More farmers are getting into organic vegetable gardening because it is cost effective and they are able to produce almost the same yield of crops. You to can do this at home but first, you have to understand the principles of organic vegetable gardening.

First, organic vegetable gardening does not use any fertilizers, nutrients or pesticides. Nature is your partner here because you will be using two things to make it all work namely sunlight and water. We don’t produce these ourselves but you have to find the ideal area and provide adequate drainage.

Aside from sunlight and water, you can help the crops grow by using compost heap from leftover food, chipped bark, garden compost, leaf moulds and manure. You can mix these all together and then spread this throughout your garden.

A lot of people are grossed about by manure. You don’t have to scoop this from the toilet because this is sold in stores. If you have a dog, put on some gloves and put it there. Chickens are also great to have. Just let them roam around in the garden.

Some people use dead animals or meat products. You don’t put these in the soil but leave it for a couple of weeks in the bin because maggots will soon appear and this is what you use to help fertilize your garden.

Another helpful creature is the earthworm because it digs deep into the ground and aerates the soil bringing various minerals to the surface which also provides better drainage. This long pink colored creature also leaves casting behind that experts say is five times as rich in nitrogen phosphorous and potassium. Again, this can be purchased from the gardening store.

Organic garden is challenging since you have to deal with unwanted guests. Some of these pests include armyworms, crickets, gypsy moth caterpillars, slugs and squash bugs. Before, people used fertilizer to kill them but in an organic setting, the best weapon is the toad that is known to eat more almost every type of insect. If you have caterpillars or spiders lurking in the garden, get a bird because this is not in the toad’s diet.

In some cases, you don’t have to buy a toad or a bird from the pet store. They may come in to your home as long as you set the ideal environment for them. You can put up a bird house or a small pond. Within days, you will have some new occupants protecting your garden.

Other insect killers which you can get to do the job include the preying mantis and the ladybug because they mark their territory and eat anything that dares enter their domain.

Plants can also be used to protect your vegetables. For example, the rosemary, sage or thyme is an effective deterrent against butterflies. Marigolds on the other hand are effective against nematodes.

But despite all the flowers and creatures that nature has to offer, crop rotation is seen as the best way to keep the soil fertile. If you planted this kind of vegetable for this season, change it with another and the return to the first after this one is harvested.

The principles behind organic gardening are very simple. You just have to be practice it so you can harvest the vegetables you have planted weeks ago.

Looking for ways to improve your tomato yields? Or maybe you don’t have a traditional garden, and are looking for a way to grow tomatoes on your porch, or maybe an apartment balcony. Growing tomatoes is almost a national pastime, and we are always on the hunt for better ways to grow tomatoes. So let’s take a look at some of the advantages of growing tomatoes in hanging planters.First, as we mentioned, a hanging planter can be used in many places where a traditional garden is out of the question. For a condo or apartment dweller, some type of balcony planter is the only option, and a hanging planter is probably the most efficient use of space. This can work for a patio as well.You have very few problems with weeds and a hanging planter, as you control the soil mix yourself, and can even use a soil less mix if you want which will also control many diseases as well. And you can change it out every year to further reduce soil borne diseases. The limited surface area of a planter controls weeds, too.Since the plants are hanging, and the vines grow down, the whole issue of needing tomato cages and stakes is virtually eliminated. If you use a determinant variety, even the need for pruning is reduced.You can extend your growing season as well, since you can move the plant inside for those nights at the beginning and end of the growing season that are just cold enough to kill the plant, but if you can get through one or two of them you can get an extra week or two of growing season.The thing to keep in mind with any container gardening is to water well, as this will make or break the success of your tomatoes in a planter. And of course some planters work better than others for this.

Almost anyone can grow tomatoes in their garden, and it’s quite popular. It’s no mystery why, as anyone who has sliced a fresh tomato on a sandwich, or popped a Sweet 100 in their mouth while still standing in the garden knows that the taste of commercially grown tomatoes doesn’t compare to a fresh garden tomato.

Tips for Improving your tomatoes:

Start with where you plant your tomatoes. Are you planning on growing the tomatoes in the garden or in a container. In either setting, a well drained, loamy soil is preferred, with a pH of somewhere between 6 and 7, which is slightly on the acidic side. Work in some well rotted compost, if it is not thoroughly decomposed it will rob nitrogen from the soil, and the tomatoes will suffer. If you going to use the garden, it may be preferable to use a raised bed garden to ensure proper drainage. It will also allow you to create the soil that your tomatoes want.

If you are looking at container grown tomatoes, there are several choices. A large self watering container, like the commercially available Earthbox is a great choice, as it solves one of the biggest problems with container grown plants, which is the tendency for them to quickly dry out.

Supporting your tomatoes is critical to their optimum production. This can be done with stakes or cages. But one other approach is to use hanging planters. By letting the tomato vines hang down from the planter, they are supported on the top end, and the need to stake or cage is eliminated. This is true for the upside down tomato planters as well, which also relieve the stress on the vine as it drapes over the edge of a traditional hanging planter.

Hanging planters have other advantages like eliminating the need for bending or stooping to work on them. And all the container approaches let you put tomatoes in places that normally can’t hold a garden, like and apartment or condo, or just the back patio or deck.

There are many other tips to great tomato gardening, like the proper selection of tomato varieties, the type of fertilizer to use, proper pruning, and plant spacing, when it’s best to plant, and more…

Tomatoes are among some of the most popular vegetables to grow in your backyard. Rightly so too, because for some reason, homegrown tomatoes taste about 500% better than store-bought ones. In fact, for a period of time when the tomato prices were unusually high, my husband and I boycotted store-bought tomatoes because they were simply a “cardboard tasting” habit for sandwiches. However, once summer started, we decided to grow our own beefsteak tomatoes. It was just too weird to have a burger without a tomato on it! If you’re interesting in growing some good-tasting juicy tomatoes as well, here are some tips to help you on your journey.
1. Starting the seeds. Tomato seeds germinate in temperatures 65F/18C or higher. They grow pretty easy from seeds. You simply get some small pots, put some potting soil in them, and bury the seeds according to the seed package directions. Keep the soil moist and keep them in a warm sunny spot where it can get at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. In a few days, you’ll see your seeds starting to sprout!
2. Starting from plants. The easiest way to start growing tomatoes is to get some tomato plants from the nearest home and garden center or nursery. Select dark green plants that look strong. Make sure it doesn’t have any tomatoes already growing on it, because that will keep the plant from growing to its fullest size. When you get home, re-pot the plant into a huge outdoor pot or simply place it in the ground where you want to grow it. It’s good to bury the plant all the way up to the top leaves so that it develops a good solid root base. Few plants can handle being planted this way, but for tomatoes, it works well. Be sure to plant your tomatoes in a place that gets full sun at least 6 hours a day throughout its growing season.
3. Watering your plants. Keep your plants moist, but don’t over water them. Over watering can do as much damage to them as under watering!
4. Fertilizing your plants. Fertilizing might be a bit of a pain, but it’s highly important. Most soil these days simply doesn’t have enough nutrients to produce nice sweet and healthy produce. You can get some good fertilizers at your local nursery or home and garden center that is made specifically for tomatoes. This works well because it’ll be sure to give your plant the most nutrients it needs.
5. Harvesting your tomatoes. The tomatoes will be ripe when they are nice and deep red. Don’t pick them green if you want the juiciest and sweetest tomatoes, however, they do last quite a long time if you need to harvest them early. Simply wrap them up in newspaper for long storage.
Enjoy! There’s nothing like home grown tomatoes!