Garden Pests: No Problem If You Foster Soil Life, Diversity and Balance

After I wrote the article Garden Pests: Nematodes I received a comment from Naomi. She wrote “Wow, mind boggling how many things can go wrong in a vegetable garden!” Her comment made me realize that I did not bring home the point of my article very well. While there are lots of potential problems and Continue reading →

Tags: backyard ecosystems, Balance In The Organic Garden, Composting, Grow Food At Home, Growing Organic Vegetables, Home Garden, No Till Gardening, organic insect control, South Florida Vegetable Gardens

A Not So Funny Joke

I have seen this joke posted on many websites. I have copied and pasted it here because it is so relevant. As far as I can tell the author is unknown. The Suburbanites Author unknown God: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the Continue reading →

Friends’ and Clients’ Gardens: My Neighbors’ Fabulous Garden

My neighbors grow in compost not because it is the organic or no till or healthy thing to do. They grow this way because it fosters the most vigorous plant growth and the most flavorful vegetables, in a place that once seemed much less hospitable for growing food.

Tags: Compost, Grow Food At Home, Growing Food In Leaf Compost, Growing Organic Vegetables, Home Garden, Home Grown Vegetables, Mound Gardens, No Till Gardening, Soil Organisms, South Florida Vegetable Gardens

In The Garden: Growing Legumes

Many growers have forgotten about legumes as nitrogen fixers, or have forgotten how to use them to help build garden soil. This would be unforgettable information except that it is easier to buy a bag of fertilizer. The bag of fertilizer method is easier for sure, but it is more expensive, hard on soil, and is a potential pollution threat to our water ways. Legumes lock up nitrogen for future use. Plants know how to tease nutrients out of soil, and how to attract and make deals with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa for the nutrients they hold in their bodies. Growing legumes enriches the soil and the microbes in the soil with nitrogen that plants are able to use.

Tags: Feeding Soil, Grow Food At Home, Home Grown Vegetables, Legumes, Nitrogen Fixing Plants, No Till Gardening, Soil Building, Soil Organisms