The Natural Gardener
Basics to Expert! (and a lot in between)
Gardening for the "Natural" Grower
Here at Earthwise we realize that there are many ways to garden and all levels of gardening skill and interest. The natural gardener can benefit from a mixture of age-old, time-tested skills and an array of new and improved natural growing products and tools. Which products and tools it makes sense to use often depends on the size of the garden.
Our focus of interest and expertise for over 30 years has been in the “natural” or “organic/biological” approach to growing plants commercially. Along the way we have advised many local clients on adapting the most successful practices of large scale growers to their own situation.
To more widely share this knowledge, we have decided to provide a series of “How To” and “What To” and “What If ?!?” articles covering many aspects of “natural” gardening.
There are a lot of twists and turns that can occur in the garden between seed selection and the supper table. Foreknowledge and good planning can go a long way toward making that path a bit straighter. You will find articles on soil preparation and amendments, supplemental fertility ideas using foliar spraying and water injection techniques, weed control, and last, (but not least!) rescue products for the inevitable problems that “crop up”. Eating (and giving away) fresh produce from the garden is satisfying on many levels. We hope we can help you along the way to a bountiful harvest while reducing your stress level at the same time.
Basics of Soil Preparation
Sunshine, water, and appropriate temperatures are absolutely necessary for the growth of garden plants. But healthy living soil is the key to growing strong, robust, and healthy garden plants for our consumption that are in turn flavorful and nutrient dense. Strong, nutrient balanced plants also tend to produce more antioxidants. Read on for articles on how to prepare and “care” for your soil.
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Links Coming Soon!
Growing Guides
In this section we have created templates or “growing guides” to aid the avid natural gardener in developing their own program for basic soil fertility, in-season fertility supplements, and insect and disease control. You will find products, rates, and timings appropriate for many crop types and situations. With a little tweaking, these guides will be suitable for most garden growing situations.
Irrigation
All living things need water – gardens are certainly no exception! Rain water, of course, is the best growing water we could hope for. But garden plants need timely waterings to perform at their best and few areas can depend on rainfall alone for their watering needs. How much and how often you water will make a big difference in the garden’s productivity.
Read on for more info about water quality, irrigation systems, and how much and when to water.
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Links Coming Soon!
Weeds!
Well, sorry to bring it up, but you knew we would have to get to this sooner or later. Weeds are the bane of every gardener, but the successful “natural” gardener has a special place for them in their growing plan – Front and Center!
We will explore some of the growing habits of common garden weeds to try to find their weaknesses and exploit them. We will also link to tools that make weed control at least manageable – we won’t call it fun!
Gardening “Pro Tips”
There are lots of “experiences” that are hard to classify, but important to share
Mulching
Foliar Spraying
Earthworms
Planting Zones
Water Quality
Calcium Boron and fruit integrity
Mycorrhizae
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Links Coming Soon!
Philosophical Mishmash
Plant Health for Human Health?
Soil Organic Matter – What’s the Big Deal?
Chaos vs Control – Where is the Line?
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Links Coming Soon!