organic gardening Archives | Kuball's Khaos

Baby Gardener

Lyn — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 22:00:46 +0000

A few weeks ago, my baby child and I went to our favorite place in all the land…Target! We were probably there one day when she was ‘sick,’ don’t tell anyone!!! Bullseye’s playground had these easy start seed kits just her size. She picked 2 tomatoes, a strawberry, and a daisy. Similar to this one: Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. It was a mommy-daughter experiment and we had so much fun!!! The kit came with plenty of seeds, a pot, and a growing medium (a dry mix of potting soil). We put the growing medium in a bowl and added a few tablespoons of water. We tipped the earth into the pot and pushed in the seeds. She was so proud of her accomplishment that she asked if she could place them on her window sill for growing. She took the daisy and strawberries to her room and left the tomatoes on the kitchen sill. As you can see, it was a perfect thing to do on this rainy day! She even cleaned up her mess. She spilled a little bit of soil while trying to dump it into the pots. After about 2 weeks, we had our first sign of life. The soil got dry very quickly, and we realized that they would all do better in the kitchen. But it was too late for the daisy….she was knocked over by a lethal wagging tail…🐶 As of yesterday, both tomatoes have sprouted, and the strawberry has been moved. I’m confident that these tomatoes will make it to our outdoor garden, for a little girl to enjoy! Even if it’s late into summer!!!! Teaching the kids how fun it is to grow things, care for their food, and be outdoors is such an essential part of who we want them to be. We want them to take pride in what they do, be independent, and learn that hard work does pay off. This is a small way to show them those life lessons without lecturing and nagging, but by having fun instead. Happy growing,

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The Best Way to Start Your Spring Garden

Lyn — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 23:04:24 +0000

THE BEST WAY TO START YOUR SPRING GARDEN INCLUDES SOWING SEEDS DIRECTLY INTO THE GROUND AND STARTING THEM INDOORS WITH YOUR OWN GREENHOUSES Hey Mike…..Mike, Mike, Mike…..guess what day it is….. Spring Garden day!!!!! 🎵🎶It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Because we have basketball and cheering, flowers and showers, AND veggie gardens galore….🎶🎵 Really, it’s the hardest work Kris and I put into the yard all year!!! The kids help, the dogs help….its like a family free for all. We get dirty….some of us get into arguments with ants. But in the end, we are all happy to have our Spring Garden ready to be planted. Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. We’ve passed our frost time and it’s safe to put plants in the ground. As I mentioned before, I learned my lesson with seeds. So the only thing I start indoors is tomatoes. Peppers, cucumbers, peas, carrots, and squash all go directly into the earth. I don’t plant anything we won’t eat. Again, I learned my lesson years ago….no one but me likes eggplant. I can’t eat 30 eggplants. Everyone will eat cucumbers, so we plant a LOT of those. Tomatoes are similar, so we plant different kinds of those. This year we went to Home Depot and grabbed some already started tomato plants. Let me tell you why we did this – tomatoes are the most popular veggie in this house. My daughter will literally eat tomatoes out of the garden without washing them, so we need a LARGE supply. Starting them by seeds last year did not give us a lot of actual tomatoes. NOW – it was a really wet spring BUT I didn’t want to risk it………..so I bit the bullet and bought Bonnie plants. 1 – Soil We prepare the garden with a mixture of compost and garden soil. All organic of course, no pesticides here! The smell is GROSS!!!! Consider yourself warned. But once everything is tilled, it goes away. So we start with this: The amount of soil in these boxes are too low, but you can see how much of the nutrients last year’s plants have used. When you see the end product you will understand more about why this part is important. Clear out all old plants and weeds. You will thank yourself in 2 months, I promise!!!! 2 – Till It is important to mix what you already have with your new soil. You want the plants to be able to grow deeper than the layer you have on top. You can till by hand or use this cool tool to help you. It will save your back!!!!! 3 – Plan We drawn our plan out on paper, like mentioned in this post, we take our seed packets and already started plants and place them where we want them. 4 – Dig! Make sure you read how far apart each vegetable needs to be planted and how much space they need to grow. When sowing seeds outdoors, make it easy and create a trench. You can then push the dirt on them and they are in a sort of straight line. END PRODUCT….. See the planting is easy…it’s the preparing that takes the longest. But once you do it a few times, it becomes like second nature. AGAIN, get the family involved. My kids love pushing the seeds into the earth. That way when it starts to grow, they can say “I did that!” Next project will be to mulch all the garden areas! That is back breaking work!!! Happy Growing,

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How to Start Your Seeds Indoors

Lyn — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 20:10:45 +0000

INSIDE: HOW TO PREPARE YOUR GARDEN FOR SPRING AND FALL HARVESTS USING YOUR OWN GREENHOUSE. It’s getting close to Spring….nicer weather, more outdoor time, and the prospect of growing your own vegetables!!! Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!! First you have to know your zone, and nothing goes outdoors until the DANGER of frost is gone. Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. To start seeds indoor OR sow directly? This is completely up to you and depends on where you live. Read your seed packets and determine if it is necessary. If it is, follow the easy set up instructions below. Build you own indoor greenhouse with biodegradable pots, seed starting mix (organic like this one), organic seeds, and a greenhouse made out of foil pans with plastic lids (like this). To create your greenhouse: Comment below with any questions you may have about starting your OWN garden! Happy growing,

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Finally An Organic Weed KILLER!

Lyn — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 02:10:11 +0000

FINALLY AN ORGANIC WEED KILLER THAT ALLOWS OUR GARDEN TO REMAIN ORGANIC WHILE RIDDING ITSELF OF THE PESKY WEEDS! Myth or reality? There are so many options for DIY weed killers but are they really organic? Vinegar, salt, and dish soap mixture – it works…..after 20 applications, changes the pH of your soil, and dish soap is NOT organic, see BELOW! Store bought sprays – it works……but it usually kills your vegetables too. It is not “seed” specific, meaning you cannot buy one that kills only crabgrass and not tomatoes. The science is not there yet. Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. Egg shells and coffee – NOPE! Sure it can add magnesium and calcium to your soil, but you probably do not need it. It does NOT get rid of insects either. Before we go any further, let’s share the social love – Come follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Insta. What’s left for us organic farmers?? Newspaper? YES!! Yes! Newspaper is made from wood (long drawn out process but yes, wood), wood is organic. Newspapers used to be printed with metal infused ink. Not anymore. Now they used SOY based ink. OK – soy isn’t organic either. (Watch Food Inc. if you did not know this already) BUT……it kind of is….more than straight chemicals and metal…..and soap. Just don’t use the glossy pages or colored ink pages. I am ok with this method for several reasons. Second Option Neem Oil…..never heard of it? Read about my first test with it. Well, it is an amazing concentrate that comes from the seeds of a Neem plant. AND a natural pesticide. Most Neem Oils are considered safe and effective in killing garden pests, BUT if you want organic……what’s the rule???? IF it doesn’t have this label , it is NOT organic. SO sorry to tell you – local hardware stores are NOT going to have what you need; unless you are willing to not go completely organic. If you are ok with not having the label, you want to look for 100% cold pressed Neem oil – like this one If organic is what you want, this is the same one I use. Neem oil is a solid, when it is refrigerated, which is how it should be kept when not using. The oil turns to a liquid at room temperature. DO NOT put the undiluted oil on your plants. Recipe for Neem Oil – 32 oz of water to 2 teaspoons of Neem Oil and 1 teaspoon of dish soap. Remember to get your 32oz spray bottle. NOW remember Dawn dish soap is NOT organic. There are some dish soaps that are much friendlier – such as Better Life, ECOS or Attitude. They all are certified by the EWG (Environmental Working Group) which means the plant-based chemical that ARE used are safe for the environment, people, and pets. Once your spray is ready. you need to make sure it doesn’t damage your plants. Test it on one leaf, return the following day to see if there is any damage to the leaf. If no, then proceed to covering the entire plant. Spray the tops and underside of the leaves and the stem. The half-life of Neem oil varies based on the mixture. It is only stable in water for 2 – 4 days. Once it is sprayed on the plants this lowers to 1 – 2.5 days. Plan your spray related to rainfall predictions. Try to spray when there won’t be rain for a least a day and of course repeat the spray once the plant is dry after the rain. Have you tried Neem Oil? How did it go? Drop us a line and let us know!!! Happy Gardening,

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How to Start a Successful Organic Garden

Lyn — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 19:40:44 +0000

INSIDE: HAVING AN ORGANIC GARDEN IN YOUR YARD WILL SAVE YOU MONEY AND WORRY. SEE HOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL ORGANIC GARDEN Several years ago, Kris and I watched a documentary on Netflix…..it took our family on a journey that we have only veered from slightly. We started our own organic garden. Our story – Rewind to 2009, our second child had just been born. She was so little…..she was sick all the time. Literally, her first day at day care she came home with sniffling and pure exhaustion. OK – it takes time to adapt to day care. But two days later, she spiked a fever of 102 and sounded so congested there was no way there was air getting into those tiny little lungs! To the doctor we went. A diagnosis of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) after one week of day care….it became clear that this kid was going to change everything I thought I knew about parenting. Why did she get so sick? Wasn’t she getting what she needed from my breast milk? Didn’t I give her my immunity during gestation? All these things running through my mind. And then at 30 years old, unable to lose the baby weight, and postpartum depression setting in….I realized…..I was UNHEALTHY!!!!!!!!! Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure. The change – We started watching documentaries about food, the food industry, and why we’ve become such a processed food nation. It wasn’t until we watched “Food Inc.” that we decided it was enough. We needed to make a change for our children, for their future, for the health of our family. Enter organic eating. OH BOY!!!! It can be expensive!!!!!!!!!!! At first it was everything. Anything I saw with an organic label, I purchased. Imported from Mexico, Guatemala, or Timbuktu? Nope! They do not have them same organic rules as the USA! I realized milk went sour faster, fruits rotted faster, and meat was gamey tasting. So I started doing some research. What are the benefits? What fruits and vegetables are most important to eat organically? Where can I relax a little? The learning curve – I learned anything with an outer layer that we don’t eat (or don’t HAVE to eat) can be non-organic (think bananas, potatoes, avocados). If it’s processed, there is absolutely no point in buying organic…..fluffed, flaked, puffed, crunched…..what does it matter? That left – meat, eggs, milk, certain fruits and vegetables. HOW can I save money? Grow my own? Let’s try it….. Our Garden – I started with the idea that I could have a small garden in the back yard. My husband, who does NOTHING small, decided to dig up 1/4 of the back yard and build me boxes. We planted so many things, there was NO way we could eat all of them partly because we planted them all at the same time. We did TOO much, especially for our first time. I started all of the seeds indoors, not necessary in South Carolina, but that’s what I wanted to do. We bought organic seeds, used compost, and topsoil, watered every day. I don’t even remember eating the vegetables honestly. I remember the watermelons taking over the yard, having a wheelbarrow FULL of potatoes, and the WEEDS! OMG!!!! I had no desire to pick weeds. But it must not have been too bad because I continued growing my own organic vegetables. Over the years, we figured out how to make the most of this space with planting companion veggies. We used crop rotation to keep the soil high in nutrients. But never again did we plant all at once! PHEW!!!!!!!!! New Garden – It came time for us to move, and our garden couldn’t come with us. We did not wait long before figuring out how to make it work in the new house. The garden got down scaled thus making it more manageable. We have been doing this for so long…..our children go digging for earth worms in here. They find a TON…..good sign of a healthy garden. We still use 50% compost and 50% topsoil. I add fungicide now because the rain has been out of control and root rot has plagued the spring harvest of summer squash. We start eggplant and tomatoes indoors using our own seed starting kits. I make them with biodegradable pots, seed starting mix (organic like this one), organic seeds, and a greenhouse made out of foil pans with plastic lids (like this). I encourage you to find that green and white label on your seeds for true organic gardening. How do we handle pests – Pest control is probably the biggest challenge for organic gardeners. Obviously we aren’t going to be spraying insecticides or pesticides all over our ORGANIC garden…….so we either handpick the critters (gross) or we use FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth or DE. DE only works when it is dry! DRY! DRY!!! Think of Gremlins!!! DRY FOOD GRADE DE is a perfect silent bug killer! HOORAY nature! Happy Gardening,

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How to Prepare a Successful Fall Garden

Lyn — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 14:41:56 +0000

INSIDE: CHECK OUT HOW TO PREPARE A SUCCESSFUL FALL GARDEN WITH SIMPLE TRICKS, PLANNING, AND WITHOUT THE STRESS. Creating a fall garden in the South, where the seasons are…….ummmm nonexistent, is difficult but not impossible. We go from summer to winter then to summer……maybe 2 weeks of fall and spring. And a month or two of winter (which most people would call “fall weather”). Those are my problems……what kind of problems do you have? To prepare a successful fall garden you must follow some basic rules; they aren’t hard so here you go. Know Your Zone The easiest way to determine your growing zone is to find this website, enter your zip code – POOF – you know your zone. http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ Once you know your zone, you can start planning your garden. Since we are starting in the fall, we will talk about what we need to do for fall harvests. Pick Your Place Yard? Porch? Boxes? Directly in the ground? Pots? So many decisions. But you need to think about these things before you start. Sunlight, shade, water amount, drainage. All of this plays a part in your selection. So much to think about….let’s assume that you know where you are going to plant your garden. Soil Selection 50% of your soil should be compost (plant or animal based is up to you) and 50% should be topsoil or potting soil. If you are planting directly into the ground, dig about 12 inches into the ground and mix your natural soil with the compost and potting soil to create a healthy growing medium. Let the soil sit for a few days before planting. Fall Vegetables Beets, cabbage, carrots, kale, lettuce, peas, and spinach are just a few. Of course, we all want to grow pumpkins. BUT we don’t plant those in late summer, we would plant those in July. This is why planning is an essential part of your garden. You have to know when you begin a seed to make it hardy for the ground and harvest in the proper environment. Side note: these are also the early spring vegetables. Seeds Indoor or outdoor start? This is why I LOVE fall……all low maintenance outdoor starts. Keeping in mind that all will harvest at different times, you need to plan accordingly and NOT all at ONCE! 2 week increments are best for keeping the garden going for the longest. Planting in Rows I admit that my first year I thought I could remember where I planted what and I didn’t need help remembering. WRONG! Until you know what the leaves of your vegetables look like, make yourself planting sticks. I used Popsicle sticks with pencil (sharpie fades in the sunlight). If you don’t do this, you will harvest too early, give up on seedlings before you should, not thin accordingly. SO mark your territory! Depending on the amount of room you have, you do not need to plant a row of a thousand seeds. 10 will do. You do not need to plant what you won’t eat! And remember, save the seeds to replant in 2 weeks for more harvesting. Beets, carrots, and peas need 1-2 inches between each other. Most greens (like cabbage, lettuce, kale, and spinach) start with a lot of seeds in a row and get thinned to about 4-6 inches apart. You need to leave room for the “head” of the green to grow. Side note: it is super important that your soil is free from rocks, debris, and clumps. Your “root” vegetables need to be able to grow without obstacles. Harvesting How do you know when they are ready? Every vegetable is different. Beets and carrots have a healthy green stalk appearing from the ground (this is what you see). When these are ready to harvest, you begin to see the vegetable “peeking” out of the soil near the stalk. The best thing about carrots is you can leave them in the ground longer, they don’t become bitter like other vegetables when left to grow. Peas have a plump pod on their stalks when harvesting time arrives. Again, not all stalks will be ready at the same time and different stalks will produce several pods at different times. Pay attention to the size and plumpness of the pod, the peas inside are the vegetable you are eating. Greens look like they do in the grocery store when ready. The heads have fully formed leaves. You can dig up the whole head or clip the leaves. If you clip the leaves, you can leave the head to grow more, keeping in mind that most greens become bitter when left in the ground too long. Companion Growing Most of your fall vegetables are compatible with one another. Try incorporating some herbs, they can help combat pests naturally and give you some more gardening fun. Want to see a full companion guide? Check out this site for some more help. Have you started a garden in the fall? How did it go? Do you have any barriers you need help with? Happy Growing,

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