Tips For Great Organic Gardening

Tips For Great Organic Gardening

An organic garden is a fascinating thing that also requires a lot of time and attention. To do so, your smart organic gardening skills are going to come in handy. You have the ability to produce healthy, delicious produce on your own property. Use this advice to take your organic garden to the next level. If you have plants inside, make sure the thermostat stays between 65 and 75 degrees. It is important for them to be kept in this temperature range if they are to grow properly. If you aren't wanting your house to be this warm in the winter, you can use a heat lamp on the plants. Water containing some aspirin helps your plants fight illness. Dissolve one and one-half aspirins into two gallons of cold water, and use it to fortify your plants. Spray this mixture onto your plants. Try to apply the mixture to the plants at least once in each three week period. Just as when outside, plants kept inside need varying degrees of sunlight, which can be harder to obtain from indoors. If you are living in a place that does not have a lot of natural sunlight, think about cultivating plants that do well in lower lighting situations. If you simply must have a plant that has higher requirements for sunlight, you can use indoor UV lamps. If sustainability and organic gardening are appealing to you, leave a portion of the property you own undeveloped to give wildlife a place to thrive. This can be a good area for the types of insects that pollinate plants. It can also be a sanctuary for birds, which will help some plants thrive. This can greatly improve the production of your organic garden. Create a space perfect for any perennial garden with this easy method. Use a spade to dig into the turf, turn the turf over, then spread the area with approximately three inches of wood chips. Wait two weeks or so, and then you are ready to jump right in with digging and planting. To keep your houseplants happy during the day, your thermostat should be set anywhere between 65 and 75 degrees. This level of heat is required in order for plants to grow. Heat lamps can be used to promote growth without the necessity of raising your home's interior temperature. Make the most of the time spent in your garden. Don't waste your time looking for missing tools. Prepare your equipment before you go into the garden and put everything away afterwards. Wear pants with several pockets or use a tool belt. Prepare the ground for a perennial garden quickly and easily. Slice under the grass with a spade, flip the layer you have lifted over, and spread three inches of wood chips on top. Allow the newly turned soil to sit for two weeks, then plant your perennials. To avoid tracking the mud and dirt that will get on your gardening shoes, use plastic bags. You'll be able to keep your momentum going without needing to take off your shoes, and stay on track with your gardening project.

Flower Beds

Pine needles make a great organic mulch. Some plants do better in soil with high acidity as they are highly acidic themselves. When you have plants like this, nothing is easier than to gather pine needles for your beds. Cover the surface of the ground with a two-inch layer of the pine needles; as the needles break down, they will release acid into the soil and nourish your plants. The optimal amount of organic mulch to use in your flower beds is 2-3 inches. Mulch will minimize weed growth and maximize nutrients and moisture. It will also increase the visual appeal of the flower beds. When composting lawn clippings, leaves, and other materials, it is best to add the same amount of green, freshly-cut material as you do dried material. Green plant material includes grass clippings, spent flowers, vegetable and fruit waste, weeds and leaves. Dried materials are things like hay, wood shavings, cardboard and paper. Certain substances will undermine your composting efforts and cancel out any benefits; these include meat, charcoal, ash or plants that have diseases or fungal growths. Spend your time working efficiently in your organic garden. You do not have the time to spend an hour looking for each tool you need. Have all of tools you will need for the day before you head out your garden. When you are finished, put them away neatly for the next time. You can use a tool belt, or you may want to wear pants with extra pockets. When planting seeds in containers, plant the seed roughly three times deeper than the seed's size. It is important to note though, that not all seeds are covered to this depth, as some need direct sunlight to grow properly. Among the seeds meeting this definition are ageratum and petunias. If you're not sure if your seeds need sunlight, you can find out online or through the seeds' package. It never hurts to keep a few bags around the house to protect your floors from dirty gardening shoes. This allows you to keep going, getting back to your garden quickly. If slugs are problematic in your garden, you can use an all-natural beer trap to do away with them. Take a glass jar and bury it in your garden, making sure that the lip of the jar is even with the soil. Pour beer into the jar until it is an inch from the top. The beer will attract the slugs and they will be trapped in the jar. When it is harvest time, use a laundry basket. Most laundry baskets are designed with a multitude of holes. This makes them a perfect strainer for washing your vegetables. The basket won't be affected by the water and it will drain right off as though it were poured into a large sieve. Construct raised flower beds of brick, stone, or wood. If you choose to use wood, make sure it is naturally rot resistant and untreated. Several species of trees yield suitable wood. Locust, cypress, and cedar are among the more commonly used rot resitent woods. Consider the chemicals that will leach out of the wood before choosing anything that has been treated. Remember the affect that such chemicals will have on your plants and soil. If you're using treated lumber, line it with a barrier, or some plastic. As you can see from the previous list of tips, organic gardening can really make a difference in the freshness and nutrients of your produce. It does take some effort and not a little patience. In the end, though, it is a rewarding and healthy hobby that can offer you benefits that last a lifetime. Use mulch to enhance the health of your soil. Mulch will protect and nourish the soil. It helps keep your soil cooler on warmer days, which protects the roots underneath. Evaporation will be reduced and the soil will remain moist for longer when you water. It also is helpful in keeping weeds under control.