The Truth About Organic Gardening

Are you one of the thousands upon thousands of people who look at organic gardening as something mystical or from the "Hippie" age? You can rest assured there is nothing mystical about using "mother natures" own creations (natural elements), produced by the earth and animals, to plant your own natural garden. The information provided in this article will dispel the so called "mysticism" idea of organic growing held by many.

A great many people have the mistaken belief that gardens planted without chemicals were begun by the rebelling "Hippies" and "Flower Children" of the 1960's. The author suspects strongly that your forefathers would find fault with that belief. The truth is that as more and more media attention was given to the "Hippies" and "Flower Children", many people were hearing about organic gardening for the first time, but it has been around for centuries upon centuries.

A lineage of farmers which has practiced all natural growing for centuries is the Amish farmers. Even in today’s modern world, with man made chemical fertilizer, weed killer and pesticides, these amazing farmers continue to practice all natural crop growing with truly phenomenal results. It’s not only here in America that “organic” growing is practiced. Many of the countries around the world still use century old methods of natural growth.

Another myth about natural growing of your garden is that you will never be able to keep all the pest and bugs out of it. People believe that without using chemical based and expensive pesticides, you just can’t control bug infestations. Again it just ain’t so. One of the best all natural ways to control the pest is to use their mortal enemy. Birds! But then you ask “How can you attract enough birds?” You create an environment around your garden that is friendly for the birds.

One of the best ways to draw the birds early on is place a birdhouse or birdhouses which are made especially for the type of birds which frequent your area. Not only do you furnish a nesting area for them but make water fully accessible to them. You can put something as simple as a small container filled with water or even go for something much more sophisticated, like a running fresh water fountain. Once the birds have been drawn to your garden and realize they can feast on your bug infestation your problem will be solved in short order.

Frankly, with more research on the internet or a visit to your local nursery, you will become knowledgeable and see the truth about organic gardening. The real truth is it’s a great way to improve your families health and help restore “Mother Earth” to it’s own good health.

Is Organic Gardening Always Safe?

Every where you turn today people are talking about organic gardening and the healthy benefits of eating organically grown fruits and veggies. However, are organic grown vegetables and fruits as healthy and safe as people claim? The information contained in this article will provide you with food for thought.

In a recent study, done by United Kingdom scientist, revealed that almost 33% of the food being sold in the UK had measurable levels of pesticide and chemicals used in crop enhancement, which are dangerous to the human body. In addition the same study indicated that almost all developed countries, through out the world, had approximately the same levels of contamination. Unfortunately this included organically grown food as well.

The primary reason for this contamination was due to the ground water which the plants consume. This is from years and years of chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizer being dumped on the ground, to enhance the yield and speed the growth of the produce, then leeching into the ground water table. The only way your organic gardening can avoid this water is to use filtered water or distilled water. However using distilled water means your produce will be short on certain nutrients vital to the health of your body. In addition to the ground water the contamination is also caused by the wind currents.

Much of the pesticides and fertilizers applied to the crops are sprayed on. Consequently, the mist of chemicals is caught by the wind and can be carried a good distance before dropping to the earth. If your organic garden happens to be in the path of the wind your plants will become covered with the synthetic pesticides and fertilizer.

Other studies have shown that these same pesticides and other chemicals, over a period of years or even months can cause health problems in the human body. It is now believed that these chemicals can affect the brain development of unborn babies in the mother’s womb. In addition these chemicals have been linked to certain kinds of cancer, breakdown of the nervous system, weakening of the immune system and other diseases which can destroy the vital organs of the human body.

Perhaps you believe that washing of your veggies will protect you, but this is not necessarily the case. These same studies have also indicated that certain fruits and vegetables are susceptible to these same chemicals leeching into the meat of these veggies and fruits through the skin. An example of this kind or fruit would be lemons or grapefruit. In this case organic produce would really be much safer than the regular grown fruit.

As you can tell from reading the above information organic gardening may not be quite as safe as you thought it was. However, with the proper precautions, such as always washing the veggies and fruits prior to preparing or eating, will reduce the risk of ingesting dangerous chemicals.

How To Benefit Others And Yourself With Organic Gardening

What benefits are in organic gardening besides having a more beautiful garden or eating healthier veggies and fruits? Actually there are more special benefits than most people and organic gardeners ever think about. This article will tell you about the additional benefits and give you some thought provoking ideas that may surprise you.

Did you know you can feed children around the world with your organic garden? "How in the world can you do that?" you ask. It's really quite simple and only takes a little more planning and work on your part.

When you began to plan your own personal natural garden you should layout a larger and grander garden. It doesn’t make any difference if it’s for flowers, veggies, fruits or bushes to beautify your yard. That’s right! Make it bigger. When it's harvest time you will have more flowers, plants and veggies than you can possibly use.

Instead of plowing under the excess crops from your organic gardening or inundating your friends and relatives with it take it to the local Farmers Market or the Flea Market and sell it. Chances are you won't have a problem selling it and you may end up with a pocket full of cash. Take the cash from the sell and donate it to your favorite "Feed The Children" charity. When you do this a starving child will benefit from your garden, long after you harvested your crops.

Another great benefit from raising your own organic fruits and veggies is it's a great school project for your child’s school. Help your child and their classmates set up their own organic garden. The immediate lessons they learn will be about how to help the environment, healthy eating, teamwork and it makes learning fun for them. Again, set it up, so the children can take the crops to the local Farmers Market or Flea Market to sell.
The proceeds from the sell can be used to buy something which will benefit all of the children of the school.

This next benefit is one that is seldom thought about by your children or possibly by you.
This is the benefit of the physical exercise you and the kids will receive by working in the garden. You know that the kids today don’t play outside the way you did when you were a kid. An hour a day of working in your garden will help in weight loss (burning calories), lowering blood pressure, strengthen the heart and lungs, build muscle, sharpen the mind. Relieve stress and sleep better. The end result being you and kids will be much happier and healthy to boot.

One last benefit you will realize by you when working with the earth and growing things organically is the restoration of your sprit and soul. You will receive such a sense of well being when you have a fruitful harvest, you just can’t beat it. You will know you have done your part to help “Mother Nature” return to her natural state and touched all the other human beings by doing so.

As you have just read the benefits to organic gardening can benefit not only yourself and your family, but you can actually reach out and make a difference in the world.
 

A Beginners Guide For Organic Gardening

Organic gardening is not as difficult as many beginning gardeners believe it is. It is true there is a bit more work and increased attention levels to the details of an organic garden than a regular garden. However, with the proper guidance you will soon discover it's not anywhere near as difficult as you thought it was. This guide will provide you with the basic steps you need to get you started.

Assuming you know little to nothing about organic gardening lets make certain you understand what it is. Quite simply it means you are going to plant your garden without using synthetic fertilizers, for making the plants grow and chemical pesticides to control the bugs.

To really maximize your garden, regardless if its going to be flowers, herbs, veggies or a mish mash of several plants it's best to have a detailed plan. And the best time to formulate your plan is in the fall, right after the fall growing season ends. The reason for this is you will have time to prepare the ground before the spring planting season begins.

Perhaps the most critical thing you must do before anything else is to select the optimum location for your organic garden or for that matter any garden. Your plants will do extremely well if they can receive about six hours of sunlight per day. In almost all cases positioning of your planting area in the southeast part of your ground will give more than adequate amounts of sunshine. Also make sure your ground has easy access to water and the ground has good drainage, to allow water run off and aeration of the ground.

Once the proper location has been determined the next step is preparing the ground where you will be planting. This means it's time for the physical labor part. You are going to till the ground using a yard fork or a tiller, then get on your knees to start pulling weeds, grass and removing the rocks. To make the weed and grass removal successful you should perform the initial removal, then go back a couple of weeks later and remove any weeds and grass which have grown up in the meantime.

Now it’s time for you to actually determine what your selected ground is going to need, in the way of the proper nutrition to help your vegetation grow.  You do need to have the soil tested for the proper ph level. If you’re not sure you would do an accurate job of this take a sample of your soil to your local nursery or garden center and they can do this for you.

Once the testing has been completed by the nursery folks they can tell you exactly what kind of natural fertilizers and pest control product you will need. While you are at the nursery or garden center you should ask their advice on the proper plants and vegetables which will grow best in your treated soil.

In conclusion this guide has given you the basic things you need to start your organic gardening project the right way. It has covered the location of the garden, the sunlight exposure, preparation of the ground prior to planting and the proper nutrition your ground will need. Organic gardening is not as complicated as it seems. 

3 Tips For Organic Gardening Soil

Do you really think organic gardening soil is the same as regular garden soil? If so, boy are you sadly mistaken and you have a rude awakening coming your way. That's kind of blunt isn't it? Did I get your attention, I really hope so. The information in this article will help you get a better understanding of the facts about organic gardening soil.

The first misconception most new organic gardeners have about their soil is that any thing can grow in any type of soil. All you have to do is throw a few seeds in the ground and boom you have a natural garden. You need to lose that preconceived notion if it applies to you.

You must take into consideration the overall climate conditions which will impact the soil. An example of these things would be rain, wind, temperatures and exposure to the sun light. Then the next thing to consider is the amount of rocks and density of the soil.

An example of bad density soil would be where the dirt is tightly compacted and allows for no circulation of air or moisture. To have good organic gardening soil it must be loose, with excellent air and moisture circulation. Not to worry though because one of the things you can do if your dirt is tightly compacted is introduce earthworms to the ground and allow them to do their thing.

Frankly though the earthworms take time to create their magic and they have a tendency to get out of the designated planting area quickly. However, there is a simple solution to that problem and you will help improve your soil quickly.

You can go to your local nursery or hardware store and purchase organic soil by the bag full or even by the truck load. Many organic gardeners will put this soil on top of their compacted soil and then plow it into the regular soil. However, for this method to be effective you must have enough organic soil to be from a minimum depth of three inches up to six inches or more. The great thing about it is as you repeat this procedure through several growing seasons you will soon have brought the life back to your original soil.

Another tip about your soil is the proper levels of phosphates, hydrogen and acidity in the soil. This is often times referred to as the ph factor in the soil. It’s quiet easy today to go on the World
Wide Web and order a testing kit for your soil. However, one of the best ways to determine if you have right kind of soil for organic gardening is to take a sample of your soil to your county agriculture agent or to your local nursery. For a small fee or no fee at all they will tell you everything you need to know about your soil.

In addition to providing you the information about your dirt they can also advise you as to the best type of plants that will grow in your soil. Furthermore, they are a great source for additional tips on growing an organic garden successfully.

These tips are just a few of the things about your organic gardening soil which are important. To really get ahead of the game on your soil you should continue to further your education.

2014 Fifa World Cup finals draw

Well, the Final Draw certainly gave us some intriguing groups, but which is worthy of the so-called 'Group of Death'? Stay tuned to FIFA.com over the next few hours and days for the best reaction to the events today in Costa do Sauipe - and also for the best in terms the build-up to Brazil 2014. Who will wrest the Trophy from Spain's grasp?

GROUP H HEAD-TO-HEAD

Belgium and Korea Republic both have previous World Cup experience of each other, with Belgium winning the first encounter before a draw in 1998. Both coaches Marc Wilmots and Hong Myung-Bo were in the sides for their 1-1 draw in group climax Paris, which will be repeated in Sao Paulo this time.

Belgium have also faced Russia four times in the finals, with the first two games going the way of the then-USSR, and the latter going to Belgium. They met at their last World Cup in 2002 as well, with a 2-0 win for the Red Devils.

Algeria have faced all three of their opponents in friendlies over the years, earning a draw against Russia and Belgium, but also suffering defeats to the latter and Korea Republic.18:07

GROUP G HEAD-TO-HEAD
Germany have faced Portugal 17 times, five of those meetings have been at a World Cup. At Germany 2006, the hosts bested Portugal 3-1 in the match for third place.

Ghana beat USA in the two most recent World Cups. The Black Stars bested the Stars and Stripes 2-1 in the final group stage match of Group E at Germany 2006 and again beat the Americans in the Round of 16 at South Africa 2010 when Asamoah Gyan fired Ghana through to the quarter-finals with a 93rd-minute extra-time goal.

Germany and Ghana met in the 2010 World Cup, where half-brothers Kevin-Prince and Jerome Boateng battled against each other in the first time family members played against one another at a World Cup.

USA and Portugal met at Korea/Japan 2002 where the Americans pulled off a shock 3-2 defeat of the European side. USA met Germany in the quarter-finals of the same tournament where Germany edged the Americans 1-0.

Portugal and Ghana have never faced each other.18:07

GROUP F HEAD-TO-HEAD
Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina have met twice before, most recently in St.Louis, USA this past November when Argentina won 2-0 in a friendly. Iran and Nigeria have met just once before in Hong Kong in 1998 where the Super Eagles came out on top 1-0. 

Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran have met five times before and the Iranians have got the better of the Brazil 2014 newcomers by winning four and drawing once. 

Argentina and Nigeria have faced off in six matches, including the 2010 World Cup, when Argentina won 1-0 at in Johannesburg. In total, Argentina have won five and drawn once. 18:00

GROUP E HEAD-TO-HEAD

Two matches will happen for the first time at the 2014 World Cup, Switzerland have never faced Ecuador before, and France have not played Honduras at senior level.

France and Switzerland on the other hand, have played each other 36 times, once at the World Cup, a goalless draw in the 2006 group stages.

Honduras and Ecuador have met each other 13 times - all friendly matches, with eight draws. Honduras have faced Switzerland once, at the 2010 World Cup, which ended in a goalless draw. Ecuador and France's only meeting came in a 2-0 friendly win for Le Bleus.17:58

GROUP D HEAD-TO-HEADEngland have faced Italy 24 times, with a 2-1 win for Gli Azzurri at Italy 1990. Their most recent meeting came in EURO 2012, with the Italians putting England out on penalties. The Three Lions have faced Uruguay twice at the World Cup, a win for La Celeste in 1954 and a goalless draw in 1966, when the hosts went on to secure their only World Cup to date. England have never before faced Costa Rica, who in turn have only met Italy once - a friendly win for the Azzurri in 1994.

Italy and Uruguay have faced off twice at the World Cup before, a draw at 1970 and a 2-0 win for the hosts at Italy 1990.

Uruguay and Costa Rica have met eight times, with the latter never having won. La Celeste saw off Costa Rica in the 2010 World Cup qualifiying play-off - 2-1 on aggregate.17:49

GROUP C HEAD-TO-HEAD
Colombia  and Greece have met once before, a friendly win for the Colombians in 1994. 

Côte d'Ivoire and Japan will face off for the first time in a competitive match on 14 June, with Japan winning two out of their previous three friendly meetings. Côte d'Ivoire have never before faced Colombia or Greece. 

Japan beat Greece in their only ever meeting, at the 2005 Confederations Cup.

Japan have not beaten Colombia in their two meetings to date, a 2003 Confederations Cup win for the South Americans and a goalless friendly draw in 2007.

GROUP B HEAD-TO-HEAD
Spain and Netherlands open their World Cup campaigns after playing their most recent World Cup fixture against one another - the 2010 Final. That has been their only World Cup game in ten meetings. Australia and Chile have met four times, once at the 1974 World Cup, which ended in a goalless draw. The holders have met Chileten times before and twice at the World Cup (both wins for La Roja, 2-0 in 1950 and 2-1 in 2010).

The Netherlands have failed to beat Australia in their three friendly meetings, drawing twice and losing in 2008. The Socceroos have never faced La Roja and theNetherlands have faced Chile just once - a 2-2 draw in the 1928 Olympic Football Tournament.

GROUP A HEAD-TO-HEAD

Brazil have faced Mexico a remarkable 38 times at senior level, three times at a World Cup finals (1950, 1954 & 1962), with Brazil victorious on all three occasions. The hosts have played Croatia twice before, one friendly draw and a victory over the Croats in the group stages of the 2006 World Cup. A Selecao beat Cameroon in the 1994 World Cup, but lost in their most recent meeting - at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Mexico and Cameroon have met just once before, a win for El Tri in a 1993 friendly match. Mexico have played Croatia three times before, winning their only World Cup meeting in 2002. Cameroon and Croatia will meet for the first time on 18 June in Manaus.

GROUP A

• Brazil
• Croatia
• Mexico
• Cameroon

GROUP B

• Spain
• Netherlands
• Chile
• Australia

GROUP C

• Colombia
• Greece
• Côte d'Ivoire
• Japan

GROUP D

• Uruguay
• Costa Rica
• England
• Italy

GROUP E

• Switzerland
• Ecuador
• France
• Honduras

GROUP F

• Argentina
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Iran
• Nigeria

GROUP G

• Germany
• Portugal
• Ghana
• USA

GROUP H

• Belgium
• Algeria
• Russia
• Korea Republic

Avoiding Impulse Spending

Answer these questions truthfully:

1.) Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money?

2.) Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you thought you had?

3.) Do you have more shoes and clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear?

4.) Do you own every new gadget before it has time to collect dust on a retailer’s shelf?

5.) Do you buy things you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them on display in a store?

If you answered “yes” to any two of the above questions, you are an impulse spender and indulge yourself in retail therapy.

This is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement. You must set some financial goals and resist spending money on items that really don’t matter in the long run.

Impulse spending will not only put a strain on your finances but your relationships, as well. To overcome the problem, the first thing to do is learn to separate your needs from your wants.

Advertisers blitz us hawking their products at us 24/7. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned for.

When you go shopping, make a list and take only enough cash to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home.

If you see something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide if it is really something you need or something you can easily do without. By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences and your relationships.

Why Should I Make a Budget?

You say you know where your money goes and you don’t need it all written down to keep up with it? I issue you this challenge. Keep track of every penny you spend for one month and I do mean every penny.

You will be shocked at what the itty-bitty expenses add up to. Take the total you spent on just one unnecessary item for the month, multiply it by 12 for months in a year and multiply the result by 5 to represent 5 years.

That is how much you could have saved AND drawn interest on in just five years. That, my friend, is the very reason all of us need a budget.

If we can get control of the small expenses that really don’t matter to the overall scheme of our lives, we can enjoy financial success.

The little things really do count. Cutting what you spend on lunch from five dollars a day to three dollars a day on every work day in a five day work week saves $10 a week… $40 a month… $480 a year… $2400 in five years….plus interest.

See what I mean… it really IS the little things and you still eat lunch everyday AND that was only one place to save money in your daily living without doing without one thing you really need. There are a lot of places to cut expenses if you look for them.  

Set some specific long term and short term goals. There are no wrong answers here. If it’s important to you, then it’s important period.

If you want to be able to make a down payment on a house, start a college fund for your kids, buy a sports car, take a vacation to Aruba… anything… then that is your goal and your reason to get a handle on your financial situation now.

The Budget – The Ultimate Financial Management Tool

A carpenter uses a set of house plans to build a house. If he didn’t the bathroom might get overlooked altogether.

Rocket Scientists would never begin construction on a new booster rocket without a detailed set of design specifications. Yet most of us go blindly out into the world without an inkling of an idea about finances and without any plan at all.

Not very smart of us, is it?

A money plan is called a budget and it is crucial to get us to our desired financial goals.

Without a plan we will drift without direction and end up marooned on a distant financial reef.

If you have a spouse or a significant other, you should make this budget together. Sit down and figure out what your joint financial goals are…long term and short term.

Then plan your route to get to those goals. Every journey begins with one step and the first step to attaining your goals is to make a realistic budget that both of you can live with.

A budget should never be a financial starvation diet. That won’t work for the long haul. Make reasonable allocations for food, clothing, shelter, utilities and insurance and set aside a reasonable amount for entertainment and the occasional luxury item. Savings should always come first before any spending.

Even a small amount saved will help you reach your long term and short term financial goals. You can find many budget forms on the internet. Just use any search engine you choose and type in “free budget forms”.

You’ll get lots of hits. Print one out and work on it with your spouse or significant other. Both of you will need to be happy with the final result and feel like it’s something you can stick to.

Spend Wisely to Save Money

Have you ever noticed that the things you buy every week at the grocery and hardware stores go up a few cents between shopping trips? Not by much…just by a little each week but they continue to creep up and up.

All it takes for the price to jump up by a lot is a little hiccup in the world wide market, note the price of gasoline as it relates to world affairs.

There is a way that we can keep these price increases from impacting our personal finances so much and that is by buying in quantity and finding the best possible prices for the things we use and will continue to use everyday… things that will keep just as well on the shelves in our homes as it does on the shelves at the grocery store or hardware store.

For instance, dog food and cat food costs about 10% less when bought by the case than it does when bought at the single can price and if you wait for close out prices you save a lot more than that.

Set aside some space in your home and make a list of things that you use regularly which will not spoil. Any grain or grain products will need to be stored in airtight containers that rats can’t get into so keep that in mind.

Then set out to find the best prices you can get on quantity purchases of such things as bathroom items and dry and canned food.

You will be surprised at how much you can save by buying a twenty pound bag of rice as opposed to a one pound bag but don’t forget that it must be kept in a rat proof container.

You can buy some clothing items such as men’s socks and underwear because those styles don’t change, avoid buying children’s and women’s clothing, those styles change and sizes change too drastically.

Try to acquire and keep a two year supply of these items and you can save hundreds of dollars.