Organic Farmer

Question by Miss: Need some help planting veggies for the first time?
If I wanted to plant a small amount of vegetables in the yard or in a container, would they require the use of pesticide products? Or would I need to purchase some of the organic farming helpful bugs to keep bad insects away? Are pests an issue with a small amount of veggies? I’d really like to hear from some people who have actually tried their own gardening and what things you’d recommend for a beginner to plant. Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by Elizabeth
I have been gardening for many years. The only time I use any pesticides in the garden is on fire ants. As a beginner your idea of starting small is a good one. Container gardening works fine as long as your containers are large enough for the vegetable you want to grow. In general you would put each plant in a separate container. Most vegetables also need full sun. Container gardening requires more watering. Another option is raised bed gardening.

http://www.squarefootgardening.com

If you like the concept do get the book. This is a wonderful system for both beginning gardeners and experienced gardeners. Start with 1 4’x4′ box. You will be amazed at how much produce you get out of a small space. It is also very easy to maintain. Make your own soil mix using 1/3 compost, 1/3 course horticultural vermiculite and 1/3 peat. The only weeds you will have to contend with are the ones that germinate from seeds dropped by birds. If you want tomatoes and cucumbers grow them vertically. The book has examples of support frames that you can construct for vertical gardening.

Your next issue is plant selection. Not knowing where you are located I can not help you with that. Call your county Agent for recommendations. The CA can tell you what varieties are suitable for your region and when to plant. Some plants are cool weather crops and others are warm weather crops so planting at the correct time is crucial to success.

Gardening is a very rewarding experience especially when you harvest that first crop from your garden. Good luck and enjoy

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

See what you can learn on the go with the new Howcast App for iPhone and iPad: http://bit.ly/11ZmFOu Watch more Gardening Tips videos: http://www.howcast.com…

http://Expansions.com Stewart A. Swerdlow and Janet Diane Mourglia-Swerdlow pay a second visit to Kitty Hill Organics, where Cindy shows them her bounty of o…
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Question by : What is the future of agriculture in the state of Nebraska?
Will there be more farms in Nebraska then they are now?
Is there going to be more organic farms in Nebraska?
Are the farmers in Nebraska going to have more acres available to them? To extend their farms maybe?
What is going to be a future energy source for Nebraska farmers? Wind farms, maybe?
Thank you so very much.

Best answer:

Answer by ERIC
While I’m not from Nebraska and don’t know all of the specifics of the state, many of these questions do apply yo most places so I’ll help where i can here.

Generally the number of farms has been in decline, mostly due to fewer people who have the opportunity want to farm. Generally the land gets rented out or sold to a neighbor when a farm ceases to operate. The one exception to this general rule is in many area the number of hobby farms and specialty small scale operations is growing. These require either another job or some very specialized crops or livestock to make a go of it, but they are farms none the less.

The number of organic farms will likely increase, as long as demand stays ahead of supply enough where the price justifies the extra labor and expenses incurred. This is also a common venue for some small scale specialized operations because of the typically higher prices.

It’s doubtful that the acreage will increase, as not only are they not making new land, my understanding is Nebraska is the most farmed state (as % of total land that is farmed). The one exception here is if for some reason a lot of land gets pulled out of programs such as CRP, likely either due to funding shortages, or commodity vales rising enough where it makes more financial sense to farm it again.

The future energy source is the one I can answer the least as I’m not from there and not totally familiar with the specifics of what all is in the state. Your guess of wind would be a likely one in some areas. These have been popping up in my area of MI and so far they’ve been great, they take up very little ground space, can be placed in out of the way places such as fencelines, and on wasteground, and contrary to what some opponents say make very little noise, and pay a few bucks an acre a month. The main drawback is as things stand now often these are not cost effective enough to compete without subsidies, however either increases in the technology of rising prices elsewhere can change this easily. Ethanol as we know it is at a standstill, especially at $ 7 corn, although biomass ethanol does hold some potential if they can improve the technology enough to make it cost effective, which I doubt will be very soon. With prices the way they are now drilling for oil can be an option in areas where it exists in quantities large enough or easy enough to get at to make it worthwhile. A NE resident could help more with this question.

Give your answer to this question below!

I created this 19 minute, magazine style report for my master’s project while studying at the University of Iowa, in which I define USDA organic from a growi…
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Question by sweetbaby0809: Is it bad to have a lot of sources for a research paper?
I wrote a 6-page paper on organic foods and organic farming… I spent a lot of time searching for reputable sources and narrowed them down to about 18 sources for my paper. Is it bad to have this many sources? Even if they are all reputable sources or is this a positive thing since I am able to backup all of information?

Best answer:

Answer by Lucas A
It’s good.

:]

Make sure you cite!

Give your answer to this question below!