Ecoculture Village's Useful Gardens

Changing the way gardening is perceived… away from useless lawns and non-native ornamentals… toward the functionality of gardening for food, medicine, and utility.

Soil

What Is Gardening Without Pests?

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What do we want from our gardens? That’s easy… healthy plants!

Unlike other animals, insects do not generally eat healthy plants… they simply lack the enzymes necessary to digest the complex sugars, carbohydrates and proteins healthy plants turn simple sugars, minerals and whatever other base stuff into. It is the same for fungi… the mildews, molds… and the viruses that are carried by plant eating insects that sometimes plague our plants… they cannot digest, and are not attracted to, healthy plants. This is so important a concept to understand because when you realize that a garden is only as healthy as its soil, you begin to think differently about the role you play in your garden.

Dealing With Slugs In The Garden

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Slugs are a constant annoyance to many gardens, but they are especially threatening during springtime… when your plants are at their most vulnerable… when they are seedlings. Most of the slugs in your garden will be underneath the soil surface at any given time. Some species will eat seedlings before the seedlings emerge from the soil, and some will even eat seeds… so begin dealing with slugs before you plan to have your seedlings emerge.

Build A Better Backyard Composter

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Backyard composters are designed to reduce plant matter into compost. They can easily be turned into vermicomposters by adding certain species of worms, usually Redworms (Eisenia fetida). Vermicomposters usually produce compost much faster than regular composters. The material in the composter must be kept moist, especially if worms are used, and only plant material should be used. Eggshells are ok, as are VERY minimal amounts of meat, bone, fat, oily foods, etc.; but these materials should be spread out evenly so as not to overwhelm the worms and other critters who live in the composter and on whom your ready compost depends… it is better to avoid meat, bone, fat, oily foods, etc. entirely.

The Ecological Gardening Method… About Soil, Not Food

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When most people think ‘vegetable gardens’ they immediately think ‘food’… but in order for an organic garden to be about food, it first needs to be about soil. Understand that organic vegetable gardening is really ‘soil building’ and you will have the healthiest plants possible. The food your garden produces is only as good as the soil it grows from. Compost is your friend; use it always, whenever you replace a “weed” plant with a more useful species, and whenever you see a spot unoccupied by a plant.