[Organic Gardening] [Eco-Farming] [Food Sources]
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Basic Info

®  Gardening for Maximum Nutrition - Most produce, from store or garden, organic or not, is not as high in nutrition as it could be. Kris outlines the steps to boost the nutrition in your garden produce.

 I'm sure there is lots of other good info about organic gardening on the Internet, but doing a quick Google search on 'Organic Gardening' yielded a lot of very commercial sites, mostly very disappointing. Unfortunately this is the direction that 'Organic' is taking, hence the search for new descriptions - beyond organic, eco- farming, sustainable ag, authentic food. For more in depth information about this topic check out Eco-Ag Resources above. 

® The New Agriculture - a blog by Michael Astera on the need for quality in our foods and remineralization in our soils.
"I won't rest until farming is cooler than rock 'n roll!"

®  The Invisible Gardener - Andy Lopez  - "Alternatives to Chemicals for the Natural Home, Organic Gardener, Organic Farmer and Organic Professional"  You have to join to get info from this site, but Andy will answer your questions if you do. Andy's new website 

® The Garden Gate  Into the Garden and Beyond...
"The Garden Gate is a non-commercial service provided for the enjoyment and edification of recreational gardeners everywhere."

® The Dirt Doctor , especially http://www.dirtdoctor.com/faq.php?letter=A 
"For those who have realized that toxic chemistry is not the answer, welcome to the Natural Way. If you have made the decision to change, I can help.  The answers are here in these pages. The key is for you and your family to garden, work, play and live with organic techniques to have better landscaping, better health, more cost effectiveness and more enjoyment of life."

® This site from Tasmania (Yes, that's southern hemisphere!) is quite good:  
Backyard Organic Gardening
"Originating from Hobart, in Southern Tasmania, this is the grassroots e-source for information about the basics of backyard organic gardening."

® Basic Information from OrganicGardening.com, has some good simple information, although the site is pretty commercial and I don't always agree with their recommendations. Journey to Forever gives an international flavor to organic gardening recommendations. There is some fascinating information there.

Other sources of basic information:

® The Rodale Institute
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/new_farm
The Organic Transition Course may be helpful for basics, although it barely touches on the importance of proper mineral balance in the soil. You need more than pH levels to determine your need for calcium (lime).

® Mother Earth News Gardening site

® The Dirt Gardener's Gardening Journal - Includes a section on gardening by phases of the moon.  

® Bio-Control Network - Bio-Rational Solutions for an Ever Shrinking Planet. www.biconet.com

® Lawn Care - www.safelawns.org 

Getting your questions answered:
® If you are serious about organic gardening I'd recommend getting Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Resource for Every Gardener . It has been my bible whenever I have gardening questions, although that left many questions unanswered.  

Other reference books that can be helpful.

So, in addition, I joined the Organic Gardening mailing list. There have been some experts on this list who have faithfully answered all kinds of questions.
This is how you join the Organic Gardening mailing list:

        Put nothing in subject line.

        In body of message write:
        SUBSCRIBE OGL [your name]

        Send to: LISTSERV@LSV.UKY.EDU

* And for those of you in Northwest Ohio there is 
The Northwest Ohio Organic Forum. 

* Organic Gardening Discussion Forum at Dave's Garden may be helpful, but there is a subscription fee for full access:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/organic/all/

* The Invisible Gardener http://www.invisiblegardener.com/

* GardenWeb, The Internet’s Garden Community
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/organic/
This is the Organic Gardening Forum page

* Freedom Gardens  - a social network for urban gardeners.

* Composting
Here are some good composting sites: 
Florida's Online Composting Center

MasterComposter.com Web site – lots of info about composting. 

Cornell Composting Web site - 

Not quite, but we do hope we've assembled some useful information."

Worm Composting Guides http://www.wormcompostingtips.com/   http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Worm-Compost-System 

WormWoman.com - Mary Appelhof's Site for Worm Composting Resources

Worm Digest   - Worms Deepening Our Connection to Food and Soil 

A sample analysis of commercial worm castings  and another site with very different analysis

Worm sources http://wormsnbats.com/  

The Humanure Handbook - A Guide to Composting Human Manure    

Humanure Headquarters: http://www.humanurehandbook.com/ 

* Organic Fertilizers (More info)

Rock Dusts & Sea Solids
Complementing compost, which is recycling local materials, is the use of mineral rich rock dusts from elsewhere, sea solids, and sea weeds, which can be rich sources of trace minerals essential to excellent plant and animal life. 

How to Improve Topsoil from ChampionTrees.org
Lots of info here about rock dusts, their benefits, and sources.

Rock Dusts for Human Nutrition by Harvey Lisle  - no longer available, but here is his book on the topic:
The Enlivened Rock Powders 
by Harvey Lisle  

More info at Gardening For Maximum Nutrition - Fertilizer Sources 

* Pest Control
A well managed organic garden will support healthy plants which do not invite much attack by insect pests, but if you need help with a pest problem this site may be useful:
http://www.invisiblegardener.com/  Sorry, this site is now available only to members. An on-line membership is $14.95. You may find it useful. There is lots of info on using herbal infusions for pest control.

* Weeds
Good site for identifying weeds:
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/weedindex.htm

Weeds and what they tell about your soil.
http://www.uas-cropmaster.com/weeds.htm

Weed Libary by YardCare.com
 http://content.garden.org/toro/weedlibrary/

* North American Fruit Explorers
http://www.nafex.org/
NAFEX is a network of individuals throughout the United States and Canada devoted to the discovery, cultivation and appreciation of superior varieties of fruits and nuts.

Recommended source of potted fruit trees
Edible Landscaping -  http://eat-it.com/

The Apple Grower by Michael Phillips

* Cultivating Our Garden
By John Jeavons
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC42/Jeavons.htm
From In Context, A Quarterly of Humane Sustainable Culture
"Using resources more efficiently - doing more with less - allows us to use our personal energy more effectively...  [T]he world is on the verge of a major new discovery - that there are major economies of small scale, such as the miniaturization of agriculture. The sophisticated low-technology techniques and the approaches involved in this kind of food-raising will make possible truly sustainable agricultural practices globally."

* Four Season Farm, the home page of Elliot Coleman, of Four Season Harvest fame.
http://www.fourseasonfarm.com/default.html

* Don’t Panic, Eat Organic
http://www.rain.org/~sals/my.html
An Organic Grower’s Homepage
Dozens of links to all kinds of info

* Journey To Forever is a fascinating Web site.
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library.html
This is the library page that has links to the text of many landmark but out of print books on sustainable agriculture and related topics. And the menus show lots of other very informative pages. 

5 REASONS TO STOP TOPPING TREES   

Permaculture

Plants For A Future http://www.pfaf.org/
A resource centre for rare and unusual plants, particularly those which have edible, medicinal or other uses. Lots of links to permaculture sites.

Midwest Permaculture website:
http://www.midwestpermaculture.com/index.php
Permaculture education and training
             for the beginning student, and the experienced permaculturist