure that you are watering it when you see the soil becoming dry or dusty.
• The mixture of soil you use should be the right one.

Fertilizing your Bonsai tree:

The fertilization of the bonsai tree should be done by making use of a specialized fertilizer which is meant to keep the Bonsai trees healthy. Other normal trees keep extending their root system in search of nutrients. Anyways, the plantation of Bonsai will be done in pots and hence it has to be fertilized in order to restore the nutritional content of the soil.

Feeding the Bonsai as part of Bonsai Gardening Techniques regularly in the season of growing, from spring to middle of fall is very important for your Bonsai for survival. The trees which are grown in the indoor environment can be fertilized all across the year.

• In the Early summer: You will need to make use of a fertilizer which is rich in the content of nitrogen.
• In summer, you will need to use a fertilizer which is a balanced one.
• In winter, you will need to use fertilizer to harden the tree for the winter which is about to come.

Training a Bonsai:

Bonsai trees are just the normal plants which are grown in a sophisticated environment. The training of Bonsai will be completely dependent on the style which you want your tree to be. The Bonsai styling will consist of basic methods like wiring and pruning and other techniques which are all advanced ones.

For the people who are just beginning the bonsai gardening, your bonsai should be dependent on the shape of the actual tree and afterward, you can start your experiments on it. Balance, inspiration, and beauty are the essential factors for a Bonsai garden which is elegant.

Select the style of training Bonsai:

For training Bonsai, there are many styles which are followed traditionally.

Formal Upright Bonsai: There are the bonsais which have the trunk upright and straight and the branches which stretch in an even manner around it. These bonsai will have the roots which are strong.

Informal Upright Bonsai: These type of Bonsai trees will have a slant which is natural, than the ones which are growing upwards. The trunk of these bonsai is also thicker in the soil.

Slanting Bonsai: These Bonsai are the ones which are almost like a formal upright bonsai tree but these have a small lean.

Broom Bonsai: The trunk will be straight and will not finish at the tree’s top but somewhere at the middle. All the branches of the tree which have the same size will form a crown which is in the shape of a ball.

Pruning of Bonsai:

Pruning is a basic method for shaping the style of bonsai and correct all the defects. It is very essential that you are not changing the actual shape of the tree too much. Pruning Bonsai must be done constantly and you should also have spots for it for the creation of a beautiful bonsai which has many numbers of leaves and are also strong.

Pruning can be done by trimming with clippers or pinching them out of the buds which are growing newly. Make sure you are not using scissors.

The species of the bonsai tree are different. Few can be pruned for the complete year but most of them are better to be pruned in the early winter or summer. You should also give them time for a few weeks for recovery for the sake of their health.

Wiring of Bonsai:

This is one more technique which is important for shaping the Bonsai trees The tree can be bent and shaped by wrapping the branches with aluminium which is anodized. Anyways, you will have to do it in a careful manner else you will find a messy bonsai growing.  Wiring can be done for the entire year but ensure that you are removing the wire before it cuts into the bark and branches which are growing in a thick way. Rewiring can be done in order to shape but make sure you are not allowing the wires to cut through the bark.

That’s all folks about Bonsai Gardening Techniques.

Read: The Best Organic Farming Practices.