http://organicgardening.about.com/ Get the latest headlines from the About.com http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hh http://www.about.com/ 118 20 en-us 2012-01-31T17:26:23Z Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:26:23 +0000 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/02/10/my-recipe-for-seed-starting-mix.htm <p><img class="alignleft" style="margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" src="http://0.tqn.com/h/organicgardening/1/3/T/3/-/-/leekseedlings.jpg" alt="leek seedlings" width="170" height="150" />I love this time of year. Though snow flurries are falling outside my window as I write this, the spring garden is becoming more of a reality. Plans are being made, seeds ordered, and the first seeds of the year have been sown, and are now sitting snugly under the grow lights in my basement.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/02/10/my-recipe-for-seed-starting-mix.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/02/10/my-recipe-for-seed-starting-mix.htm Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:02:36 +0000 2012-02-10T13:02:36Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/31/a-different-kind-of-harvest.htm <p><img class="alignright" style="border: 0pt none; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/organicgardening/1/0/w/1/-/-/redwiggler.JPG" border="0" alt="" width="200" height="151" align="right" />Here's how badly I need to get outside and do some digging: I spent over an hour sitting on my kitchen floor today with my worm bin.</p> <p>Don't worry, it's not like I was naming the worms or anything. I was harvesting the vermicompost from the bin. It had gotten to the point that the bottom two inches of the bin were jam packed with vermicompost, and I was worried that I would soon be dealing with an anaerobic worm bin if I didn't take care of it soon (I was right: digging down into the bottom of that compacted vermicompost was not the world's most pleasant task. Ew.)</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/31/a-different-kind-of-harvest.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/31/a-different-kind-of-harvest.htm Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:26:23 +0000 2012-01-31T17:26:23Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/30/what-do-gardeners-do-in-the-middle-of-winter.htm <p><img style="border: 0pt none; margin: 5px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/organicgardening/1/0/q/1/-/-/snowyconeflower.JPG" border="0" alt="" width="200" height="174" align="left" />I enjoy looking at my stats for this site, especially to see how people made their way here. Most often, searches send people here who are looking for information about a specific crop, pest, or disease. But I see from my recent stats that a few people have landed here by asking the question "what do gardeners do in the middle of winter?"</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/30/what-do-gardeners-do-in-the-middle-of-winter.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/30/what-do-gardeners-do-in-the-middle-of-winter.htm Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:34:46 +0000 2012-01-30T12:34:46Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/28/reusing-items-for-seed-starting.htm <p><a href="http://organicgardening.about.com/u/sty/organicgardenmaintenance/showandtellreuseseedstarting/form.htm"><img src="http://z.about.com/d/organicgardening/1/0/x/1/-/-/babyfoodseedstartsm.JPG" border="0" alt="" align="right" /></a>Besides using my soil block maker, I am also a huge fan of reusing items destined for the trash or recycling bin for starting seeds indoors. With that in mind, I put the call out to some of my garden writer and garden blogging pals, asking them if they use reused items for seed starting. Boy, did I get a response! Several people had written entire blog posts about their love for reusing, so I thought I'd share them here to hopefully spark some ideas.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/28/reusing-items-for-seed-starting.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/28/reusing-items-for-seed-starting.htm Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:26:44 +0000 2012-01-28T12:26:44Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/25/new-usda-plant-hardiness-zone-map-has-your-zone-changed.htm <p>This morning, the USDA released its new Plant Hardiness Zone Map (<a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/">which you can see here.</a>) About half of all the zones in the U.S. moved a half-zone warmer than they were on the previous map.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/25/new-usda-plant-hardiness-zone-map-has-your-zone-changed.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/25/new-usda-plant-hardiness-zone-map-has-your-zone-changed.htm Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:54:48 +0000 2012-01-25T11:54:48Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/21/vegetables-to-sow-in-january.htm <p><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 5px;" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/organicgardening/1/0/u/1/-/-/onionseedslights.JPG" alt="" width="112" height="83" />January marks the beginning of the indoor seed-starting season for those of us in zone 6 and above. While the pickings are slim for me still (onions and parsley), it will be so nice to have something green under my grow lights again. Below are a few links to help you get started with seed sowing:</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/21/vegetables-to-sow-in-january.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/21/vegetables-to-sow-in-january.htm Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:29:52 +0000 2012-01-21T13:29:52Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/15/do-you-use-manure-tea-in-your-garden.htm <p>I've hit that point in winter during which I start obsessing about the garden. Daydreaming, planning, re-planning, highlighting things to order... all fun, of course, but not nearly as fun as actually digging in my garden. I've got cabin fever, badly.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/15/do-you-use-manure-tea-in-your-garden.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/15/do-you-use-manure-tea-in-your-garden.htm Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:42:55 +0000 2012-01-15T11:42:55Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/05/one-more-reason-to-vermicompost.htm <p><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 5px;" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/organicgardening/1/0/w/-/-/-/wormsinbin.jpg" alt="" width="170" height="127" />If you've ever started plants from seed, only to find your healthy seedlings suddenly drooping, shriveled shells of their former selves, then you know very well what "damping off" is. Damping off is a fungal disease that causes your seedlings to wither and die shortly after germination. A long-standing practice has been to water seedlings with chamomile tea to prevent damping off, but gardeners now have a more potent tool in their arsenal: worm poo.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/05/one-more-reason-to-vermicompost.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2012/01/05/one-more-reason-to-vermicompost.htm Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:57:23 +0000 2012-01-05T07:57:23Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2011/12/31/happy-new-year.htm <p>I wanted to take a moment and thank all of you for helping to make 2011 a great year. I hope the articles you've read here at About Organic Gardening have helped you grow better, solve problems in your garden, and really enjoy the fruits of your labor. I'm looking forward to a great 2012!</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2011/12/31/happy-new-year.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2011/12/31/happy-new-year.htm Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:54:49 +0000 2011-12-31T11:54:49Z http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2011/12/30/2012-garden-planning-plants-to-attract-beneficial-insects.htm <p><img class="alignleft" style="margin: 5px;" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/organicgardening/1/0/3/4/-/-/ladybugaphids.JPG" alt="" width="200" height="184" />I admit to having a bit of tunnel vision when it comes to looking at seed catalogs. I go right for the vegetable section. Herbs, flowers --- nah. All I want to see are all of those tomatoes, the possibilities for salads and canning spread before me, just beckoning me to order just a few more heirloom varieties. Winter squashes, melons, lettuces and beans. These pages are addictive to me.</p>...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2011/12/30/2012-garden-planning-plants-to-attract-beneficial-insects.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://organicgardening.about.com/b/2011/12/30/2012-garden-planning-plants-to-attract-beneficial-insects.htm Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:28:54 +0000 2011-12-30T08:28:54Z