Guest guest Posted April 29, 2002 Report Share Posted April 29, 2002 I know that I am a bit off topic here but I could really use some advice. I am attempting a small vegetable garden for the first time ever and it isn't going well. I wanted to avoid 'regular' soil because I read that two additives-perlite and vermiculite- contain either asbestos or arsenic, can't remember which. The problem is that I don't know of any alternatives? My father is insisting I use a fertilizer when I transplant claiming that they are natural (lime?) but I'm skeptical. I bought a seaweed spray to fertilize with and hope that will be okay. I've tried some organic garden sites but haven't had much luck. And, can someone tell me if 'bonemeal' and 'bloodmeal' are what I'm afraid they are? I'm sure these questions seem silly but, until now, I've been the type to buy what I eat at the market. Thanks in advance, Madeline _______________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 30, 2002 Report Share Posted April 30, 2002 Hi- I don't know the answers to all of your questions, but I do have a small vegetable garden. We have never used fertilizer in our garden, and we always have a good harvest of vegetables. I know there are some natural things you can do, my mom had an article...I'll try and find it and let you know. Banana peels are very high in potassium, which are good for roses...things like that are mentioned in the article. You could try a small compost to put the nutrients back into the soil. There are lots of good links for composting. Sorry I wasn't much help. Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 30, 2002 Report Share Posted April 30, 2002 I'm pretty new at gardening myself. We had our first vegetable garden last year, but it was *SO* easy! I live in central Illinois and our house is four years old and they sadly built it on farmland (you know how it is...they sell a farm and put up a subdivision). I'm sure all the topsoil was destroyed when they built the house (if we had been here when it was built we could have controled some of the evironmental distruction) and there is a lot of clay in the soil now. Even with all this against us, we did not add any soil or fertilizer...just planted and hoped. We ended up with so many tomatoes I had to learn how to can very quickly! We had eggplant, several different types of peppers, ten kinds of tomatoes, lots and lots of herbs, collards, squash, strawberrys, peas, carrots, etc. It all did really, really well. We grew most of it from seed except the tomatoes, strawberries, and some herbs. This year our compost is really developed so we just layer the compost on and we've already got a good start on some greens. We are really lazy and love to play in the garden, but hate to make it *work*. We never weed (I do pull the occasional weed when I notice it), water when my ds feels like watering, etc. We still grow much more food than we can personally eat. I'm sure we could put more time and effort into it and this year we are actually planning where to put things instead of just dropping the seeds in. I love to read about gardening and there are some great organic gardening books out there. Yes, bonemeal, bloodmeal, etc. is exactly what you think it is. Yuck! It makes me really sad that these products are considered organic. There is nothing more fun that gardening with a toddler. I had the best time eating peas out of the garden last year with ds. He thought it was a present opening the pods and eating the peas one by one. He loves to pick the dill and eat it (the other kids think he is eating grass). He shares his strawberries with the birds. He is the first one to make sure we are composting all our kitchen scraps. He digs up worms and puts them gently in the compost bin...we found six today. Worms are a great indication that your soil is healthy so we are always excited to see them. Good luck and happy gardening, Linda ds Parker born 2/00 dh Rob --- Madeline White <madeline_killian wrote: > I know that I am a bit off topic here but I could > really use some advice. I > am attempting a small vegetable garden for the first > time ever and it isn't > going well. I wanted to avoid 'regular' soil because > I read that two > additives-perlite and vermiculite- contain either > asbestos or arsenic, can't > remember which. The problem is that I don't know of > any alternatives? My > father is insisting I use a fertilizer when I > transplant claiming that they > are natural (lime?) but I'm skeptical. I bought a > seaweed spray to fertilize > with and hope that will be okay. I've tried some > organic garden sites but > haven't had much luck. And, can someone tell me if > 'bonemeal' and > 'bloodmeal' are what I'm afraid they are? I'm sure > these questions seem > silly but, until now, I've been the type to buy what > I eat at the market. > Thanks in advance, Madeline > > > > _______________ > Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN > Hotmail. > http://www.hotmail.com > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2002 Report Share Posted May 1, 2002 They are exactly what you are afraid they are. There are commercial organic fertilizers around that are also more veggie friendly. Try the Rodale Press site, they publish Organic Gardening Magazine. The main thing to remember is not to give up, it takes a few years to build up a really good garden with really good soil. " Manure cropping " , and composting are important soil enrichers that are totally Organic, veggie friendly and enviromentally sensible. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2002 Report Share Posted May 1, 2002 Have you tried the website for johnny's selected seeds. I know they sell organic soil mix and many organic seeds. I think that they even answer questions via email. www.johnnyseeds.com I know that my parents have bought from them before - Madeline White <madeline_killian Monday, April 29, 2002 2:37 PM Safe Gardening > I know that I am a bit off topic here but I could really use some advice. I > am attempting a small vegetable garden for the first time ever and it isn't > going well. I wanted to avoid 'regular' soil because I read that two > additives-perlite and vermiculite- contain either asbestos or arsenic, can't > remember which. The problem is that I don't know of any alternatives? My > father is insisting I use a fertilizer when I transplant claiming that they > are natural (lime?) but I'm skeptical. I bought a seaweed spray to fertilize > with and hope that will be okay. I've tried some organic garden sites but > haven't had much luck. And, can someone tell me if 'bonemeal' and > 'bloodmeal' are what I'm afraid they are? I'm sure these questions seem > silly but, until now, I've been the type to buy what I eat at the market. > Thanks in advance, Madeline > > > > _______________ > Join the world's largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. > http://www.hotmail.com > > > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2002 Report Share Posted May 1, 2002 I live in the country near relatives with horse stables. They let me shovel all the discarded manure I can use for my vegetables gardens. This year I cut 55 gallon steel barrels in half, to make two short barrels, buried them so the rim is even with the ground surface, and filled the barrels with horse manure after cutting holes near the top, a few inches below ground level. I planted tomatoes and other vegetables in the ground around the perimeter of the barrels. When I water the barrels, the water mixes with manure and flows out the holes to the plants. This is my first season to try this; my cousins who did it before said they couldn't deal with the abundance of vegetables they got from a few plants gardening this way. The plant roots find their way into the barrel holes to tap into the manure. In the kitchen I put all food scraps, peels, and other compostables in a tight plastic container by the sink. That way there isn't anything in the kitchen garbage can that will rot or attract flies. When the plastic container gets full, I take it to the compost pile, but now I'll start putting it into the manure barrels. --- Be kind. Be of good cheer. Dick Ford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 2, 2002 Report Share Posted May 2, 2002 Since we're on the subject, does anyone know of an organic and cruelty-free way to keep ants out of your garden? We've got an ant hill in our strawberry patch this year. Should I get the ants out? Are they good or bad bugs for a garden? Forgive me if my questions sound silly--I'm a novice at gardening. >Karen Butler <kbutlerjr > > >Re: Safe Gardening >Tue, 30 Apr 2002 06:54:32 -0700 (PDT) > > >Hi- > >I don't know the answers to all of your questions, but >I do have a small vegetable garden. We have never >used fertilizer in our garden, and we always have a >good harvest of vegetables. I know there are some >natural things you can do, my mom had an >article...I'll try and find it and let you know. >Banana peels are very high in potassium, which are >good for roses...things like that are mentioned in the >article. You could try a small compost to put the >nutrients back into the soil. There are lots of good >links for composting. > >Sorry I wasn't much help. > > > > Health - your guide to health and wellness >http://health. > _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 Sorry but Bloodmeal and bonemeal are exactly what they sound like. If you are vegan also watch out for fish emulsion which is also very prevalent in fertilizers. I am not an expert on gardening but I do read a lot about it, and do a bit of gardening. I also grew up on a farm in rural Michigan where working in the garden were literally daily chores so I do know a little bit about it. Organic is ,in my view, best. And organic gardening is easily to accomplish, however, many people do not realize that organic only means growing free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides it does not in anyway imply that this vegan... or even vegetarian for that matter. Animal products and manure are quite often the trade off from the chemical fertilizers used in inorganic farming. In my opinion, that is disheartening as where is the manure coming from? If you buy it from the garden center... most likely animals raised for food, and/or gathered from the pens at zoos. And if chemicals are the concern..what about the medications and hormones that are fed to the animals.. I don't know for fact but my guess is that not all is absorbed by the body so there will be some in the manure... and then in your garden and then in your food....possibly. You can get a lot of information about organic gardening by using those keywords online, but also one good company that sells organic fertilizers and " pest " controls is Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com). They also have some great information. Oh and they do carry at least a couple of vegan fertilizers, one which I use is called eden oh I'm sorry I'm drawing a blank on that one... Eden somthing. A good place fora great selection of organic seeds and a limited selection of seedlings is Seeds of Change ( www.seedsofchange.com )They also sell benefitial insects and some garden tools etc. Composting is the best vegan fertilizer, but it does take a little bit of time. There are some aids available to make it easy for you to do yourself and to help quicken the process as well. The best " pest control " methods usually involve companion planting and trying to strike a balance with benefitial insects that are attracted or introduced into your garden. Use keywords composting, composters, and compost bins for links to info on that. If bad soil is a problem for you it can take time to improv it so may want to consider container gardens...also a good idea is you have limited time and space, want to grow things not suitable for your area or want year round access to herbs etc. during the colder seasons., one place for info on that is available by following links from Gardener's Supply Company. www.gardeners.com (that may not be the right addy but it is a good place for gardening info I am sure) Jerry Baker has lots of tips and tricks for organic gardening so look for his name in books, mags etc. or WWW.JERRYBAKER.COM again he is an organic advocate not necessarily veggie friendly. One issue in organic gardening I'm still not sure how I feel about is the use of worm casting or " worm farms " in composting. I don't have a problem with attracting insects and worms in the garden and they are great for it, but raising them in a box and feeding them your scraps in exchange for there wastes and castings, etc. I don't know... kind of like slavery to me... Well, anyway... sorry for such a lengthy reply, but I hope I have helped... wish I had a goood list of links I could share... but I really jsust keyword my way to info mostly. One last resource I will include is to check out Organic Gardening Magazine...I used to and can not bear to throw out my back issues as they contain many great tips and articles.... Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 I agree with you about the possible problems with manure - unless you know where you're getting it from, it's a cause for concern. According to my gardening book, a couple of nitrogen-rich (not to mention vegan) alternatives are soybean meal and cottonseed meal. (Many organic farmers are becoming " veganic " by using these instead.) Oh, and since making your own compost takes time, there are often places to purchase compost, and even public compost sites where you can take it for free. Maria --\ ------------------------------- Abitof Mystique <a_bit_of_mystique wrote: Sorry but Bloodmeal and bonemeal are exactly what they sound like. If you are vegan also watch out for fish emulsion which is also very prevalent in fertilizers. I am not an expert on gardening but I do read a lot about it, and do a bit of gardening. I also grew up on a farm in rural Michigan where working in the garden were literally daily chores so I do know a little bit about it. Organic is ,in my view, best. And organic gardening is easily to accomplish, however, many people do not realize that organic only means growing free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides it does not in anyway imply that this vegan... or even vegetarian for that matter. Animal products and manure are quite often the trade off from the chemical fertilizers used in inorganic farming. In my opinion, that is disheartening as where is the manure coming from? If you buy it from the garden center... most likely animals raised for food, and/or gathered from the pens at zoos. And if chemicals are the concern..what about the medications and hormones that are fed to the animals.. I don't know for fact but my guess is that not all is absorbed by the body so there will be some in the manure... and then in your garden and then in your food....possibly. You can get a lot of information about organic gardening by using those keywords online, but also one good company that sells organic fertilizers and " pest " controls is Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com). They also have some great information. Oh and they do carry at least a couple of vegan fertilizers, one which I use is called eden oh I'm sorry I'm drawing a blank on that one... Eden somthing. A good place fora great selection of organic seeds and a limited selection of seedlings is Seeds of Change ( www.seedsofchange.com )They also sell benefitial insects and some garden tools etc. Composting is the best vegan fertilizer, but it does take a little bit of time. There are some aids available to make it easy for you to do yourself and to help quicken the process as well. The best " pest control " methods usually involve companion planting and trying to strike a balance with benefitial insects that are attracted or introduced into your garden. Use keywords composting, composters, and compost bins for links to info on that. If bad soil is a problem for you it can take time to improv it so may want to consider container gardens...also a good idea is you have limited time and space, want to grow things not suitable for your area or want year round access to herbs etc. during the colder seasons., one place for info on that is available by following links from Gardener's Supply Company. www.gardeners.com (that may not be the right addy but it is a good place for gardening info I am sure) Jerry Baker has lots of tips and tricks for organic gardening so look for his name in books, mags etc. or WWW.JERRYBAKER.COM again he is an organic advocate not necessarily veggie friendly. One issue in organic gardening I'm still not sure how I feel about is the use of worm casting or " worm farms " in composting. I don't have a problem with attracting insects and worms in the garden and they are great for it, but raising them in a box and feeding them your scraps in exchange for there wastes and castings, etc. I don't know... kind of like slavery to me... Well, anyway... sorry for such a lengthy reply, but I hope I have helped... wish I had a goood list of links I could share... but I really jsust keyword my way to info mostly. One last resource I will include is to check out Organic Gardening Magazine...I used to and can not bear to throw out my back issues as they contain many great tips and articles.... Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health. For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 Ants will stay away from areas sprayed with vinegar, or cayenne pepper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 --- Timothy Elliott <timoelliott wrote: > Since we're on the subject, does anyone know of an > organic and cruelty-free > way to keep ants out of your garden? I don't know if ants are good for strawberries, but a plant biologist friend of mine said that ants produce a phermone similar to vinegar. I know if you wipe vinegar around your doorways, it will keep ants away, as they will think there is another colony living there. Maybe that would work with the strawberry patch? Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2002 Report Share Posted May 4, 2002 I read recently (I think it was in 'Carrots Love Tomatoes' or is it vice versa?) that spearmint will get rid of ants in your garden. I am trying this out on the ants in the house. Every year we (our neighbors as well) get ants for about a month in the spring until it is warm enough outside for them. It is fine at first then it drives me crazy and about the time I'm ready to give up on my vegan principles and kill them...they leave. Sigh. Anyway, this year I planted spearmint around the outside of the house where I think they are getting in and it seems to be working so far. Who knows for sure. I've also created an ant ball (read about this is 'Clean House, Clean Planet') and I move it farther and farther from my house, but I'm afraid this will move them to someone else's house...someone who will undoubtedly spray. Are ants good for your garden? It probably depends on how you look at it. I'm sure they are very beneficial to the ecosystem and they do break things down, but will they cause your strawberries harm? Don't know. They haven't done anything to ours. Of course, there are different types of ants. My ants are the smelly kind who eat everything. Happy gardening, Linda Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 6, 2002 Report Share Posted May 6, 2002 You might want to test out the vinegar on a small area before going overboard with it as vinegar has also been recomended as an organic method of weed control... I don't know if that would harm the strawberries as well... --- VAP79 wrote: > Ants will stay away from areas sprayed with vinegar, > or cayenne pepper. > > Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 7, 2002 Report Share Posted May 7, 2002 Neither one of these worked on our ants. I clean with vinegar and they seem to love it. They totally ignore cayenne pepper. It may depend on the type of ants. Linda --- VAP79 wrote: > Ants will stay away from areas sprayed with vinegar, > or cayenne pepper. > > Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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