In the past few years, we’ve seen a change in the way the World proceeds about its doings. People have gone through quite a few revelations, which have in general placed an impact upon their perceptions and outlook. Ever since, we’ve grown more aware of the toxicity rates of chemicals and chemical products, an organic trend has swarmed over the multitudes with people making choices to lead an ‘organic lifestyle’. Supermarkets and flea markets now have separate sections labeled as ‘organic produce’. And organic farming means that the farmers use the most conservative feed, and fertilizers, only then can their produce be termed as organic.

In farming, organic or natural fertilizers have gained a special place and there are several types of fertilizers today that cater to the needs of organic farming. In order for a fertilizer to be considered organic, it has to come from natural sources. Some of these have been gone over and detailed below.

1-Banana Peels

Bananas are available in the markets year round and are the favorite fruit of many out there. Rarely a house doesn’t have any banana peels lying around. And if more people took into consideration the fact that they can be recycled in a sustainable way, our Earth would have much less baggage. Banana peels after composting, when returned to the soil; help provide nutrients like Potassium, Nitrogen and Calcium to the plant. Or you can let them compost naturally by burying them in the soil before planting. They help in the fruit formation and the plant strength they propagate is especially essential for vertical veggies.

2-Coffee Grounds

Do not dispose of the coffee remnants in the bottom of your mug after your morning ritual. Instead kill two birds with one stone, and recycle them as an organic lawn fertilizer. They are an excellent addition to your compost pile, especially beneficial for acid loving plants like tomatoes and roses. Or you can dilute the grounds and pour them over the soil, though it won’t be as effective. These grounds have been claimed to produce some of the largest and plumpest melons, carrots etcetera. They are believed to add nitrogen and other minerals and vitamins to the soil, which in turn reduces the risk of insect infestation.

3-Grass& Weed

Looking for a great organic fertilizer? Well look no further than beneath your feet. Grass clippings once diluted, and then set-aside for a few days before straining the liquid proves to be a rich source of nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorus for the soil. Once sprayed over the soil, even miniscule grass can do wondrous remarkable things to your organic gardening endeavors. Weeds can also be added as they also break down quite easily and benefit the richness of your soil. In fact, grass/weed is one of the best fertilizers.

4-Manure

Manure is probably one of the oldest means for fertilizing land out there. It provides all the necessary nutrients like Potassium, Nitrogen and Phosphorus that are essential for plant growth, development and propagation. However, manure from livestock should be used; the one from household animals contains pathogens, which causes more harm than benefit. Composted manure and the manure that has aged for quite some time will be the most useful in richening the soil. However proper and guided use of manure is necessary, in order for manure to prove to really be the best organic fertilizer.

5-Bone meal Fertilizer

Bone meal is a quite useful albeit unfamiliar organic fertilizer. It is essentially what the name implies, bones that are ground to powder form before steaming sometimes, which helps the plant to get more benefit from it. Plants need it for stronger development of roots and growth of flowers. It is an ideal supplement for bulbs and roses that needs phosphorus to boost up. Its N-P-K ratio is usually around 4-12-0, which may alter in steamed bone meal. As it is implied from the ratio, it is basically a great use of Phosphorus for a soil but doesn’t provide any Potassium and not necessarily enough Nitrogen to the plant; Even though it also provides Calcium.

6-Egg Shells

Mainly composed of Calcium Carbonate, which is what agricultural lime is composed of, broken egg shells from your breakfast will prove to be a great source of Calcium, Potassium as well as traces of Phosphorus which when combined, provide all the nutrients in a fertilizer. You won’t need to waste your money on buying lime when eggshells simply solve any deficiency of Calcium that may exist in the plant. Powered eggshells or eggshell tea are both equally effective, giving your plants an essential boost.

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7-Fish Emulsion Fertilizer

Albeit a stinky alternative, fish and its by-products will make your soil rich and fertile, with a healthy N-P-K ratio of 5-2-2. This contributes towards one of the most powerful natural fertilizer. Which means your plant is getting the essential nutrients for its propagation and without seriously denting your bank account too. How about that for a budget cut?

Learn How to make fish fertilizer

Thus, all these fertilizers are great replacements for the synthetic and chemical fertilizers in the markets. Think wisely, choose wisely and live wisely.

 Pumpkins are amazing to have as deserts and other edibles; you must have seen them on Halloween, as they are one of the most desirable things of the event. Planting and growing pumpkins is a rewarding and fulfilled experience – however, you can only grow big pumpkins if you exactly know how to grow them. The excerpt talks about the basic tips that can facilitate your aim of growingpumpkins from seeds and make the harvest a success:

1: Make sure the soil is well done:

If the growth is planned for the spring season, make sure you prepare the soil from fall. The soil must be worked out with raw manure and dried leaves; rot tiller is also an essential need here. Kitchen wastes when mixed with soil also help in growing big pumpkins and of various types.

2: Know your space:

Know one thing from the beginning; growing pumpkins always require larger spaces. The railings of the pumpkin plants may go up to 20 feet, so be prepared. Also, the area must be getting around 8 to 10 hours of full sun each day, otherwise you won’t be able to get the desired results.

3: When to plant Pumpkins:

When to plant pumpkins? Well, this might be based on your need of having miniatures or larger ones. As mentioned before, there are various types of pumpkins; many keep on posting how to grow a giant pumpkin, probably they are competition goers. If you are amongst these, make sure you start sowing in mid may to mid June. In case you want smaller ones, your period can be extended to July 1st. It would be ready to harvest during the late September.

4. Frost protection:

How to grow pumpkins if your area is likely to have late frost, it is better to start the growing process indoors and transplant seedlings later.

Frost would destroy the pumpkin plants, so it is ideal to have indoor setup. You can keep the soil warm and ideal; just make sure you have covered the soil with some black plastic one week before planting pumpkins. Keep the sheet over the soil until the frost goes away completely.

5. Where to plant:

As mentioned before, the vines of the pumpkins have the capacity to grow aggressively and cover large spaces around them. Therefore, choose the areas where if the vines spread, does not affect the other plants. The heavy wind can harm the leaves of vines so if are living in an area where you experiences a lot of wind then plant them in the same direction as normally the wind blows.

6. Growing in smaller space:

If you have smaller spaces, you can trellis the vines. This is one popular way that is used by pumpkin farmers, but strong support is needed to handle the ripen ones.

7. Supply plenty of water:

Other than inquires like how to grow pumpkins, one major question is about its care. For that, make sure you provide enough water to the soil so that they can easily grow. The soil used for planting pumpkin seeds has to be rich in nutrients and minerals, and definitely water is required too. Make sure you plant your pumpkin plants early in the morning. However, make sure you keep the foliage dry, otherwise fungus may infect your entire farm.

8. Look after the pumpkin patch:

Just like all the other plants, pumpkins would need your love and affection so that they can grow. Make sure you weed the rows and the patches on weekly basis. However, do not use too much fertilizer or nitrogen contents.

9. Careful Harvest

If you try to harvest your pumpkins before the right time, you will end up eventually losing the entire thing. Make sure when you are about to harvest it, it has a deep color and same thing you can find around it. Also, the rind has to be tough; you can check by pressing it with your nail, it has to resist it from getting scratches and dents. Make sure you have harvested your pumpkins before it is fall or frost. You can check out the vines, if they start to freeze, don’t be scared your fruit is still protected. Simply use some sharp cutting tools and cut off your fruit from the vines. Do not cut from the stem; leave around 4 to 5 inches in between.

10. Proper storage

The cure duration for pumpkins is about 8 to 10 days. During this period, they must be placed in those areas where the temperature remains between 80 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit and there is little humidity. This helps in keeping it for storage. Once this process is done right, make sure you select the place for storage which is cool and dry. The suggested temperature for this period is between 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The tip that you must know here is, never store pumpkins in double or more layers. They must be kept in single layer, otherwise they may get spoiled. It is because due to constant touch with each other, they would release some sort of heat, and ultimately it would cause decay. If you follow proper guidelines, you can easily store a pumpkin for about 3 months. You can enjoy your Halloween, in fact Christmas too with them.