When it comes to setting up your very one goat farm, knowledge in raising goats is definitely key. If you want to be able to raise healthy goats, you should first prepare yourself by gathering all the information you need. Goats can be fascinating creatures to keep, and as long as you have all the necessary tools, their proper care and maintenance can be a breeze. Here are just some of the facts you need to know about raising goats.
Raising Goats Fact #1: Different goat breeds require different levels of care
Although it’s easy to mistake one for another, you should understand there are over 300 breeds known today, more than half of which is bred to produce milk, meat or fur for today’s consumers. Milk producing breeds such as alpine goats require a different type of care than the meat producing Boer goats in terms of food and supplements. By knowing the different goat breeds, it will be a lot easier for you to decide on which specific type you should choose for your goat farm.
Raising Goats Fact #2: Goats are very curious creatures
Another thing that you should know is that they are generally very curious about their surroundings and they also possess a high level of intelligence. This is probably why they are known to chew on just about anything that they see lying around. Whether it be tin cans or notebooks, goats are more than happy to chew on an assortment of objects. So before you order in the goats for your farm, make sure that their surroundings are cleared of plants and objects that may cause harm to their health when ingested.
Raising Goats Fact #3: Choose a field of expertise
Lastly, before you get started on raising goats, you should first decide on the type of product that you want to produce. Choose a field of expertise and concentrate on that. Many beginner goat farmers often make the mistake of wanting to breed all types of goats at the same time since they feel that taking care of goats is all the same anyway. But this situation seldom works out successfully as such goat farmers soon realize that it’s much more lucrative to concentrate on a certain stock at a time.
Raising goats can quickly become a very profitable endeavor as long as you put an effort into learning how to properly take care of your livestock. Always inform yourself of the newest developments on keeping goats and you will surely be successful in just a few months time.
Ted is a goat enthusiast, and if you would like more tips on raising goats, please visit http://www.raising-goats.com
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Are you a traditional outdoor garden tomato grower? Are you bored with growing your tomatoes the same back-breaking way year in and year out? Well I have something fairly new for you to try that may just revitalize your tomato growing efforts once again. During your next planting season, try growing your tomatoes upside down. Yes, you read that correctly. A fairly new, and very successful method of growing tomatoes is to grow them upside down.
Yes, I know what you are thinking. “Isn’t that a bit strange?” Well, yes, it does go against all traditional thinking and at first glance, it does seem strange but after stopping and thinking about it for a little bit, it actually makes very good sense.
Growing your tomatoes upside is advantageous in a few ways. It eliminates the need for stakes, cages or other support mechanisms because your tomato plants are allowed to grow naturally toward the ground at first, then turning toward the sun. You will also save your back as your tomato plants will be suspended in air near eye level for easy care. Speaking of being suspended in air, this will also keep your mature tomatoes from ever touching the ground and rotting. By growing them in containers, your plants are portable so they can be moved to get the most sunlight possible. You never have to worry about poor garden soil or the hassle of weeding as you will fill your container with the ideal potting mix to grow healthy tomatoes. You also do not have to worry as much about diseases and pests which often come from the surrounding soil. So you can see that there are many reasons why you would want to grow tomatoes upside down and I have only touched on a few of them.
First you need to scope out your location. Choose a location that is sturdy enough to support the weight of the tomato plants and their containers when fully loaded with tomatoes which could be 40 pounds or more depending on the variety you choose. You will also need a location that gets at least 8 hours of sunlight each day if you do not wish to move them each day to meet this requirement.
Next you will need to choose your container. Many people like to use a cleaned out 5 gallon paint bucket as they know that they are capable of good support but for those that find this unsightly, you can also select a nice hanging container of your choosing as long as it will support the weight. Whichever you choose you will need to cut or drill a 2 to 2.5 inch hole in the bottom for your tomato plant.
You can either grow your seedlings from seeds or purchase them at a nursery or garden center. Take your small seedlings and insert the top of the seedling down through the hole until half of the stem is sticking out of the bottom. Wrap some moist newspaper or paper towels around the main stem to hold it in place and fill up the rest of the hole so your soil does not spill out. Now slowly pour in some potting compost and gently pack it around the stem and root ball. Once the plant is in place, fill with about 4 inches of soil and water thoroughly. Fill the container the rest of the way to the top leaving about 2 inches at the top. Water slowly until water begins dripping out of the hole in the bottom to ensure water reaches the roots.
Hang your container in the location you selected earlier making sure to check it every day or two to make sure that the soil remains moist to a depth of about 4 inches. The only other thing left to do is to rotate the container every couple of days as the plant will naturally grow toward the sun. This will keep the plant growing evenly. Soon you will be enjoying the freshest and best tasting tomatoes imaginable.
Steve Haupt is a tomato growing enthusiast who enjoys helping others in getting started in this new “green” hobby. For more great information on how to grow upside down tomatoes, visit our website at GrowingTomatoesForBeginners.com.
An organic garden is a rewarding source of healthy fruits and vegetables for you and your family. Maintaining the delicate balance between all of the components of your organic garden’s ecosystem is hard work but it is the key to successfully preventing damage from harmful garden insects.
If that balance is upset, harmful pests may become a problem that requires additional attention. The topic of using any “pesticide” in an organic garden is a controversial one. There are both homemade and commercially-available products to assist in the control of harmful garden pests but it is important to note that extra care should be taken when selecting any pesticide to use in your organic garden. Pay particular attention to ingredients and warnings even though it may be labeled “natural” or “organic”.
To avoid the need for any pesticides, you should focus on the prevention of harmful garden insects instead. It is indeed the best “medicine” you can give your organic garden. Your ultimate goal is a natural balance of all the key elements of your garden…soil, water, plants AND insects. There are quite a few “good” insects that will help you fight the battle. Treat them well and you will reduce the risk of ever needing a pesticide.
When the key elements of your garden are in balance, it promotes a healthy garden and a balanced insect population (just enough of the good insects to control the bad ones)…and a healthy garden will do a great job all by itself to control harmful pests.
Here are four tips to promote a natural organic garden balance:
1. Maintain healthy soil.
This will promote healthy plants. Most insects only attack unhealthy plants. Incorporating natural compost consisting of garden and kitchen scraps is a natural, organic way to keep your soil fertile and healthy.
2. Rotate your crops.
Planting a crop in the same spot season after season will eventually weaken the soil of the nutrients a particular plant needs. The resulting unhealthy plans will be more prone to insect attack. Rotating crops from year to year allows the soil to replenish itself of depleted nutrients from the year before.
3. Invite the good bugs to your garden.
Encourage beneficial predator and parasitic insects into your garden by planting flowers in your garden that provide sources of food for them. They, in turn, will help keep the harmful insect population in check.
4. Keep your garden clean.
Keeping the garden or orchard free of excess debris will give the harmful insect population less places to hide and thrive.
At times, considering all of these factors may seem a bit overwhelming and stressful. However, if you are successful in keeping this delicate balance in check, you may never need to consider using pesticides in your garden and it will reward you with some of the healthiest, freshest vegetables on earth. Please never forget one of the most important things about your garden. You planted it because gardening is fun.
Visit the author’s comprehensive article, Organic Gardening Pesticides, for more information about prevention and the use of both homemade and commercially-available pesticides.
Suzy T is a mom and avid gardener from New Jersey. Visit her website and blog, Suzy’s Garden, for more gardening and crafting articles, projects and information. Be sure to visit the Book Shop at her site. There are a number of additional organic gardening references that may assist you.
Suzy’s other interests include writing, shopping and her two Golden Retrievers. She is also an advocate for the rights of children with special needs.
Growing organic fruits and vegetables in your own garden is certainly a rewarding experience. You insure the produce you grow is chemical-free and as healthy as possible. The alternative is to purchase produce from a market or farm along with the unknowns of what chemicals were used to treat and grow the produce.
Maintaining the delicate balance of your organic garden’s ecosystem is the best way to keep your plants healthy and insect-free. When that balance is upset and insects become a problem, the need for a pesticide may arise. Choosing between a homemade remedy and a commercial pesticide is a hard choice for an organic gardener. It goes against every belief you had about your organic garden. It was supposed to be a chemical-free environment. Why would you actually put chemicals into your garden? It’s a valid question.
If you identify the insect and prepare and apply the recommended pesticide correctly, a homemade remedy can be as effective, and in most cases, significantly cheaper, than a commercial pesticide.
Consequently a homemade pesticide is usually the safer bet and logical first choice for an organic gardener. You can control the ingredients in the mixture and avoid anything that you may not prefer to apply to your plants. In the event the homemade remedy does not work, you can always follow up with a commercial pesticide at your discretion.
For as many pests as there are out there ready to feed on your precious plants, there are an equal number of homemade remedies to control each of these insects. Some remedies, quite frankly, just aren’t practical. (for example, there’s one that requires you to collect dead bugs and blend them into a smoothie!)
Two Homemade Remedies For Common Garden Insects
Aphids, whiteflies and other soft-body pests – Mix a few drops of mild dishwashing detergent with water and spray on plants leaves (make sure you get both sides and avoid spraying on flowers!)
Cabbageworms and spider mites – Mix 2 tablespoons salt in 1 gallon of water and spray on affected plants.
As an alternative to spot treatments after an infestation has already occurred, you can use a general repellent instead that is applied as a preventative measure at regular intervals throughout the growing season. A recipe for one such treatment is provided below.
General Pest Repellent
- 1/4 cup of hot red peppers (red pepper sauce works well as a substitute)
- 1/4 cup of fresh spearmint (look in your produce for fresh herbs or grow your own!)
- 1/4 cup horseradish, both root and leaves (prepared horseradish doesn’t work as well)
- 1/4 cup green onion tops
- 1 tablespoon of liquid detergent
Grind the spearmint leaves, horseradish, onion tops and peppers together with enough water to cover everything in a blender or food processor. Strain the solution and add the liquid to half-gallon of water with the detergent. Store the mixture for a few days in a cool place and then spray on affected areas. Outside use only. Re-apply once every two weeks or sooner after a heavy rain or watering.
It is important to note that the effectiveness of any home remedy, preventative or otherwise, will depend on the type of pest you are trying to control and the severity of the infestation.
Considering all of these factors may seem a bit overwhelming and stressful. However, if you are successful in keeping the harmful garden insects in check, you will be rewarded by your garden with some of the freshest, healthiest produce on earth. Please never forget one of the most important things about your garden. You planted it because gardening is fun.
Visit the author’s comprehensive article, Organic Gardening Pesticides, for more detailed information about prevention and the use of both homemade and commercially-available pesticides.
Suzy T is a mom and avid gardener from New Jersey. Visit her website and blog, Suzy’s Garden for more gardening and crafting articles, projects and information. Be sure to visit the Pest and Disease Guide at Suzy’s Garden for specific information on how to control many more insects that those listed in this article.
Suzy’s other interests include writing, shopping and her two Golden Retrievers and she is an advocate for the rights of children with special needs.
If you want to branch out into a fulfilling gardening adventure why not consider growing your own herbs? Though it requires less space than your regular garden plot, the benefits of production and the joy of gardening are both present. Herbs add that special touch of flavor to so many meals and growing your own is always more fun than buying.
When deciding what to plant just go in your own kitchen cabinet and see what you have there. Plant your own collection and save when it comes time to restock. Some easy herbs to grow are rosemary, sage, basil,dill, mint, chives, and parsley.
An herb garden needs to have very good drainage, you can prepare and area by digging down a foot deep and placing a 4 inch layer of crushed rock in the bottom then filling the area with top soil. If you don’t want to dig just create a boarder out of wood or brick and place the rock in the bottom then the top soil.
Your drainage should allow water to get away from the plants. Of course the easy easy way is container gardening you put your rock in the bottom then add the topsoil.
Herbs are fairly easy to grow from seed so you don’t need to go and buy a bunch of plants. Also herbs grow fast and are tough plants, they will grow in harsher environments than some other garden plants. Herbs tend to be aggressive, in other words they will dominate and area. If you are going to plant mint for instance, it would be good to have an area away from your garden so it can take over and fill the area without giving you headaches as to keeping it in check. Here is another instance where containers provide perfect solution.
Let the plant become well established before harvesting, take too much to soon and you may have to start over. A strong herb will produce for years to come so patience is rewarded.
As you harvest the herbs you will want to dry them for storage. Place the plants on a cookie sheet and and bake them at 170 until dry. Then store them in air tight bags or jars. After 24 hours check the newly stored herbs for dampness in the container, if any exist you need to re-dry the product otherwise mold or in rot will require you discard them.
As with any gardening adventure the fun is in the process. The reward in this case is in the taste of meals prepared with fresh herbs in season and free herbs out of season that you grew, dried and prepared yourself.
May life yield and abundant harvest of joy for you today.
Find great gardening resources and a link to an online gardening store at these websites: http://www.squidoo.com/flowersplants
Unique gardening tips and ideas: http://www.squidoo.com/containerplants
