If you have the time and the inclination to create an organic summer garden there are few better ways to go when it comes to the potential impact on the planet. A summer garden is a thing of beauty to be enjoyed by all you invite into your garden. That being said, there are certain pests we’d all like to keep out of our gardens as well. The problem is that the pesticides of the past have undetermined side effects that have the potential to cause lasting harm. If we can avoid introducing those chemicals to our own gardens we are protecting our kids from dangers we may not even be aware of yet and protecting the other animals that may innocently come in contact with our gardens such as birds and butterflies from being harmed by the chemicals present in most common pesticides.

What does this mean to gardeners when it comes to efforts directed towards keeping out potential pests? Quite honestly, it means we are going to have to get a little bit creative in those efforts turning to natural solutions rather than chemicals. One way in which this can quite easily be accomplished is by encouraging animals that prey upon the pests to make your garden their home. Of course, this could potentially bring about its own set of problems but from a gardening perspective it is often very sound reasoning.

Use organic mulch. While this isn’t necessarily a means of pest control it is a wise move when it comes to organic gardening. Not only does the mulch provide the very useful mulching properties throughout the growing season but once the growing season has ended can be turned over and used in order to boost the organic material within the soil. This in turns provides nutrients that are important to keeping the soil fit for sustaining plant life in future growing seasons. For great information on going green in the garden with compost visit The Gardener’s Rake site.

Attract birds to your garden. This has a two-fold benefit for the organic gardener. First of all the birds are often natural predators for many of the bugs that make a nuisance of themselves in the average summer garden. Second, birds leave behind their own little fertilizing additions to the landscape of your garden. Don’t you wish all solutions were this simple?

Keep your garden healthy, well fertilized, water regularly and appropriately, and free of weeds. A good offense is the best defense. A good immune system and constant hand washing are the best defense the human body has against catching colds and viruses. The same holds true for gardens and their ability to fight pests. Keep your garden strong and healthy and it will repel many of the pests that may cripple other gardens on its own. It certainly doesn’t hurt to keep this philosophy in mind and you may be amazed at how well it works.

Organic gardening is more than a plan for your garden it is a return to the ways of old in the world of gardening. For centuries before pesticides were created people managed to live off the abundance of their gardens. It makes sense that by returning to those ideals we can also enjoy great food and a bountiful harvest in the modern world. Make the choice today to make your summer garden an organic garden and reap the benefit in better health and greater enjoyment of the gardening experience. To learn more about going green at home visit Our Green Planet Earth site.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

AOL.com Video - How to Fertilize Your Annual Flower Beds
Beginners Guide on How to Build and Maintain a Flower Garden
Flower Gardening in the Shade
Garden Plots
Where To Buy Your Flower Seeds
NCDOT Wildflower Program

Technorati Tags: Gardening, Going Green Gardening, Organic Gardening, Organic Summer Garden

Some people are just fascinated with the history of heirloom vegetable seeds and claim that these are living artifacts. Heirloom vegetables are also popular in history exhibits as it brings back memories of yesteryears and of life in earlier times. Some breeders and gardeners believe that heirloom vegetables date back to the 1920’s as evidenced by those re-creating the World War II Victory gardens.

As mentioned in my previous post, heirloom seeds are seeds that have been saved for generations from families all over the world. These seeds are usually open-pollinated (non-hybrid) and have been saved and grown by generations of backyard gardeners for a variety of vegetables and flower plants.

When buying heirloom seeds, find out if the vegetable seeds are old and open-pollinated which will indicate that it is an heirloom. When gardeners refer to open-pollinated, it means that a vegetable or flower plant can be grown from seed and will come back ‘true to type’ and the quality will be just like its parent.

Seed companies today offer hundreds of heirloom vegetable seeds. While some of these are standard varieties, others may be seeds that were popular once but somehow disappeared through the years and some gardeners are bringing them back. There is just something about all the different shapes and flavors of heirloom vegetables that keeps bringing more and more people into the heirloom vegetable craze.

 

And in this mix, you may find varieties that according to some experts they think that some heirloom vegetables are traditional Native American crops and others are old European crops. Nonetheless, heirloom vegetables are here to stay and preferred by many people today. The main reason for this is that vegetables grown from heirloom seeds have lots of flavor and do not compare to the ones you buy in stores today.

If you are new to heirloom vegetable gardening, keep in mind that some heirloom vegetables grown at home will not have perfect colors and are usually not formed like the ones you buy in the stores. As an example, when growing heirloom tomatoes you may get some red ones, purple, green and orange as well. The shape of these tomatoes will also vary from one plant to another. Regardless of the shape and color of these tomatoes, they taste great.

Here is a description of a few heirloom vegetables to get you started with your heirloom vegetable garden.

Tomato Brandywine – Botanical name is Lycopersicon Brandywine

This heirloom tomato resembles our modern hybrids but Brandywine produces big purplish-red tomatoes. The shape of the tomato is not uniform and no two will look exactly alike but the flavor is great.

Tomato Contoluto Genovese – Botanical name is Lycopersicon Costoluto Genovese

This tomato is ideal for canning and considered one of the best for pastes and sauces. Some people say that once you try this tomato you may like it so much that you never have to buy tomato paste or sauce at the store again. It does not have plate appeal because of its knobby, lobed look, but it is great on flavor.

The Contoluto Genovese tomato has been treasured in Italy for generations and it has been said that it is the secret ingredient in family Italian recipes. The flavor comes from the high acidic content of this tomato which makes it ideal for any recipe that calls for tomato paste or sauce.

Eggplant Prosperosa – Botanical name is Solanum melongena Prosperosa

This heirloom from Tuscany is another Italian favorite for generations. The flavor of this heirloom eggplant is more sweet and mild than the hybrids you buy in stores today making this a favorite in Italy. You can fry or roast this eggplant but most people agree that the best flavor seems to emerge when it is baked.

Organic Lettuce Deer Tongue – Botanical name is Lactuca Sative Organic Deer Tongue

Wow! Here is an American favorite since 1740 and it is very tolerant to both cold and heat. The history behind this lettuce states that the Europeans settling in the New World wrote about it in the 1740’s so we don’t know how far back the cultivation goes among people from North America.

Since this heirloom lettuce has been around for centuries, it has adapted to a wide range of climates and it tolerates both hot and cold weather. The leaves are triangular and somewhat pointed which is why it was named deer tongue. This seed is Certified Organic from Clemson University DPI according to standards.

To your gardening success,
Diana

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

These authors cultivate a garden and a passion - USATODAY.com
Coming Event: 31st Connecticut Flower & Garden Show is February ...
Moon Gardens Are a Popular Way to Relax Outdoors at Night - WSJ ...
AOL.com Video - How to Create Flower Arrangements
Michigan Home & Garden Show Opens Friday March 11 at Pontiac ...
Greening aims to revive Reservoir Hill - Page 2 - latimes.com

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