Organics

Organic farming is known to be environmentally sustainable, but can it be economically sustainable, as well? The answer is yes, according to new research in the Sept.-Oct. issue of Agronomy Journal. In an analysis of 18 years of crop yield and farm management data from a long-term University of Minnesota trial, an organic crop rotation was consistently more profitable and carried less risk of low returns than conventional corn and soybean production, even when organic prime premiums were cut by half.

Organic farming is known to be environmentally sustainable, but can it be economically sustainable, as well? The answer is yes, according to new research.Organic farming is known to be environmentally sustainable, but can it be economically sustainable, as well? The answer is yes, according to new research.

Gardening experts discuss how to rectify a stinky compost bin.

Composting at home is fairly straightforward, but can go wrong quickly, and your nose knows when the compost container isn’t working properly. A functioning compost pile should smell faintly like warm earth. There are several causes of foul-smelling compost, and several practical solutions.

The Prince of Wales has urged everyone from allotment owners to urban gardeners to go organic, but how does he keep his own park lands and gardens green?

Planting wild flower meadows: One of the first things the Prince did when he bought his Gloucestershire Estate Highgrove in 1980 was to plant a three acre wild flower meadow. He can be seen personally counting the rare orchids every year to see how they are doing. Last year he recorded 170 orchids, mostly southern marsh orchid and common spotted orchid, up from 77 the year before.

A controversial study says that produce grown using more modern methods may actually be better for you

The organic 'back to nature' approach to gardening - doing away with artificial chemicals - will not deliver healthier or more tasty produce, it is claimed.

A controversial new study from Which? Gardening suggests produce grown using modern, artificial, methods may well be better for you.

By shedding artificial fertilizers and pesticides, a Massachusetts golf club goes organic.

It is one of those great ironies that pesticides and other chemicals are widely used to keep most golf courses looking lush and green. But a tony course on Martha’s Vineyard is changing that notion by going “organic,” according to The New York Times.

Dubai’s government is developing more organic farms, but oil-dependent desalination plants used for water casts a shadow on their carbon footprint

News from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates tended to be dominated by new construction projects being announced or more recently debts levels, but it seems that the government is making a serious push to promote organic farming as well. The National is reporting that the government in Dubai plans to add 23 new organic farms by June 2011 to the 17 that already exist.

Organic gardening: how much compost and manure should you use?

The question of how to fertilise the garden comes to mind for organic gardeners at this time of year.The weather is now drier for many of us, much of the winter clearing is done and there is a lot of bare soil showing. Now is a good time to get out there and add some organic matter.

Organic debate: whether you want an organic fertiliser or artificial type, there is now a wide choice available for all

Sometimes the easiest solutions can be found in your cupboard.

Yes, it’s that time of year, when weeds arise and rise again. Even the most devout organic gardener might be tempted to pull out the evil chemicals at times — especially when it comes to those hard-to-weed places like cracks in between rocks and gravel walkways, where there’s no food growing that could be tainted by a toxic treatment. But now, thanks to the advice of an old friend of mine, Nancy Small, I have a new solution. A very simple, easy solution.