Blog
Rock Mulching - The Best Mulch Technique Ever (In My Opinion)
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- May 28
I've written already about the best mulch types to use in your organic garden, but here I've put together a video that shows a rather amazing rock mulching technique I didn't talk about before.
If you have certain bigger plants that are special to you, like a new fruit tree for example, you can use rock mulching with leaves to make the best mulch for improving the soil extremely quickly, resulting in amazing plant growth.
Place a few inches of leaves - which I've already shown are the best mulch type - around the root zone of the new tree. Cover those leaves with round stones or flagstones that are small enough so that you can handle them, but big enough to cover some of the leaves.
Organic Garden Fertilizer - To Fertilize Regularly Or Annually?
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- May 26
My favorite liquid organic fertilizer is called Sea-Crop.
When choosing which organic garden fertilizer to use, sometimes you'll be choosing organic fertilizers to improve the soil, while sometimes you'll be feeding plants directly.
When feeding plants, I especially use liquid fertilizers such as my 3 favorites - kelp, fish and sea minerals - for the broad array of nutrients and other important substances they provide.
This article is about feeding plants, and more specifically, it's about something interesting I've learned from various research that's been done over the years. It turns out that it's more important for plants to have consistent access to even just a small amount of fertilizer than to apply that fertilizer all at once.
Sheet Mulching - Follow This Advice For The Best Sheet Mulch
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- May 20
In permaculture, sheet mulching is often done near the house to prepare a kitchen garden.
Sheet mulching is one of the best methods of building an organic garden, and today I'm going to show you how to mulch correctly to make a great sheet mulch. You may have also heard it called no till gardening or lasagna gardening, both of which mean the same thing.
There are many ways to make a yummy lasagna and there are many ways to make a sheet mulch, but no matter how you do it, you can think of sheet mulching as kind of like composting right in your organic garden. It's mostly done to create new garden beds, and occasionally in existing vegetable beds during the fallow season.
Sheet mulching is an amazing way to smother weeds and build fertility and soil structure at the same time by layering various materials anywhere from just a few inches to 18 inches high.
Video - Starting Soil Prep And Sheet Mulch
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- May 14
Didn't have time to put together an organic gardening lesson this week, so I just made a quick video showing you what I've been up to in the garden - a little bit of grading and edging and the beginnings of a sheet mulch.
Here's the video.
In An Organic Vegetable Garden, Insects & Animals Are Our Friends
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- May 13
Here's the beginning of my sheet mulch - newspaper and manure
This week, I started laying the groundwork for an organic vegetable garden.
I've been digging out some grass for the beds (6-8 inches below soil level in some spots to put in a good, deep path) and sheet mulching other areas right on top of the grass.
I'll post a video tomorrow to show where I'm at.
Announcing A New Project, Because, Well, Spring Is Here
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- May 06
After spending so much time writing the organic gardening book, I know I should take the time to promote it.
But it looks like I'll have to put that on hold because I have the coolest idea for a new project, and spring is here, and well. I'll explain it in the video.
The Organic Gardening Blog Is Back With Gardening Advice Galore!
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- April 23
But it's spring and the bulbs are up, so we're all feeling the itch and I'm ready to get gardening and blogging again. You can check in here each week for organic gardening tips and lots of info on growing vegetables. I'll have some videos for you soon, too. Today, I have 3 quick notes:
Planting Trees And Shrubs - Determine The Correct Planting Width
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- December 06
I didn't have a planting width photo, but I thought this tree was cool
Planting trees and shrubs is easy once you know a few principles. I know you want to give them the best chance at flourishing that you can.
You’ve just spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on these plants, so it makes sense to spend a little bit of time planting them correctly in your organic garden.
When I was a young landscaper, I planted a lot of trees. If the root ball was 36 inches wide, I probably chose a planting width of about 40 inches.
Planting Balled And Burlapped Trees - Don't Make These Mistakes
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- December 03
Planting balled and burlapped trees is easy once you know how to do it. I have already talked about Planting Trees In Pots, and the technique is the same with b&b.
The worst is when the burlap is wrapped around the trunk and tied tightly with string. This may be okay at the nursery, but not in the ground.
Burlap is often treated with copper sulfate or other synthetics because it stays intact longer and keeps a tight root ball. We don’t want that in our organic gardening arsenal.
Planting Trees In Pots - Don't Make The Same Mistakes I Did
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- December 01
Planting trees in pots is easy once you know how to do it. But should you leave the pot on? The garden center may tell you to leave the fiber pot on when you plant. They may tell you to take off the lip and the bottom, but that’s generally all.
