As I told you before, I’m a fan of organic gardening. Not only is fertilizer from organic sources a good additive to your soil than enhances its structure (especially for sandy soil!) but it’s also economically more viable than chemical fertilizer. Inorganic fertilizers only feed your plants and are often washed away, therefore wasting the environment.

Disadvantages of organic fertilizers are that they contain much less nutrients per weight unit (which makes them more expensive when it comes to transportation) and that they release their nutrients much slower than inorganic fertilizers.

From a chemical point of view, “organic” would be the counterpart to inorganic, which could for example be limestone. However, when I say “organic” I refer to substances not attained from chemical processing. I want to list the most important and handy forms of organic fertilizers in the following article.

Organic fertilizers

Manure: Besides being an umbrella term that also encompasses compost and so called “green manure”, manure means animal feces (from pig, cattle etc.) that may come in liquid or dried form. Manure generally improves soil structure. Its fertilizing value depends on the respective animals, f.e.:

• chicken litter is high in nitrogen and protein
• sheep manure is high in nitrogen and potash

You should, of course, consider the odor of manure from animal waste. One other important factor is its source – it may be contamined with antibiotics if the respective animals have been treated with antibiotics.

Seaweed: Seaweed supplies all three macro-nutrients (n-p-k) and amino acids; you can use seaweed as mulch or as a component of your compost heap. One potential problem is that it contains quite a lot of salt and may be harmful for worms in your compost heap. You should try (especially if you live near the coast) and observe the effects carefully. Seaweed may also be bought in processed form (dry and liquid).

Vermicompost: Vermicompost is a special form of compost that has gained popularity in recent years – it’s ordinary compost that has been thoroughly broken down by earthworms. It contains high amounts of nitrogen (which is a real bottleneck nutrient) than normal compost. You can process vermicompost in your own compost pile. See http://www.redwormcomposting.com/ for more info!

Guano: Due to its high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous, guano is a well liked organic fertilizer (plus it doesn’t smell as bad as other animal manure!). Pay attention to the fact that seabird guano is higher in nutrients than bat guano! Guano may also be applied to leaves as a fungicide.

Bloodmeal/bonemeal: Bloodmeal is high in nitrogen, bonemeal contains phosphorous in large amounts. This said, I personally don’t like to apply these both as I try to circumvent animal mass production. Ok, blood&bone-meal are only by-products, but they still add to the profits of animal farms.. You can, however, mix blood meal with water and use it as a liquid fertilizer for your plants. Bone meal is a real slow-release fertilizer that should best be mixed with the soil.

Peat: Peat (or turf) are partially decayed plants that have been trapped in moors; it may be used as fuel or by us gardeners. Peat increases soil acidity and improves its structure by storing nutrients (it does itself not contain important nutrients).

Cover crops: Cover crops are plants that are grown for some time and then mixed into the soil for structure and nutrients. Leguminous crops like peas or alfalfa are used most often, as they take nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it into the soil, therefore guaranteeing a sustainable ecosystem. They’re also commonly used in conventional agriculture – but they’re not so convenient to use in your ordinary garden, as you would need to forgo planting of food crops for a certain time period. See my article on bio-intensive gardening for a method to circumvent this!

Tomatoes a are great choice for your vegetable garden: They’re easy to grow from seed, you have a large variety of plant types to choose from and they’re simply delicious!
I’ll compile some useful tips and background info in the following article.

Location

You should choose a warm, sunny spot for your tomatoes. For colder climates, greenhouses are best; you don’t necessarily need a fully closed greenhouse – an easy do-it-yourself structure might suffice (to protect the plants from heavy, cold rain), for example a cover of glass panels or a tent made of transparent sheeting (have a look at http://dandelionking.net/do-it-yourself-greenhouse.php ). There’s also the possibility to choose special outdoor varieties for colder climates.

Sowing

You could start right now (in mid-spring) by sowing seeds in bio-degradable pots filled with compost – put them on a windowsill and water them regularly. The seeds should take about two weeks to germinate. Tomatoes grow quite fast, and they may need to be replanted (into seperate pots) after about six weeks. Be careful not to harm the plants while doing so. It’s handy to put them into growing bags – you can put the bags directly into your garden soil later. Remember to put a cane next to the plant for increased stability and to tie the plants to it.

Care

Try to keep the soil around the plants modestly wet and to avoid extreme moisture. A critical factor for good tomatoes is pruning: Tomatoes tend towards forming multiple stems, but single-stemmed plants are best as they will be larger and yield a lot of fruits (as the plants energy is thus directed towards growing fruits). If left unpruned, tomato plants would also fall to the side (forced by the weight of their fruits), and then form new (vertical) branches. This takes a lot of space, exposes the fruits to mildew and decreases the amount of sunlight each leave is able to absorb.

To prohibit the growth of bushy plants, cut of thick branches that start to form ramifications as early as possible. A nice side-effect of pruning is that the fruits are formed earlier and grow larger than if left natural form.The level of pruning depends on how much space you want to dedicate to a single plant – when tomatoes are planted tightly, they should be pruned more radically to increase the amount of sunlight per plant.

Creating roses from cuttings is a good and cheap way to stock up the roses in your garden. The ‘junior roses” will have the same attributes as the respective parent plant (as it is a genetic clone of the parent), so you can easily multiply roses of the type you like best.

Create roses from cuttings. An How to.

It’s best to create cuttings a bit later in the year (early to late summer), as a dormant rose will not form roots and new leaves, thus being vulnerable to mold. For doing so, cut of branches about ten to fifteen inches long from the old plant and stick them deeply into the soil – circa half of the complete branch should be covered by soil. You best cut large leaves off or cut them in half, as they would consume a large amount of energy that your new rose may not be able to supply.

I found it handy to cover the cutting with a preserving glass put on top of the cutting so that moisture is retained inside and the plant is protected from harsh weather and pests. The soil should, however, not be too moist, as cuttings are easily attacked by fungi. If everything goes alright, new buds will form in between one week and one month!

By the way, you don’t necessarily have to cut of branches from your own roses, but may take those from cut flowers etc.

For all of you who want to start plants from seeds and later transplant them into your garden (or larger pots): A great way to start seeds is to use biodegradable containers. They have the advantage that you’ll avoid harming the roots when you would normally pull them from the soil and plant them at their new spot – you can instead just move the whole container, which will in time decompose. Voilà!

I found a great video on youtube that also offers a d.i.y. approach for creating your own containers:

If you think that it’s a bit over-complicated to fold the containers by yourself, you could also use egg cartons instead.

Chrysanthemums (or “mums”) are among the most attractive shrubs you can have in your garden. Not only do they feature large, colorful blossoms – their blooming period is also quite late in the year (usually from September to October in ), so they are a perfect addition for the later months in the year when other plants already begin to fade. As chrysanthemums are rather unappearing when they’re not blooming, you should try to combine them with other shrubs that have earlier blooming periods (i.e. roses).

Although chrysanthemums originally stem from the warmer climates of southern China, modern varietes are cold-hardy enough to be kept outdoors (although there are some special exhibition varieties for which this does not apply). They’re generally quite tough when it comes to climate, nutrient levels and pH. The modern varieties differ greatly in blossom shape, color and height. Mums are often classified by their blossom shape, which may for example be of the “anemon”-type with centers (disk florets) covered in shorter, darker petals or of the “button”-type, where the outer florets form a rather short, tight ball of many curling petals. Your choice may be limited by the supply kept be gardening centres; you’ll need to order plants if you want a special type.

When and how should I plant new chrysanthemums?

You should wait with purchasing and planting chrysanthemums until April, at least (most chrysanthemums sold in gardening centres come from heated greenhouses and are in no shape for cold weather). On the other hand, I’dd advise you to buy them not later than two months before September, so you may still enjoy the blooms once the plant got used to its new spot.

When planting, you should be careful to place the rootball a bit higher than usual and to fill the hole you dug with enough loose organic matter for good drainage.

Of course, buying whole plants is not the only option. On the one hand, you may sow seeds (which can be started indoors and be transplanted outside after about one month); on the other, you can propagate them by cuttings or plant division. For cutting, choose branches that are about five inches long, place them in water and plant them afterwards in moist peat (best with support of wires); for plant division, you should dig out the plants before spring, pull or cut them apart and choose the healthy divisions for new spots. Remember to pinch the new plants early to ensure a bushy and tight appearance.

How to care for my?

Light:

Chrysanthemums need a lot of sun (at least half a day), so try not to plant your flowers in the shadow of trees or buildings. If sunlight is limited in your garden, I’dd advise you to pick other flowers – it’s just discouraging if your mums don’t get the growth and look you wished for. As ‘mums bloom once the sunhours are getting less, it’s possible that the availability of light at night (for example from streetlamps) may irritate them – I can, however, not confirm this from my own experience.

Water:

The plants are easily hurt by mildew if they’re too wet. Try to plant them in higher places where water may easily run of (f.e. a raised bed).

Soil:

Soil with large portions of clay keeps water from running of, which is harmful to the chrysanthemums. You should try to add as much organic matter as possible to your soil in this case.

[You can measure the level of sand/clay amounts if you grab a handful of medium-dry soil and see what happens if you form a ball from it in your hand – if it falls apart at once, your soil is sandy; if it retains its form, it contains much clay.]

PH:

Chrysanthemums have no special needs when it comes to soil acidity– a pH between 6 and 6.5 should work just fine, but they also accept slightly alkaline soil.

Nutrients and fertilizer:

I’ve made the experience that concerning soil nutrient levels, chrysanthemums are rather undemanding. The usual portion of compost – one bucketful per square meter applied to your soil in spring – actually suffices (unless nutrients are easily washed away in your soil because it’s sandy or the weather is extremely rainy). If you wish for a long blooming phase it’s helpful to support them with extra liquid fertilizer.

Winter care:

Although most varieties are frost-hardy, you can help them coming through the winter by letting the old foliage remain on the branches, covering them with a bit of straw and the soil around them with enough mulch to keep the worst cold out. You can also pot them and put them inside or in protected areas of your garden.

Pests:

Chrysanthemums are prone to be attacked by insects (especially by plant bugs, aphids and also leaf-spot). You should check for insects and mould carefully and take prompt measures. Applying organic insect spray in spring – while they’re still dormant – is advisable at least.

Pruning:

If you prefer bushy, tight shrubs, you should start to prune your chrysanthemums in spring (before their buds swell) and continue to do so until mid-summer, but not later – you should do so even though your plants may still be rather small.

By the way, ‘mums are also used as ingredients for flower tea (combined with green tea) or wine in Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan, which is a little extra feature you can try if you’re growing chrysanthemums. I’m looking forward to your comments – I’m especially curious if any of you had any problems with insects or mould?