Your success in the garden and knowing and following Nature’s principles work hand in hand.
- New to gardening?
- New to TendingMyGarden.com?
- New to working with nature?
- Want to make sure you’re using the main principles of nature in your garden to help you become even more successful?
I encourage you to read and digest the two posts I link to below.
If you’re new to gardening, familiarizing yourself with the principles in these posts will put you way ahead of most gardeners.
And since “how” and “what” we understand is based on what we already know (or don’t know), go back and review them again as you add to your knowledge. You’ll get more from them as you learn and experience more in your garden.
Recommended Post – Organic Residues – the Needed Energy for Soil Fertility
This post sums up important (but easy) things you need to know to help insure your success.
The specialty of noted scientist, Richard Parnes, was to offer recommendations for organic fertilizers at the soil testing facility in Maine in the 1980s.
He wrote a book in 1985 (updated in 2013) to make his findings available to the public. You can download this valuable book (which is now out of print) for free here: https://soilandhealth.org/book/soil-fertility-a-guide-to-organic-and-inorganic-soil-amendments/
Mr Parnes’ book contains valuable information that is not readily available now.
In case you’re not already aware of it, the truth in almost every area of our lives has been hidden from us. Most often, that’s so big companies etc. can make money by selling us something we really don’t need.
In spite of the chemical companies promoting that Nature needs their help, that lie was invented to put money in their pockets. And by repeating it millions of times to the public (via advertising and other promotions) it became “truth” in the minds of the majority.
But Nature is the Master Gardener. (The real one.) And she might need tending in your garden, but she doesn’t need “help”.
Mr Parnes knew the complexity of nature and that she has set up a delicate balance. He also knew that the balance could be easily and simply maintained by the gardener/farmer using organic residues.
My recent post (Ideas to Easily Help Restore Fertility to Your Garden) is a good example of how to use this principle.
Recommended Post – Organic Gardening – The Laws (Principles) are Fixed – the Methods are Endless
When you’re new to anything, it’s easy to make assumptions based on what you “think” you read or saw or heard or “know”. As you build your knowledge base you see things differently.
This post will help you to consider many things before you draw any conclusion about what may be happening in your garden when something goes wrong. Or even when something goes right.
(I’ll give you some interesting examples of how that applies in my garden this year in up-and-coming letters to subscribers.)
This recommended post tells of a reader who mentioned to me in an email that some tomato plants had died while she was away for a week on vacation. She said there had been no rain.
When I asked how she had prepared the beds – she replied they were prepared using the Eliot Coleman method.
Immediately, I knew something was off.
After many questions and a bit of research I found out the “rest of the story” and tell it in the post.
It should prove extremely helpful to you in many ways.
AND it also makes the point that principles are fixed and also the ways to obtain those principles are endless. (BUT you first must know the principles.)
Final Thoughts
Please take advantage of the free download for Mr. Parnes’ book. It’s invaluable and who knows when it won’t be available anymore.
Again, I hope you’ll read and digest these posts and make them part of your foundation of knowledge for successful gardening. Passing this knowledge on to your kids will be one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
Writing for your success and wishing you the best of everything,
Theresa
All content including photos is copyright by TendingMyGarden.com. All Rights Reserved.
New or old gardener, listen to Theresa and get her book. No matter what fertilizer companies want to sell you, all we live on depends on 6″ of soil and rain. We can’t control rain but we can build up our SOIL without spending a cent or very little on natures products. If I had all the money I spent at the beginning for implements and fertilizers I could buy more land to garden.
In any case keep gardening a happy pass time and don’t start too big and make it work.
Happy gardening
Ray Kent
Theresa, I truly enjoyed reading this post and reviewing the old ones. An important reminder on how to keep the big picture in mind. Lots of good insights and information as always!
And ‘Amen!’ to Ray’s comment too!
Giulia
Hiya Theresa!
Thanks for the link. I downloaded it and will make a point to read it soon, altho all I really need to know is doing what you suggest works! My garden has never been so productive before.
I’ve also stopped spending money on everything I thought I needed to be successful. Except for some seeds, drinking water in gallon jugs so I have containers for winter sown seedlings and some good organic potting soil to put in those jugs, the rest really is all unnecessary. I’ve been saving seed from everything I can instead of rebuying it so I have extra money to try things I never tried before.
I have never enjoyed gardening and being outside in nature so much as I have in the past year and a half. I am so happy to have found your website.
Take care and God bless,
Harold
I appreciated these comments so much. It’s very rewarding to know that I’ve helped and have made a difference. Thank you Ray, Giulia, and Harold for expressing what you think. It means a lot to me.
A long time reader of TMG, Graham Murdock, left a comment on one of the posts I linked to in this post.
Here’s the link to the post where he left the comment: https://tendingmygarden.com/organic-gardening-the-laws-principles-are-fixed-the-methods-are-endless/
Graham is a very successful gardener and has been for years. I was very complimented by what he had to say. Hope you’ll take a look.
Theresa