goddess4peace asked:


I live in Houston, and I just want to make sure my soil is organic and not toxic before I start growing food next Spring.
Anne- what exactly is a universtiy extesnion program? Do I need to contact the local universities?
Thanks everyone- you all gave me great pointers. I really just needed to be pointed in the right direction (never heard of an extension agency- so I never would have known where to look!:)

Deborah asked:


I am told that nitrogen is bad for roses. Is this true? I would like to know what is the best feed for roses (either made-up chemicals or organic matter). And what substances in the garden are likely to have a high nitrogen content? I am asking this last question so that I can avoid using those substances on roses, if nitrogen is really harmful to them. THANKS! I hope you have LOTS of lovely roses this year in your gardens….

zach asked:


I am looking to raise some animals for meat such as chickens, fish and maybe rabbits. Is it possible to compost the meat an organic and relatively cheap way? As in put it back into the dirt without causing harm to plants as I’d use it in a home garden.

asolare123 asked:


Hi everyone. I’m looking to control a grub issue in my lawn, vegetable, and flower gardens. I prefer to use organic means which leads me to milky spore. Does anyone have any experience with any online suppliers of the stuff? I have about 1500 square feet total that needs to be treated. Also, what is the best time to put milky spore down? Thanks in advance.

Tequila Sunrise Bloodshot Eyes asked:


Im growing a small little garden this year. its up in the forest, so i dug up all the soil and got rid of it, because there were huge boulders everywhere and the soil was just generally not fertile and to acidy. So what i did was dig up a lot of the dark top soil i could find around the forest, and crushed it up and it looks to have a lot of decaying material in it. I also added 3 bags of scott’s premium organic compost with manure added, and i plan to add a couple more bags. there is also a big bag of peat moss in there too to hold moisture, and some ashes because peatmoss is kinda acidy. I also added grass clippings and worked it into the soil, and a couple handfuls of bone meal.. i plan on getting some worm castings as well, since they are like gold to plants…

im planting my plants into the soil this weekend and they need to be high in nitrogen until auguest when they start flowering, then i will start with a organic liquid fertilizer rich in phosphorus… but until then, is my soil rich enough so i dont have to add any fertilizers? and i will ONLY use organic solutions because these are plants i will be ingesting..

Amanda asked:


I am living in a house with a yard for the first time since I was 8 and want to know what is a good book on organic vegetable gardens for complete beginners?

sierra asked:


???

Baa_Baa_Blacksheep asked:


I know it sounds silly right? Of course it would cost more to grow your own…or will it? My thing is…would the cost of water, good soil (for organic growing), and other things needed add up to the cost of buying at the store?

Candy O asked:


Hey! I plan on starting a vegetable garden soon, I’ve never done any gardening before. Would an experience gardener like to offer some advice? I’ve got a few basic questions!

1) Do you test pH levels of the dirt in your garden? If so, can you have different pH levels in each row of plants?

2) I read that you can’t plant strawberries close to peppers because they spread diseases. Have you tried this before? Is it better to have 2 gardens?

3) What do I need to do to the soil beforehand? Obviously I need to loosen it up a bit, maybe get some nice healthy dirt in there. Make it moist. Anything else?

4) What tools should I buy to start off with? I’m thinking a shovel, a trowel, some gloves, and a cultivator.Would you suggest anything else?

5) I know I’m a bit late on the spring season. What are good items to plant at this time? (I live in Tallahassee, FL) I would really like peppers, strawberries, spinach, and butternut squash (or pumpkin). Possibly blueberries or raspberries. Are these ok to plant at this time of the year?

6) Where is a good, local, informative place to shop for plants, seeds, tools, etc? I’d like an organic garden.

Any other advice you’d like to offer? Thanks a bunch for any help!!! I really appreciate it!!!

Any other advice???

rita asked:


I’m thinking of doing a no till bed veggie garden in Oklahoma with sandy/clay soil.
I’m going to be making a compost pile and doing everything organic…so if I cant use bug spray or weed killer how do I rid my garden of it’s unwanted guest?
sorry, I tend to question pretty much everything before embarking on a new quest lol.