Neem is a tree found primarily in India. Neem has been used for a long time for a variety of purposes in India, such as a natural toothbrush, its dried leaves are used when packing clothes so as to protect against insects. In addition, the oils from Neem are used as part of making soap for bathing and for cleaning. Going further on this line, Neem is very helpful against insects and pests, and is an integral part of organic principles. For organic farming, it is mandatory that any treatment of insects and pests be done without using chemical insecticides; it does not prevent the use of insecticides, only that they should be naturally occurring materials.
Neem makes for an excellent insecticide. It acts in a different way from chemical insecticides; you apply a chemical insecticide and the insects / pests drop dead or run away. However, Neem acts in a different way. You cannot apply Neem based insecticide, and expect to see the insects dying off in droves. Neem acts to subvert the natural behavior of insects, affecting them internally. So, in some time, you will start to see the insects unable to eat, unable to create eggs or young larvae, in fact, insects seem to forget how to do their normal behavior, and eventually leads to the dying off of the population. This takes time to happen, so the gardener needs to be patient.
Further, the effect of Neem seems to affect only those insects who are categorized as chewing or sucking, so you can stop worrying that all the pollen spreading bees will die off after you apply neem. You of course need to be a bit careful, not using the Neem insecticide during the daytime, instead using it either in the morning or the evening. This way, you do not coat the insects with the liquid, instead the bugs deal with the dried insecticide.
More technical: You need to be careful of what you buy for this purpose. Many stores do not have Neem labelled as an insecticide because of regulations. When you buy one, be sure that it has the following on the label – Azadirachtin. You should take care to buy a Neem product that has ‘Azadirachtin’ with a high content, and not some substitute that contains hydrophobic extract (will not be powerful enough, but you would not know that and would be disappointed with the results). Also, if you have a pond in your garden, be sure that you do not spray the neem into the pond.
Further, Neem works from inside the plant as well, since the Neem is absorbed by the plant and goes inside the tissues. As and when the insects start consuming the plant, they feel the effect of the Neem insecticide. For some insects, they consume the insecticide, and others get repelled by the smell.
Neem needs to be mixed with water, with around 1 ounce of the insecticide with around a gallon of water. You also need to apply the insecticide on a regular basis, maybe around once every 10-14 days. Further, since useful insects such as bees and lady bugs don’t eat the plant, they don’t feel any effects of the insecticide. Also, you need to spray the insecticide solution on the potting soil as well.

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Compost is raw material for plants, an incredible boost to getting great plants. And this is something that can be made at home without too much effort or complication; however, not everybody is able to get it right. So here are some steps to ensure that you can prepare compost.

Where to make compost in:
You can make compost even under a big polythene sheet, but a bin makes the process a bit neater and cleaner. The bin just acts as a container, so having bins with different exteriors does not really matter.
The bin should have a lid, should not have gaps in the sides (to protect from natural elements), and should be easy enough for you to access (which means tall cyliners that you cannot see insides may not work).

What can you compost:
Well, almost anything organic can be put in a compost pile, and it will over a period of time convert it compost. However, there are some exclusions.
You should not put meat scraps and too oil based material, since meat attracts vermin.
Similarly, even if you have access to a lot of wood scraps, don’t put too much
What can you put ?
As I said, almost anything. Put kitchen waste (peeling, roughings, vegetable cores, fruit pulp), lawn clippings, leaves (but larger leaves need to be cut into smaller sections for faster decay), branches (shredded), paper waste, hay, newspaper, and you can guess, many other similar things.

What do you do to get started:
Once you have the bin, start preparing layers of the various compost raw material. Once you have a six inch layer of such material, you need to add a 4 inch later of ready compost (you should save a bit of compost that has been prepared earlier), or soil, or manure.
Keep on making alternate layers of these materials until you have a pile that is around 3-4 feet high.

Maintenance during the composting process:
The pile should be in a region that is not directly exposed to harsh sunlight; a semi-shaded region is ideal. Keeping under sunlight would dry it out too much.
Water conditions for the compost pile is always where most failures occur. The pile should not be wet or dry, but moist. If you add too much water, you will get a sludge and certainly not compost.
You should turn the pile once in a while, a week or later. This allows more air and oxygen into all parts of the pile, ensuring that the bacteria and fungi get everything they need to grow.
Using urine (even though it seems sometimes a bit repulsive) acts as an accelerator to the compost pile and is pretty useful.

How do you know when the pile is ready:
It can take anywhere between 2 months and one year to form compost.
When you open the compost pile and find that the ingredients have turned to a material that looks dark brown and smells somewhat like earth, the compost is literally done. However, it should still be left for a period of 2 weeks to a month before being used.
If you find some large particles still in the compost, you can either use them along with the compost, or you can add them back to the new compost pile you may be creating.

In addition to this, there are many reasons why a compost pile may fail, so the next post will contain some tips for the compost making process.

Ready to harvest your homegrown herbs but aren’t sure how to best reap the rewards in your kitchen? Here’s a handy guide that will help match foods with the herbs that best complement their natural flavors.

Beef

Basil, bay, caraway, coriander, cumin, dill, marigold, marjoram, mint, sage, savories, tarragon and thyme (no rosemary)

Pork

Anise, basil, bergamot, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, lemon balm, mint, marjoram, rosemary, sage, savories, tarragon and thyme.

Lamb

Mint, basil, bay, caraway, coriander, cumin, dill, lemon balm, hyssop, marjoram, rosemary, sage, savories or thyme.

Poultry

Chicken only: basil or bay is always good; also caraway, coriander, cumin, dill, lemon balm, marigold, marjoram, mint, rosemary and tarragon; for both sage and savories.
Turkey: thyme

Fish & Shellfish

Anise, basil, caraway, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, hyssop, lemon balm (excellent), marigold, marjoram, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, savories, tarragon; shellfish and fish, rosemary, and thyme.

Breads & Cakes

Coriander, cumin, caraway, dill, marigold and marjoram, anise, fennel, lovage and rosemary.

Goose

Sage

Duck

Dill, mint, hyssop, rosemary, sage, savories, tarragon.

Eggs

Chives, dill, anise, basil, chervil, coriander, cumin, lemon balm, lovage, marjoram, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, savories, tarragon or thyme.

Liver

Coriander, sage or tarragon.

Salads

Anise, basil, bergamot, borage, caraway, catmint, chervil, chickweed, chives, comfrey, coriander, cumin, dandelion, dill, elder, hyssop, lemon balm, marigold, mint, parsley, salad burnet, roses, sweet cicely, tarragon and thyme.

Soups

Anise, borage, chickweed, caraway, chives, cumin, dill, fennel, hyssop, lemon balm, lovage, marigold, marjoram, mint, salad burnet, stinging nettles, savories, tarragon, thyme.

Heirloom tomatoes are just that, family heirlooms – grown from seeds saved over generations by families that grew or liked a particular tomato. Tomatoes can have up to thirty-one flavor components and, like wine, are described by growers with phrases like “intensely rich with sweet overtones” and “smoky and complex.” The whole principle is to have a seed bank of healthy, tried-and-true varieties of anything, including flowers and veggies of all sorts. Opalka was brought from Poland to New York around 1900.
Opalka has a thinner, more tender skin, a deeper red color both inside and out, is sweeter tasting, more flavorful overall, has denser flesh, fewer seeds, far less gel and open space inside, has a more sturdy growth habit and better leaf coverage. This is an excellent variety for making sauce or eating fresh. It is commonly styled as a paste tomato. Paste tomatoes are varieties that are specially adapted for cooking, particularly tomato sauces.
The Opalka is a long, red paste tomato that could easily be mistaken for a red jalapeno were it not for its sweet, floral aroma. The 5″ long, 3″ wide fruits have a pointy tip and grow in clusters. They are meaty with few seeds. Paste tomatoes are, of course, well suited for slow, long cooking, and the Opalka is a paste tomato first and foremost. But what sets this cultivar apart from other pastes, is its delicious, complex raw flavor, best ordered midseason.
Grows 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m) tall. Needs a full sun. Takes around 70-80 days to reach maturity. For collecting the seed, allow the fruit to ripen, clean and dry the seeds, and ferment the seeds before storing to get rid of any bacteria. Seeds can be stored in airtight jars in a cool place for 5-7 years.
If you garden on a terrace, grow your tomatoes in a pot with a capacity of at least 10 to 15 gallons, and fertilize every few weeks with seaweed solution. You may have to water twice a day, so put those babies on a drip system with a timer if you work long hours.