A sunny weekend on a farm in Buckinghamshire in a field of cosy bell tents, we've just got back from Natasha's Creativity Festival at Hill View Farm.
Organic gardening invloves growing your foods and vegetables without using man-made chemicals such as synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides.
Instead of using synthetic or toxic chemicals, organic gardeners create a natural garden ecosystem that gives more to the earth than it takes away. More than anything else, organic gardening requires altering your mindset about gardening. Here are three basic concepts to get you started on your path to an organic garden.
If you find yourself struggling to try to figure out how much to plant per person in the garden for a year's worth of food - look no further.
How to start an organic garden with ease
Perennial Garden Design. Our one-click garden design service for quick, cost-effective and smart growing solutions. Here we have a fantastic perennial garden design, aimed at people who want a low maintenance, high fruiting and flowering garden. Based on the average 8 by 20 meter urban garden, this design will survive in most soils (although best for 6-8 ph) and zones USDA 6-9 or UK Hardiness H4-H7. In this design you will receive: • 50 hardy plants with botanical and common names. • A clearly annotated garden design What is permaculture? Permaculture, 'permanent agriculture', is an ecological design system that creates abundant results because of its regenerative practises. Inspired by the principles and methods of natural eco-systems, we create designs that heal the soil, produce high yields of fruit, medicine and other necessary ingredients for a thriving environment for all types of landscapes and scenarios of life. Whats the benefits of using our permaculture garden designs? • Low Maintenance In natures designs, there is a job for everything. The leaves provide the soil with nitrogen, the plants trade nutrients and everything is recycled back into the eco-system in a miraculous closed-loop system with no inputs needed expect for the natural life-cycles and elements. Therefore, when we use natures methods of thriving to create sustainable landscape designs, little maintenance is needed. Ideally, the system will completely maintain itself, however, there will be some maintenance depending on the type of system but compared to traditional gardens where all the plants are only chosen aesthetically and need huge inputs from weekly gardeners to outsourced fertilisers, PERMACULTURE SYSTEMS ARE MUCH LESS WORK. • High yielding in fruits, veg and flowers You can expect higher yielding results because your eco-system is working as a team, co-operating, trading and thriving with one another. This is because the right plants have been chosen for the specific climate, soil and guild (Group of plants). When the intelligence of permaculture is applied to garden design, nature flourishes quickly and abundantly because all the plants are in the right place, contributing their unique benefits to an environment the needs them. • Improves soil health, biodiversity and production You may or may not know that plants have special powers. Some plants fix nitrogen from the air, into the soil, some air-rate the soil so fungi, insects and water can move freely and some dig deep down in the soil, bringing up necessary minerals and nutrients to trade with other plants. Permaculture design emphasises the importance of choosing the right plants for the specific eco-system, asking, what does the soil need? How can we improve biodiversity? What plants/trees are needed to create a thriving, low maintenance eco-system here? When we know our environment, we know the right plants to integrate and when we know that, we can heal the earth. We can create a THRIVING PLANET WITH PERMACULTURE. • Regenerative eco-system design In permaculture you will hear regeneration a lot. This is because our eco-systems are degrading in nutrients, biodiversity, soil fertility and much more... You can probably taste it in your food by now. Chemical fertilzers, traditional farming methods, pollution (I can go on) are just some of the many causes of this. The good news? Permaculture rejuvenates! Reversing the effects of mistreatment to the earth and penetrating it with a healing landscape design that radically improves all aspects of the environment. • Aesthetically Beautiful Landscapes We always ensure our designs are beautiful, but it's not difficult since we are using the same methods and principles as nature. And let's be honest, nature is breathtakingly beautiful. Have you ever experienced a forest? And to think most forests have NO-INPUTS, and if they do its only minimal like paths and outdoor spaces like view points. But the actual forest does not need fertilisers or added organic matter to help it thrive in it's beauty. Unlike the practises of traditional gardening which needs the heavy resources to account for the mis-placement of plants and therefore, the lack of nutrients in the soil.
Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecosystems.
Growing your own vegetable garden is getting more and more popular. If you're new to vegetable gardening, don’t let vegetable garden design stump you.
When bugs attack your garden, don't reach for dangerous pesticides. Instead, discover how to make natural garden pesticides that work.
Once you have assembled your Vego organic gardening raised beds, the next task is filling the raised garden beds before planting. One of the most common questions we get from new gardeners is how to fill a new raised bed and still save money. There are many different methods out there that work well! From our experience, the Hugelkultur method is the easiest and most cost-efficient method to use. Summary Hugelkultur is the process of layering organic garden waste inside the raised garden bed, before adding soil to save on costs, in addition to attracting and preserving moisture. Of German origin, hugelkultur translates to “mound or hill culture.” It is especially applicable in areas where soil retention and drainage are poor, which is typical of soils found in urban areas. The materials used include large rotting logs, sticks and other debris that are layered with grass clippings, coffee grounds, compost, and other organic matter. As the material breaks down, it creates a flourishing environment for beneficial fungi and microbes that mimics the natural landscape of a forest. There are many advantages to the Hugelkultur method, including soil quality improvement, minimal maintenance, and water retention. The Hugelkultur Method to Fill Raised Garden Beds To create a bountiful garden bed, organic matter such as rotted hay, plant waste, and compost is added to the soil. Wood debris decomposes slowly, making it a stable source of organic matter. The optimal kind of wood used is one that is starting to rot, which can be obtained from branches cut from a dead tree or logs from an abandoned wood pile. This organic matter will decompose over time, and plant roots will travel deeper into the raised garden bed soil to obtain the nutrition. It will also work as a big sponge, retaining water to maintain an ideal moisture level. In the Hugelkultur method, for filling a raised garden bed, the large pieces are laid at the bottom as they will take the longest time to decompose. In the picture above, the piling logs may take up to 5 years before the base sponge breaks down into rich, wonderful raised garden bed soil. The smaller pieces are placed on top of the larger pieces to fill space, such as branches and sticks, and then grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps. Compost and topsoil are on the top two layers for your raised garden bed so you can start planting as the organic matter beneath decomposes. Some Considerations While Filling a Raised Garden Bed Using Hugelkultur Method Pests: Something to be aware of are termites, especially if you live in a wooded area with a high termite distribution, which can be attracted to the large amount of buried wood. However, most termites tend to live in dead trees that are still standing, rather than buried logs found in hugel beds. Garlic can be grown for pest control. Make sure to be vigilant against pests such as slugs, snails, and pill bugs. You can use organic pest control such as beer traps if slugs become a problem. Various Hugelkultur Methods: The classic method requires you to dig a deep trench around 2 meters and fill it with large logs, adding progressively more logs until it becomes mound-shaped. Most gardeners dig a shallower trench that is about 1 meter. Vego raised garden beds provide a convenient alternative that only requires you to fill the container on the ground with the appropriate contents. They provide structural integrity through an enclosed terrain that is easy to manage and will last for many years, making it the perfect framework. That way, you don’t have to spend time digging a trench or placing a fence around it, which can be burdensome and labor intensive. Additionally, it is more aesthetically pleasing than just a mound on the ground, which is unsightly to some. Wood Type: The right type of wood is important to consider. Hardwoods are recommended as they break down more slowly and hold water longer. However, softwoods are also acceptable. The woods that work best include birch, alder, maple, cottonwood, willow and oak. Avoid allelopathic trees like black walnut, red oak, and sycamore, as they contain chemicals that inhibit plant growth, as well as rot resistant trees like black cherry and black locust. Preparation: Be sure to add a fresh layer of compost on top prior to planting. The combined layers of organic material above the wood should be as deep as the wood base. This means a 30" bed can have up to 15" wood in it, while a 15" bed will have 6" wood to allow enough space for the growing medium. Moisture Levels: Maintaining moisture is an important aspect of hugel garden beds, as dryness is a commonly reported issue. Therefore, it is important to shift the soil into crevices to eliminate any dry pockets. One way to accomplish this is to continuously water the bed during construction to make sure there are no gaps. You should also use a good quality organic mix soil, which improves water retention. productarticletag_emailll[email]emailll_productarticletag Hulgelkultur Method Advantages Using the Hugelkultur method for filling raised garden beds has many advantages and has been proven to work. If you are seeking to cut down on costs, or looking for a sustainable gardening technique, then this method is for you. The vertical nature of the mound helps maximize surface area, which is useful in compacted, urban areas. Therefore, it is a method that is suitable for farmers, gardeners, and homeowners. Cost Efficient: Buying bags of soil from a store is quite costly, which can amount to over a hundred dollars for large garden beds. The Hugelkultur method turns garden and kitchen waste into useful material for filling raised garden beds, allowing you to save a substantial amount of money. You can also repurpose fallen tree branches or dead branches cut from trees instead of carting them away or burning them. The organic waste will decompose over the years, enriching the soil and providing steady nutrition for plants to use. Environmentally Friendly: When branches are burned, gasses and nutrients are released into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming. By retaining them in the ground, they undergo carbon sequestration, a process that reverses CO2 pollution and mitigates climate change. Water Retention: Hugelkultur tends to hold water very well since the garden waste works as a sponge to hold moisture, releasing rainwater into the soil during dry seasons. This allows gardeners to save on water costs by reducing the frequency of watering. In addition, you don’t have to worry about overwatering your plants to the point they become waterlogged, which is detrimental to root growth and can choke out oxygen. Soil Temperature: While compost is decomposed by bacteria, hugel beds are primarily decomposed by fungi. As the organic matters decompose, they will heat up and create a microclimate under the plants, and warm the raised garden bed soil, which can be very helpful in colder climates. Soil Improvement: Hugelkultur also creates a mini biosphere consisting of microorganisms, fungi, and insects, emulating the natural landscape of a forest, with its spongy, nutrient rich soil teeming with microorganisms. Because the soil is naturally aerated, it employs a gardening technique known as no-till gardening. Plants grown in this manner are more resilient to disease, pests, and environmental stressors. They are also more flavorful due to the abundant nutrients. Minimal Maintenance: Although the initial setup takes some effort and preparation, there is not a lot of maintenance involved in these garden beds once they have been constructed. You only need to minimally maintain the garden bed by occasionally adding a couple inches of compost and fertilizers to the top to replenish it. They also require minimal weeding compared to conventional beds. Below is diagram for Hugelkultur in our Extra Tall 32" Raised Garden beds. You can use the same concept to fill your 17" tall garden beds or any other beds. You can build the garden in a sunny or shady location. Hugel beds are very versatile and can support many types of plants, including vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Make sure to match the plant to the appropriate growing conditions. Vegetables grow best when exposed to full sun. Greens like lettuce and spinach and root crops like carrots and beets will tolerate partial shade. You should try to plant a wide variety of crops, including both perennial and annual plants, as diversity offers more opportunities to harvest and results in a more plentiful yield. It is important to note that root vegetables such as carrots may have difficulty growing in Hugelkultur beds due to the depth requirement of at least a foot of soil. Tubers like potatoes can also disrupt the structure. For more detailed information, consult plant tags and garden catalogues for the climate requirements of other plants you plan to grow in your Hugelkultur garden. productarticletag_article[academy/difference-between-garden-soil-and-raised-bed-soil,academy/how-much-soil-do-i-need-for-a-raised-garden-bed,articles/how-deep-should-raised-garden-beds-be]article_productarticletag
my facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Mifleur-Design/325854114183719
Whether you grow a conventional or organic vegetable garden, these tips will help you use fertilizer more effectively.
Beginner or a guru growing vegetables, make mistakes. It's important to learn and move on. Here's a list of 8 mistakes NOT to make [LEARN MORE]
As spring approaches and we wave goodbye to those chilly winter months it’s time to turn our attention and our green thumbs to some of these gardening tips.
We are accustomed to the monotonous rows of straight beds with a traditional, often very limited, set of vegetable crops grown exclusively for a good harvest. And the fact that the garden may...
It's part folklore, part science, but companion planting just may help your garden grow.
Wattle fencing was first made in England. It used to be woven with willow or hazel branches. However, it can incorporate a variety of twigs, reeds, branches
I’m a little obsessed with gardening at the moment. I love every part of it–researching and learning a new craft,…
Planting a garden for chicken feed! Plant some vegetable plants to harvest for chicken feed. the chickens will love the treats, and you'll save money off the feed bill by gardening with your chickens!
Discover innovative raised garden bed ideas to transform your gardening experience and boost plant health. Click to learn more!
August has settled in like honey— sticky and sweet. The mornings greet us with dewdrops and cooler temperatures. But the sun, rich and golden, will still warm the days. The air is thick with change. Summer is fading into something more earnest. A squirrel on our front porch is eating a peach from ou
Shade-tolerant fruiting plants can be hard to find, but there are still quite a few fruits that grow in shade, whether part shade or full shade. Don't give up on homegrown fruit just because you
A log pile habitat will provide food, shelter, and a safe haven for all sorts of bugs and small mammals. Build it and they will come.
Shade-tolerant fruiting plants can be hard to find, but there are still quite a few fruits that grow in shade, whether part shade or full shade. Don't give up on homegrown fruit just because you
Here's a little inspiration to transform your outdoor space (or even just get started gardening).
Good morning friends! Yesterday Chris and I spent most of the day working outside, even though it was windy and in the 30s. We were working on getting a pile of wood chips off of our driveway and i…
More success in your garden – grow healthy vegetables for less effort, make full use of the growing seasons. work with nature
Forest gardens, or food forests, are one of the best ways to grow your own food. Create a permaculture forest garden in your backyard!
5 easy to grow vegetables you can grow from seed and plant in the late spring or early summer. These plants are great even if you don't have a green thumb. Black thumb gardeners welcome!
Ever wonder how expert gardeners know how to layout their vegetable gardens? Here's your guide to companion planting, succession planting, taxonomy, and growing requirements for all your crops with quick references and helpful infographics. Get ready for the biggest harvests you've ever had!
Gardener's Question Time expert Pippa Greenwood shares her sustainable garden ideas to reduce your horticultural footprint. Click through for 10 great
The Everyday Home shares some good tips and ideas for How to Plan a Raised Bed Garden. The secret is good soil and companion plants!
An eggshell is more than just a useful container for the nutritious yolk and egg white inside: it is a prime example of nature's perfect packaging. Eggshells are beneficial for us too, consisting of 95%
The principles of the back to Eden garden method follows Mother Nature's lead for sustainable growing of the healthiest food & garden ecosystem.
***Please Read: This has become a very popular item, and for good reason! Lunaria is a biennial/perennial that does not like transplanting and thus is NOT recommended for starting indoors. Complete growing instructions below.*** A worthy Investment!!! Will provide a bountiful return for years to come! Money Plant is a biennial famous for its silvery white, flattened, disc-like seed pods popular in dried arrangements. While famous for the seed pods, this plant's flowers are STRIKING in the spring garden! The first year mainly sprouts foliage of heart-shaped leaves but the second year brings wonderfully fragrant lavender spring flowers and the famous silvery seed pods that give this plant its names. Silver Dollar plants grow 2-3 ft. tall. Very attractive to butterflies, bees & other pollinators. Direct sowing the seeds in Spring & Fall will give you flowers and pods yearly. The reason for the staggered planting is that Honesty Plant is a biennial. The seeds germinate and the plant grows during one year but the flowers and “coin pods” don’t come until the next year. Some of the seed you plant at the first of summer may sprout and have enough time to flower this year. Great for a landscaped yard and a wonderful plant for naturalizing in borders, woodlands, or wild gardens. Popular in winter arrangements, Money Plant was introduced to England from Germany in the late 1500s and brought to America by the Puritans. Also called Honesty Plant, Silver Dollar Plant, Satin Flower, Penny Flower, Judas' Penny, and Moonwort, Lunaria annua Lunaria bienna. According to historical record, Thomas Jefferson once grew this species in his extensive experimental gardens at Monticello. The genus name "Lunaria" means "moon," referring to the appearance of Money Plant seed pods. ***Money plant is a biennial, meaning it grows leaves the first year and flowers the second. After flowering, it dies. However, it readily reseeds itself to create a permanent stand. ~ planting ~ Silver dollar is hard to transplant. Fall Planting: Direct sow Money Plant seeds in early fall, sprinkled on the ground and covered with a light amount of soil is best. Consider spacing 15 to 18 inches apart for good air circulation between grown plants. Adding a few inches of organic matter to the soil before planting will help start a healthy growth. Give it a good drink of water. Spring Planting: COLD STRATIFICATION = mix the seeds with moist sand and store in the refrigerator for 60 days before planting. Indoor Planting: It is VERY DIFFICULT to have success if starting indoors as this plant does not like to be transplanted. Also, cold stratification is necessary to try and replicate what would would happen naturally if planted directly in the fall. If attempting this method, which I do not recommend, please note that it might not be successful. If you do decide to germinate this way, make sure you treat them as a spring planting and COLD STRATIFICATION = mix the seeds with moist sand and store in the refrigerator for 60 days before planting. This plant does not like transplanting, so best to direct sow. ~ growing ~ Lunaria are easy to grow and require little to no attention once established. They can be grown in almost any soils and thrive in partial and shady areas. Once your Lunaria is established, you can largely leave it to itself. Water them only during droughts when the soil has dried out. You can also add a general purpose fertilizer once a month if growth seems slow and especially in very poor soils. ~ harvesting ~ Ornamental Honesty Plant seed pods make long-lasting additions to dried flower arrangements. After the pods have completely dried on the plant, cut the stems and hang them upside down in a dry place until the entire stem is dry. If desired, carefully remove the outer layer of the seed pods to reveal the silvery inner layer. ~ additional instructions ~ - all seeds are heirloom, open-pollinated, organic & non-gmo (unless noted otherwise). - detailed instructions are included with every seed package. - inquire for discounts available on bulk quantities.
For garden designer Alison Jenkins, our green spaces should be beautiful, fruitful and sustainable, and her Somerset smallholding is the perfect example, with abundant beds of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers.
“Last season, this was a bare plot,” says farmer Stephen Lamberti. “There was nothing here.” Thirteen months later, this half acre on Zingerman’s Cornman F
20 tips I use to keep my garden in great shape. Vegetable gardens should be two things: productive and beautiful. These tips will help you achieve both.
Discover the Woodland Edge Style Garden. Learn design tips and find plant suggestions to create a naturalistic and enchanting outdoor space.
Start organic gardening and get fresh, healthy food for your family with our ultimate guide. Learn how to get the most from your organic garden!
