How to Install a Drip Irrigation and Water Timer using a standard garden hose faucet

John from www.growingyourgreens.com shows you how easy it is to convert your standard hose bibb garden faucet to a drip irrigation system with Water timer for your front or back yard organic garden or even square foot raised bed garden.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Making soil blocks using the soil cube tool

www.soilcube.com The soil cube tool is a simple hand operated garden tool that compresses soil into a cube which then is used as both the soil and the container for starting garden seeds. Once the seeds have grown into seedlings, the soil cube containing the seedling is easily transplanted into the garden. There are no peat pellets, peat pots, plastic pots, etc… There are several advantages of using soil cubes instead of pots. One, the seedlings will not become root bound. The soil cube “air-prunes” the roots and the roots stay inside the cube. Two, because the roots are contained inside the soil cube, there is no transplant shock when they are moved into the garden. This makes the plants take off much faster once moved to the garden. When compared to purchasing peat pellets, peat pots, or other small plastic pots that will deteriorate over time, the small expense of a Soil Cube tool will be immediately offset in the first few flats of seedlings. If you purchase just two trays of peat pellet starting kits, you will have already spent more than the cost of the Soil Cube Maker which will continue to make unlimited soil cubes for seed propagation.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Using a Three-Bin Composting System

Composting is a simple and cost-effective way of providing nutrients for your soil, but turning compost requires muscle and effort. Find out how you can make compost without having to turn it so often.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Using Soil Block Makers to Start Seeds

Dave and Anthony Stevenson show you a great tool for starting seeds.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

How To Start A Herb Garden Using Organic Garden Fertilizer

So, you’re always cooking dishes involving plenty of herbs. Roast chicken stuffed with a bacon, celery and parsley stuffing, baked salmon with lemon, potatoes and dill, and pasta with a fresh basil and tomato sauce are some of your favorites.

You pick up your organic herbs at the local farmers’ markets every weekend, but all those bunches are starting to add up. The obvious solution? To start your own organic herb garden, of course. Organic produce is healthy for you and good for the environment because it’s free of harsh chemicals and pesticides – and as a result, it tastes a whole lot better.

Organic herbs are easy to grow, and need little more than good soil, water and organic garden fertilizers, which are often cheaper than chemical fertilizers. Here are a few simple steps to help you establish your organic herb garden.

- Selecting a site – Keep in mind that herbs require a least six hours of sunlight each day. If you want to grow just a few of your favorite herbs, have a few pots of herbs on a sunny windowsill or on the ground. If you want to grow a larger herb garden, think about what size you’ll need and whether you want to combine your herbs with a vegetable patch – but don’t be over-ambitious.

- Choosing soil – Choose soil that is a combination of silt, sand and clay, and make sure you include plenty of organic compost material to help enrich your soil. Make sure your pots or your garden bed drain well.

- Planting – It’s a good idea to plant starter plants rather than seeds so you can see – and eat – the results sooner. It can be tricky to find a nursery that hasn’t treated its starter plants with chemicals, however, so shop around for a good organic nursery.

- Fertilizing – Now and then, add a good dose of organic garden fertilizer or an organic liquid fertilizer to your soil to make it even healthier.

- Watering – Give your plants a little water each day. For outdoor herb gardens, use a watering can, and for indoor herbs, use a mist sprayer to avoid drowning them. A soil moisture tester can be a handy tool to have around if you’re not sure if you’re under- or over-watering your plants.

- Controlling weeds – Combat weeds as soon as they appear. You can easily pull small weeds out of a pot with your fingers, and to remove weeds from a garden, use a sharp hoe.

- Using your herbs – You can use your herbs fresh or dry. To dry herbs in the oven, put them in a moderate oven – around 150 degrees Fahrenheit – for around three hours. To air dry your herbs, tie them up with some string and hang them in a warm, dry, dark place, like a pantry, for about two weeks. Your herbs are dry when the leaves crumble.

It can be very rewarding to establish and maintain an organic herb garden, and by giving them a bit of love and attention, and plenty of organic garden fertilizer – your herbs will be flourishing in no time.

Build An Organic Compost Pile For Organic Gardening Using Houselhold Scraps

Learn the basics of garden composting. Create nutrient rich compost with organic ingredients that retain moisture for your garden from scraps and yard waste. Improve your soil organically using house compost and other natural organic gardening materials attracting earthworms and beneficial insects to your garden. Educational programming at HerbFest sponsored by and supports The Graham Johnson Cultural Arts Endowment, www.gjcae.org.

Organic Gardening the No Till Way Using Natural Waste And Yard Compost

video filmed at HerbFest, the longest running herb plant sale and herb festival in the US, showing the No till gardening method using organic materials by Dr. Milton Ganyard, professor at North Carolina State University. Proceeds from the HerbFest benefit The Graham Johnson Cultural Arts Endowment, www.gjcae.org, a children charitable foundation promotonig the development of self confidence and self esteem using the arts.

Happy 2010 – Green Smoothie using “Old Man Saltbush”!

Wishing all you beautiful beings Love ‘n’ Light for 2010… We’re in Darren’s garden talking about an amazing plant called “Old Man Saltbush”. It’s easy to grow and apparently twice as mineral rich as seaweed. If that’s true, that’s huge! It’s an Australian native, growing happily all year round, so it is awesome when organic celery is unavailable – and MUCH cheaper! Basic green smoothie demo using some uncommon leafy greens from the garden… Enjoy :-)

Using Native Plants in Containers

Dave talks to Scott LaFleur, Botanic Garden Director for the New England Wild Flower Society, about the many benefits of planting native plants in containers.

Using a Fish Tank for a Mini Greenhouse

This is a quick Survival Podcast video to show you the effects of using a fish tank as a mini greenhouse on the growth of lettuce. The plants you are looking at were all planted about 4 weeks ago. Despite a few nights with single digit temps all the plants survived but notice the difference in growth rates. Make sure to visit the Survival Podcast for our daily podcast on prepping and self sufficiency at www.thesurvivalpodcast.com

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