My Garden Isn't Doing Too Well - Thanks Everyone!

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Ok, where to start.

I can see the weeds sprouting up already. I can't really do anything yet, because most of the seeds that I planted still aren't up yet. Would it make sense to mulch the garden when the good seeds do come up to keep the weeds down?

It is sooo dry here, there hasn't been rain for 5 days and there isn't a chance of rain until next Tuesday, and even that is predicted to be a 30% chance. And I just got my rain barrels hooked up on Sunday, so there hasn't been any rain to fill them. :/

The tomato plants that I do have in would be doing alright, but they aren't doing so well because they have bugs (aphids?) on them. I was thinking about planting Marigolds next to them, and getting some lady bugs from one of the garden stores to help get rid of them. Is there anything harmful with using Marigolds? Do the things in them that keep bugs away affect people at all? They are supposed to be toxic to cats, would they effect the edibility of the plants that they grow next to?

I put pasta in the compost, is the compost still considered organic? If I put scraps of fruits/veggies that weren't organic in the compost, is it still organic? If I amend the soil with coffee grounds like from Starbucks is that still considered organic growing? Basically to my understanding organic means grown without commercial fertilizer/pesticides, is this correct?

Are there any plants that should not be grown organically?

I would really like to try my hand at organic gardening, just because I think it would be nice to see if I could actually do it, I would also like to have food grown without any chemicals in it.



Thanks for your help. All of this probably sounds crazy, and I will probably think the same thing after I get more sleep, but, I have been wondering about some of this.


Thanks for your help!

 

[Jewels19]

Ok, where to start.

I can see the weeds sprouting up already. I can't really do anything yet, because most of the seeds that I planted still aren't up yet. Would it make sense to mulch the garden when the good seeds do come up to keep the weeds down?

It is sooo dry here, there hasn't been rain for 5 days and there isn't a chance of rain until next Tuesday, and even that is predicted to be a 30% chance. And I just got my rain barrels hooked up on Sunday, so there hasn't been any rain to fill them. :/

The tomato plants that I do have in would be doing alright, but they aren't doing so well because they have bugs (aphids?) on them. I was thinking about planting Marigolds next to them, and getting some lady bugs from one of the garden stores to help get rid of them. Is there anything harmful with using Marigolds? Do the things in them that keep bugs away affect people at all? They are supposed to be toxic to cats, would they effect the edibility of the plants that they grow next to?

I put pasta in the compost, is the compost still considered organic? If I put scraps of fruits/veggies that weren't organic in the compost, is it still organic? If I amend the soil with coffee grounds like from Starbucks is that still considered organic growing? Basically to my understanding organic means grown without commercial fertilizer/pesticides, is this correct?

Are there any plants that should not be grown organically?

I would really like to try my hand at organic gardening, just because I think it would be nice to see if I could actually do it, I would also like to have food grown without any chemicals in it.



Thanks for your help. All of this probably sounds crazy, and I will probably think the same thing after I get more sleep, but, I have been wondering about some of this.


Thanks for your help!

I'm going to try and help..I'm no expert so bare with me! LOL As far as the weeds, mulching is good..it should help keep the weeds down. Does your garden have hills?

As far as bugs..head over to any pool supply business and pick up some Diatomaceous Earth "DE" this is the best stuff to use..safe for all animals and humans..It's pool filter media. Wet the foliage and sprinkle the plant...It will keep away ALL the bugs..If you have melons, don't use it..It will kill bees...DE is algae that's all.

I'm not certain on the pasta deal or the Organic plant growing..sorry! lol


And no, your questions aren't crazy~ lol

 

[momofdrew]

Mulch after your seeds come up it will help with the weeds and hold moisture in.... if you havent had rain for a while I would water plants need an inch of water a week... Marigolds wont get rid of aphids they are good for neimtoads [sp]...I have never heard of marigolds being toxic to humans.... the larva of lady bugs eat aphids...safersoap sprayed on the plants will kill aphids...I think that is organic???? or you could use a heavy stream of water from the hose to wash them off the plants...

 

[Jewels19]

Marigolds will keep wabbits away too!

 

[Catalina]

Don't mulch your seeds if they haven't sprouted yet - if the mulch keeps the weed seeds from sprouting it will also prevent your veg. seeds from sprouting.

Just wait until your veg. seeds sprout and then weed.

Buy some neem http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/control-pests-diseases-safely-with-neem.aspx and Bt http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/Insect/05556.html
to help control your pest problem.

Not sure about organic composting.....

P.S. Pool DE is not safe for humans or animals. You would need food grade DE. http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html

 

[vfem]

Ok, I will also try to help the best I can.... Go with the marigolds... they will not affect anythings' growth... just a pest deterent in general.

Mulching is the best for keep weeds DOWN (it is by no means guarenteed to leave you with NO weeds at all to have to worry about) you will still have to weed occassionally. Mulching will also help keep moisture in the soil longer... so its great for those dry spells... but again you may still have to water. I hear 1" rain or more a week is best. If you don't get that, you will have to hand water some yourself, which you should probably do a little now since the next chance of rain is far off. If you have to use a bucket and your faucet for now, just do that until the rain helps fill your barrels.

Aphids are a PAIN! Ladybugs sound great, but they don't stay in one place for long. I bought some 'eco' friendly pesticide soap spray at Walmart. It was $4. I did 2 treatments in 4 days and no more aphids on my cone flowers! The bottle says its save to use up until the day of harvest on veggies, just wash with a mild soap!

Now for the HUGE kicker... and this just gets under my skin...

Basically to my understanding organic means grown without commercial fertilizer/pesticides, is this correct?

Organic is any NATURAL matter on this planet!!! Metal and plastic are man made materials and are NOT organic.... as life forms, humans are organic. Once any item is spoiled, and it will break down to a natural soil as it is a carbon based item it is considered organic. When it comes to TRASH and DECAY organic is a different meaning then the organic we eat.

Here's the TRUE definition of Organic before it became all the 'rage'.

noun
15. a substance, as a fertilizer or pesticide, of animal or vegetable origin.


You can put ANYTHING that breaks down into your compost and you are fine. I just suggest staying away from fats, meats, chemicals and anything that would just not be something you'd give a plant! :happy_flower

 

[patandchickens]

I strongly recommend AGAINST mulching UNTIL AFTER YOU'VE HAND-WEEDED THOROUGHLY. Otherwise, since the seeds have already been exposed to light and sprouted, mulching will just help the weeds grow better and make it harder for you to remove them. Honest. (And of course, as others say, you don't want to mulch til the seedlings are well up anyhow, unless you've planted in rows that can be identified and left temporarily unmulched).

If your soil is that dry, better water daily (hand-water from a watering can) or there may not BE any of your seeds coming up.

It would be quite unusual IME for tomatoes to get aphids, although I suppose it is possible. Whiteflies are common on tomatoes though. I'd suggest a strong spray of water from your hose every day for a week except you seem to have water availability issues; a (slightly more dilute than the label directs, since the plants sound stressed) spray of insecticidal soap such as Safers would be my second choice. Aphids can also be hand-squooshed but it is hard to be both thorough and kind to the plants, and it has to be repeated daily for a while. (Whiteflies can't be squooshed, and sticky traps don't really do much for a real infestation). If you can get more water to the plants so they're growing more healthily, bug problems will decrease a little bit. The main reason IMO to clean up the tomatoes would be not so much for their own sake (you should get an ok harvest even with some aphids or whiteflies) but because you don't want them overwhelming newly sprouted crops.

Organic is whatever you feel like having it mean. If you don't want to put nonorganic-labelled food scraps in the compost, don't; if you do, then do. There is no magic one definition, it is a personal choice.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[wifezilla]

As far as bugs..head over to any pool supply business and pick up some Diatomaceous Earth "DE" this is the best stuff to use..safe for all animals and humans..It's pool filter media.

Pool grade DE is NOT safe for animals and humans. Get FOOD GRADE at a feed store.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Are there any weeds that you recognise because you could start getting rid of those then you might be able to see the first little shoots of those seeds. If you could establish just where your rows are you could hoe between them (You can leave the cut off weeds to lie in the sun to die off, they won't do any harm & can form the basis of your mulch). Hoes come in many widths & designs & are the real secret of great veggies.

It is very important that you water well so they get enough when they are young.

GOOD LUCK & HAPPY GARDENING!
:rose Hattie :rose

 

[vfem]

You know what I just thought of.. someone early was complaining they couldn't tell their weeds from their new sprouts... until they realized they planted in rows and the things coming up outside the row were obviously weeds...

Did you plant in a pattern or just spurratic?!