Monday, April 20, 2009

Sunflowers Gardening

Sunflowers Gardening

Organic Vegetable Gardening with Sunflowers

Helianthus, better known as the Sunflower, is one most exciting additions to your organic garden. These robust calcium rich sun loving plants grow to between 8 and 15 feet high in rich soil within 6 months.

As an added bonus, sunflowers attract a variety of birds, a fun and educational experience for the whole family! Plus, certified organic sunflowers seeds make a great snack and are a source of healthy (polyunsaturated fat) oil for cooking and salads.


Don't Forget the "Sun" in "Sunflower"

Sunflowers thrive in just about any soil, but will grow vigorously with compost and manure and produce meatier seeds. Plenty of sun and good drainage is also vital for encouraging maximum growth both below and above ground.


Germinating Certified Organic Seeds

Find a sunny frost free spot indoors (about 70o F) for successful organic seed germination. When the weather and soil warm up, bring your young sunflowers outside. Hopefully, your seeds received weekly meals of organic fertilizer. If so, you will have robust roots ready to sustain healthy plants all season long.


Organic Gardening with Sunflowers

Sunflowers should be planted about 12 inches apart in your bed in rows about 2 to 2 1/2 feet apart. Use a tall piece of bamboo or a wooden stake for support and regularly add organic compost and manure. As you enjoy the fruits of your well deserved labor. Your organic vegetable garden will be more vibrant and colorful than ever before.


Helpful hint: When germination is complete, you will pull everything out but the strongest plant. Typically your first seeds to germinate will be your strongest plants.


Extra helpful hint: Sunflowers can withstand hot dry weather, but continue to water the plant, especially in dry weather, so that the soil remains moist.


Seeds-Depot specializes in producing certified organic seeds. We have gathered a great amount of knowledge in Organic Gardening over the years and are happy to spread it around

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Tomato Growing Tips

Tomato Growing Tips

Certified Organic Tomato Seeds Produce the Best Tomatoes

From beefsteak to cherry to heirloom varieties, growing organic tomatoes with certified organic tomato seeds is one of the most satisfying organic gardening experiences you will ever have

Tomatoes grow optimally at between 65o and 85o F (daytime temp), but stop growing above 95o F. They need full sun and warm, well-drained soil and I recommend planting your certified organic tomato seeds around the date of last frost.

The modern commercial tomato has comprised quality and flavor. But, as you become more comfortable with organic gardening, you will discover how sweet, flavorful and mouth watering this juicy antioxidant can actually be.


Tips

Prune tomato plants for optimal tomato production. Your pruning strategy should be based on what you want from your tomatoes. For larger, earlier (but fewer) tomatoes, remove shoots that emerge on or beside the main stem and tie the stem to a stake or bamboo.

However, for a larger harvest, let your plants bush out and use tomato cages for support. Also, pinch off any flowers that bloom before July 4th. At harvest time, you'll feel like setting off fireworks while you enjoy the fruit of your organic gardening labor.


Tasty and Very Nutritious Tomato

Organic tomatoes in a well rounded meal or as a light low calorie snack are a rich source of vitamin C and other minerals. Studies have shown that tomatoes reduce the risk of cancer (also prostrate cancer), heart disease, and strokes and play a key role in maintaining a healthy and strong immune system.


Seeds-Depot specializes in producing certified organic seeds. We have gathered a great amount of knowledge in Organic Gardening over the years and are happy to spread it around

Friday, April 10, 2009

Corn Garden Grown

Corn Garden-Grown

Isn't Fresh Organic Garden-Grown Corn Everyone's Favorite?

Add organic corn seeds to your list of organic gardening favorites. The payoff is huge and yummy! With optimal conditions, corn is great for small or large organic gardening. This fun sun-loving crop waits until the weather gets nice and toasty, then pops out into the world in all of its crunchy lunchy sweetness for kids of all ages to enjoy.

Ok, let's get to the core kernel knowledge of how one of my favorite organic vegetables (organic of course) makes its way from soil to sky. First of all, you will find a variety of certified organic corn seeds on the market, but what they all share in common is that they all need and love well-worked, fertile ground with excellent drainage and full sun.

Clumping Organic Corn Seeds

Corn seeds should be sown directly into the garden on the average date of last frost about 2 to 4 inches apart in short rows forming something like a clump. Planting organic corn seeds in clumps ensures successful pollination.

Organic corn should be grown 2 to 3 feet apart. Closer together is ok, but the corn needs to be watered and fed even more. Organic corn is also a heavy user of nitrogen and requires fertilizing in the spring, again at 8 inches and then again at 18 inches.


Water Your Organic Corn Often, But Stay off the Tassels

When watering organic corn, keep the soil evenly moist. This is important because corn grows so quickly in hot weather that its leaves wilt because the roots cannot supply them with enough consistent moisture.

Organic corn plants also require a lot of water, but be careful not to let water fall on the tassels. Pollen from the tassels must fall onto the corn silk to produce kernels. If pollination doesn't occur, you get the cob only without the kernels. Not good… Good luck!

Seeds-Depot specializes in producing certified organic seeds. We have gathered a great amount of knowledge in Organic Gardening over the years and are happy to spread it around