Organic Gardening

[Geri]

I would like to go more organic with my vegetable garden this spring. I am planning to plant tomatoes, beans, squash, bibb lettuce, bellpeppers. I would appreciate any suggestions for plant based bug control as well as organic sprays and fertilizer.

[fireshawn]

Check out my website for some ideas
www.tripleslandscaping.net

You can also go to natural gardener austin, google it and you will get to his site, John Dromgool has a great store and website. He makes and sells the lady bug brand stuff.

Marigolds make great companion plantings, for some reason bugs don't care for them. Garlic spray makes the leaves taste bad to the buggies also.

For fertilizer, depends on if you want liquid or solid. The brand I carry is mostly liquid, but John has both. Worm castings, compost, manure, etc..... all make excellent organic soil ammendments. Be careful on the manure though, since Grazon has been popularized in the hay industry it is passing thru the horses and into the manure of course directly to kill your plants! Check the source, some of them know what they have been feeding, some don't .

[MF1455v]

Try reading this site. dirtdoctor.com This is Howard Garrett's web site. He is here in the Dallas area and can be heard on WBAP radio. He gives recipes to make your own products and he sells premade concentrates that can be found at some farm/feed stores. I by mine at Farmersville Feed in Farmersville Tx.

I have tried several of his organic remidies and most have worked better than its chemical counter part. In 2004 I saved a Red Oak tree that had Oak Wilt using his tips. Two landscape "self proclamed pros" told me that was almost impossable.

James

[Geri]

Thank you so much. I'll check out the website. What is Grazon? I have horses but, am unfamiliar with this.

[Geri]

Thank you. I appreciate you help. I'll check outHoward's website soon.

[fireshawn]

Grazon is a chemical herbicide that has residual effect thru the animal and into the manure. It has killed some trees and just in general not good to put on the home landscape.

Here is a link to John Dromgools (sp?) site
http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/